Course Breakdown: Champion Hill holes 15-18

CH #15

I can’t remember if I’ve said this already, but I think this is my favorite hole. The downhill par 4 (75 feet from tee to green) does everything it can to tempt you into blasting driver as far as you can.

The most interesting aspect of this hole is a greenside apple tree that blocks about 20% of the left corner of the green. It’s more of a mental challenge than a physical one. Generally speaking, I hate trees in the field of play on golf holes, but for some reason, it works on this hole. I believe it’s because it isn’t in play every day, but if the pin is tucked behind it, you can see it from the tee and adjust your strategy accordingly.

When the pin is tucked left, I’m more inclined to hit less than driver to ensure I can get enough height on my shot to clear the tree if I miss further left than intended. The fairway bottlenecks at 280 yards, so with that left pin, I will hit a 230-yard shot to stay short of the tightening fairway.

The green complex has an elevated shelf on the right and a lower left shelf that’s protected by the apple tree. No matter where the pin is, you don’t want to get too close to the front left bunker or the apple tree. So, if you plan to smoke driver, a miss to the right is better than left.

CH #16

Probably the most straightforward hole on the course. This is the #1 handicap, and I’m not sure I agree, but it is a tough par 4. For the first time in this breakdown, this hole is completely flat! From the blue tees, the left rough creeps into the fairway starting at 275 yards, so just be careful there. This rough area drops a few feet from the fairway and is usually the thickest rough on the course.

The green complex slopes from right to left and slightly back to front. If the pin is in the back, just know that the putt from the middle of the green tends to be slower than I’d expect it to be.

CH #17

Unlike any golf course I can think of, Champion Hill finishes with back-to-back beasts of par 5s that can make or break your round. I can recall days where I finished strong and saved my round, and others where I completely blew it on these two holes and ruined my entire day.

The card lists this hole at 585 yards, but I usually see it from the ~560 box. What makes this hole so interesting is that the first ~350 yards are dead straight, and then the hole curls around an apple orchard with a dozen or so trees.

I have to imagine that average to below-average golfers really struggle on this hole. With a good drive up the right-hand side, I usually have an opportunity to reach the green in two. Most golfers aren’t able to do this and must hit a layup shot while navigating the apple orchard.

From 150–120 yards from the green, a golfer can get blocked out by the orchard if they’re just a little too far right. So, your options are to either stay short of 150 yards or try to hit past the orchard, which is a pretty tight window. For example, if you’re at the 250-yard marker, you’d need to hit a layup shot at least 185 yards to bypass the orchard, but you must stay short of 225 yards to avoid hitting through the fairway.

The green complex is probably the flattest on the course, sloping from the front-left corner to the back-right corner. Avoid the bunkers, and anywhere else is a decent place to get up and down from if you miss the green.

CH #18

The final hole is a long par 5 that gives players an opportunity to do something they haven’t been able to for the first 17 holes... hit their ball into water! I can promise you, a large number of players make good use of this opportunity.

The tee shot is fairly wide open. You’d rather miss right than left. In the battle of pine trees versus fescue, fescue should always be your preference.

This hole really gets interesting once you’re inside 150 yards. At the very shortest point, the left water is 135 yards from the hole. Keep this in mind, because I think most golfers should purposefully lay up short of that 135-yard mark to eliminate the water as a potential miss. Normally, I’m not this cautious with water, but the fairway leading up to the water slopes toward it, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen shots that looked safe, only to trickle through the fairway and end up in about 2 feet of crystal clear water. I always tend to be more annoyed when I can find my ball in the water vs it being gone forever.

I can’t imagine ever going for this green in two. Even if I were playing up a tee box and hit a great drive, I’d probably still lay up. Your only bailout is to the right. Right means fescue, where you’re essentially playing Russian Roulette with your lie, and the angle from the right side isn’t ideal either.

The green complex slopes from the front-right corner to the back-left corner. Because of the angle of the green, your ball will land and kick forward and left. One bad bounce, and you could be in the water. From the left side of the fairway, the green is like a perfect catcher’s mitt for approach shots.

Conclusion:

I think I’ve gushed over this course enough throughout this breakdown for you to get the picture of how much I love it. Champion Hill isn’t a course that I’d deem as difficult, but it has a way of sneaking up and biting you in the butt. There aren’t many courses where the level of “fun” can even come close to rivaling what you’ll find here. I don’t know the name of the person responsible, but I’ve heard that this place was shaped by one guy with nothing more than an excavator. If he ever gets to read this, all I have to say is, “thank you.”

-Your hat caddies