CASTLE ROCK — The 2024 BMW Championship is set for Aug. 22-25 at Castle Pines Golf Club, and the club’s experts believe the course is ready to hold up against the world’s best.
Castle Pines head pro Drew Parr walked The Denver Post through the course last week. Here’s the inside information on what to watch for on each hole as the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup rankings descend upon Colorado for one of the PGA Tour’s premier tournaments.
The rough will be about four inches high across the course, and dry and fast greens — pending a sunny weekend of play — should keep the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy from tearing up the course too much. Parr predicts a winning score somewhere in the 15-under to 18-under par range, saying the course presents enough of a challenge that it will be tough for golfers to turn in low-60s rounds for four consecutive days.
The course will be set at a PGA Tour distance record of 8,130 yards, or about 600 yards longer than it played during the 21 years the club hosted The International from 1986 to 2006.
Hole 1
Distance: 662 yards
Par: 5 (16 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: Beautiful views of the Front Range off the tee box, which was moved back for the BMW Championship. Golfers need to be wary of four bunkers surrounding the green — three green-side and an approach bunker.
How pros play the hole: This is a driver hole with a slight dogleg left, and the green is accessible in two shots via a strong shot off the tee box. “Especially out of the gate, guys will likely take advantage of this one, and go for it in two unless they end up hitting it in the rough,” Parr said. “If they end up missing the green (on the second shot), it’s a fairly reasonable up-and-down (to make birdie).”
Hole 2
Distance:440 yards
Par:4 (10 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: A waste area on the front right side of the green was replaced with a pond, and a trench across the fairway was removed. A bunker also guards the front of the green. It’s not a long par 4, but the green is narrow and difficult to read.
How pros play the hole: “I would expect a lot of the players to hit a 3-wood or a 5-wood off this tee, something to lay up to in order to get to a comfortable distance to get to the green,” Parr said. “I don’t think many are going to hit driver, just because of the pond that comes out of the right-hand side, and anything left is obviously super penal because there’s O.B. down the left-hand side.”
Hole 3
Distance: 477 yards
Par: 4 (8 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique:A gulch used to make this hole a split fairway, but Castle Pines overhauled the design, taking out the left fairway option and replacing it with a large pond that cascades into a smaller pond. That’s made the margin for error smaller.
How pros play the hole: “Depending on the player, it could be a 3-wood or a 5-wood to lay up in the fairway,” Parr said. “There’s the water surrounding on the left-hand side and then also a bunker on the back side of the green that’s a pretty challenging up-and-down. You’ve got to find the fairway here, and the green is not always the easiest to come into. … It takes a pretty precise second shot.”
Hole 4
Distance: 254 yards
Par: 3 (12 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: There’s a wash off the right side of the green, which is two-tiered with a spine and slopes left to right more than it appears. The kidney-shaped green is protected by four bunkers. A slice for a right-hander would be trouble.
How pros play the hole: “It’s a long par 3 to a challenging green,” Parr said. “If the hole location is on the front, it’s a tough pin, especially if it’s firm and fast. If the hole is back right, I’d envision a lot of guys going right at the TV tower and letting the slope of the green do the work. … If you’re not on the correct tier of the green, it’s definitely challenging to one-putt.”
Hole 5
Distance: 491 yards
Par: 4 (14 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: A long par 4 with two tee box options, an optimal tee shot avoids a pinch point on the right-center of the fairway that’s flanked by bunkers around 320 yards out. Carrying the crown of the fairway shortens the approach shot.
How pros play the hole: “I would imagine this would be a driver hole for most, and we’re going straight back up the hill, so it plays a little bit longer than the scorecard yardage,” Parr said. “Going to an elevated green, you want an optimal club in your hand for the key second shot … and there’s a spine on the back-center of the green that makes putts challenging from the left side to the right side.”
Hole 6
Distance: 455 yards
Par: 4 (2 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: From an elevated box, a large, rounded fairway gets skinny in the middle, anda pair of bunkers surround the skinny part on both the right and left side. The multi-tiered green has crowns and ridges throughout.
How pros play the hole: “I would envision a lot of these guys laying back to the fatter part of the fairway, sort of even with the first fairway bunker on the right side,” Parr said. “It gives them more opportunity on their approach shot. My guess is a 3-wood. It’s a tough uphill shot going into the green. For those who do challenge it with a driver, it’s a very narrow fairway to be able to land it in that spot.”
Hole 7
Distance: 207 yards
Par: 3 (18 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: Designed in the style of the 17th hole of Glen Abbey Golf Club in Ontario, Canada, the sloped green is surrounded by four bunkers, including one within the green. The difficulty of the green varies with the pin location.
How pros play the hole: “This is a unique par 3,” Parr said. “You can certainly play this and walk away from it and not think (it’s the easiest hole on the course). It has some teeth to it. The green is a bit tricker, with some undulations and a decent amount of break even though it looks flat from the tee box. It can play games with your head on if it’s uphill or downhill, because it’s very subtle.”
Hole 8
Distance: 601 yards
Par: 5 (6 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: A slight dogleg right plays uphill the entire way to a narrow, firm green and has a subtle ridge that affects putts. There’s lots of rough behind the green and a bunker behind the back-center of it that needs to be avoided.
How pros play the hole: “I fully see this being a driver hole,” Parr said. “A longer poke could potentially get in (the first bunker about 330 yards away, on the left). But I don’t see many of them getting in there. Maybe they’ll play a little fade off the tee box. It’s a tricky green to go for in two; I don’t know if a lot of guys will be going for it in two. Obviously a lot depends on the drive.”
Hole 9
Distance: 495 yards
Par: 4 (4 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: The tee box is shared with Hole 18. Cascading ponds present a danger on the right-hand side of the fairway, and the right side of the skinny green is more manageable but is protected by a pair of bunkers up front.
How pros play the hole: “I imagine this being a full-driver hole,” Parr said. “This is one of the more challenging greens on the course. And it’s a tricky second shot. Anything from the middle to the left-hand side of the green, there’s a severe slope that goes down and to the left. And anything on the front side, if you have any spin off your wedge, there’s the potential to spin it off the green.”
Hole 10
Distance: 545 yards
Par: 4 (1 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: The clear and distinct view of the Castle Rock butte is picturesque, but this hole is a menace. The hole runs downhill and the green is protected by a large pond on its front right side. Three quality shots are needed for birdie.
How pros play the hole: Aiming at the butte is the play off the tee. “I imagine them hugging the left side of the fairway, maybe playing a cut off this hole, and using the slope to get it back to the center of the fairway,” Parr said. “And it’s a tough second shot, where you’ve got to make sure to carry the water. … On the green, there’s a lot of subtleties with multiple different slopes in there.”
Hole 11
Distance: 200 yards
Par: 3 (15 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: A downhill par 3 with beautiful aesthetics. The flower beds on the left side are eye-catching, as is the stream running in front of the two-tiered green that features three bunkers surrounding it. Wind will be a big factor off the tee.
How pros play the hole: “It’s a very challenging green,” Parr said. “There’s a bowl in the front third, and a little plateau that’s just above the bowl, which would be a tricky hole location. A lot of guys, if the hole is up there, will be down in the bowl and putting up to the hole. The key to this hole is getting the correct distance and staying on the right level where the hole location is.”
Hole 12
Distance: 451 yards
Par: 4 (3 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: There are a couple of bunkers on the right side of the fairway, and beyond those, a little more fairway before transforming into a gully of rough. Water on the left side, with several bunkers guarding the back and front of the green.
How pros play the hole: “This is going to be an interesting driving hole,” Parr said. “You could see a guy hit four different clubs trying to figure out what to hit off this tee. … You could lay up short of the bunkers, but that gives you a longer shot into a pretty challenging green. The more you bite off (off the tee), the easier the second shot, but the more risk you bring into this.”
Hole 13
Distance: 486 yards
Par: 4 (7 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: An uphill, right-bending fairway crowns down to the green, which is surrounded by four bunkers and slopes from front to back, then up to the right.A swale that runs through the middle of the green increases the difficulty.
How pros play the hole: “I see a fair amount of drivers off this hole,” Parr said. “Players will likely hit a cut off the tee box, and if you can carry the hill which is roughly 320, 330 yards, it’ll chase down the hill and to the right. They can get bonus yardage off that, and then the second shot, players will have to be more careful with what (iron) they’re choosing to come into the green with.”
Hole 14
Distance: 655 yards
Par: 5 (13 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: The gallery grandstands will be right up against the tee box. A tree-lined, downhill hole featuring a creek crossing the fairway and water on the left; a narrow green, especially on the left, with a middle ridge and some bunkers around.
How pros play the hole: “It’s a risk-reward par 5,” Parr said. “Some guys will maybe turn it over and hit a little draw. There’s a house in the distance (up in the woods) that you could use as a target line and turn one over. Some of the longer hitters can hit the speed slot in the fairway, where it’s quite a bit downhill to pick up extra yardage. … There’s a back green-side bunker that could collect a lot of balls.”
Hole 15
Distance: 439 yards
Par: 4 (9 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: Accuracy is a premium with a slight dogleg right; a pond sits on the right on the green, and there are three bunkers on the left. A tough green depending on the hole location, especially on the middle and back, where there’s more slope.
How pros play the hole: “I don’t see a lot of drivers being hit,” Parr said. “Everything to the right side of the fairway is jail, with a collection of trees and a lot of rough. The rough on the left side is also very penal. The more you chew off, the fairway bottlenecks quite a bit, and you start to run into rough on both. … I would envision a 3-wood or maybe a club less than that if some are carrying 5-woods.”
Hole 16
Distance: 226 yards
Par: 3 (11 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: The tournament’s main entrance will be next to the 16th green, so there will be lots of traffic. The three cascading pools are in front of a slightly raised tee; three bunkers triangulate the green. Emulates the 16th hole at Augusta National.
How pros play the hole: “This is one of the more severe greens,” Parr said. “There’s a big spine that runs through the middle of the green, so there’s an upper tier and there’s a decent amount of slope to get down to the bottom portion. … A birdie is going to take a really good shot off the tee and landing it on the correct tier. When it’s on the upper side, it’s tough putting from the lower shelf.”
Hole 17
Distance: 532 yards
Par: 5 (17 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: An uphill hole that’s reachable in two, there’s a pond in front of the tee box and a creek on the left of the fairway; an L-shaped green with back-to-front slope. It’s 350 yards to the fairway bunkers and a false front on the right of the green.
How pros play the hole: “Some of the longer hitters may scale back and hit a 3-wood, just depending on what they want to hit going into the green,” Parr said. “It’s a challenging green surrounded by a bunker short, and a bunker to the right as well. Any longer iron, going long here is death. There’s a lot of rough to avoid on the back side of the green, and the green runs away from you there.”
Hole 18
Distance: 514 yards
Par: 4 (5 Handicap)
What makes this hole unique: With a split tee box with Hole 9, this uphill hole features the clubhouse as a backdrop. The green is surrounded by three bunkers and has a swale in the middle. It’s 350 yards to carry the bunker on the right of the fairway.
How pros play the hole: “The fairway narrows once you get parallel with that right-hand side bunker,” Parr said. “I would see a lot of guys laying back in front of that bunker, so probably hitting a 3-wood off the tee. It’s a little bit longer shot in, but it’s very penal if you’re not hitting the fairway on this hole with how much it bottlenecks. … This is a hole where you need three good shots (for birdie).”
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Originally Published: August 21, 2024 at 5:45 a.m.
