Hole #3: 520-510-493-479 yards In its day, probably a heck of a strong, three-shot hole. Today, with the downhill tee ball and other advances, a nice half-par hole. As you stand on the tee deck, you notice the bit of sand up the right side. As you descend the hill toward your tee shot, you might have reason to forget about it, until you prepare to strike your second shot. At that juncture, you see how narrow the fairway that abuts the sand is. For a moment, you consider flooring it and going straight at the green. Why not? You live this life once, after all.
Tee ball from farthest back If you plan to lay up, a shot up the left gives you a straight second toward the neck. If you plan to go at the green, either side will do.
Tee ball zoomed in Could they extend the mowing lines to the bunkers on both sides? Indeed, they could.
Zoomed in a bit more The enormous slope of the putting surface, from right to left, comes into view. The fellow in the photo is playing number five, a parallel hole.
Zoomed in more from tee We see the width of the fairway lead up to the major bunker field. In truth, one might never threaten that sand, as a layup to 140 yards out, short of the sand, is practical.
Final zoom from tee Beyond the sand field on the right, a second fairway awaits, before the hill that ascends the slope toward the mesa. On this hole, I would go against my normally-conservative nature and take a run at the green in two.
From about 240 out, right rough This vantage point is behind the closest right-side fairway bunker. From here, a layup left of sand farm is prudent and manageable, assuming you can get the club on the ball.
Zoomed in to about 140 out, right rough Our first close-up of the bunker field. This is similar to a Tilly
Great Hazard, save for the fact that it is adjacent to the fairway, not across it.
Moving forward through the sand mines No one has any business being over here. Get back to the left as quickly as you may.
Looking back toward the tee from the last bunker.
About 80 yards out We have traversed the 60 yards of sand up the right side and now see the uniquely-shaped green site, with its raised right side and total elevation. Briar patches are close behind, so gauge your yardage well.
Fronting bunkers on the right This would be a terrific bail-out area for a wide-right blast at the green, so the placement of sand pits there should keep golfers honest or at least debating their odds of survival.
A blind pitch uphill is what anyone will get from short of the green. Here we are looking over the two bunkers seen in the previous image.
A backward glance from the right side of the green The clubhouse and tee in the distance, the bunker farm now on our left, we are kings of all we survey.
Zoomed in, green eliminated Same view as image #13, zoomed in to better present fairway and sand park.
