Del Monte Course Detail
Hole #1 – 505 yard par 5 - nice easy gradual start to the course. No need to try and overpower the ball, since the hole isn't that long. Hit a club that you feel comfortable with, get it in the fairway, and start the round with confidence.
The second hole is a short par 3 with a nearly 90 degree dogleg to the left. Hit a mid-iron down the middle, and leave yourself with an easy approach shot. The green is well-bunkered, so accuracy pays.
Hole #3 is a bit longer, and straight away. What you see is what you get. It's wide enough to hit driver, but not so long that you have to.
The fourth hole is a medium length par 3, with several bunkers to test your accuracy with your irons. It's not so critical to land on the green, as it is to stay out of trouble. The green is pretty small, but also pretty flat, so an up-and-down is achievable.
Hole #5 is a short par 4, with lots of protection in front. You probably don't want to hit driver here -- hitting it long doesn't help, but hitting it anywhere but right down the middle will hurt.
The sixth hole is a testy little number. It's a par 3 playing 196 yards, and there is sand everywhere. If you're a little weak with your long irons (we are Bogey Golfers, after all...) bail out right, and try for an up-and-down. Bogey is a good score here.
Hole #7 plays a lot longer than it really is. It's 379 yards, but it's uphill. Furthermore, the green is two-tiered, elevated, and bunkered right and left. There's OB down the left side (not a lot of room past the tree line), so accuracy pays, as does distance. If you have any tendencies to hit the ball left, leave your driver in the bag, and keep the ball in play. Bogey is a good score here.
#8 is a longish par 4 (384 yards) from an elevated tee box to a fairway that bends to the right. It sets up well for a fade, and the ideal line would be just at the right edge of the far bunker. The bunker is definitely reachable, so be aware of your yardages.
Hole #9 is a long par 5, uphill off the tee. It doglegs right, but be mindful that you have to get past the tree on the right with the spiral-looking dreadlocks first. The best strategy for the Bogey Golfer is to plan on a full three shots to reach the green. Play your tee shot up the left side of the fairway, preferably with a three wood or a long iron. On your second shot with a mid iron, give that dreadlocks tree plenty of room. If you execute both of those shots well, you're set up for a short iron into the green. There's lots of trouble short and wide around the green, so don't expect great things if you're still at 200 yards out on your approach.
This old fashioned course doesn't have a front nine and back nine per se, because #9 and #10 are nowhere near the clubhouse. #10 is a short par 4 (only 293 yards). Do not go for it. There is trouble everywhere. Hit an iron or a fairway wood up the middle, a wedge to the green, take your two putts, and move on. It's just as easy to make a double or worse. There's OB left, a monster sand trap lining the right side of the fairway, and nasty little bunkers flanking both sides of a narrow green.
#11 is a straightforward 325-yard par 4. There are a few fairway bunkers, but just hit the ball reasonably straight, and you should be able to stay out of trouble.
Hole #12 is a relatively short par 3, but it's well-protected by burms and traps. Even if you lay up, an up-and-down is not easy to accomplish, because the breaks on this green are very tricky. Bogey is not a bad score here.
#13 is a par 5 with a forced carry over a small canyon off the tee. The important thing here is to hit the ball straight. There's a maintenance shed and a bunch of trees on the right, not to mention the course boundary on the left. The canyon is not that wide -- 140 yards in the air will see you safely down on the other side. From there, it's a simple matter of keeping the ball in play, and out of the many sand traps lurking around the green.
Hole #14 is a real bear. It's a 218 yard par 3. Of historical significance is the fact that it's the last hole on the course with its original green (built in 1897). Of practical significance is the fact that it's a long hole with sand traps around it. Bail out short and right, chip on, take two putts, and count yourself lucky if you don't make a double.
#15 is a 330 yard par 4. It's straightaway, as is its neighbor #16. However, #16 is a little more difficult, with additional length (421 yards), and more bunkers on the edges of the fairway, and up around the green. The green on #16 is also trickier, with some interesting slopes.
Hole #17 is presumably the easiest hole on the course. It's a par 5, and the best way to take advantage of the hole's presumable ease is to hit a straight shot off the tee. As you know, hitting a long iron out of the rough on a par 5 has a way of running up large numbers pretty quickly. Keep it in the middle of the fairway, and play a short iron or wedge into the green, and you'll be in good shape. Be wielding a long iron in from 200 yards or so, and you're tempting fate with all those plate glass windows at the Hyatt behind the green.
Hole #18 is a difficult 392 yard par 4. It's fairly narrow, fairly long, and the green has all sorts of obstacles around it, not the least of which is a junk area immediately in front of it, and sand traps in all directions around it. Your approach shot wants to be high, and land soft, meaning you might have to lay up if you don't get a really good drive. So be it -- our philosophy is that Bogey Golfers are okay with the occasional bogey, it's the doubles and triples that kill us.
This course is a real treat. It's beautiful, well kept, steeped in history, and tests lots of different shots. Prices can be steep, unless you have a friend that's joined the Duke's club. Lunch and breakfast are reasonably priced, and the staff is friendly and helpful.
| 
