Falcon Ridge Detail
This writeup is from the silver tees, which are only 6211 yards. But they have a slope of 135, which tells you there's trouble to be had if you go looking for it...
The first hole is a short par 5 which doglegs right. Since it's only 468 yards, you should focus on hitting it straight instead of far. If you pull it left you can certainly fall off the end of the fairway with a driver. At least I did. By the way, this is also handicapped as #4.
The second hole is a beautiful par 3 over a lake. It's only 134 yards, so there's no need to let the water get into your head. Take an extra club, and make a good swing.
#3 is a short par 4 (275 yards). Hit it straight with a fairway wood or long iron, which should leave you with a straightforward approach.
#4 is also short (325 yards). But it has a huge bunker fronting the green to force even the big hitters to lay up.
#5 is a short par 3 (135 yards) over a massive bunker. Take an extra club, make a smooth swing, and all will be right with the world.
The sixth hole offers a stunning view from an elevated teebox. It looks a mile long, but it's only a par 4 at 376 yards. You'll get some extra carry because of the elevation, so a three wood might be a good play if you're feeling squeamish because of the elevation.
#7 is a big hole. It's a long par 5 from an elevated tee, and plays 570 yards, even from the silver tees. You kind of need to hit a driver here, but that's okay, because this is a very generous fairway. The trick on these long holes is to make quality swings -- don't feel like you have to overswing because of the distance -- that invariable leads to mis-hits!
#8 is a 163 yard par 3. Notice the grass bunker in front. Landing short is a sure way to pick up an extra stroke here. Take an extra club, and make a smooth swing (starting to detect a theme here?)
#9 is a blind tee shot. It bends left, and it's pretty short (305 yards) even though it's uphill and looks a mile long. Hit a solid three wood up the middle and you'll be left with a short iron into the green. (I hit a slicey driver, and also had a short iron into the green.)
After a circuitous drive back to and around the clubhouse, you finally reach the tenth hole. This is a fairly intimidating par 5. It's narrow (a split fairway with a stream down the middle) and uphill. But it's also fairly short at 467 yards. If you can put two straight shots together, you're left with a straighforward short iron approach.
#11 is a bizarre hole. It's only 275 yards, but it's uphill. You can see the green off to the left but Bubba Watson wouldn't be able to reach it (I don't think...). You want to hit a three wood up the hill to the right where the grass is, and then hit a short iron into the green.
The twelfth hole is another awe-inspiring vista. It's a par 5 from an elevated tee, 504 yards, wrapped around a lake on the right. Driver is the wrong play here -- you want to lay up short of that lake. The tricky part of this hole is your second shot. You need to hit a mid iron over at least part of the lake without winding up on the dirt bank on the left. This will in turn leave you with a short iron over the lake on your approach. Fun hole!
#13 is a fiendish dogleg right. It's 394 yards, so you're going to need to hit your driver (favor the right side of the fairway). Then it has a fairly scary approach shot to the green (scary because of the pond on the left and chasm in front). If you need to layup, be careful, because there's a steep rolloff at the end of the fairway. Bogey is a great score here!
#14 is a 184 yard par 3. I normally view holes like this as difficult, and while this certainly is that, it's also a brief respite from the holes around it!
The fifteenth hole has a lot of optical illusions going on. First, you're hitting from an elevated tee, but you're also hitting it into a pretty good uphill slope. Second, from the tee, it sort of looks like it has a split fairway. It doesn't. Make sure you hit it onto the flat strip on the left. All those bumps on the right are carefully designed to feed anything hit there directly into the desert. Third, this hole looks a mile long, but it's only 363 yards. So hit it straight. If it takes you three strokes to reach, fine. Bogey is a good score here.
The sixteenth hole looks like you're hitting off the edge of the world. It's 540 yards, and you need a driver off the tee, because you want to get as close as possible to the top of the hill. The second and third shots are a bit easier to wrap your mind around. Just stay in the middle of the fairway, and you'll be fine.
#17 is a beautiful par 3 from an elevated tee. It's 179 yards, and you need a good tee shot, because there is sand everywhere.
The closing hole is an intimidating par 4 at 404 yards. It's intimidating because a) it's kind of long, and b) it has a split fairway on the approach, which while it offers two different angle in, also present you with skinnier targets if you're having to lay up.
The apres golf facilities were lovely, with friendly wait staff, excellent appetizers, and a wide selection of liquid refreshments. A most enjoyable course!
| 
