This hole is sometimes drivable, especially from the front left box with a good wind. Just hit a C3 into the green. Sometimes with a headwind you’ll need to blast a C3 and catch a lucky bounce but you can still get there.  Here’s a high-teed driver ace! From the next box back, it’s only […]

This section breaks down how to play each hole at Golden Tee’s Cypress Cove, in Monterey, California, which was voted the easiest of the 2008 courses by the expert community. The par 3 third hole got multiple votes as one of the toughest holes in Golden Tee Live 2008, and the tough par 4 9th […]

Here is one of the most favorable finishing holes in Golden Tee, where you should end up with a birdie at worst. This par 4 is always drivable, but it can set up for a straight wood shot or be a difficult C3 or A1. Just remember when hitting this shot that you don’t need […]

Several options here to leave you an approach shot to the green in 2. If you’re close enough to hit it down past the sand on the left and onto the lower fairway, hit it there and close to the water, as far left as possible. You’ll have a 3-wood with backspin to the green. […]

This par 4 is drivable 75% of the time, but it’s very challenging. The front left box gives you the best chance. Aim for the right side of the green and hit a C3 5-wood to 3-wood with backspin, The follow-through is the key here — make sure you hit enough “3” so you don’t […]

This long par 5 has a tee shot that is sometimes the toughest in the game. To get there in 2, you’ll need to go down the squiggly fairway and be close enough to get a wood to the green. Hitting to just in-between the first 2 bunkers will leave you about 360-400 to the […]

Here’s a tough par 3 that can ruin your round. This hole can set up anywhere from a sand wedge to a 3-wood depending on the tee box and wind, but it always has a hard left-sloping green towards the sand. If you’re close enough for a small iron or wedge, and the wind is […]

The best way to play this hole is to position your drive so that you have a low-lofted club into the green (a huge tree will catch any high-lofted approach shot). You need to get out far enough past the trees on the left, but not so far that the big approach tree is too […]

You’ll need a big A1 drive off the tee with topspin (into a headwind) or backspin (with a tailwind), also depending on the angle you get from tee. Make sure you get the ball as far left on the fairway as you can without actually going in the rough, and you’ll have the best approach […]

Once again, make sure you’re not short!  This one can be tough too.  With a front pin, aim for the back of the green and use backspin.  Here’s an example hole-out. With a back pin, make sure you aim for the back of the green again with no roll.  The wind affects tee shots here […]

Here’s another always drivable par 4. This hole can be an easy straight wood shot, an A1 or a C3, all depending on the tee box. From the left box, you can come straight at it — here’s a hole-out from there. If you’re toward the middle of the boxes, an A1 5-wood will clear […]

If you can get to the second fairway across the water, this one is easy. Stay right as much as you can, because the fairway slopes left. Here’s an example hole-out from there. Just watch out for this fringe when you’re on the green, because it really throws putts off track! If you cannot clear […]

From every tee box, you will either be turning left once to blast an A1 driver with topspin, or you will be turning right once to hit a C3 driver with topspin. Hit this one hard. If you get past the sand, you’re gold. Even if you’re in the sand but you get out far […]

This green is sometimes drivable with a lucky turbo-bouncing C3, but watch out! This green is 250-feet across, so if you’re on the wrong end of the green, you could be 3-putting from 200+ feet! It’s better just to shoot a straight driver 300+ in the fairway to get a clear look at attacking the […]

Just make sure you’re not short!  Be careful with a front pin and a low-lofted club.  If you thumb it, you have a good chance of ending up short in the water.  Club up or pull back to get extra loft hitting uphill to this green.  Here’s an example hole-out.

Always drivable, but difficulty depends on your setup. For most setups, it’s an easy thumb shot with a 5-wood to driver.  Here’s a nice 3-wood hole-out.  Here’s another 3-wood hole-out from different box. The only time this hole is tough is when you’re on the tee box behind the trees. If you are close and […]

Sometimes pin placement can make it tough to attack the flag, so make sure you get your birdie here. You just have to read the pin and the wind to know which type of shot is best. The wind affects the ball more here because it’s a downhill shot.  The green has a strange shape […]

Drivable about 20% of the time. If you’re on the front big box, you can drive this hole with a straight shot. From anywhere else on the front box, hit an A1 or C3 to get there. From the back boxes, just lay up and try to create a straight-wind approach shot again.  Here’s a […]

Sometimes this opening par 4 can be drivable, but mostly you’ll be trying to lay up for a straight shot in with the wind.  Here’s an example hole-out after laying back.

After polling several of the experts, there are three different ways people choose to set up for Golden Tee Live 2008 Cypress Cove. The overwhelming majority of the pros prefer to play Cypress Cove with the old hybrids (”old birds”) and the orange balls. The rest of the group is split between two other options […]