Golf

Hole Description
The first hole at Hampton Hall is a forgiving, medium-length par four with a generous landing area for the opening tee shot. The large, undulating green is guarded by a choir of bunkers but is easily accessible with a well-struck approach shot. Aided by a prevailing wind, the inaugural hole plays shorter than the noted yardage. A chance for a quick start is available.

Hole Description
This sweeping par four skirts a vast waste area that guards the right side with a menacing cross-bunker protruding at the angle turn. This dogleg-right hole is best played by keeping the approach shot short of the hole due to the nature of the severe back-to-front sloping green. Proper execution and a delicate touch are a must to play this hole in par figures. Birdies are available, although pars are more prevalent.

Hole Description
The golfer may be tempted to throw caution to the wind and just grip it and rip it on this expansive par five. Yet, a lengthy and accurate tee shot must avoid the fairway bunkers guarding either side of the landing area. The flag location will determine to which side of the fairway the second shot should be played to avoid the devilish pot bunker guarding the entrance to the sloping green complex. A delicate putting touch is a must if a loosely played approach shot leaves the player with a downhill putt. Birdie is a real possibility on this lengthy par five hole.

Hole Description
From an elevated tee, this picturesque par three plays over natural wetlands to a deceivingly deep green. Tee shots missed wide left or long may find a watery grave in the hazard that neighbors the green complex. An unforgiving bunker protects the left front of the green while menacing moguls play havoc with misplayed shots landing toward the right side. Choose your weapons carefully and pay particular attention to the prevailing left-to-right winds. Par is always a good score on this devious short hole.

Hole Description
This smart par four demands a very accurate tee shot, played daringly close to the waste area that guards the left side of the fairway, to ensure the best angle for the player's approach shot into the green. A water hazard and a trio of bunkers on the right side, and a repelling mound to the left side, defend a well-fortified putting green. The uniquely undulated green offers very exicting pin placements and memorable putts. A difficult-to-see water hazard sneaks into play for long hitters if tee shots are hit through the fairway at the hole's angle turn. With the prevailing wind at the golfer's back, playability is shorter on this hole. Par is always welcomed on this hole, although it is still the toughest par four on the front nine.

Hole Description
A straightforward fairway allows the player to let the shaft out on what may be considered a breather hole. A waste area and elongated body of water frames the entire left side of this short par four. Still, there is plenty of fairway for even the awkward tee shots. A menacing front right bunker guards the green complex and may envelope poorly played approach shots missed to the right. Trust the yardage, as this green plays full front at the greens entrance. A sharply struck approach shot should present the player with a genuine birdie opportunity. This hole offers a good chance to record a low number or get the stroke back that you may have lost on hole 5!

Hole Description
This medium-length par three can be visually intimidating from the teeing ground. An elongated green, sternly protected by a long bunker and water on the left, makes proper club selection and flawless execution a must. A missed shot that travels long or right of the green will leave the player with a very difficult pitch. Bold tee shots played to the back left flag positions are risky endeavors. A "3" always looks good on the scorecard.

Hole Description
This scenic par four hole is best played with a left-to-right tee shot. Accuracy, more than length, is the order of the day on this engaging two-shot hole. A grove of large Oak trees guard the landing area on the right side of the fairway and present a menacing obstacle to balls that are fading too far toward the right side. A water hazard and another cavernous waste bunker will gobble up wayward shots missed to the left side. Trust the yardage as an illusory false front makes club selection crucial for the approach shot. A deft putting touch is required if the player is to master this brilliant green complex - Pete Dye at his best!

Hole Description
On this manageable par five, the tee shot should be played to the left hand side of the fairway to avoid the protruding bunker guarding the right side of the first landing area. The green is reachable in two by only the longest hitters and should be considered a three-shot hole. The calculating player is advised to play their second shot smartly and avoid the waste area to the left side and the bunker on the right side guarding the second landing area. A third shot from approximately 100 yards or less is desirable and provides a less daring route to match par. Bold play may produce birdies, or even eagles. However, reckless shots invite ascending numbers.

Hole Description
In golf course architectural terms, the tenth hole is recognized as a cape hole. Pete Dye presents a perfect illustration of a heroic design in this par four. The true genius of the architect is exposed here in Dye's blending of a penal design (a compulsory carry over a hazard) with a strategic design (offering a longer and safer alternative route). The player is challenged with an opportunity to "bite off" as much as one dares with a tee shot. The peril lies in a large water hazard guarding the left side of this dogleg-left par four hole. Following a successfully placed tee shot, the player is left with a mid- to short-iron, depending on the risk and reward, into a deceptive green shielded by a series of devious bunkers to the right side. Good rounds may be bolstered or extinguished on this hole.

Hole Description
A strategic tee shot should be played to the left side of the fairway and short of the hazard that intersects this medium-length par five hole. A second shot played to the right side of the fairway will provide the golfer with the best angle in which to attack this multi-tiered green that is protected by menacing bunkers in the front and to the rear. An approach shot played with controlled distance and trajectory is mandatory if the player's ball is to find the flag and proper level on the green. Long hitters may wish to challenge the green on their second shot but disaster lurks around the edge of every bunker that surrounds the green. This is a stimulating par five that offers the player a reasonable chance for birdie.

Hole Description
It is imperative that the player's tee shot finds the fairway if regulation figures are to be obtained on this longish par four. This slight left-to-right dogleg is guarded on the left by a cluster of bunkers while a deep grass depression and natural wetlands defend the entire right side of the fairway. This hole may appear subliminally easier than it plays, but don't fall prey to its passive appearance. A well-judged approach shot is required to find the tabletop green. Misplayed shots to the left side will find a penalizing chasm, making recovery shots difficult. Par should be appreciated on this hole.

Hole Description
This stern par four necessitates two solidly placed shots to reach the putting surface in par figures. For best results, a controlled tee shot should be played to the left side of the imposing lone Oak that will block approach shots played loosely to the right. A fortress of bunkers and a large water hazard guard the right side of this defiant green. Approach shots missed to the left side of the green will require great accountability of the player's short-game skills to salvage par from there. Pars will be coveted on this long and demanding hole.

Hole Description
The intimidating trouble facing players on the par three fourteenth makes a good score very difficult to obtain. A tee shot missed left or short of the undulating green will encounter a perilous result. A well-struck tee shot played to the middle of this sloping green is the best way to play this hole. However, finding the green with your tee shot certainly provides no guarantee, as monstruous putts may result on the quick and oblique green complex. Par is a very respectable score on this short hole.

Hole Description
The bunker placement on this long par five creates a challenge to the player in depth perception. The best play is a tee shot hammered to the left center of the fairway to avoid the deep-faced waste area and elongated water hazard guarding the right side, as well as to avoid the two large fairway bunkers guarding the left side. The flag location will dictate the play of the second shot which should be played strategically in order to attack the pink with a short iron. Second shots hit down the left side result in a more precise third shot to avoid the deep bunkers surrounding the perched putting green. This hole presents the best chance to notch a birdie as we turn toward the homeward holes.

Hole Description
This underrated par four challenges even the expert players. Presenting a fairly wide and receptive fairway, this hole still provides an unyielding test to the golfer. A long and accurate tee shot must avoid the large, annoying bunker to the left, and the punishing rough and wetlands to the right to have any chance of reaching the green in two. A long or mid-iron must be struck with precision to reach the cloistered green. Two very deep and gathering bunkers swallow misdirected shots struggling hopelessly to the right of the green. If reached in regulation, this fair green can be conquered from time to time. But don't count on it! Take a par and run!

Hole Description
With an elevated green, deep bunkers, and wetlands, hole seventeen at Hampton Hall is not for the faint of heart. A precise tee shot is required to avoid eminent trouble that surrounds this long and looming par three. Natural wetlands and a laborious bunker guard this very narrow, elevated green, making the tee shot one of the toughest shots on the entire golf course. Players leaving this hole with a par will breathe a sigh of relief. Take par, thank the golf gods, and leave quietly.

Hole Description
Ready for the most exciting eighteenth hole you have ever played? Pete Dye has saved the best for last. John Dalyesque-type length combined with surgically skilled accuracy is all that is required to meet the architect's challenge on this picturesque and memorable finishing hole. The tee shot must first find the narrowing fairway guarded by the winding waste area and inescapable trees down the right side, while avoiding the natural wooded wetlands and pond that hug the left side. Having accomplished the near impossible, the player is faced with a long iron or fairway wood over fronting wetland to an elongated and well-bunkered green. Once on the putting surface, the game is only half over. A delicate putting touch is required to complete your mission on this world-class golf hole! The golfer will remember this hole long after the round has been completed.