Wolf Creek Club Detail
This writeup is from the "Champions" tees (Blue), which are only 6309 yards. While the "Challenger" tees at 6939 may not sound too intimidating, bear in mind that the slope back there is 154 <shudder>.
The first hole is intimidating right from the get-go, largely because you're teeing off from an elevated tee which gives you vertigo, and the approach is all uphill. It's a par 5 at just 504 yards, but just to look at it, it seems like 800 yards. Take a deep breath, stay calm. The important thing is to get your tee shot in play. You don't need to kill it, just hit it straight. Hit a long iron on your second shot, and assuming you make decent contact, you'll be left with a short iron or wedge into the green. Easy, huh?
#2 is handicapped as the hardest hole on the course. It's a 429 yard par 4 dogleg left from an elevated tee. The kicker is that it has an intimidating forced carry over a canyon wall. Like #1, the important thing is to slow your heart down and hit a decent tee shot. It doesn't need to be the best shot you've ever hit (that will come later), just stay calm and hit it straight. Once you're on the fairway, the hole is pretty straightforward. Bogey is a good score here.
#3 is a stupid hole. They shouldn't have made a golf hole here but I guess they needed something to get to the next hole. It's 175 yards, straight uphill. All you can see from the tee is the bank you hit the ball at. I hate it. 'Nuff said.
The fourth hole is more normal, at least for this course. Like #3, it's another uphill tee shot, but you can at least get to the top of the hill. It's a short hole, at only 307 yards. You hit a three wood to the marker at the top, after which the hole takes a sharp dogleg left. You should be able to reach the green with a short iron or wedge.
#5 is a 469 yard par 5. Because it's relatively short, you can (and should) hit a three wood off the tee to make sure you stay in the fairway. Straight is at a premimum on this hole -- distance not so much.
#6 is a tricky par 4 with a dogleg right. It's fairly long (415 yards), but driver is a questionable play because of the creek at the bottom of the hill. Big hitters can reach it. A three wood is the safe play, but realistically you won't reach the green on your second shot because it's fairly steep up the hill. So hit a decent three wood, hit a decent mid iron. Chip up with a short iron or a wedge, two putt and be satisfied with a bogey.
#7 is a short par 4 back down the hill. There's a massive chasm at the bottom of the hill, so tee off with a long iron, which will leave you a short iron or wedge into the green. At least, that's what I did. Then I chunked my wedge and hit my second shot in the water, so what do I know?
#8 is a really long par 3, and requires the best shot of your life. It plays 217 yards down the hill over a pond. There isn't really a bail out that's any safer than going for the green, so man up!
The ninth hole is a short uphill par 3 back toward the clubhouse. Get your tee shot in play and it's pretty straightforward.
The tenth hole is one of the more intimidating tee shots on the course (and there are a lot!). It's very narrow, and deceptively long to fly the creek down the middle. It's slightly uphill, which makes the 446 yards of this par 4 seem even longer. This is handicapped as the hardest hole on the back nine, with good reason. A bogey is a victory!
The 11th hole is a manly par 3 (193 yards), but it's almost a relief after #10! It has an elevated tee, so you get a little help from that, plus there's a patch of fairway short that gives you a bit of bail out room. Just don't hit it crooked!
#12 is a longish par 5 with a really intimidating tee shot. It helps a lot to drive up to the forward tees so you can see where to hit your drive. Basically, stay the hell away from the lake, and hit the ball over the hill to your right. Once you're in play, it's basically a question of hitting subsequent shots straight.
#13 is another intimidating tee shot, this one over a lake. Distance wise, it's only 341 yards, but you need a well-struck tee ball to carry the lake.
#14 is a beautiful hole. You tee off over a chasm to the fairway which wraps up the hill to the left. Anything except a perfectly hit drive will likely leave you unable to reach the green because of the elevation (not to mention the bunkers lining the left side of the fairway). Lay up if you have to, don't make this hole harder than it already is.
#15 is a short par 3 (125 yards) from an elevated tee. It's ranked as the easiest hole on the course. Take advantage of it, hit a good tee shot!
#16 is a 377 yard par 4 with a scary tee shot. It has a forced carry over a chasm that makes you take a hard swallow. You need about 220 yards of carry to clear it. The green is protected very well with bunkers on the right and in the center, so take an extra club on your approach shot.
#17 is a 527 yard par 5. Since it's from an elevated tee, and lined by desert walls on both sides, it's pretty intimidating. So here's your recipe for success: Hit your tee shot straight, hit a long iron straight (to clear the creek across the middle), and hit a wedge over the pond into the green. Easy-peasy. Gorgeous hole.
The finishing hole is fairly benign, at least by the standards of this course. It's a 295 yard par 4. From the tee it looks more like twice that, but all it really needs is a straight tee shot with a fairway wood, and a short iron up the hill to the green. All the rest is just mind games.
And that's it. We finished playing in the dark (late September, 6:30 PM), but it was a blast from beginning to end. | 
