This is a great week on the PGA Tour, the week of the HP Byron Nelson Championship. The Byron Nelson has been a long time favorite of both players and fans in part because the course is so challenging for the players and a great viewing venue for the patrons.

"TPC" stands for Tournament Players Championship. Typically TPC courses are designed for PGA Tour events and for stadium style grass seating for the fans (photo above).

TPC Four Seasons Overview

TPC Four Seasons is a par-70 track which plays very difficult during the Byron Nelson. When the winds kick up the course is very tough.

Back in 2011 winds were high. The only tournament on the PGA Tour which had higher scores that year was the U.S. Open.

Design

The TPC Four Seasons was designed by Jay Morrish in 1983 and went through a large renovation and redesign in 2007-2008 by D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolford.

TPC Four Seasons winds through a very hilly area. Those hills produce some great elevation changes from tee to fairway to green. Players must calculate yardages precisely, accounting for rises or dips in altitude. Not only are the undulations of the fairways and greens a challenge, the course is lined with trees. 68 sand bunkers and eight water hazards round out the challenges to the players.

Scorecard

• Par: 72 (70 for PGA Tour)
• Yards: 7,166
• Rating: 76
• Slope: 142
• Tee sets: 4

Amenities

The Four Seasons resort is a large, multi-faceted resort which offers not only golf but luxury lodging, dining, tennis, extensive golf practice facilities and more.  The clubhouse is very large and capable of hosting major events.

Contact

4150 N MacArthur Blvd
Irving, Texas 75038
Dallas County
Phone: (972) 717-2525
Website: www.thesportsclubfourseasons.com

If you are looking for some good golf entertainment look no further.  There is a new fantasy golf course being built by the largest golf resort in China.

The course is a fantasy course with some very crazy hole concepts:

Great Wall

400 yard par-4 with a replica of the Great Wall of China lining the left side.

Panda

Bunkers shaped like pandas, surrounded by bamboo.

Mayan Ruins

Golf hole set amongst replicas of Mayan Ruins.

Bowl of Noodles

(Pictured) this is no 17th island green at the TPC Sawgrass!  This par-3 features a green inside a giant, 80 meter wide bowl of noodles complete with chopsticks!

"China is not hung up on tradition and is open to what some may say is ‘wacky’ stuff.  We have been determined to ensure the course will be a challenge. We want elite players to feel as though they have to play a good shot. It is just that the surrounds will be visually unconventional." ~course designer Brian Curley

The course will be open in 2014 at Mission Hills' Haikou Resort on China's southern island of Hainan.

Orlando, Florida is the home of Disney, Golf Channel and considered by many as the golf capitol of the USA.  Orlando's weather is almost always warm and suitable for playing golf year round.

Overview

One of the best courses in the Orlando area is the "New Course" at Grand Cypress, which opened in 1988.  The New Course is a Jack Nicklaus signature design which is inspired by the links style rolling hills and terrain of the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.  The course is located in a large meadow and employs course features similar to the Old Course in Scotland like deep bunkers, rock bridges and double greens.

Holes #1 and #18 are replica holes of the 1st and 18th at the Old Course in St. Andrews, complete with the wide fairway, green shapes and the famous Swilken Burn (the creek short of #1 green and in front of #18 tee).

Though the course is designed to look like a links course it does not play like one.  The soft and moist Florida ground is not conducive to playing links style running golf shots  The soft ground calls for carrying the golf ball to the greens, rather than running or bouncing it up.

Stats

• Par: 72
• Length: 7,132 yards
• Rating: 75.9
• Slope: 142
• Tee boxes: 4
• Pot bunkers: 150

Amenities

Grand Cypress offers a vast array of amenities including complete practice facilities, one of the biggest golf academies in the USA, numerous food and beverage options, recreation activities, lodging and of course close access to all of the Orlando area entertainment like Disney, Sea World and Universal Studios.

Contact

Grand Cypress
1 N Jacaranda St  Orlando, FL 32836
(407) 239-4700
www.grandcypress.com

Golf in Las Vegas can run $300-$500 per round.  Most of the courses there are great, but really, that's a bit steep don't you think?  I find it hard to imagine paying that kind of money there, when I can drive about 1.5 hours northeast to Sand Hollow in southern Utah.  Sand Hollow is an amazing facility.  Lets take a look.

Location

Sand Hollow is a desert golf resort located in a small town called Hurricane in southern Utah.  WIth a name like that one can imagine that the area can be quite windy and that is very true.  Hurricane is about 10-15 minutes north of the famous golf area, the city of St. George.

Weather conditions in this area are very warm in the summer, often over 100 degrees.  Though it can get cold and snow occasionally in the winter, courses in this area are generally open all year.

Overview

Sand Hollow's facility is top notch.  First there are two, soon to be three golf courses on site.

Championship Course

The main course is the 18 hole Championship Course.  This course was designed by John Fought.  Fought did a fantastic job working with the red sand desert area that Sand Hollow occupies.  The par-72 track has two distinct nines and styles.  The course starts out relatively easy, with some wide fairways to find players' drives.  The greens are very large, similar to those in Scotland.  Hitting greens in regulation isn't super-tough.  Putting however, can be as the putts may be quite long.  In Scottish style, the front nine is very much a desert links course with dunes and a links flavor.   The back nine takes on a completely different flavor.  Holes wind through red rock canyons and plateaus, featuring massive elevation changes and highly dramatic red rock scenery.  Holes 12-15 comprise the signature holes, providing so many great shot opportunities, both with golf clubs and cameras.  The back nine is amazing.

Links Course

The second course is the "Links" course.  The links course is a very fun nine hole track which obviously is built in the tradition of Scottish links courses.  The only difference is that the terrain is Mars-red and there's no water nearby.  The links course is an easy walk and features large and welcoming fairways.  There's even a shared green, just like in St. Andrews.

Stats

Championship Course

• Par: 72
• Yards: 7,300
• Slope: 137
• Rating: 73.7
• Tee sets: 4

Links Course

• Holes: 9
• Par: 36
• Yards: 3,600

Amenities

Sand Hollow just built a big shiny new clubhouse which is wrapped in windows.  Fantastic views of the amazing landscape all around.  Inside is the pro shop, cafe and large dining area which could also handle banquets.

The practice areas are great.  The range is giant and there are plenty of practice putting, chipping and sand areas.  Great place to work on the game.

Contact

Sand Hollow Resort
5662 W. Clubhouse Dr.
Hurricane, UT 84737.

Tel: (435) 656-4653

www.sandhollowresort.com

Five Killer Courses in one review!

The Legend of Bandon Dunes grows every year.  This fantastic golf resort located on the coastline of Bandon, Oregon, was created in the spirit of Scotland's ancient links courses.  Though it may never become as legendary as the Old Course in St. Andrews, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is as close as the USA can come to that status.  There are several courses at the resort so lets take a quick look at all of them.

Bandon Dunes

The first course to open at the resort, Bandon Dunes was designed by David McLay Kidd, a Scottish golf architect.  The course's native dunes are shaped in the same fashion as courses in the northern UK, routed in a natural way.  Like St. Andrews, winds are always a factor.

Bandon Dunes has four sets of tees: Black, Gold, Green and Orange.  The tips measure at 6,732 yards with a difficult rating of 74.1 and slope of 143. Par value is 72.  A tough challenge.

Pacific Dunes

Pacific Dunes opened in 2001.  The course plays differently from the other courses at Bandon, from a shot making perspective.  Course architect Tom Doak utilized the rippling contours of the seaside dunes, leaving them just as they were found.

Pacific has the same tee selection: Black, Green, Gold, Orange.  The black tees, tips, measures at 6,633 yards with a rating of 73.0 and a slope of 142.  Par value is 71.

Bandon Trails

Bandon Trails opened in 2005.  Many feel that "Trails" is the best course at Bandon.  Trails was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, or Coore/Crenshaw as they are typically referred to.  The course starts on a massive sand dune, then proceeds into a meadow.  The vegetation and terrain is rugged and the course along with it.  There are more trees on this track.

Trails also has the same tee configuration: Black, Green, Gold, Orange.  From the tips the course measures at 6,765 yards with a slope of 133 and rating of 73.7.  Par value is 71.

Old Macdonald

Old Macdonald Golf Links is the newest full-course at Bandon.  The course is designed in honor of course architect C.B. Macdonald by modern architects Tom Doak and Jim Urbina.  The course features Scottish style massive greens and very tough bunkers.

The tee setup at Old Mac is a little different: Black, Green, Gold, Royal Blue, Orange.  The tips (black) measure at 6,978 yards with a slope of 133 and rating of 74.1.  Par value is 71.  This course is a very tough challenge.

Bandon Preserve

Bandon's Preserve course is a very fun and unique track.  The Preserve is a par-3 course with 13 holes.  Proceeds from this course are dedicated to benefit The Wild Rivers Coast Alliance which supports projects protecting rich lands and waters of The South Coast.

There are three sets of tees on this par-3 track: Black, Green and Orange.  The longest hole is the 11th, at 152 yards.  Total yards for the 13 holes is 1,468.  There is no slope or rating.

Practice Facility

The resort features a 30 acre practice facility which allows players to practice "every shot required on our five courses."  PGA instruction is also available.

Caddie Services

Caddies are available and recommended at Bandon.  That's the way the game is best experienced.

Getting There

Bandon, Oregon isn't the easiest place to get to and there isn't much in the way of lodging and amenities close to the course.  But golfers who travel there don't care.  The golf experience is other-worldly.

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
57744 Round Lake Drive
Bandon, OR  97411
888-345-6008

http://www.bandondunesgolf.com

There is a literal golf "mecca" in northern Michigan, in a town named Gaylord.  This area is a resort town which features skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling in the winter and golf in the summer.  The Gaylord area boasts roughly 20 courses within a 20 mile radius.  One resort area which is home to five courses is the well known Treetops resort, home skiing and 81 holes of golf.  Today we are covering a very unique course at Treetops called "Threetops."

Threetops Overview

Threetops gets its name because the course is a par-3 course.  Stay with me.  This isn't your typical dog-track par-3.  Threetops boasts being the #1 par-3 course in America, and some say it is the #1 par-3 course in the world.  Those who have played the track would agree.

Design

Threetops was designed by famous golf instructor Rick Smith, who uses Treetops as his home teaching course.  You may know Mr. Smith from the original Golf Channel Big Break at Treetops, or by the fact that he coaches Phil Mickelson and other tour players.  Threetops holes vary from under 100 yards to over 220 yards.  Total yardage for the 9-hole course is about 1,400 with a par of 27.

Each hole is framed by dense and mature forest with tall trees.  Tee shots feature many forced carries and some severe elevation changes.  As many as a 3-4 club adjustment is needed to compensate for the drastic drops from tee to green on some holes.  Calculating the correct club is challenging and fun.  Tee shots on the severe drops are a blast as they seem to be in the air for hours.

Greens are guarded by strategically placed bunkers and other bunkers which may not normally be in play but provide a great aesthetic to the hole.  The greens are not difficult to putt, featuring subtle undulations.

Rounds on Threetops take about an hour, which is fantastic for those who simply don't have the time to put in 4-5 hours for a round of golf.  Not to worry though, those nine short holes pack as much fun and possibly even more than an 18 hole track.  Just think about it.  There are NINE chances to score a hole in one.

Facilities

The Treetops golf facility features a large clubhouse with a great pro shop, stocked with everything a golfer needs.  The practice facility has a large driving range which could accommodate a large number of players.  The practice green is very fun with some very large undulations.  Inside the clubhouse one can find a great restaurant as well as men's and women's locker rooms.

Resort

When traveling to the area, staying at the Treetops resort is a great option.  The resort at Treetops features a hotel with indoor/outdoor pool, jacuzzi, spa, salon, restaurants, a fun bar and a rustic mountain setting.

Contact

Treetops Resort
3962 Wilkinson Rd
Gaylord, MI 49735
1-866-348-5249

http://www.treetops.com

This week the United States Golf Association is putting on their 87th annual Amateur Public Links Championship.  This championship is an amateur competition which is open to golfers who are not members of country clubs.  For the first time ever, the USGA has chosen to hold one of their championships in Utah.  The host course for the "Publinks" is Soldier Hollow, located in Midway, Utah.  Midway is a short drive from Park City and about a 45-60 minute drive from Salt Lake City.

Overview

Soldier Hollow Resort is comprised of a 36 hole golf facility as well as the facilities which hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic biathlon and cross country skiing competitions.  Naturally, a location which hosted winter Olympic events is located in the mountains.

The two golf courses are the Gold and Silver courses.  Both courses, designed by Gene Bates, feature a "mountain links" style.  The mountain component means uneven lies and large elevation changes.  Some tee and approach shots can feature blind shots as well as huge increases or decreases in altitude, which make club selection difficult.  The links component lies in the shaping of the fairways and green complexes.  Small rolling hills line the fairways and greens.  Many links style shots are possible for players to choose.

Silver

The Silver course is the easier of the two.  Measuring at 7,355 yards, 131 slope and a par of 72.  An interesting feature of the silver courses is the fact that the course has six par-3's, six par-4's and six par-5's.  The par-3 holes can be very tough.  Five of the six par-3's are over 200 yards from the tips, while the fifth is 186 yards.

The fairways on the Silver course are a little more forgiving and wide.

Gold

The Gold course is the tougher of the two courses.  This par-72 track measures at 7,598 yards with a slope of 136.  The hole format of the Gold is more traditional with four par-3's and four par-5's.

The Gold course features much more severe elevation changes as it winds back and forth up and down the steep mountainside. Fairways on the Gold are more narrow, longer and more difficult.

For the 87th USGA Publinks, 17 of the 18 holes of the Gold course are used while one hole of the Silver is used.

Facilities

The clubhouse (above) is an impressive structure with a unique triangular shape.  Inside is a large dining area with fantastic floor to ceiling windows for viewing the course.  The food in the cafe is excellent.  For instance, they grind their own hamburger each day for their burgers.

The practice facilities include a large lighted range as well as a large practice green.

Contact

Soldier Hollow Golf Course
1370 West Soldier Hollow Lane
Midway, Utah 84049
435-654-7442

Web:  http://stateparks.utah.gov/golf/gold-silver

About an hour's drive from Frogger headquarters is a vineyard called Wente Vineyards.  This 125 year old vineyard is the oldest continually operated family-owned vineyard in the United States.  Wente Vinyeards teamed up with champion golfer and course designer Greg Norman to build The Course which opened in 1998.  Let's take a look.

Location

Situated in the hills of Livermore, California, the course features drastic elevation changes and spectacular views of the green grass, the vineyards and the surrounding mountains.

Accessing the course is easy from Oakland / San Francisco, about an hours drive southeast depending on traffic.

Design

Greg Norman designed "The Course" at Wente Vinyeards is a par-72 track which measures at 7,181 yards from the tips (Black tee).  Course rating is a difficult 75.0 with a very high slope of 145.  In plain English, this is a challenging course.

The course features three distinct topographies, woodlands, rolling hills and vineyards.  The hills and lack of trees on many holes give the course a links flavor, but the elevation changes are far more dramatic than most links courses in the northern United Kingdom.

Tee shots on par-4's and 5's can be intimidating due to the narrowness of the landing areas, elevation changes and shapes of the holes.  Large complex bunkers guard the fairways and greens.  Shots which do find the fairway are rewarded with reasonably flat lies.

The vineyards line around half of the holes on the course.

Greg Norman is very proud of his design work on this course, saying, “I can stand here as the head of my development company and honestly say this is my best effort.”

Stats

Tee	Par	Yardage	Rating	Slope
Black	72	7,181	75.0	145
Gold	72	6,840	73.9	141
Blue	72	6,266	71.6	131
White	72	5,637	68.7	124
Red (ladies)	72	4,866	69.4	122

Signature Hole

Tough choice on the signature hole.  The 18th is a very tough par-4 which has a dual fairway which is split by a creek in the middle.  Making par on this finishing hole is an accomplishment.

The 228 yard par-3 7th hole is a great signature hole candidate as well.  The views from the tee box on this hole are expansive and intimidating, though the tee shot is elevated and one club less could bring the playing yardage down to between 210-220 yards.

Contact

Wente Vineyards
5050 Arroyo Road
Livermore, CA 94550
Phone: 925.456.2400
www.wentevineyards.com

The Frogger "Killer Courses" articles are typically about killer courses anyone can play.  Because it is Masters week we're changing up the rules a bit to cover a course you probably can't and probably won't ever play, Augusta National Golf Club.

Augusta National Golf Club is of course, the home of the Masters Tournament.  The Masters is golf's "first right of spring," denoting the official beginning of golf season both for amateurs and pro golf.

Architects

Bobby Jones and Allister Mackenzie worked together on the design of "the National."  Machenzie was the earth mover and Jones provided the information on how he wanted shots set up.  The construction of the course began in 1931 and was completed in 1932.  Two years later the first Masters, known back then as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament was contested.

Location

Augusta National is located in Augusta, Georgia. The course is well known for its thousands of beautiful blooming plants, primarily Azaleas. The course rests on the location of a former nursery.

Challenges

Augusta National is known for its very undulating and hilly terrain.  That terrain, mixed with small and deadly fast greens make the course very challenging for the best players in the world.

In designing the course, Bobby Jones set up many holes with lies which influence certain shot shapes like draws or fades.  But in setting up the greens to receive approach shots, he set up the opposite for the approach.  For instance, hole #9 is a par-4 dogleg left.  The players' drives usually end up on a down slope which runs away from the player.  That sort of lie promotes a fade.  But keeping an approach on the green is best served by hitting a draw.  So Jones set up the approach to influence a fade and force the player to execute even more by making a draw the best shot to approach.

#13 is another example.  The 2nd and/or 3rd shots to this great par-5 are from a lie which has the ball above a right handed player's feet.  That situation would promote a draw.  But the green is best approached by hitting a fade.  See the photo below.

The greens at the Masters are the primary defense of the course.  The greens may look large on TV, but in person they're not.  The speed of the greens is never quoted or mentioned by the Masters tournament committee.  But many theorize they're as high as 12-14 on the stimp meter.  With the slopes and slants these greens have, that sort of speed makes them... well, crazy tough.

Check out the sloping of the first hole's putting surface.  Also take note what would happen when one misses the green.

The Masters

Now that you know a little more about the course, you may have a better idea who you'd pick to win the Masters based on their strengths and weaknesses.

Contact

Normally in this section of Killer Courses we put a course's contact information so readers can get in touch with them to book rounds of golf.  Since this is a special killer courses posting, we'll simply put the one place you can go for any information about Augusta National or the Masters: Masters.com

What a fun one this is--a certain golf bucket list item.

Chambers Bay, located on the Puget Sound in the state of Washington, brings Scottish style links golf to the northwest.  The course was built on the site of a former sand and gravel mine, a fantastic way to rejuvenate the scarred landscape which was degraded after a century of industrial uses.  The course is part of a 930-acre reclamation plan developed by Pierce County as an engine for economic development.

The Architect

Chambers Bay is the first course designed in the state of Washington by golf architect Robert Trent Jones II.  "RTJ2" is the son of one of the most famous golf architects in history, Robert Trent Jones Sr.  RTJ2 utilized existing landforms as a base and moved sand to create playable areas and aesthetics.

"We moved one and a half million cubic yards of material to craft the dunes, hummocks, fairways and other playable areas, and then veneered the playable area as well, so that the entire surface is like a sandy green in condition, playing firm, where the ball runs out on the ground. It is NOT target golf." ~Robert Trent Jones II

True Links

Just like the links courses in Scotland, this course is next to a body of water.  The course is a walking only facility, meaning no cart paths to ruin the beautiful landscape or scuff precious Titleists. Caddies are available.

From a shot making standpoint, the links style presents many options for players of all abilities.  Players may choose to play holes "American" style in the air, or "Links" style on the ground.  Course shaping/dunes/hills allow for multiple creative ways of getting around the track.

2010 US Amateur & 2015 US Open

In 2010 Chambers Bay hosted the US Amateur Championship, won by Peter Uihlein.

Currently, RTJ2's team is tweaking some of the holes in preparation for the upcoming 2015 US Open.   If you are planing on taking the trip to Chambers Bay to play, be sure to check the web site for renovation information as some holes may be closed or may have temporary greens.

Stats

There are five sets of tees at Chambers Bay.  The tips which will be used for the US Open, the teal tees, measure at 7,585 yards.  Course rating from the teal tees is 76.8 with a slope of 142.  In other words, you'd better be a pro to play it all the way back.  But that's what the shorter tees are for.  Players of all abilities can enjoy a round without getting beaten to a pulp.  The easier white tees for instance, measure at just over 6,000 yards with a rating of 70.0 and a slope of 130.  Very playable.

Contact

Chambers Bay
6320 Grandview Dr W
University Place, WA 98467

Toll Free: 877.29.LINKS (5-4657)
Direct: 253.460.GOLF (4653)

http://www.chambersbaygolf.com