Hole No. 8
National Course (Bluff Nine)
Par 4 - 400 yards
Defined by the narrow creek that twists and turns from tee to green, this little Tom Fazio gem requires analysis, patience and execution. A little luck isn’t bad, either. The tee shot must avoid the water that runs along the left side and short of the bunker that guards the right. The approach requires more club than the yardage shows, since the creek cuts across the fairway and around to the right side of a slightly elevated green. It’s not a place to take risks, whether it’s played as the eighth or 17th hole of the day.
Tip: “This is where you want to control the golf ball, and not just stand there and bomb it as far as you can,” says Director of Golf Mark lammi. “I like to hang back from the tee, which takes the fairway bunker out of play. That leaves a shot from about 140 yards, where I am just thinking ‘middle of the green is good.’ If it’s early in the round, this hole does not seem like a big deal. But when it’s late in round, that creek looks a lot bigger and the bunkers look a lot tougher.”
