The final par 5 can usually set up drivable!  Rotate to the left, tee it low with a driver, and find a way to skip an A1 around the corner to the green.  You will usually have to get lucky and cut THROUGH the set of trees guarding the green in order to get the […]

If you’re towards the back middle of the box, a high-teed 3-wood can take aim directly at a center pin and clear the mountain!  Keep this in mind as you line up your shot, because you may not have to curve it around. Otherwise, you’ll need to be accurate enough to curve your ball around […]

Just lay back short of the sand for your approach shot — here’s an example hole-out.  Even if you do carry into the sand, you should still be able to loft a shot into the green.  And here’s a hole-out after a long drive out to the second part of the fairway. VIDEO DEMO

Use your loft and carry over the ice to the green.  With a back-right pin, the icy mound can serve as a nice backstop!  You can also use the ice to help bounce forward if you end up short, although this one got lucky! Don’t have a high-lofted club?  Just run it into the mountain […]

The safest play, and only play in my opinion, is to take your shot straight over the mountains ahead to get to the second part of the fairway — use a high tee if it will help you carry far enough. You can still lay back left for a longer approach shot — here’s a […]

It appears as if you’ll have to try to thread the gap between the two mountains if you want a shot at this green (3/4-wood with backspin is ideal) — and this is the best case with a left pin. But, in most cases, you can go over it — the problem may lie in getting the […]

Oh, what a hole!  A chance to drive the green, but the penalty of being teed right back on the box if you miss.  The ideal setup for this seems to be a spot on the middle or right of the tee box, with a tailwind or even blowing left.  One option is a high-teed […]

Here is a description of this new course for Golden Tee 2012: “Golden Tee at the top of the world. Literally. Mt Everest, Nepal is the home of the frigid gem that is Tundra Peak. Though mostly devoid of vegetation, the rocky cliffs, mountains, snow banks, and glaciers create a true golfing expedition new to […]

Here is a description of this new course for Golden Tee 2012: “Set deep in the Green Mountains of Granville, Vermont, the peaceful setting of Auburn Glen can lull the unwary golfer. Although traditional on the surface, this American treasure is built around significant ponds, lakes and streams, which will make you think twice about […]

Here is a description of this new course for Golden Tee 2012: “The warm sun and leeward island breeze greet you at Royal Cove; 18-holes of golf positioned in Half Moon Bay, Antigua, a little known paradise to most. Although the baby blue water steals the show, the sandy beaches and perfectly placed mountains create […]

Here is a description of this new course for Golden Tee 2012: “Take a golfing journey from the top of the north rim all the way down to the bottom of the great chasm. While water is sparse through much of this 18-hole excursion, the streams and waterfalls you encounter will certainly impact your round. […]

Here is a description of this new course for Golden Tee 2012: “Built along Route 66, Dusty Bend Golf Course seems like a step back in time. You’ll never know what roadside attractions you’ll encounter as you golf along “the mother road” in Sayre, Oklahoma. Trees are scarce, but the farm buildings and tourist traps […]

Golden Tee 2012 is here!  Check out the 2012 Courses category for more on each course, but this article will focus on what’s new in the upcoming release! First, we know that we now have a third option for ball spin.  We know how to use backspin and roll, but now we’ve been given a […]

The island straight ahead is the common shortcut shot for an eagle chance but can be very tough to stick at times because it’s not completely flat, and backspin isn’t as effective in the frozen tundra.  It’s elevated too, so consider a high tee and/or hit it a bit more firmly. Here’s a solid tip […]

The most common, and usually safest, shot is a high-teed 5-wood.  Since it slopes way back towards you and the green is frozen, it should settle, although you’ll almost always have a fun downhill putt to finish out!  This one was just played very nicely.  Medium-teed 5-woods also work sometimes.  Here’s a nice one that […]

This can be a really tough eagle.  First, you might want to take a run at the green or at least get it close!  Rotate right and play a big high-teed C3 driver around the side.  Just hope you don’t get unlucky like this! If you don’t want to give that a try, rotate right […]

Don’t pay TOO much attention to the demo here, because the hill is now higher than the demo and you have a slim chance of being able to climb up and over the hill towards the green.  HOWEVER, study this shot.  It’s a medium-teed 3-wood with roll from the right-center of the box.  There’s a […]

Three options here!  First, to the right, there’s a narrow green patch along the wall through the trees.  If you can stick it here, this gives you probably your best approach shot for eagle — here’s a hole-out from there.  It can be very tough, especially with a left-blowing wind or if you get an […]

This shot is usually doable by curving around the left side and using backspin to hold the green.  Here is a perfect 5-wood backspin around the corner.  This sick low-teed 5-wood cut all the way around to a back right pin.  Here’s a 2-hybrid that played a huge A2-type cut. Sometimes you may not be […]

First, check if you can blast your drive down straight ahead to the second fairway.  If so, you can end up with a fairly straight approach shot. Otherwise, you just need to nail the correct layup spot for a shortcut to the right through the trees — it will take a little practice to learn […]

Over or under, that’s the question!  The safest shot is usually a low-teed driver straight at the green under the bridge.  You don’t have to hit it as hard as you think either — you should have plenty of loft and distance to carry the water, and you want the ball to stop before skidding […]

Sometimes higher-lofted clubs can help you float shots in here, especially when the pin is tucked to the right. Here’s a low-lofter to a center pin. VIDEO DEMO

Here’s a tricky hole that will test your skill.  The tee shot to the right is difficult to stick due to the narrow fairway, but you’ll be rewarded with a straight approach shot for an easy birdie if you pull it off — here’s a hole-out from there. If you do play down the left […]

It’s all about the tee shot here.  Either use a high tee to try to carry the sand to the second part of the fairway, or play a driver cut shot with roll and try to thread the needle past the sand.  You’re good from past the sand.  This driver hole-out uses the hill as […]

The safest shot for you here is to high-tee a 4 or 5-wood over the top of the barn at the same angle as it runs.  If you miss this shot too far right, the tree guarding the green will halt your progress.  Likely you will clip some leaves but have enough momentum to carry […]

This hole also has two tee boxes — one from the left and one straight on.  Here is where you really need Hawks or a set with low-lofted irons.  With a 7-wood or 9-wood, you may have an awful time trying to keep your round intact. From the left, here’s a perfectly-played ace.  Here’s another […]

In the minds of many, Auburn lets you off the hook with a very doable finishing hole.  You’ll have a pretty straight shot through the gap to this green.  Above all else, aim for the fat part of the green closest to the pin and give yourself a putt.  You’ll need to nail your distance, […]

Golden Tee 2011 is only two months away!  While it’s hard not to get excited for the new courses and features, due to ship in the last week of September to bars with eager vendors, you’ve still got a few weeks left to work on your 2010 game.  Since you’ve probably been playing 2010 for […]

From almost every setup, a high-teed 9-wood can go straight at the green if you’ve got the distance.  Here’s a perfect example of where you’d play this shot to a back pin.  This one actually comes at it from the left — what a crazy shot!  And this one involves a bank, which is even […]

The left or right fairway works here — it’s usually wind-specific.  To the right, you can hit it long and straight or curve a big A1-type shot over there, trying to get past the sand.  You don’t have to be dead accurate — it can bounce off the walls a bit and settle, still giving […]