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There are some courses that get you flowing more than others. They are the kinds you dream of playing with when you fall asleep. They litter Top 100 lists and give you a lifetime of bragging rights just for hitting a shot on property.
The Los Angeles Country Club is one such course. Ranked #10 in the US’s Top 100 Golf Courses list, LACC’s North Course is one of the best designs in the country. The classic design by George Thomas is located in the heart of Los Angeles, and with some help from Jill Hansi, the course is considered one of the best urban designs in the world.
As one of my well-traveled colleagues put it to me, “It’s epic.”
When I got the nod to go out and play the LACC to preview the US Open, I got butterflies. Not only because I’m going to be playing one of the most exclusive courses in America, but also out of fear of some of the shots I might face. While the course was fun to play, it is also a bruiser. I might be handicapped in the low single digits, but I knew I had to bring my game up.
Here are the five scariest shots I encountered at this year’s US Open hosting site.
Close shot on No. 6
If you’ve paid any attention so far this week, you’ve likely heard about the short par-4 6th. It’s only 330 yards from the pros, but make no mistake, you can make up a big number here if you’re not careful.
The tee shot is relatively straightforward if you choose to lie down. All you have to do is smash a long iron or fairway wood down the hill into a lane that goes through to the landing area. If you hit the shot correctly, you will only have a wedge left in your hand. But don’t be fooled, this snapshot is still out there scary.
Once you look at the green, you will understand why this slot is not an easy task. The green is the least deep of the course, and the front and back sides are lined with bunkers. Green slopes from back to front, so buying is a recipe for disaster. But if you get too nice and leave it a bit short, you’ll find yourself in a deep sand trap below the level of the green. You have to be precise with this shot or your plane could turn into a bogey (or worse) in a hurry.
Having a wedge in your hand on a par-4 is usually a good thing, but it’s not foolproof with this tough shot.
The second shot is on number 8
The eighth hole is the shortest par-5 on the course, at just 537 yards, but it forces you to hit your spots to stay away from trouble. The tee shot is relatively simple, as you can hit less than the driver from a ramp on the left side that carries the ball into a flat area. But the second shot is what made me uncomfortable.
Normally, par-5 laying down is a bit of a routine, but not with this shot. The barranca splits parts of the waterway diagonally towards the green and the trees on either side form shootouts that you have to hit. If you have the firepower, you can try to lift it up and over the trees on the left to get the green in two, but if you pull it up with a single touch, you’ll find yourself in danger.
For shorter players, you should play around the trees to an awkwardly angled fairway. Hit it very short and you’ll get a long shot into the green. But if you hit too far – or without enough right-to-left movement – you’ll end up in the thick rough ball on the other side of the fairway.
This shot commands a great deal of thought and, if it fails to execute, takes a valuable opportunity for the birds.
T shot on No. 11
Roughly 300 yards from the par-3 11th hole is an absolute beast. He plays down the hill towards the Los Angeles skyline and has a lot of trouble protecting the fetching surface.
The short and left green is a sloping touchdown zone that lets players bounce the ball a short distance and run it up, but if you go too far left or short, you’ll end up in deep bunkers. Right is also not good with a sharp drop to raw. Since most players will hit with long irons or woods, this hole plays harder.
It’s never fun to bogey, but on this hole, 4 isn’t a terrible score.
T shot on No. 12
Blind putts are always a little uncomfortable, and the shot on the tee at No. 13 fits the bill. From the tee box, you can see trees popping up from either side of the fairway and not much else. The only aiming point players have is a rock in the ground at the top of the hill.
It is critical that you take the tee directly over that rock. If you don’t, your approach will be brutal. If you pull your shot to the left, the trees lining the fairway will block any view of the green. And if you push it to the right, you’ll be left with a long shot to a green heavily fortified with bunkers.
There are quite a few awkward shots in the LACC, but the blind putt on the 13th is a unique challenge—especially once you realize the penalty for missing that right lane.
No bullet around bunkers
True to form the US Open test, rough around the bunkers thick. The tall grass is always a talking point in US slots, but escaping the rough around the bunkers may be the hardest.
Instead of clipping the edges of bunkers so that balls collect in the sand, the USGA has opted to grow the shaggy stuff to its fullest. If your ball gets too close to a bunker, it won’t just roll in. And the shot that remains in front of you will be more dangerous.
With tall grass on the edges, the balls will get stuck in awkward positions around the sand. You are rarely given a natural stance on these shots, and just getting the ball across is a challenge. Once you have these positions, the best you can hope for is to hack and get it somewhere on the surface of the situation.
You often don’t want your ball in the sand, but when balls fly by these bunkers, you’ll be begging for them to end up in the sand. The alternative is more difficult.