The premise couldn’t be more basic, although the process of designing a brilliant Golden Tee hole and winning the Design-a-Hole Contest takes creativity, a little bit of work and, most important of all, an idea.

Submit your dream Golden Tee hole between now and April 15 and you could see your par-3, 4 or 5 go from concept to actual, playable hole in Golden Tee 2016 in a matter of months. Plus, for winning, you’ll get your very own Golden Tee Home Edition. Yes, it’s totally awesome.

The stakes are high, and that’s not all. For a full rundown of prizes, rules and information, visit Goldentee.com/designahole. If you’re ready to submit and think you have what it takes to impress the Design-a-Hole judges, you can do that at design-a-hole@itsgames.com.

If you’re still dreaming up a good idea or 10—and you can submit as many designs as you’d like before April 15, so don’t hold back—you’ve come to the right place. Although I don’t pick which designs are esteemed Design-a-Hole judges will ultimate pick as finalists, I do hear their feedback, see what they like and listen in on one of the most fascinating Golden Tee meetings of the year.

What have I learned over the years that can help? Let’s chat.

Ensure Your Design Makes Golden Tee Sense

I can’t tell you how many intriguing designs have not made it because they’ve been off too much for our designers to recreate it in the game. Not only is it integral, it’s also one of the tougher things checklist accomplish.

Little things like elevation and distance can be key to a good design. You know how far a driver goes. You know what a 9-wood can do elevation wise. You know the little quirks that make Golden Tee what it is and how the game is reflected in a hole’s makeup.

Use. This. Knowledge.

 It doesn’t have to be perfect—course designer Jim Zielinski will tweak in the end if necessary—but he’s not going to do all of the work for you.

More than just a good idea, displaying a keen knowledge of the game through your design is something they absolutely love. You don’t have to be an expert or a rocket science to do this; you know hot handle this.

Don’t Limit Yourself to a Specific Location

You could produce a fabulous golf hole that involves hitting around the State of Liberty. Unless we have a Statue of Liberty course, however, your design is not going to make the cut. (Please note: To my knowledge, there is not a Statue of Liberty course in 2016, so please don’t.)

Specific landmarks might seem like a cool idea—and some of them really do look awesome—but they also likely won’t fit in the game. I can’t tell you how many baseball stadium designs we’ve gotten over the years. They’ve looked cool, and some of them would be a lot of fun to tee off on, but when have you seen a baseball stadium in Golden Tee?

Pieces of certain environments are a different story. Palm trees, if necessary, can become trees suited more for a different environment. Bodies of water can range in color. Dirt can become rough. Other changes, if needed can be made for the greater good of a design.

But a baseball stadium is, well, a baseball stadium. That will be tough to build around.

Don’t Worry About Submitting a Masterpiece

The notion that you need to be some sort of artist or computer graphics wiz to be considered in this contest is 100 percent false. If you have those abilities, take advantage and send them in. We’d love to see them.

But the biggest thing about this contest—the thing that makes is special—is that absolutely anyone with an idea and a pen or pencil can win. Don't worry about that non-steady hand.

The goal of this contest is to tap into the great creative potential out of the Golden Tee community. Turning a great idea into a masterpiece will be Jim Zielinski’s job (and one he’s really, really good at).

Whether you decide to draw, video tape or submit your design through a completely different medium, do not fret over its visual perfection. A good Golden Tee design will get noticed, plain and simple.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with it.