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© Copyright 2002-2022, Western Golf Alliance, LLC. All rights reserved
THE WESTERN GOLF ALLIANCE
Keeping It Long and Straight Since 2002™
Course 1 - "Keep It Long"

This course caters to those who like the long ball. The front nine plays over 3,500 yards, and together the first 10 holes include a) three par 5s, b) two par 3s both over 180 yards, c) three par 4s each longer than 420, and d) a drivable par 4. The back nine is shorter, but features two of the greatest oceanside driving holes on the planet, and two island par 3s. Overall, this is a pretty open layout, so everone can pull their drivers out and bomb away without getting in too much trouble.

#1 = Shuksan (Par 4, 379 yards, 11 handicap) - Opening hole at obscure course with a scenic drive between trees and off a cliff
#2 = Wolf Creek (Par 4, 429 yards, 1 handicap) - Hardest par 4 driving hole in the U.S. ... maybe in the world ... period
#3 = Pronghorn Nicklaus (Par 3, 180 yards, 13 handicap) - Long par 3 but gettable with a blind but large green
#4 = Elkhorn (Par 5, 543 yards, 9 handicap) - Former owner buried under green with tombstone in play to prove it
#5 = Trickle Creek (Par 4, 422 yards, 7 handicap) - Long but open hole through the woods with brick sided bunker
#6 = Desert Willow Firecliff (Par 4, 310 yards, 15 handicap) - Risk/reward drive with water right and bunkering left
#7 = Copper Rock (Par 3, 167 yards, 17 handicap) - Your choices are to take a mid iron at this green sloping away from you, or lay up 20 yards short to avoid the tough bunkers
#8 = WeKoPa Cholla (Par 5, 558 yards, 3 handicap) - A challenging par 5 with a dogleg right and almost no clear target landing areas
#9 = St Eugene (Par 5, 524 yards, 5 handicap) - Riverfront hole that begins wide open then doglegs left following the river
#10 = Salishan (Par 4, 444 yards,2 handicap) - Long but dead-straight par 4 kicks off a back nine along the ocean
#11 = Loomis Trail (Par 5, 496 yards, 6 handicap) - Dogleg left but risky spit fairway requiring a choice off the tee
#12 = Bootleg Gap (Par 3, 160 yards, 18 handicap) - Elevated par 3 with intimidating club selection options
#13 = Sand Hollow Championship (Par 4, 304 yards, 12 handicap) - This short par 4 lines a massive red-rock cliff with amazing views and intimidating challenge
#14 = Bandon Trails (Par 4, 306 yards, 10 handicap) - Tee at the highest point of the property with panorama of the entire area
#15 = Paiute Wolf (Par 3, 138 yards, 16 handicap) - Lesser known but stunningly beautiful island green par 3
#16 = Bandon Dunes (Par 4, 345 yards, 8 handicap) - The absolute best par 4 in all of North America ... period
#17 = PGA West Stadium (Par 3, 146 yards, 14 handicap) - Another more famous island green par 3 aka "Alcatraz"
#18 = Pebble Beach (Par 5, 532 yards, 4 handicap) - Ending with what is most likely the world's most famous closing hole

OUT = PAR 37 / 3,512 YARDS; IN = PAR 35 / 2,871 YARDS
TOTAL = PAR 72; 6,383 YARDS; RATING = 72.2; SLOPE = 128


Course 2 - "Keep It Straight"

With a premium on shotmaking, our second layout will test the accuracy of every club in the bag. The shorter par 4s require either less-than-driver, or supreme confidence. Even a couple of the par 5s are really a test of target golf. With rambling creeks, scenic ponds, deep gorges, or dense woods dangerously in play on 13 of the 18 holes, precision is a requirement. However, good shots are rewarded, and anyone who can keep the ball on line will find opportunities to score well.

#1 = Bear's Best Las Vegas (Par 4, 370 yards, 8 handicap) - Uphill all the way with intimidating approach over water
#2 = Spanish Bay (Par 4, 300 yards, 14 handicap) - Short hole with brutal green seemingly inside the resort bar
#3 = Spyglass Hill (Par 3, 146 yards, 16 handicap) - On a property famous for the ocean, this is the only hole on this course that actually plays straight into a Pacific Ocean vista
#4 = Pebble Beach (Par 4, 307 yards, 12 handicap) - This first oceanside hole isn't on many highlight lists, but when one of your founders quadruples it one day and eagles it next, it makes the cut
#5 = Crosswater (Par 4, 368 yards, 4 handicap) - Dogleg left to a tricky green, all the way going over and around a stream
#6 = WeKoPa Sagurao (Par 4, 406 yards, 6 handicap) - Best known as hole Gray complained about, then eagled
#7 = Lexington at Revere (Par 5, 459 yards, 2 handicap) - This is pure target golf with waterfall backdrop at green
#8 = Silverrock (Par 3, 140 yards, 18 handicap) - Memorable par 3 with a unique greenside rock formation in play
#9 = Desert Willow Mountain View (Par 5, 531 yards, 10 handicap) - Long hole following creek that crosses the front of green
#10 = Grayhawk Raptor (Par 4, 359 yards, 11 handicap) - Tough drive and approach with creek in play front and left
#11 = Sunriver Woodlands (Par 4, 427 yards, 5 handicap) - An uphill dogleg right par 4 with a narrow landing area
#12 = Semiahmoo (Par 3, 155 yards, 17 handicap) - A classic northwest par 3 with a pond presenting water right and front but room to bail out left
#13 = Pacific Dunes (Par 4, 390 yards, 3 handicap) - Along the ocean cliff, the OTHER best par 4 in North America
#14 = Tokatee (Par 4, 364 yards, 15 handicap) - The entire back nine at this course involves beautiful streams, ponds, and mountain vistas
#15 = Shadow Mountain (Par 4, 400 yards, 9 handicap) - Massively elevated drive then approach with pond right
#16 = Entrada at Snow Canyon (Par 5, 504 yards, 1 handicap) - In the black lava triangle, it is impossible to figure out the target for the drive, and impossible to hit this shallow green
#17 = TPC Scottsdale (Par 4, 294 yards, 13 handicap) - Drivable par 4 but with pot bunkers front, and water left and long
#18 = Homestead Farms (Par 5, 503 yards, 7 handicap) - A long hole that finishes to an island green complete with its own waterfall

OUT = PAR 36 / 3,027 YARDS; IN = PAR 37 / 3,368 YARDS
TOTAL = PAR 73; 6,423 YARDS; RATING = 71.0; SLOPE = 133


Shuksan #1, Par 4, 379 yards: The opening hole at this VERY obscure course begins with a scenic - but rather simple - drive between trees and off a cliffWolf Creek #2, Par 4, 429 yards: Here we go, so much for simple! Now is the time for a 230 yard forced carry across a landscape where you'd expect to see an anvil falling on a coyotePronghorn #3, Par 3, 180 yards: You'll need to hit your longest iron to this par 3, but the green is large so par is likely and birdies are possibleElkhorn #4, Par 5, 543 yards: How obscure is this course? There are few photos of any of it, and THIS is the ONLY sign you'll find to tell you where it even isTrickle Creek #5, Par 4, 422 yards: Such a lush course in the midst of this dense forest, this long par 4 requires a drive into this "position A" to scoreDesert Willow Firecliff #6, Par 4, 310 yards: Yes, this short par 4 is drivable, but from behind the green you can easily see the risk-reward decisions presented to youCopperRock #7, Par 3, 167 yards: The green slopes away, and the fronting bunkers make hitting anything close very challengingWeKoPa Cholla #8, Par 5, 558 yards: If you successfully drove to this perfect position - which is tough to do - you still have NO idea where your second shot should landSt Eurgene #9, Par 5, 524 yards: More right is more safe, but also longer, as this par 5 gently bends its entire length along the riverSalishan #10, Par 4, 444 yards: Overall this is a straightforward hole, but you will have a mid to long iron approach into the prevailing coastal windLoomis Trail #11, Par 5, 496 yards: This is the most likely route, though there is a tight driving option left that puts either birdie or triple sqarely in playBootleg Gap #12, Par 3, 160 yards: A mid-length par 3 presents a very difficult club selection, and long is very, very deadSand Hollow #13, Par 4, 304 yards: As any drone photo can tell you, left is dead off the edge of this red-rock cliff.Bandon Trails #14, Par 4, 306 yards: No matter what you hit, you will end up with a wedge going WAY up a hill to a green you probably can't hold no matter whatPaiute Wolf #15, Par 3, 138 yards: If you haven't played this island green hole, you're missing out ... it is beautiful and challengingBandon Dunes #16, Par 4, 345 yards: There is a reason this hole is our home page banner ... it's the best par 4 in North AmericaPGA West Stadium #17, Par 3, 146 yards: This island green was designed to play the same as 17 at TPC Sawgrass, and earns the nickname "Alcatraz"Pebble Beach #18, Par 5, 532 yards: This view is the one that about 30 people will have as they watch you play this hole from the resort lawn, and yes, they're probably lauging at you
Bear's Best #1, Par 4, 370 yards: Keep your opening drive right, and take an extra club or two on your uphill approach to ensure you clear the waterSpanish Bay #2, Par 4, 300 yards: From behind the green you can see this is a short hole ... with a tough green ... and the resort bar is JUST off camera to the rightSpyglass Hill #3, Par 3, 146 yards: At a resort famous for the ocean, this is the only shot at Spyglass you'll hit toward the oceanPebble Beach #4, Par 4, 307 yards: This is the first hole at Pebble where you find yourself suddenly oceanfront and the property truly becomes "Pebble Beach"Sunriver Crosswater #5, Par 4, 368 yards: Pick your line to clear the stream, but it will stil be in play on your approach anywayWeKoPa Saguaro #6, Par 4, 406 yards: Um ... yea ... the course IS tough, thanks for letting us know, Ben!!Lexington at Revere #7, Par 5, 459 yards: A short par five, but due to the positioning of waste areas and bunkers you might be well served to just hit your 6 iron three straight timesSilverrock #8, Par 3, 140 yards: A strange clump of trees, a small pond left, and a natural rock outcrop long and right, are all in play on this short one-shotterDesert Willow Mountain View #9, Par 5, 531 yards: The pond shouldn't be in play, but the creek that feeds it crosses the fairway at strategic intervals to make you pay attentionGrayhawk Raptor #10, Par 4, 359 yards: If you CRUSHED your drive, this is a nice view of the green, but that creek across the front and wrapping the left side can swallow wayward approachesSunriver Woodlands #11, Par 4, 427 yards: The landing area is directly next to that bunker, but you've got to hit your driver on this long uphill par 4Semiahmoo #12, Par 3, 155 yards: A typical northwest par 3, with a pond encroaching but a way to bail out left ... which you shouldn't doPacific Dunes #13, Par 4, 390 yards: One of the greatest par 4s in the world, this hole litterally looks like someone just brought out some good mowers and found it in the dunesTokatee #14, Par 4, 367 yards: It would be nearly impossible to take a bad photo of any hole on the back 9 at this courseShadow Mountain #15, Par 4, 400 yards: What a view! The fairway can be hit easily, then your approach will need to negotiate the pondEntrada #16, Par 5, 504 yards: It takes a committee and multiple range finders to guess at the landing area on this double doglegTPC Scottsdale #17, Par 4, 294 yards: Long hitters will absolutely look to drive this green, but there are a lot of ways that can go wrong and precious few in which it can go rightHomestead #18, Par 5, 503 yards: After two good shots, this'll be your perfect view of a par 5 island green with its own waterfall feature