Coyote Moon - Detail
Coyote Moon has four sets of tees, ranging from 7177 yards to 5022, so it's well-suited
to all handicap levels. This writeup was done from the white tees (6211 yards).
The elevation at Coyote Moon is around 6000 feet, which gives you about one club's
worth of extra carry when compared to sea level.
The day we played, they were doing some end-of-season maintenance, and the first
fairway had just been punched. That's what accounts for all those black plugs you see
in the photo. The first hole is an uphill par 5, playing only 469 yards. Don't be
fooled -- that steep hill makes it seem much longer. Hit your driver here, and then
put a good swing on a fairway wood, and you'll still need a short iron on your third shot.
Lots of bunkers up around the green! (Be careful...)
The second hole plays 382 yards. There's a patch of junk to hit over off the tee,
but that's mostly just to get in your head. Set your sights on the fairway bunkers on the
left, and swing away.
#3 is a 156 yard par three. There's a fairly large bunker left of the green, but
otherwise this is a pretty benign hole.
#4 is a a downhill tee shot, followed by an uphill approach. It's 408 yards, so you kind of need all the distance you can get off the tee,
in order to make your approach shot manageable. Beware the drop off at the edge of the
fairway on the right -- I hit a good drive, and it trickled over, so favor the left half of the fairway.
The approach to this hole is interesting because a) the green is elevated, but b) there's
a bank behind it. There's also a trap behind it, so don't get too cocky...
THe fifth hole plays 369 yards. It has an uphill tee shot, and doglegs left. If you
can manage a tee shot to the left half of the fairway without going into the woods, it
will set you up perfectly for your second shot. The green is fronted by a bunker, so
pay attention to the distance on your approach.
#6 is a 354 yard par four. But it's uphill, which makes it play longer. You get
to tee off over the corner of a pond which is there for eye candy. Once you're up
the hill, the approach is pretty straightforward.
#7 is a short par 5, playing 478 yards. However, it's also up a pretty good hill (notice a recurring theme here?).
It doglegs left, but don't get too cute trying to cut the corner, because you can't
actually reach the corner from the tee. Hit it as far as you can, straight up the middle.
Then do the same with your second shot. When you finally make your third shot into the green,
there's a huge granite bolder off to the right of the green. I have to assume it was always
there, because I can't imagine a machine large enough to place it there!
The eighth hole is a short (127 yards) par three. Make a smooth swing!
The ninth hole is a 377 yard par four with a deceptive non-dogleg. It looks like it
bends left, but once you reach the top of the hill, you see that it's really straightaway.
There's a swale in front of the green, so if your preferred strategy is to roll the ball
onto the green, that may not work here.
The tenth hole is a 389 yard par 4. It doglegs right to a slightly elevated green.
#11 is a strategy hill. The tee shot is down a pretty steep hill, with a dogleg to the right.
It's 407 yards, but I still hit a three wood off the tee, just to try and keep
it straight. I still had to hit a hybrid into the green, but it's critical to stay
in the fairway.
#12 is another strategy hole. It's "short" at 458 yards, with a downhill tee shot, but the uphill part...
well, let's just say it's tricky. First of all, you need to be in the fairway off the tee.
Second, your uphill shots need to be high quality. Third, try to land close to the pin.
The green is huge, and you can get lost trying to find the hole.
#13... Let me tell you about #13. On the first tee, when they're telling you when to
stay on the cart paths, and where the rest rooms are, yada yada, they make a point
of explaining the 13th hole to you. #13 is a par 3, and the scorecard lists it as 187 yards.
However, they explain at great length to play your 160 yard club because of the severe drop
in elevation. Not an easy swing either, hit your benchmark 160 yard club, and be committed to it.
If you make a good swing and hit it well, you have a chance of landing on the green. If you make any
kind of mis-hit, chances are your ball is gone forever.
#14 is the easiest hole on the back nine, a par four playing just 243 yards. However...
It crosses a ferocious barranca. Plus the tees tend to line you up wrong. You need to find
where the green is (hint: it's left of the barranca). Once you've got your eyes on the flag,
then you can make a decision -- 1) hit a 243 yard drive over all the junk, or 2) hit a mid-iron to the
fairway, followed by a wedge into the green. I chose #2 (the easy way), and promptly snap-hooked
a 6 iron into the barranca. Doh! Then I bladed my wedge into the bank behind the green, where the
grass is so tall I found three other balls before finding my own! As my friend would say, "It's the
hardest easy hole I've ever seen!"
#15 is a 541 yard par five, which doesn't seem that long, and yet it played like it was 700 or 800
yards long, probably because I didn't manage to execute a single good shot on the hole! It's straightaway
for the first two shots (driver three-wood, or driver long-iron), and then there's the barranca to cross
on your third shot (by the time I reached the barranca, I was on my fifth or sixth shot). Anyway, you have to
pay attention to the distance to the barranca on your second shot so you don't go in. From there, the
hole is easy! Hit a short iron or wedge up the hill, avoiding the bunkers, and voila!
#16 is a beautiful par 3 over a pond, playing just 161 yards. I chunked a 6 iron into the
middle of that beautiful pond...
#17 has a very intimidating tee shot. With a well-hit driver, you can carry the lake,
and be in good shape for your second shot. My partner hit a well-hit hybrid and landed a yard short...
This is a 412 yard par four, so you need to hit a driver here anyway. After all the excitement off the tee,
the second shot seemed kind of pedestrian - straightaway funnel-shapped fairway to a flat green.
The home hole is only 293 yards, but it's uphill. It's mostly a test of accuracy. Because of the
hill, you likely can't reach it on your drive, so whether you hit driver or not doesn't really
matter, just hit anything straight. You'll be left with a wedge or short iron up the hill. There's a big
bunker on the right front of the green, so pay attention on your approach.
This is a fun course. Peak season rates are a bit pricey, but my friend bought a coupon
deal early in the season that made it much more affordable. The constant elevation
changes always keep you on your toes. It helps a lot to play with a local who
knows his way around the course.
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