2012 golf guide - black hills

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2244 Sunday, April 29, 2012 GOLF 2012 rapidcityjournal.com

BByy PPaaddrraaiicc DDuuffffyyJournal staff

BELLE FOURCHE — Thereis plenty of debate surround-ing just what is the most diffi-cult hole to play at the BelleFourche Country Club, anine-hole course that meas-ures just more than 3,000yards from the back tees.

The elderly gentlemenspending an afternoon playingcards in the clubhouse don’teven agree, finally settlingwith an, “Isn’t it on the cardthere?” as an adequate re-sponse.

For starters, the top-rankedhole in terms of handicapchanges depending onwhether you are a man or awoman. The 406-yard par-4No. 4 is the toughest hole ac-cording to the scorecard formen, while the 466-yard par-5 No. 7 is ranked as thetoughest for the women.

Hole No. 4 is a slight doglegright with trouble on the rightside of the fairway. Do notslice your tee shot. In fact,while it looks like there istrouble to the left on the hole,it is actually much better tomiss way left off the tee as op-posed to right.

The raised, turtle-backedgreen is difficult to hit on thesecond shot, so be precise.Another difficulty in playingNo. 4 comes with the wind,which is usually in to a play-er’s face on the hole.

Hole No. 7 is a straightawaypar-5 that plays differently depending on the wind.

Usually, you’re getting a littlebit of a boost off the tee box,but on days when the wind isin your face, look out. Thehole can be a bear.

With all that said, thehardest hole has to be No. 2, apar-3 that plays more than200 yards from the back teesand 178 from the women’stees.

The downhill hole doesn’tplay as long as the yardagewould indicate, but it’s notnecessarily the length of thehole that makes it so difficult— although it doesn’t hurt.

The first order of businesson the second hole at BelleFourche is committing to ashot. The distance can be alittle hard to gauge as there is agood 45 to 50 feet of drop fromtee to green.

Once you’ve committed toa club selection, give it a rip toget there, but not too muchbecause short is far betterthan long on this hole. Thegreen on No. 2 isn’t large —about 40 feet by 40 feet — andthere is danger in the form of ahazard just a couple of yardsbehind it.

This is a green that cansometimes be hard to hit evenon your second shot, so con-centrate, take a deep breathand have some fun.

You’ll be putting — even-tually.


GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES

Belle Fourche County ClubNo. 2200 yardsPar 3

Debate rules inBelle Fourche

Padraic Duffy/Journal staff

The second hole at the Belle Fourche Golf Course may measure just 200yards, but there are plenty of challenges along the way.

rapidcityjournal.com GOLF 2012 Sunday, April 29, 2012 2233

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BByy JJeeffff BBuuddlloonnggJournal staff

Bringing an iPhone onto thegolf course can lead to ques-tions of etiquette, but nowgolfers have a good reason to doso — it is key to improving theirgame on the green.

In a sport that is dominatedby technological advance-ments, the iPhone and an ap-plication from Ping are helpingmany golfers solve issues whilestanding over the ball on agreen.

“Ping came out with aniPhone app called ‘iPing,’ andthey have designed a cradle …and it is a little plastic cradlethat your iPhone slips into,” Ar-rowhead Country Club PGAProfessional Tina Heinbaughsaid. “You open up the applica-tion and the cradle clips on toyour existing putter. It allows

PGA professionals to fit youon-site with the right putter.”

Ping uses the philosophythat golfers have one of threeputting strokes: the straight-

back, straight-through, theslight arc and the more dramat-ic arc. Ping has designed itsputters to fit one of those threestrokes to benefit the golfer andoffset some of the issue.

“You hit five putts with thisclipped on your putter, andthen this tells you whether youare straight back, straight for-ward or a slight arc. It will tellyou that your average putt ismaybe two degrees closedthrough the closing stroke ofimpact.”

The app will than make rec-ommendations for which put-ter best fits your stroke type.

The free application is user-friendly and easily downloadedto the phone. It also allows youto practice with phone attachedto help develop a more consis-tent putting stroke, and it hasalso been updated to allow for agolfer to play a skins game with

another golfer that has the appwithout being at the samecourse.

“If you have a buddy thatlives down in Scottsdale, (Ariz.)and you want to have a littlecompetition, you can do thatthrough this application,”Heinbaugh said.

As far as clubs, Ping hascaught plenty of golfers’ eyeswith their i20s and G20s, andthe TaylorMade RocketBallzline is also popular this season.

“You can’t go wrong with ei-ther of those, in my opinion,”Heinbaugh said. “I think thebiggest thing, in my opinion, isto find a PGA professional andget fit for any clubs you pur-chase before you make the pur-chase.”

Not surprisingly, both mak-ers are touting the distance thatgolfers can gain by using theseclubs.

Technology continues to drive golf

Kristina Barker/Journal staff

A look at the new iPhone applicationthat helps golfers with their putting.

2222 Sunday, April 29, 2012 GOLF 2012 rapidcityjournal.com rapidcityjournal.com GOLF 2012 Sunday, April 29, 2012 33



BByy DDaannnnyy LLaawwhhoonnJournal staff

Tough golf holes can oftenseem like impossible moun-tains to climb, especially ifyou’re not swinging the clubwell.

Unprepared or rusty golfers,then, ought to tread lightlywhen they come to the tee atthe intimidating second hole atSpearfish’s Elkhorn Ridge GolfClub.

Measuring at 406 yardsfrom the tips, this par-4 climbsroughly 120 feet uphill on thetee shot alone, according toElkhorn PGA club professionalJ.R. Hamblet. Then it’s another30 feet up the hillside on theapproach to a two-tiered green.

Sound tough? You’re darnright it’s tough.

“That tee shot is so severelyuphill, and it’s a dogleg left,”Hamblet said. “Then it’s an-other 30 feet uphill, trouble leftand right. It’s a hard hole, andwith that two-tiered green, it’sjust a damn hard hole.”

Because of the length, driver

will almost certainly be a mustfor most golfers. With elevationincluded, the hole plays roughly440 to 450 yards from the backtees, Hamblet said. Furthercompounding the worries isthat the ideal position in thefairway is closest to a hazard onthe left. The right side of thefairway has severe undulationsthat can create awkward, un-even lies on the approach.

“You really don’t want to beanywhere further right than themiddle or left-center of thefairway,” he said. “You need tobe as close to the hazard as youcan get.”

The placement of the holewithin the round is often un-dervalued. Hamblet said that ifthe hole was further along inthe card, say, at No. 7 or 8, thenmaybe it doesn’t seem asdeathly difficult. But beingplaced when golfers are stillgetting their on-course swing

in groove makes the second allthe more fearsome.

The placement in the layoutisn’t unfair, however, and it wasreally one of necessity. It’s beenin vogue for a couple of decadesnow to use gigantic elevationchanges on downhill par-3shots, but Hamblet says the layof the Elkhorn land forced the

difficulty of No. 2.“There was no other way

from an architectural stand-point to get the nine routed intothe surrounding hillside. It wasthe only direction for the archi-tect to go,” Hamblet said.“That’s not to take anythingaway from the hole at all. It’sreally, really tough.”

Elkhorn RidgeNo. 2406 yardsPar 4

Elkhorn proves to be big hill to climb

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A view from the top of the hill at hole No. 2 at Elkhorn Ridge Golf Club.


Bryan Avery was rolling inlast year’s pro-am at the GolfClub at Devils Tower coming tothe 17th hole at 4-under.

Avery, the head golf profes-sional at the course, walked offthe No. 17 green 10 shots later,shaking his head at what hadjust happened to his round.

“The tee shot, if you are play-ing from the black or blue (tees)is very narrow,” Avery said. “You

have to hit 220 (yards) to clearthe canyon, and the farther youhit it the wider it gets.”

How important is a good teeshot?

“It is all native grass and treeson the right and if you hit itthere, it is gone,” said Avery,adding that the wind is often inyour face. “You hit it to the left,

and you are in chest-high grassand tall pines.”

Although the right side is un-forgiving now, it was worse lastsummer until 6 feet of nativegrass was removed to givegolfers a bit more room.

Ideally, a golfer would put theball down the right side of thefairway and play a mid-iron intothe green. The biggest mistake isgolfers trying to muscle the teeshot too much and puttingthemselves in a near-impossiblesecond shot.

The green is slightly elevatedwith two big pines on the right.The turtle-back green is slopedand will make for a fast putt ifyou hit it above the hole.

The 17th hole is just thefourth-ranked handicap hole atDevils Tower, but the punish-ment of an errant tee shot zoomsit to No. 1 in Avery’s mind.

“I play a three times a week,and if one guy makes a par theyare doing good,” he said. “I havebirdied it once with a massivetee shot.”

Devils Tower course tests even the best golfers Golf Club at Devils TowerNo. 17457 yardsPar 4




BByy JJiimm HHoollllaannddJournal staff

Rob Kortan’s nod forSpearfish Canyon CountryClub’s toughest hole is not cut-and-dried, but he can prettywell narrow it down.

“It’s not an easy choice, butI’d have to say our toughesthole is probably our No. 1handicap hole, which is our14th,” Kortan said.

“It’s a fairly intimidating teeshot. You’ve got to hit your teeball through a gap of oak treesand you’ve got to place it into asomewhat narrow fairway.There’s out-of-bounds thatframes the hole on the left sideand a lateral water hazard onthe right side of the hole aswell. Another lateral hazard onthe right also crosses the fair-way at about 100 yards and ob-viously it’s a direct hazard as itcrosses,” Kortan said.

The hole plays to 415 yardsfrom the blue championshiptee, 395 yards from the stan-dard mens tee and and 331yards from the women’s redmarker.

Kortan said if your first shotisn’t well-centered, the scorewill reflect it.

“If you miss in either direc-tion, it’s going to produce anumber for you,” Kortan said.

Kortan said the intimidatingtee shot is the most difficultpart, but is not No. 14’s onlychallenge.

“The prevailing wind is outof the west so it does playdownwind most of the time,but when the wind is out of theeast it’s an absolute bear of ahole,” he said.

“There really is no secretthere. You’ve got to stand upthere and hit a golf shot. Theadvice I give to anyone is just to

commit to the golf swing andtry to hit a good shot.”

The green is long and nar-row side to side, crowns slight-ly and features some treacher-ous hole locations, Kortan said.

“It makes it difficult to getan approach shot close to thehole, and if you miss the greenit makes it difficult to get it upand down,” he said

Experienced players will often use an iron off the tee toput the ball in play, leaving a

longer but more manageableapproach.

“A good player is going torealize that it’s a slim birdie op-portunity. You’re not going tomake a lot of birdies, and a paris great score. With that mind-set, you’re not necessarily try-ing to make par. You hit thatiron off the tee, then you get a

175-200 yard approach shotgive or take a little bit you’renot going to hit too many ofthose close to the hole, so par isa real good score,” he said.

“It’s the No. 1 handicappedhole on the scorecard for a rea-son. You see a lot of big num-bers and not a lot of birdies,”Kortan said.

Spearfish Canyon CountryClubNo. 14415 yardsPar 4

Tee shot key to success in Spearfish


A view of the tee box at hole No. 14 at Spearfish Canyon Country Club. The 415-yard hole offers plenty of challenges.

““AA ggoooodd player is going to realize that it’s a slimbirdie opportunity.You’re not going to make a lot ofbirdies, and a par is great score. With that mindset,

you’re not necessarily trying to make par.”

RRoobb KKoorrttaannSpearfish Canyon Country Club golf professional




BByy VVaannccee JJaannaakkJournal staff

Aaron Roeber has no prob-lems settling for par on No. 8at the Elks Golf Course. Theclub pro knows how devastat-ing the par-5, 475 yard holecan be to a good round.

“It’s a hole that I nevermess with,” Roeber said. “If Ican make a five on that holeand go to the next one, I’mplum happy. I don’t ever try tomake something happen thatwon’t on that hole.”

Although No. 8 is the fifthtoughest hole by handicap,Roeber said it’s one of the twomost difficult holes on thecourse. Water hazards andcottonwood trees make No. 8 ahandful.

Off the tee box, there’s wa-ter to the right and left andthen water about 260 yardsout. There’s also a grove ofmature cottonwood trees that

line the fairway, leaving littleroom for error if a shot isn’tplaced perfectly.

“It requires a pretty surgi-cal tee shot just so that you canlay up,” Roeber said, “and havethe ability to hit your secondshot so you can lay up for thatone.”

One has to choke up a sec-ond time because of a creekthat runs in front of the green.

“Even though it’s a shorthole for a par-5 yardage-wise,it pretty much requires threeshots to get it up to the green,”Roeber said. “Your first shothas to be a good enough shotthat you have room to hit it to agood spot for your third shot.”

So what’s the best way toapproach the difficult hole?Roeber said he doesn’t get

aggressive off the tee box. Hehits a 4- or 5-iron but keeps itshort in order to stay awayfrom the water that cutsthrough the fairway, leavinghim about 200 yards beforelaying up for his next shot.

His second stroke is usuallywith a hybrid club or a 4-iron.Roeber said his ideal place-ment is about 100 to 125 yardsout in front of the green in or-der to avoid the second waterhazard. Approaching the greencan also be challenging.

“The green is heavilybunkered and it slopes fromthe front to the back,” Roebersaid. “You don’t want to goover the green, either, becauseyou have a real hard chip shotcoming back. Then of coursethe green is covered in maturecottonwoods, so it makes it agood, tough hole.”

One that leaves manywishing they could settle forpar.

Elks Golf CourseNo. 8475 yardsPar 5

Ryan Soderlin/Journal staff

The Elks Golf Course has excellent views, but there are plenty of challenges waiting for golfers including hole No. 8.

Hazards post huge challenge

“Twenty years from now,you will be more disappointedby the things that you didn’t dothan by the ones you did do. Sothrow off the bowlines. Sailaway from the safe harbor.Catch the trade winds in yoursails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

You should have your golfnotebook operational by now,and one of the 12 tabs, if youfollowed my suggestion, is la-beled “Bucket List.” This is not

intended to be amorbid subject.Remember, it’s agolf notebook;therefore, it’sabout your pas-sion for thegame.

I love the sto-ries of baseballfans who set outto travel to dif-ferent major-

league stadiums. Each stadiumis unique, and there is such a joyof the game to the baseball fan,that they will remember eachmemory with a smile.

Golf is no different. The golffan who takes the time to travelto a major golf venue will be re-warded with a wonderful expe-rience and the lasting memo-ries that go along with it.

This year has several excel-lent suggestions to consider.Foremost is the opportunity inChicago in late September. TheRyder Cup — the U.S. versus Eu-rope — is at Medinah, a greatcourse for a tremendous event.

Europe is loaded with top-10-in-the-world players, but

MORE THAN PASTURE POOL

Brushing up the golfbucket list

DeanHENZLIK

See HHEENNZZLLIIKK, Page 16


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The toughest hole at Arrow-head Country Club isn’t neces-sarily the longest one. Or eventhe hole that ranks as No. 1 interms of handicap.

It is No. 17, a 200-yard par-3that plays even longer than thatthanks to being deceptively up-hill. The proof is in the pud-ding, or at least on the puttingsurface.

“Just from a general agrono-my standpoint, you go and lookat ball marks on that green,”Arrowhead club pro Tina Hein-baugh said. “Compared toevery other green on thecourse, there just aren’t thatmany there.”

Much of No. 17’s difficultystems from its deceptive lengthand the fact that there isn’t re-ally a place to “miss.”

“There’s no bailout area,”Heinbaugh said. “You can’t bailout left or right because of treesto the left and the big treeblocking you on the right. It al-so plays a little more uphill thanit looks. The tendency is tocome up right and short, usual-ly a club short.”

With plenty of other birdieopportunities on the back nineat Arrowhead, where thetoughest hole on the coursefalls can often have a huge

impact on the outcome of tour-naments, and especially matchplay, at the par-71 track inRapid City. Arrowhead plays6,378 yards from the blue tees,5,948 from the white and 5,218from the red.

“When you look at it from aclub or match play-type for-mat, even the pro-am if youcome down to that final day,depending on the match andhow the momentum swaysback and forth, it can be a hugehole,” Heinbaugh said. “You’vegot some drivable par 4s andan eagle opportunity on 14 andthen you get to 17 and 18,which isn’t really a reachablepar-5. The way the course isdesigned and where that holecomes into play makes it, andthe hole that follows it, criti-cal.”

Heinbaugh said if she wascaddying on the hole, shewould encourage her golfer totake plenty of club.

“You’re better off missing(the green) long than short,” shesaid. “The tendency is to nottake enough club and come upshort, and then you’re trying topitch from an uphill lie. You’re

going to be on the back edge ofthe green if you try to go long.”

Heinbaugh pointed to holesNo. 2 and 3 as other contendersfor toughest test on the course.No. 2 is a narrow 400-yard par4 with an even slimmer green.

No. 3 is a 190-yard, uphill par-3with one of the toughest put-ting greens around.

“I’ve seen guys four- or five-putt that green depending onwhere they miss,” Heinbaughsaid.

Arrowhead Country ClubNo. 17200 yardsPar 3

Little forgiveness to be found on No. 17

Tim Appel/Journal staff

Arrowhead Country Club golf professional Tina Heinbaugh stands on the17th green, the toughest hole on the course.

you’re not within a few yardsof the fairway. That approachis to one of the smaller greens

on the course, cut by thecanyon in front and a rockwall not far past the backedge.

To call No. 11 a risk-re-ward hole is probably a littlemuch, considering that onlythe longest of the long hitterscan carry the canyon on thetee shot. But the carrot isthere for anyone who can

play two solid shots onSouthern Hills’ signaturehole, as birdie putts are real-istic from almost any pointon the putting surface.

“If you’re a person who canplace the ball fairly accuratelyand have confidence in you’reclubs, it’ll certainly play easierthan a person who has to playthe shoulders of the course,”

Happe said. “You’ve got tostay to the left. Aim for theleft side of the fairway or eventhe rough on left side if youhave to. You want to get asclose as you can to thatcanyon in front, but you don’twant to be reaching out toomuch. It’s tempting, but itprobably rewards the moreaccurate player.”

SSOOUUTTHHEERRNN:: Birdiesare a possibility on theputting surface.

From Page 10





STURGIS — The secondshot is what makes No. 7 atBoulder Canyon Country Clubso tough. Sure, as with any par5, it doesn’t hurt a bit to crankthat drive out there 300 yards,but the make-or-break swingcomes on the second one.

“It’s all about that secondshot around the bend,” BoulderCanyon superintendent ClintDunker said. “You’ve got a haz-ard on the left and the treesover on the right. A lot of times,if you push that second shotright, you end up pitching outof the trees on your third.”

The 500-yard par-5 is adogleg left and the top-rankedhole in terms of handicap at thepar-36 nine-hole course onU.S. Highway 14A betweenSturgis and Deadwood. Gettinginto position to hit the greenwith a second shot takes a pret-ty good wallop off the tee box.

“The drive is also uphill,which makes it even tougher,”

Dunker said. “You can get upthere and hit a pretty good driveand if you don’t get it to the topof the hill, it really kills it andyou don’t get any roll.”

There isn’t much in terms oftrickiness when it comes to thegreen on No. 7, which is guard-ed by a single sand trap on thefront right.

“A lot of the greens out herehave what I like to call the ‘Cos-mos effect,’” Dunker said. “Youlook at them and you couldswear they’re going to breakone way and they break thecomplete opposite. You reallycan’t see some of the valleysuntil you play here a few times.No. 7 doesn’t have a lot of un-dulations or anything, though.It’s a pretty straightforwardgreen.”

Dunker said that while thegreens at Boulder Canyon may

not necessarily look intimidat-ing, don’t relax too much.

“It isn’t like Red Rock oranything, with all the undula-tions that they have out there,”Dunker said. “Most of ourgreens are pretty flat, butthey’re unusual, though. Youreally don’t see the break. Youhear, ‘Wow, I didn’t see that atall,’ quite a bit from people whodon’t play out here a lot.”

Dunker offers a tip to folkswho may not be regulars at thecourse.

“A big percentage of thegreens out here are going to

break towards the highway,” hesaid.

Dunker also said that there’ssome debate as to just what ex-actly is the toughest hole on hiscourse.

“Number one, because itused to be a par 5, is prettytough,” he said. “It’s one of thelonger par 4s in the Hills and itsgreen is built for a par 5. It’s notthe most receptive greenaround. I’ve birdied that holeand I’ve taken an 8 or 9 on it.

“Those are the two tough-est, though, depending on whatmembers you talk to.”

Boulder Canyon CountryClubNo. 7500 yardsPar 5

Chance to pull outthe driver in Sturgis


A look from behind the green at No. 7, a 500-yard par 5 that doglegs to the left.


Rocky Knolls Golf Coursegets its name for a reason, and

the challenges begin right fromthe first tee box.

The par-5, 402 yard firsthole requires two accurateshots off the tee before a golferhas to deal with a challenginggreen.

“You have to hit your teeshot into a narrow area 20 yardswide, and if you drive out thereyou go through trees for thesecond shot through an area 15yards wide,” said Larry Barnes,president of the Rocky Knollsboard of directors. “The thirdshot is just to the green.”

The hole is the signature oneof the Custer golf course.

An errant tee shot can leadto several tough situations to

get out of with a second shot.“If you hit it too far right you

are behind the trees, and if youhit it to the left you are in thetrees,” Barnes said.

Barnes, who tracks thescores of the 84-golfer leagueat the course, said he has seenscores on the hole range froman eagle to a 12.

There is a large bunker on

Accuracy needed to conquer No. 1 at Rocky KnollsRocky Knolls Golf CourseNo. 1402 yardsPar 5

See KKNNOOLLLLSS, Page 12

SSCCEENNIICC:: Custer golfcourse has plenty ofchallenges, but alsoseveral great views.





This is South Dakota, so itshould come as little surprisethat the wind can turn a seem-ingly unassuming par-3 holeinto a golfer’s nightmare.

Prairie Ridge Golf Course’spar-3 seventh hole is just 173yards to the center of thegreen from the white tees,but it is anything but easy tofind.

“It depends on the wind andit’s deceiving depending onwhat direction the wind isblowing,” director of golf JimHolec said.

The seventh hole starts achallenging three-hole stretchthat will test a golfer’s resolve.

“The hole goes uphill andinto the north wind that weusually have,” assistant directorof golf Jerry Gullion said. “Thegreen is sloped from top to bot-tom heading to the creek. If yougo left you are in the creek. Go

to the right, and there is somespace and a cart path. But if youdo that you are chipping down-hill to the green.”

The green slopes to the leftand makes for more than a fewtricky putts to try to save par onthe hole.

Gullion said the best strate-gy is to take more club than youwould normally use and notoverswing. Hitting to an uphillgreen has golfers often leavingthe shot short.

“A lot of times, you can get abogey and you feel relieved,”Gullion said.

To illustrate the frustrationthat can come with the hole,Gullion recalls the story of afriend on the seventh hole.

“A friend of mine teed offand hit it into the creek,” he

said. “He re-teed and hit ahole-in-one for a par.”

Gullion has worked at the

Box Elder golf course since2000 and can recall just twoholes-in-one during that time.

Prairie Ridge Golf CourseNo. 7173 yardsPar 3

One must tame thewind at Prairie Ridge


Prairie Ridge Golf Course assistant director Jerry Gullion stands at holeNo. 7, which is the toughest hole on the course in Box Elder.

Davis Love is our captain, withhungry-to-prove-themselvesAmericans. I can hear thechants now of “U-S-A, U-S-A.”Wow, it’s a chance of a lifetime.

Another international eventwithin reasonable distance is Ju-ly’s U.S.Women’s Open at Kohler,Wis.The photos I have seen ofKohler makes Blackwolf Run evenmore attractive to attend.

Lexi Thompson will be aplayer to watch. I see youngThompson as America’s hopefor re-igniting the imagina-tions of young girls attracted toour sport. Last year, as a 16-year-old, she became theyoungest to win an LPGAevent. There is nothing like aU.S. Open — men or women.This promises to be a greatevent at a beautiful site.

The opportunity in August atCherry Hills in Denver is worthconsidering.It’s the U.S.Ama-teur.The crowds will be negligi-ble,and that is the magic.You willsee the world’s best amateurs upclose.It’s essentially a college

all-star tournament,but therewill be a few long-shot olderplayers as well as the pre-collegephenoms that also make the field.

Lifetime memories are alsothe driving force behind doing a“golf destination.” When I readthat the Bandon Dunes Resort inOregon has several of theircourses rated in the top 25 in thecountry, I want to see it. Friendsof mine who have been therestruggle to find the words to ful-ly pay tribute to the experience.

It doesn’t have to be a majortrip, though. We have a multi-tude of candidates for a specialexperience very close by. Con-sider the The Golf Club at

Devils Tower in Hulett. If youhaven’t been there, you needto. Half the fun is going to theirwebsite to view the virtual tourof the course before you play it.Playing the back nine is an un-forgettable treat.

The courses dotting theSand Hills area of Nebraska areclose and so awesome. Or themountain courses in Colorado,Wyoming, and Montana. Startby recording your “someday”vision in the Bucket List sectionof your golf notebook. You willget it done.

DDeeaann HHeennzzlliikk,, CCEEBBSS,, CCSSAA,, ccaann bbee rreeaacchheedd aattggooooddhheeaalltthhaaggeenntt@@aaooll..ccoomm..

HHEENNZZLLIIKK:: Must-playspots are close to the Black Hills.

From Page 6




BByy VVaannccee JJaannaakkJournal staff

There are a lot of variablesthat factor into how JasonYoung approaches No. 14 at theGolf Club at Red Rock.

But one is more importantthan most.

“It depends on how well I’mhitting the ball,” Young said,“andhow much money I’m down orhow much money I’m up.”

The par-5 that’s 468 yardsfrom the most-forward tees hasleft quite a few feeling down.It’s a hole Young has heardmany golfers call the toughestat Red Rock.

It’s easy to see why. It startswith not being able to see muchof anything at the tee box.

“You don’t see anything ex-cept the horizon,” Young said.“You don’t see the green. Sothat makes it very, very un-nerving.”

Some confidence is re-stored if one can clear the ini-tial hill. Club selection is

either driver or hybrid, Youngsaid. The first stroke must car-ry roughly 230 yards to allow abetter sightline for the secondshot.

If using a driver, Young saidthe green can be reached in twoshots. But the second strokewill likely be another blind onefrom the bottom of the fairway.With a hybrid, it will likely takethree strokes to reach the green.

“It’s a big risk-rewardproposition off the tee box,”Young said. “I let the weatherdictate what club I’m going touse.”

Young said a hybrid is usual-ly the club choice for the sec-ond shot. Keeping the ballstraight is important. Naturalout of bounds lines the fairwayand there are several canyonsthat can come into play if a shotis offline.

“I try to play from plateau toplateau,” Young said. “I cankeep everything in sight thatway. Once you start going overthe hills to gamble to get extradistance, you bring in some ofthe extra factors.”

That’s what leads to a bignumber. Playing the hole per-fectly can result in a birdie. Or itcan go the other way, Young

said, and end up with a “10 onthe hole very easily.”

The green is at the top of thehill. There’s a trio of bunkers onthe right and one to the left ofthe green.

“The green’s not very recep-tive to shots from the side,”Young said. “So you have tostay short and have a clear shotstraight into the green.”

Golf Club at Red RockNo. 14603 yardsPar 5

Don’t fall into thehole at Red Rock

Ryan Soderlin/Journal staff

The Golf Club at Red Rock club professional Jason Young stands at hole No. 14, the course’s toughest hole.

BByy DDaannnnyy LLaawwhhoonnJournal staff

There’s little about the 11thhole at Southern Hills GolfCourse in Hot Springs that willleave golfers quivering at the el-evated tee.

At just 338 yards, it’s thethird-shortest par-4 on a sub-6,000-yard par-70 course.When the wind is right, the

biggest hitters can drive thegreen.

Why, then, is this little gemthe No. 1 handicap and the gen-erally accepted toughest holeon the property?

Up on that tee box, and inreality as well, safe targets arepine-needle thin.

“If you’re not a straight-ballshooter, an accurate shooter,you’re going to be in trouble,”course superintendent JasonHappe said.

That’s because there’s trou-ble everywhere you look. Al-though that green is drivable, acanyon guards the front of the

green about 310 yards from thetee. It also hugs the right side ofa left-to-right sloping fairway,so that birdie opportunity canquickly turn into a scramble tosalvage a bogey.

The bailout option isn’t ex-actly a picnic, either, as theleft-hand rough makes the sec-ond shot more precarious if

Hitting the ball straight the key on 11th hole

See SSOOUUTTHHEERRNN, Page 18

Southern Hills Golf CourseNo. 11338 yardsPar 4





One of the region’s mostvexing shots is right out of theclubhouse, but that’s just thebeginning for golfers at theLead Country Club.

“We get the most commentsabout our No. 1 hole with theelevated tee box, one of theprettiest and most challengingshots in the Black Hills,” saidgolf course manager Al Varland.

However, the honor for themost difficult overall hole andthe No. 1 handicap hole on thepar-36, nine-hole layout southof Lead is No. 3, a 400-yard,par-4 that plays uphill to asmall, well-protected, slopinggreen.

The course is situated at6,000 feet of altitude and is oneof the last to surrender its win-ter snow cover, even during this

year’s unseasonably warmspring.

The course plays 3,202 yardsfrom the white tees and 3,331yards from the blue markers.The red tees measure 2,733yards and play to a par 37. Fiveof the six par-4s exceed 400yards.

“The toughest hole on thescore card is that No. 3 simplybecause it’s long and generallyinto a prevailing wind — notthat we ever get any wind,” Var-land said.

Varland advises staying tothe center of the fairway andnot hitting too long on thedrive.

“On the right side there’s a

real wicked rough. You want tobe real accurate with youryardage coming in. You don’twant to be long, right or left,”Varland said. “To play it well,you need to hit a real gooddrive, but it’s better to be leftthan right.”

Golfers need to aim for thelow side of the green on theirapproach shot.

“As with all of our holes,you always want to stay belowthe hole. If you get above thehole, you’re in trouble,” Var-land said.

Third hole proves tobe an uphill battle

Lead Country ClubNo. 3400 yardsPar 4


The third hole at the Lead Country Club has a well-protected, sloping greento challenge golfers.

Front nine does not go quietly at MeadowbrookBByy VVaannccee JJaannaakkJournal staff

A good front nine at Mead-owbrook has been known to goawry because of No. 9.

The par-5, 534-yard hole is thetoughest by handicap and one thatclubhouse manager Matt Brand-hagen said usually leaves manyfrustrated. The hole’s difficulty iscaused by a creek cutting throughthe fairway a couple times andJackson Boulevard running alongthe right side of the fairway.

Depending on the tee

markers, a tee shot needs tocarry anywhere from 250 to300 yards to avoid the creekcutting from left to right earlyin the fairway.

“Most have to lay up,”Brandhagen said. “Then layingup at the first creek meansyou’ve got to lay up at the sec-ond creek.”

Playing short a second time

also requires the next stroke to beplaced to the right side of the fair-way to avoid a mature cottonwoodtree on the left side of the fairway.That makes for a tough placement.

“There’s no way that youcan lay up anywhere from halfof a fairway to the left withoutbeing in that tree’s way to lay upagain over the next creek,”Brandhagen said.

The next creek runs along theright side of the fairway beforecrossing from right to left. Thereare a pair of sand traps in front ofthe green and another behind.

How does Brandhagen at-tack the course’s most difficulthole? He starts by muscling upwith his tee shot.

“I try to hit it over the creek,but sometimes I don’t make it,”Brandhagen said. “There’s a lotof hitters that make it to the 280,300 that make it over the creekand rolls to pass the big cotton-wood tree to the right, whichgets you a good shot to the greenin two. From there, you’ve got totake care of business.”

That will keep a good roundgoing.

Meadowbrook Golf CourseNo. 9534 yardsPar 5


the right that can come intoplay on a second shot, and

trying to chip out of troublecan lead to other problemswith limited room to land theshot.

“People seem to find a wayto make this hole tough,”Barnes said.

The key is to get the ballabove the hole to make it an

easier putt on the challenginggreen.

The green is not easy todeal with, with its differentslopes and the other chal-lenges it presents, especially ifa golfer has already been pe-nalized with his swing off thetee.

Getting through the firsthole leads to two manageableholes before encountering an-other major challenge at thefourth hole.

“It is a really interestingcourse because every hole is agood picture, but a challenge,”Barnes said.




Hart Ranch professionalCraig Hatch said any number ofholes could be considered achallenge, but if required topick just one, he’ll go with No. 12, a frustrating 400-plusyarder framed with water haz-ards and replete with thickrough and an undulating green.

“It has a creek that runs along side of it and then alsoruns in front of the green. It hasa large lake on it. The creek runsalong the left side and thethere’s a large lake that eats upgolf balls on the right side,”Hatch said.

“From the middle men’s teesit can play over 400 yards and itcan play up to 470 yards. Thewomen’s tee is considerablyshorter but you’re still suscep-tible to the hazards on eitherside, even from the ladies tee,”he said.

Hatch said No. 12 is bestplayed with reserve, not brava-do.

“It’s the type of hole, if youjust relax on the tee box andplay conservatively, a personcan get out of there with a rea-sonable score,” he said.

By conservative, Hatchmeans an 18-handicap golferplaying to be on the green inthree and two-putting for a fiveon the par-4 hole.

“If they just didn’t let theirego get a hold of them on thefirst shot and just play it to beon the green in three and two-putt for a five and go to the nexttee, you’d probably be able tomaintain your emotional equi-librium a lot better for the day,”he said.

But No. 12 has a way of bit-ing golfers that try to do toomuch.

“A person gets out there andhits a decent drive and says,‘Hey, I can go for the greennow,’ and that’s usually whenthe party starts,” Hatch said.“The risk-reward on that holeis there on every shot, so a per-son really needs to keep theirhead about them and not gettoo excited about a real gooddrive and play within theirmeans.”

And the show isn’t over onceyou do get to the green, which islaid out in three nodules, re-sembling the leaves of a sham-rock, Hatch said.

“The pin is probably going tobe in one of those leaves, and ifyou’re in the wrong leaf, gettingto the right one is tricky,” Hatchsaid. “You’ve just got to grindevery stroke. You can easilythree-putt that green.”

Hatch said the difficulty ofHart Ranch’s back nine gener-ates the most talk amonggolfers, and No. 12 is just part ofthe story.

“If you could walk off 12with a four or five and be all ex-cited, Nos. 13, 14, 15 or 16 willeat your lunch. It’s just a toughstretch of holes,” he said.


Hart Ranch golf pro Craig Hatch stands at the 12th hole, which he considersthe toughest hole on the course.

Hart Ranch Golf Course No. 12470 yardsPar 4

Plenty of challenges at Hart Ranch

KKNNOOLLLLSS:: Players caneasily make the holeharder on themselves.

From Page 8


2012 golf guide - black hills

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