This year’s breakdowns now include video of each hole being played, although your feedback is most appreciated on these designs. How do you play? Share your strategy or Golden Tee Great Shots in the comments below.
All holes will then be available for reference on the Course Caddies page—a bookmark must for the entire encyclopedia! Enjoy, and stay tuned for plenty more.
Celtic Shores No. 13
Yes, this is a two-shot par-4, but Hole 13 on Celtic isn’t your run-of-the-mill two-shotter. With elevation, multiple paths and sand traps galore to deal with, there is a certain bit of caution to exercise here.
Now, you absolutely can just tee it straight ahead. On favorable tee boxes with favorable winds, you can actually blast a driver with a high tee past the bunkers and get close to the green. This option will rarely be there, but it’s there. And it’s hard to beat a straight wind and a wedge into a green.
You can also maneuver the bunkers in the depths of that fairway and hit a fairway wood with your second shot. The problem with this shot—which absolutely works—is that the elevation change, even with the lofted clubs, can make for a tough second shot. If you feel comfortable, go right ahead; but be careful where you land and how you approach your approach.
While turning left and hitting it to the other fairway will give you a much longer shot, it will likely be worth it in many instances. Now, you will have fairway bunkers to manage. You also don’t want to be too far left in the fairway because this can make your approach shot incredibly difficult.
But by hitting over here, you’ll almost always be left with anything from a 5-wood to a 3-wood. More importantly, you’ll have a manageable shot in.
While you don’t want to blow it past the green, you can easily come up short here. Be sure to give your shot enough and be mindful of spin. Even bite seems to impact shots quite a bit here.
This is not the place to be aggressive; far too much can go wrong.
Battling the wind will be a huge part of your experience here round to round. Figuring out distances, shot types and preferred clubs in certain setups will help you succeed regularly. If you can do that, you should be in good shape to take on a challenging finish to the round. Let’s do it.
How do you play?