I think we caught superintendent's revenge day The pin on seven was just horrifying! On the right edge of the back shelf that cascades down off the green into that collection area! (They were zone B that day). My partner took three to get it up the hill. The there was the back pin on 15 too:) Sheer murder if you were right of the green playing sideways to that hole location.
Right before I went out to play, two fellas had just finished, and they said to me "watch out for the pins today, they are dynamite!" and he was right. We still had a ton of fun - it's always great to revisit an old friend. The course was in great shape despite the drought and those greens are fantastic. We had a great time. Is it me or is Rustic tougher than it looks? One guy said, "you can eat up the first 13 holes," but I'm not entirely sure he's right about that - you'd still have to be an expert to score well there with all those green contours and surrounds.
Ah yes, the B pin placements. I've had it the last few times out there and have found it to be the most challenging set! Did they put the pin on the front right corner of 14 too? That's a tough little spot as well.
It took me a number of plays to figure the course out, but now I score well there! More than most courses you have to think backwards. There are so many holes where you cannot afford to be in the wrong spot even if you've reached the green in regulation (think pin-high but 40 ft away on 2, 4, 11, or 18). On most courses that's usually manageable for a par, but at Rustic you'd do well to play those holes in +2.
Because of this driving is actually important despite the wide fairways! Putting the ball in the right position is going to be very important to scoring well, but most step onto the tee there and don't give it enough thought.
And finally, putting with the canyon effect is going to make everything a bit tougher. If you manage to play when it's blowing down the canyon be VERY cautious when above the hole.