Fields Ranch Golf - East Golf Course

As professional golf becomes more and more alien to millions of recreational players, the requirements of championship golf design have become more and more challenging. At Fields Ranch East, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner mostly succeeded in building a course that will test the best and beguile the rest.

The East typifies contemporary golf architecture’s two main focuses – on bunkering and green design. Some 90-plus large, deep bunkers lie in wait at seemingly every strategic turn, and the large, firm and fast putting surfaces lean on considerably contour to defend par. Golfers with a shaky short game may find themselves picking up on several holes, but should also be enough birdie opportunities to keep them interested, especially if they play the correct tees. Good thing, too; because the average pace of play (walking, with mandatory caddies) tops 5 hours, you wouldn’t want to be out there getting beaten up for that whole time. There are no weak holes until the awkward par-5 18th, but the run from 13 through 17 – long par 3, shortish par 5, short par 4, long par 4 – is the star here.