Designed by David B. Druzisky
DragonRidge Golf Course in Henderson
Fazenda Santo Antonio Golf Course in Southeast Region
The Duke at Rancho El Dorado in Maricopa
I would never have guessed that Laughlin Ranch and the Duke were designed by the same guy . . . I guess to some degree it matters what your terrain looks like in the first place . . . 8^D . . .
#1 par 4, Driver, 7iron, 3putt ...
#2, uphill par 5, tough, with very elevated green, too
the traps at Laughlin will generate comment . . . rocky, hard, with sand occasionally deep enough to splash, but more often not . . .
#3 par 4 . . . oh, i scissored my ball *just* over the hump and it rolled to the bottom of the swale.
just a short pitch & missed birdie putt . . .
#4 easy par 3, downhill
#5 somewhat more difficult par 4, tho downhill, no level lies to hit from, green surrounded by trouble, especially in front, irreclaimable trash.
#6 par 4, hugely downhill, then an easy shortiron to the green, another missed birdie . . .
#7, short par 4 . . . oh I was sure I c ould get over the trash into the fairway, hell I thog I could drive the green, but my trajectory betrayed me again . . . I easily found my ball and 4 others out in the rocky desert . . . hit a 1/3rd 7iron onto the front of the huge green and 3jacked it.
#8 Par 3, scary . . .
#9 par 5 . . . hooked my drive with no trajectory just barely still in play on the left
hit my second slicing towards the water instead of safely left, but it stopped short, but on the steep downslope shore
hit my approach long just into the fringe -- I thot it had gone way long . . . 2 putt par . . .
#10, Par 5 . . . overcompensated, sliced my driver into the rough next to the trash
hit a 5 iron -- not to solid, from there into the rough next to some real trash intruding into the fairway, a very narrow landing area
lobbed a wedge from there to 3.5 feet, birdie . . .
#11 par 4 . . . some lady's 3some jumped in front of me here . . . irritating, but ultimately meaningless . . . spanked my drive up hill nearly to the green
lobbed another wedge close
like 2.5 ft for a birdie . . . two in a row . . . could get serious . . .
but here, suddenly, my cart started bucking . . . running out of juice every hill I climbed, so I turned around and rode slowly back to the clubhouse, sometimes pushing, to get another cart . . . .
#12 Par 3
I thot sure another birdie was in order . . . I been missing these short par 3s, just barely . . . but parred.
#13, par 4, #2 hcp hole . . . beautiful . . . didn't do it justice . . . got too ambitious for birdies . . .
hmpf. Mine shaft tucked under the hill in front of the green . . .
really steep hill really hides this front pin position . ..
side view from 14th Tee
#14, par 4, seemed a really easy hole . . . hit one of my few decent tee shots, and hit a 7iron perfect distance, 2 putt parr
side view from #15 Tee
#15, par 4, uphill, where 14 is downhill, a little harder, not as great a tee shot, then midiron didn't come off as well, then no up-and-down . . . back to earth . . ..
Sunset at #16 Tee
#16, par 3, longer par 3 than the others, and uphill, instead of downhill . . .not as much fun . . . 8^D . . .
#17 par 5, mediocre drive, conservative safe 5iron second, lob wedge again to birdie distance . . . miss . . .
#18 par 4 . . .intimidating tee shot, but my best drive of the day . . . couldn't see the ball anymore, but felt straight and heard it land . . . just short of the bunker on the right . . .
mishit 8iron approach . . . good little pitch, missed par putt . . done
# posted by Cactus Dave @ 4:33 PM
