The Blue Course at Dallas Athletic Club, a Signature Design by Jack Nicklaus, will test the players in the 110th Texas Amateur at every turn. The classic parkland layout features tree-lined fairways that dogleg left and right. The greens are pure. The bunkers and penalty areas will be, well, penal. As it should, the Blue Course will provide a thorough examination to identify the best amateur in Texas.
Three holes, perhaps more so than the rest, could prove to be the most critical. Holes 5, 17 and 18 are all long par 4s; the shortest is 430+ yards. Each of these “Key Holes” are beastly, the type on which par is a great score.
“If you make a birdie on any of these, you’ll pick up a shot on the field,” said Lance Patterson, DAC’s Director of Golf. “If you make par, you’re OK. Birdies are a bonus. There are going to be a lot of bogeys on these three holes. You just want to avoid the big numbers.”
Course Handicap Rank: 1
With water all the way down the right side, the Blue Course’s fifth hole can be a nightmare for higher-handicap golfers. For the skilled players in the 110th Texas Amateur, they’ll have to choose how much of the hazard they want to take on off the tee. There are options: lay back with 3-wood, hybrid or long iron for safety, but that leaves longer second shots (anywhere from 150-185 yards). The aggressive strategy is to bust driver and carry more of the lake to get within 90-120 yards of the green. The second shot presents just as much stress; the two-tiered green is protected by water in front and on the left and right sides. Long is no good, either.
Course Handicap Rank: 4
The long, dogleg-left hole plays slightly uphill and usually into the wind. Drives into the left rough will make the green blocked out by trees on the second shot. Players need to hammer tee shots up the right side of the fairway. Depending on the length of the drive, they’ll still have 150-200 yards left into a green protected by three bunkers on the left and a pair of grass bunkers on the right. A good miss is short and right. Players can get up and down from there. Any other miss likely will lead to bogey or worse.
Course Handicap Rank: 12
Overall, the Blue Course’s finishing hole is mostly straight. It does play uphill. Drives into the right rough will have tree trouble on the second shot. The smart play off the tee is at – but short of – the two fairway bunkers on the left side. It’s about 310 yards to the first bunker and 320 yards to the second. There’s usually a hurting wind on the second shot, but it’s difficult to detect because the clubhouse blocks it out at ground level. A little local knowledge here: take at least a half-club more on the approach to the well-bunkered green.
