Kenyon Country Club

To an unsuspecting newcomer at the Kenyon Country Club, stepping up to the tee at Hole 1 seems so short that a driver just might cause the ball to soar past the green. The par-4, 259-yard hole is tricky like that. Its short distance and elevated tee box often make golfers overlook one devastating little tidbit: The hole’s fairway is angled downward to the right in such a way that if someone misses the green short, the ball might roll down to Hole 9’s fairway below.

Advice from the clubTo the left of the green is a visible evergreen tree. Aim at the tree’s very right tip to ensure if the shot is short, the ball will roll to the right an still end up in the middle of the fairway.

The par-4 (par-5 from the women's tees), the hole doglegs to the left at approximately 200 yards and promptly makes golfers decide which way they'd like to play the hole off the tee. The USGA rates this hole the toughest on the course.

Advice from the clubMake a choice between a 200-yard drive to the middle of the fairway as it doglegs left to set up a straight second shot, or use your muscle and angle around the trees to the left and meet up with the fairway on the other side. Beware of the fountain-equipped water hazard to the right near the green.

It is noteworthy with such a short distance to the pin and teeing off from a higher altitude that towering shots will stick on the green with very little roll, and shooting downhill adds a little distance to each club.

Advice from the clubAim for the green, put blinders on, and shoot. This green slopes in the far left. If you’re here on a breezy day, take into consideration where the wind is coming from. Everything will stick if it lands in the middle of the green.

Hole 4 is essentially a straight shot from tee box to green with very little interference along the way. Teeing off, anyone taking on this hole will acknowledge the woods parallel to the fairway on the right-hand side. But barring a slice, those woods should not be an issue.

Advice from the clubA solid tee shot to the middle of the fairway can, at the very least, set up a short-iron game and a shot to get on the green in two shots. If you’re a good wedge player, you should be thinking three here.

The hole is long, straight and certainly not surprise-filled. What you see from the tee box is what you get. It’s definitely possible to put up low scores on this hole. The main problem is distance. Playing 400 yards is plenty long for any regular guy, and even a 250-yard drive leaves 150 yards of grass between the ball and the cup.

Advice from the clubPerhaps the biggest thing to know about this hole is that players often get too comfortable.

For a moment, the Kenyon Country Club’s sixth hole sends you out of the traditional Southeastern Minnesota golf setting and into what seems to be a far-away land. This particular hole has two elevated tee boxes that let a golfer gaze from seemingly inside a forest out onto a perfectly placed green.

Advice from the clubThis is really big to remember where the wind is coming out of and play accordingly.

Don’t expect to size up the green from your vantage point in the Kenyon Country Club’s Hole 7 tee box. It can’t be done. A dogleg left, number 7 is ranked the fourth hardest hole on the course. It forces the golfer to think about height off the tee more so than distance.

Advice from the clubGetting up the hill is the top priority. After that, making sure the ball finds itself on the flat landing surface atop the incline is imperative – approximately a 200-yard shot.

The last of the elevated tee box holes at the KCC, it is ranked as the easiest on the course. It’s a chip shot from the tee to the green – one that involves nothing but clear skies in the way.

Advice from the clubEven a pitching wedge can be suitable for this tee shot, and aside from a small creek that squirms its way from left to right just in front of the green, this hole is par-friendly and easy to walk away from with a smile.

The 477-yard ninth hole at the KCC is the course’s lone true par-5 challenge, and it boasts absolutely no curves, bells or whistles to speak of. There is nothing between the tee box and green on this hole besides nearly 480 yards of grassy buffer zone.

Advice from the clubOff the box, avoid the water hazard and old tree to the left. Hit it straight after that for a great birdie opportunity. The putting key is taking a hard look at the green’s terrain knowing a ball will likely roll a bit quicker than what meets the eye.