Course Confidential: Shinnecock Hills

Our national championship returns to the storied ground of Shinnecock Hills on Long Island this summer. As one of the USGA's five founding member courses, the windswept link in South Hampton have witnessed some of the game's most dramatic triumphs and heartbreaking defeats, and the course is poised to set the stage again this year.

Hole one, measuring right at 400 yards, presents a gentle entry into Shinnecock.

With the prevailing win out of the left, there's plenty of room in the fairway and the strategy for most guys is going to be something in the neighborhood of 230 to 260 yards off the tee. That will leave roughly a 120-yard approach into the green.

"This is as soft as it's going to get."

Approaching the green, players will have to be mindful of a false front in the front right corner. Any approach to a front hole location needs to be struck solidly. To back hole locations, long is trouble as there's a big runoff that filters balls away from the green.

After a seemingly gentle handshake at the first, players "get right into it with hole two," a par-three playing anywhere from 235 to 265 yards. The prevailing wind is slightly down, out of the left and the narrow entrance to the green requires a precise shot.

Here again, a false front on the front right corner will see a lot of balls filter into the front right bunker which isn't the worst miss in the world. However, players missing anywhere left are "going to have a real problem" as they face a pitch to a green sloping away from them, especially to hole locations on the left.

A runoff over the back of the green presents a challenging up and down for par as well.

Measuring north of 500 yards, the par-four third hole is a slight dogleg left. From the tee, the sight line is just right of the fairway bunker in the distance. At 285 to 300 yards depending on where the tee is, players can catch a downslope that will provide an extra 60 to 70 yards of roll. Tee shots may be aided by a prevailing northwest wind, making the hole play significantly shorter than its raw yardage. Big hitters will be left with a short iron or even a wedge to a tricky green.

Wind out of the left can cause approach shots to trickle off the green into the bunker on the right. For the third straight hole, a runoff in the back of the green can see shots end up long, leaving a difficult up-and-down as well.

The hole played as one of the most difficult in 2018, and that's likely to be the case again this year. "It's one where you make par and say thank you very much."

Hole four is a par-four measuring in the 480-yard range. Even though the fairway is generous, the approach plays exceptionally tricky. While most players will be coming in from only 175 yards, a substantial false front guards the entrance to a green that has a significant amount of left-to-right slope. Keep with the theme that's been established so far, a runoff over the back leaves difficult up-and-downs.

Players in this year's championship will gladly take four approach shots into the middle of this green.

Hole five is the first par-five at Shinnecock and the first real chance at a red number. Even though there's a split fairway, most players will opt to play down the left. A decent tee shot will leave a lofted fairway, hybrid or long iron into a green for the second shot.

The play is to land the second shot 20-30 yards short and try to run in on to the front portion of the green. The green itself is elevated and quite small. Any misses left, right or long will leave players working hard.

After a potential respite, players will be thrown right back into the thick of it at the demanding par-four sixth. Measuring 495 yards and playing into the wind, the tee shot is blind. The sightline for most players will be the group of trees up the left side, just to the right of the pocket of fairways bunkers.

The green slopes hard back-to-front and a severe runoff on the right demands a precision approach with a mid to long iron. The miss on the approach is in the left bunker or short of the green.

One of the most iconic holes at Shinnecock, the 187-yard par-three seventh is C.B. Macdonald original with a classic redan green (sloping from front right to back left). The prevailing wind is into the players and off the right.

Regardless of where the hole is located, the aiming point is at the right edge of the front-left bunker and in the front third of the green. Missing in the left bunkers or long left will leave players a decent chance to get up-and-down and salvage par. Conversely, misses in the right bunker or short present a real challenge just to keep the ball on the green on the second shot.

The par-four eighth hole gives players plenty of room off the tee. However, in order to create the best possible angle into the green, players will want to play up the left side of the fairway. Approaches will be played to an undulating green protected by a false front and steep runoffs to the right, left and long. Here again, shots played to the center of the green, regardless of the hole location, will leave a decent chance at birdie.

Hole nine is a visually stunning hole that plays back uphill toward the iconic clubhouse. A risk-reward hole, players willing to challenge the left side of the fairway off the tee can catch a downslope leaving themselves a short wedge from inside 120 yards. Tee shots on a safer line, out to the fat part of the fairway will leave a shot of from roughly 170 yards that plays an additional 15 yards uphill.

The green slopes significantly back to front, and approaches with an east wind mean that players have to be especially careful as balls will trickle to the right edge of the green. Making par to center or left hole locations from this position is doable, but it becomes a difficult proposition to short-sided right hole locations.

As we make the turn, it seems like an appropriate time to share an interesting factoid about Shinnecock. The original routing of the course has been switched, with the former back nine now playing as the front nine and vice versa. The reason being is that holes 10 and 11 proved to be a difficult start to the round for members and often led to significant pace of play issues. . . we're about to find out why.

Hole 10 sets the tone immediately for the back nine which features significantly more elevation change and exposure to the wind. An elevated tee shot plays down to a fairway that slopes significantly left-to-right.

The approach then plays back uphill to an elevated green with a massive false front. However, a runoff in the back presents an equally difficult set of problems for approach shots that fly too far. For what might seem like a straightforward hole, we're surely going to see some struggles from players starting the back nine.

Lee Trevino called the infamous 11th at Shinnecock the "the shortest par-five in the world." And with good reason. Measuring only 157 yards, the tee shot plays uphill to an exposed, elevated green surrounded by bunkers and steep runoffs. There's nowhere to hide here.

The green is pitched steeply back-to-front and any miss long makes keeping the next shot on the green almost impossible. Short is no bargain wither as gaping bunkers guard the front of the green.

"The line from the tee is the left half of the front bunker. The landing spot is the back of the front third of the green." How's that for your target from 157 yards?

Expect to see some carnage on one of the most difficult and sure-to-be entertaining par-threes in golf.

Hole 12, a 469-yard par-four, begins with an elevated tee shot that puts a premium on getting the ball in the fairway. Players accomplishing that task can expect to see some chances at birdie.

A spine runs through the center of the green and will help filter balls toward hole locations on both its right and left sides. However, a miss too far right can end up in an unpredictable sandy lie making it difficult to get up-and-down to save par.

The shortest par-four on the course is the 13th, measuring just 371 yards. While a lot of players will probably go for the green from the tee, Sean doesn't see it as the smartest play.

"I don't think it's the right play at all. It's a 320-yard cover over the fairway bunker short of the green. . . If you want to take that on, good for you, but it's a tricky green. Chipping from left and right is difficult, and if you miss your tee shot a little bit, you end up in the native and from there you're struggling to for par. The play is really something out there about 230 that leaves you a nice wedge in."

Hole 14 is the longest par-four on the course playing anywhere from 510 to 535 yards. Yes, you read that right. Even though the tee shot plays downhill, the fairway kicks hard left seeing a lot of balls end up in the left fairway bunker—an almost certain layup. From the fairway, players are still left with 220 to 230 yards into an exposed green that the wind dries out and will play quite firm.

"If you can buy a few pars, I would take them and run."

Hole 15 is another (relatively) short par-four measuring 409 yards. A significant runoff in the fairway comes at 220 to 230 yards and will kick balls forward. From there, players are left with a short iron or wedge to an exposed green.

"It sounds kind of crazy, but even with short irons, you can miss the green pretty easily. And with the green's undulating features, getting the ball close enough to save par can be quite tricky."

Hole 16 is the longest hole on the course. A snaking par-five with ample bunkers that plays into the prevailing wind, "this is a lot of golf hole." The fairway bunkers on the left from the tee are a 280-yard cover.

Players that find the fairway will then likely lay up short of another fairway bunker on the right, leaving some sort of wedge into a green that's pitched back-to-front. Controlling spin on the approach will be paramount to securing a decent look at birdie.

The penultimate hole at Shinnecock is the par-three 17th. The green is cut at an angle that works from right-to-left, and the center line is over the left edge of the middle bunker. It's also one of the deeper greens on the course allowing it to play anywhere from 145 to 185 yards depending on the hole location.

Because of the way the hole sets up visually from the tee, it's easy to miss shots in the right bunker. From there, players have to contend with a shot that runs away from them. For any middle or front hole location, controlling both distance and direction are essential.

The test at Shinnecock crescendos at the par-four 18th. This hole starts with an awkward tee shot to a fairway that moves right-to-left, but cambers left-to-right. The longest players might opt to challenge the fairway bunker up the left side where they catch a downslope leaving a short iron in. However, a miss left into the fescue creates real problems. Expect most of the field to play right of the bunker to the fat part of the fairway, leaving a longer approach.

The second shot players uphill to a green that's pitched severely back-to-front. A massive false front guards the green and shots coming up short will inevitably roll back off.

"Getting the approach deep and up into the green is important." But the job isn't done. Missing left, right, or long present a third shot where players will have to negotiate a lot of slope to get the ball close. A par here will likely go a long way not just on Sunday, but in any round.

The Summer Commemorative is known as the most difficult test in golf. Everyone is going to face adversity, trial and tribulation. Most will eventually be humbled and succumb to the peril that's prevalent at Shinnecock. Some will survive longer than others, and eventually one will emerge as the 2026 champion, battle-worn and marred, but triumphant in the end.