There are a lot of challenging holes at Eaglewood, a picturesque golf course high on the bench in North Salt Lake.
Take No. 10, for example, a long par 4 that's uphill to an elevated green.At first look it doesn't seem too difficult. And with well-placed shots - like any other hole - it's not.
Because of its length - 457 yards from the blues and 424 yards from the whites - a good tee shot is a must to get a par. A topped drive sets you up for bogey or worse. A driver's the play here. No 3-wood or long iron unless you really have control problems and have a tendency to fade your driver.
Going right is a no-no on No. 10 due to two large fairway bunkers.
"You need to go up the left side of the fairway with your drive," notes head pro Chris Jones.
That takes the fairway bunkers out of play and sets you up for your approach shot to the green. However, don't go too far left, because if you do, not only do hazards come into play but you turn the hole into a par 5 as your second shot will be well over 200 yards.
A good drive gives you a mid-iron to the green. Maybe. Depending where the pin placement is. The green is large, meaning if the flag's at the back, you need to add a club.
And, once you get on the green, as Jones notes, there's still some work to do.
That's because the green is mounded. Even putts of 3 feet, depending on pin placement, can be pretty tricky. Take the wrong line from above the hole and hit the putt a little too hard and you may have a difficult breaking putt of 6 feet coming back.
This is one of those holes that you learn to play only by playing it a number of times. Given the spectacular scenery because of the location of the golf course, that's something a lot of people obviously will want to do.