Course Breakdown: Champion Hill Holes 6-9

CH #6

If you’re crazy like me and prefer to walk rather than take a cart, the walk from the 5th green to the 6th tee will certainly get your heart rate up. Hard to believe this is one of the shorter par 3s at about 200 yards, but welcome to Champion Hill!

The front part of the green is protected by a false front. Once you get past the slope, the green complex runs from right to left. I’ve seen some good bounces off the right slope, but more often than not, the ball will settle before reaching the green, leaving you with an awkward downhill chip shot.

Don’t be afraid to take a little extra club on this hole. I’ve noticed that you can’t feel it from the tee, but once you reach the green, the wind is usually into your face.

CH #7

The par 5s at Champion Hill are some of my favorite holes. This downhill tee shot gives you a lot to look at, but the important thing is to not miss left. Left will continue to go left, and that’s no bueno on this hole. As long as your shot ends up left of the cart path, you shouldn’t have an issue hitting through the fairway on the right.

Reaching the green in 2 is a tough feat. From the 200-yard marker, this shot plays uphill 34 feet (about 11 yards) and is typically into the wind. With a miss long being better than short, a 200-yard shot could easily play more like 225 yards.

When trying to locate the green, use the big house as your landmark. From the 250-yard marker, the middle of the green is at the left corner of the house.

For those laying up, be sure to stay short of the left bunker. This bunker is 30 yards short of the middle of the green. Like on hole #5, the further left you are on your layup shot, the better angle you’ll have into this green.

The green complex is designed like a horseshoe. The back corners steeply slope from back to front, and the front left portion is like a catcher’s mitt. Just know that any uphill putt will be slower than you think.

CH #8

I know I shouldn’t start every hole breakdown by saying “great hole,” but man, this hole is great! From the elevated tee box, you can see Lake Michigan, which is about 6 miles away, and even the Sleeping Bear Dunes, which are about 20 miles away.

Once you’re done checking out the view, it’s time to lock in because you have to hit a good shot here—otherwise, you’ve got an uphill battle to save par.

I typically see the blue tees at the 180-yard tee box, but there is another box back around 200 yards.

The green is about 20 feet below the tee box, so that’ll instantly take off about 6 yards of distance you need to account for. The long and narrow green is perched on a hillside, with the left side falling off dramatically. You have some relief to the right, but the up-and-down from that side is very, very touchy. A mis-hit chip could end up off the green to the left if you’re not careful, and I'd say most players should be using their putter from here.

As you can imagine, the green rolls from right to left, and there can be some really hard-breaking putts. Make sure to look at your putts from behind the ball towards the hole, from behind the hole towards your ball, and give it a look from the slow side. This method should show you all the information you need to know.

CH #9

This short par 4 is a friendly way to end the front nine. I usually see the blue tees one box up from the back tee, so that’s where I’m measuring from. This hole requires you to make a decision off the tee. As the crow flies, this hole is just over 300 yards. To go for the green, you aim over the left bunkers, and it needs to carry at least 230 yards.

The risk here is a miss left, which could be problematic, or you might get lucky in the fescue. You also run out of room on the right and risk going into that fescue as well (280 yards). Alternatively, you could choose to aim right of the bunkers and use the fat part of the fairway. The decision is whether to get aggressive and hit driver over the bunkers, or hit a ~240-yard shot down the middle and live with less than a full wedge remaining.

Years prior, I would pull out my 5-wood and just try to find the fairway. This year, I’m hopeful that my ball striking has improved, and I’d love to rip driver here. It’ll be a game-time decision depending on my tendencies that day.

The green complex is pretty small and generally slopes left to right. You’d rather miss right than left for your par save.