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. 14
It was only a matter of time before things picked up. That’s the case here on Hole 15. You can just sense it as you line up your tee shot.
This late Celtic par-4 is very much drivable. In order to do so, however, you’re going to have to navigate a shot over water and cliffs. You can lay up if you’d like, but laying up doesn’t do a ton for you here. There’s still a possibility to goof the approach.
There are certain looks that will be far more difficult—looking in your direction, back right pin—but you should be able to hit the green with regularity here.
If you have a Golden Tee, you have far more flexibility here. In fact, there are limited instances where I attack this hole without a Golden Tee. The added loft is integral, the added distance gives you options and the decreased spin can actually be quite helpful here as well.
But before we get to that, here’s proof that it can be done without a Golden Tee.
With that out of the way, use ‘em if you got ‘em. In most instances, you’ll likely be hitting a 3 or 5-wood, which will benefit a great deal from the added loft from the tee.
With a strong out wind, you need to be mindful of distance. The ball can absolutely fly here, and 5-woods can easily fly over the green if you aren’t careful.
With a strong wind working against you, you have a bit more flexibility. A high teed 3-wood will still get there; you may not even need backspin or bite. In the shot below, you could argue that I was almost too cautious in attacking the green and difficult conditions.
Still, it worked.
Going pin seeking is not the answer. This is a hole that can be punishing if you’re just a little off in direction or distance. When the pin is tucked in the back right hand corner—the most evil of placements—don’t go after it. Hit it in the center and take your chances on a longer eagle putt.
That should be a theme here.
How do you play?