Golf Tips & Quips

The past week has been very busy for me but I finally got a chance to get in a round of golf at the par 70, Pete Dye designed, ASU Karsten Golf Course. This is the course that 4 time major winner and 4 time All-American Phil Mickelson called home during his college years.

The course is kept in great condition, but true to all Pete Dye designed courses, it can be very challenging if you find yourself in the rough or in the strategically placed bunkers. It was a tough day for me off the tee statistically as I only hit three fairways in regulation, but the misses were not so bad that I couldn't recover from most of my errant shots.

Club selection contributed to most of my misses off the tee. I found myself in the bunkers several times off the tee and with my approach shots into the green. Since I never played this course before, there were a few shots that I thought were great but was surprised and disappointed to find my ball in a hazard. Purchasing a yardage book before the round would have been a good idea since the golf carts are not GPS enabled.

Water only comes into play on four of the holes but does so in an intimidating way. The par four, 4th hole has water left and back of the green. I ended up posting a triple on this hole, not because I put it in the drink, but because I pushed my tee shot out of bounds and then 3-putted once I reached the green.

Holes nine and eighteen are unique in that they run parallel with each other back towards the clubhouse with a lake that divides the two fairways. The strategy that they give you on the website for playing number nine is "aim left, aim left, aim left, then aim left on your approach shot to avoid the water." As you can imagine the strategy is just the opposite on number eighteen. Stay right!

The other hole that has water come into play is on the signature hole par three, 16th. The advice is to bail out left and play for a good chip shot to save par. This is exactly what I did, though not intentionally. I pulled my tee shot and it ended up in a little gully behind the green, just missing one of those evil hidden bunkers. I was able to chip to a reasonable distance and made the putt for a par.

If you ever get a chance to visit this course, make sure you take a walk through the clubhouse. ASU is known as one of the strongest collegiate golf programs in the country. They have a lot of memorabilia from their many years of success in NCAA competition. The dining area also looks over the 9th and 18th green. A great venue to sit and relax after a round of golf.

ASU Karsten Golf Course gets a thumbs up from me. The course is challenging but fair. The staff was awesome and made me feel welcome and they were quick to answer any questions that I had about their facilities. I'll definitely play this course again, especially now that the prices are going down. It's a steal. Have a great round and always it your target.