hole by hole ANALYSIS
Hole # 1 Par 4 - Championship tees: 443;
Canterbury tees: 435
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A long par-4 dogleg right with a blind tee shot. It plays as the #1 handicap from the member’s tees and is one of the most difficult opening holes in golf. After a good tee shot, shaped from left to right, players will need to focus their attention on keeping the ball below the hole with their approach. Shots can be run onto this green, which is severely sloped from back to front. This is a very difficult putting surface.
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Hole # 2 Par 4 - Championship tees: 374;
Canterbury tees: 348
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A short but tricky dogleg left Par 4 that will require an accurate tee shot to stay out of the fairway bunkers, trees on the left and the rough. The approach shot must negotiate the eight bunkers that surround this green. The green is sloped severely from back left to front right so controlling your spin is essential.
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Hole #3 Par 3 - Championship Tees: 177 yards;
Canterbury Tees: 150 yards
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This par three is arguably the most photographed hole on the course. It’s a beauty with the clubhouse in the background. Players will use a mid to short iron. The green is well bunkered and the rough around the green is severe. The green appears to be somewhat flat, but from above the hole it is deceivingly fast.
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Hole #4 Par 4 - Championship Tees: 489 yards;
Canterbury Tees: 420 yards
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The 4th Hole is a long par four that requires a long tee shot to carry the fairway bunkers. Avoid the bunkers and you can be very easily in the rough due to the crowned shape of the fairway. The approach to the green is open so players can play short and run the ball back to the hole. Miss the green over or on the sides and you have a challenging up and down.
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Hole #5 Par 4 -
Championship Tees: 412 yards;
Canterbury Tees: 389 yards
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This very picturesque par four is one of the best driving holes on the course. The fairway slopes ever so slightly from right to left, fairway bunkers guard the left side and trees on the right. The green is slightly uphill so the approach shot will play longer than it appears. The green has a large slope that funnels golf balls to the front of the green.
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Hole #6 Par 5 -
Championship Tees – 522 yards;
Canterbury Tees – 501 yards
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The tee shot is critical on this short Par 5 as anything center of the fairway or left will run off the slope into the left rough. Trees guard the left side and can block your view to the green. The green is one of the most difficult to read on the course with a lot of very subtle breaks. Par on this hole is not protected by length, but by the bunkers guarding the green and the severe slopes on each side of the putting surface. Birdie is attainable here, but a poor shot will almost certainly lead to bogey.
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Hole #7 Par 3 -
Championship Tees: 198 yards;
Canterbury Tees: 170 yards
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Don’t miss this green to the left, it drops off over twenty five feet into deep rough and would be an almost impossible up and down. Missing to the right is no bargain either as the greens slopes severely from right to left. Keeping the ball under the hole would be best, but there is not an easy putt on this green.
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Hole #8 Par 4 -
Championship Tees: 410 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 362 Yards
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This hole features a close out of bounds on the left and trees on the right. Use a club off the tee that keeps you in the fairway, about 150 yards to the green. Keep your approach shot under the hole since the green slopes severely from back to front. Too short with too much spin and your ball is back down the fairway in front of the green. Ben Hogan lost the 1946 U.S. Open on this hole when he made a quadruple eight after missing the green down the hill to the left in heavy rough.
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Hole #9 Par 5 -
Championship Tees: 552 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 540 Yards
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A long tee shot under certain conditions may give a player an opportunity to reach this par five hole in two strokes. Tom Watson was the only player in the 1973 PGA Championship to reach this green in two strokes. The green has two tiers and hole locations on the upper tier will lend more birdies. A front right hole location looks benign from the fairway but is one of the most difficult on the course.
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Hole #10 Par 4 -
Championship Tees: 358 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 341 Yards
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This short par four has a creek, which crosses the fairway at 250 yards off the tee. This is a layup hole for the players so they will have around 100 yards for the approach shot. The green has a false front and if shots do not carry to the center of the green and beyond they will spin back off the green and maybe into the water. Controlling your golf ball is a must on this hole and the green will be challenging to putt.
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Hole #11 Par 3 -
Championship Tees: 180 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 141 Yards
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This hole features a well bunkered, elevated green with significant slope from back to front. If the hole location is set on the right front it can be very easy to come up short in the bunker due to the fact that the wind swirls quite a bit in this area of the course.
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Hole #12 Par 4 -
Championship Tees: 371 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 359 Yards
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This dogleg right has a blind tee shot. Players will attempt to put the ball on the left side of the fairway for a straight approach into the green. You will want to hit a drive of about 240 – 250 yards to leave yourself with about 120 yards in the fairway. Leaving your tee shot right will block your approach to the green and almost certainly lead to a bogey. The green sits lower than the fairway and will receive shots very well. Over the green is some of the thickest rough on the course, making an up and down very difficult.
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Hole #13, Par 4 - (Champ), Par 5 (Canterbury)
Championship Tees: 490 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 480 Yards
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This hole is played as a par five from the Members' tees and a par 4 from the tips. Tee shots need to favor the center, anything right will end up in the rough. If you can hit it long and catch the downside of the hill, you may end up with a middle or short iron for your second. A bunker guards any right side hole locations. The green is narrow and since it was built to receive shorter approach shots, is difficult to hold a long approach. Players have the option to run the ball down the hill and into this green.
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Hole #14 Par 4 -
Championship Tees: 384 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 370 Yards
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Hitting the fairway is a must, but much easier said than done on this short dogleg right hole. Another blind tee shot greets the players, requiring the same shape as the 12th hole. Shots coming out of the left rough will be difficult to stop on this elevated green. The most difficult hole location is on the front-right part of the green. This hole is a lot more demanding than the yardage indicates. Par is a good score.
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Hole #15 Par 4 -
Championship Tees: 367 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 349 Yards
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Players will use a fairway or hybrid club here because of the creek that crosses the fairway at 250 yards. Put the ball in the fairway and play your second shot to this significantly uphill green which features a blind approach shot. The green has two tiers and a back hole location will be difficult to get the ball close.
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Hole #16 Par 5 -
Championship Tees: 617 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 585 Yards
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The next three holes are considered by many to be the best three finishing holes in golf. The par five 16th requires two accurate and long shots. After that you are on the plateau of the fairway 130 yards from the green. If you can carry this hill with your second your approach will be blind into a severely sloped green from back to front. Hole locations can be tricky so putting will be difficult. When Canterbury was founded in 1921 the hole played 662 yards long and was par six!
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Hole #17 Par 3 -
Championship Tees: 229 Yards;
Canterbury Tees: 197 Yards
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Take par as your score here and go to #18. The hole is long and narrow with a green that is elevated and has two tiers. The slopes off either side are severe. Getting the ball up and down will require creativity and some luck because of the rough around the green and the slopes. The putting surface is extremely difficult with significant slope which will definitely yield some three putts. Many players will be over par on this hole.
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Hole #18 Par 4 -
Championship Tees: 439 Yards
Canterbury Tees: 401 Yards
One of the best finishing holes in all of golf. A long, uphill par 4 where an accurate drive is required. Pronounced bunkers protect the right side of the fairway from errant tee shots, while tall trees protect the fairway on the left. Second shots will require a long-to-mid iron to an uphill green. The green is heavily bunkered, but open from the center right to accept run-up shots. The green is fairly flat, but has some subtleties. If the player is not careful, putts can get away. During the 1946 U.S. Open, Ben Hogan three-putted from 15 feet and failed to earn a spot in the playoff, which was won in 36 holes by Lloyd Mangrum.