Course Breakdown: Champion Hill holes 10-14
CH #10
This might not be the highest handicap hole, but I’d cast my vote for it as the hardest hole on the golf course. From the blue tees, the tee box aims you way left and blocks the right side of the fairway with trees encroaching into your sight line. I’ve really struggled to hit this fairway in recent memory, and trust me when I say this hole is tough enough from the fairway.
This hole plays about 40 feet uphill from tee to green, so we’ll need to play our approach shot longer than the rangefinder reads. From the 150-yard marker, add an additional 9 yards and from 100 yards, add 6 yards for the uphill.
The area to avoid on your approach shot is the left bunker. This bunker is deep and sits well below the green surface. Take note that it extends 10 yards into the green. With this in mind, aim well right, and if there’s a front or center pin location, make sure your miss is long to eliminate the risk of this bunker.
CH #11
This long par 3 will usually play shorter than the scorecard distance. I’ve played it all the way back, and it really isn’t much fun. Typically, the distance is around 185 yards. The hole plays slightly downhill, but I don’t think I’ve ever missed long. I’d attribute this to the general wind direction, which is usually hurting from the left.
You really want to avoid missing short or left. The green slopes from left to right, and it’s a difficult up-and-down. If you end up short, there’s just a lot of trouble that can make life tougher than it needs to be.
CH #12
I can’t lie, this might be my least favorite hole on the entire course. I can 100% confidently say that it’s a me issue and not the hole’s fault. I had a traumatic event here in the summer of 2022 and still haven’t recovered.
After a mediocre drive, I had 150 yards from the middle of the fairway. I intended on hitting a smooth 8-iron and then proceeded to hozzle-shank six straight shots in a Tin Cup-esque manner. It was just me and Michael playing, and after shank #3, he could be found rolling around on the ground, laughing at me. I managed to find my first ball in the left fescue and can’t remember if I saved bogey or not, but I can tell you every now and then I wake up sweaty in the middle of the night with flashbacks to this moment.
The hole itself is pretty solid! It’s not the toughest driving hole, but the approach shot has changed a bit in recent years. The green used to be much larger. The overhead image I’ve been using is actually from 2015, when the green was full-sized. They’ve turned the front edge into fringe to make the false front a little less severe. The dotted line shows how the green looks now.
When hitting your approach shot, make sure to add an additional 8 yards for the 24 feet of elevation from the fairway to the green. This applies to both the 100- and 150-yard ranges. With the aforementioned false front, you’re better off long than short, so don’t be afraid to play your shot even longer. Be careful when missing left of the green. The cart path isn’t far, and anything left of the green kicks further left.
CH #13
The final par 3 at Champion Hill follows the trend of being long and difficult. The blue tees can stretch back to 230 yards, but generally speaking, I see them use the ~190-yard tee box more often than not. Even from here, this hole usually plays into the wind and requires you to hit a quality golf shot.
The front left and right bunkers are golf ball magnets but aren’t the worst places to miss. You’ll want to avoid missing right, though. As you can see in the overhead, once you get right of the second cut, the fescue area slopes down and away from the green complex. The fescue in this area is lush, and finding your ball can be a struggle. Even if you do find it, your ball will land on a downslope.
The green itself is pretty straightforward. The front half is relatively flat, while the back half slopes steeply from back to front and offers a decent backstop. I’ve never seen the pin on top of this backstop, but I think it’s possible. If they do put the pin back there, it would be VERY difficult. I’m all for it.
CH #14
One of my favorite things about Champion Hill is how they weren’t afraid to get creative with the topography. This hole is a perfect example. From the tee to the 100-yard marker, the land drops 45 feet, creating a semi-blind tee shot. Once you get to the bottom of the fairway, you’ve got 10 feet of elevation back up the hill to a perched green complex. It’s just fun.
The dogleg-right fairway forces you to think about your club choice off the tee. You can run out of room in the fairway at about 255 yards on the left side. To utilize the right side of the fairway, you need to carry a shot of 245 yards to fly the fescue rough. With the downhill in mind, I usually hit my ~240 shot off the tee. This likely keeps me short of the left rough while giving me a chance to clear the right fescue. With the elevated green, I prefer to have a full swing into it, and the best angle is from the left side of the fairway.
Play an extra 5 yards or so into this green, because the worst miss is short in the front bunker. There’s a 5-foot lip on this bunker, and getting out of it can be a real challenge. If you take my advice a little too far and end up in the back bunker, consider using your putter to roll the ball out—there’s no lip!
