Point Venture Golf Club Scorecard
Course Tour
Hole 1
Course Tour Hole #1
Hole #1 is a short starting hole. It is a par 4, 301 yard from the tips, with a slight dogleg to the left. It looks like a an easy hole on the scorecard; however, it is one of the tougher scoring holes on the golf course because of a severely undulated green and the last 70 yards is straight up the hill. The long hitters can drive the green if the conditions are just right; however, the play off the tee is to hit a 200 yard shot. There is out of bounds on both sides of the fairway, so a good straight ball is essential right off the bat. Even a 170 yard shot that is straight only leaves you 120 yards, so let’s just make sure we get it between the stakes to start the round. The second shot plays a ½ club long going up the hill; however, because of the severe slope on the green from back to front it is essential to keep the ball below the hole. Once you are on the green everything will break to the front of the green, play more break than you think and just let it die into the hole.
Hole 2
Course Tour Hole #2
Hole #2 is one of the best holes on the golf course. It is a par 4, 389 yards from the tips, with a sharp dogleg to the left. Hitting a good drive is crucial on this hole, but if you miss make sure you do NOT go left, this will cause a double bogey or worse 9 times out of ten. The bad news is there is out of bounds to the right. The best shot is about a 220 yard shot down the right side of the fairway and because of the contouring your ball will end up at about 110 yards from the green right in the middle of the fairway. The second shot is downhill and has a beautiful view of Lake Travis in the background. Take one less club than usual because of the downhill so the ball will land just short or on the front part of the green. Favor the right side of the green because a miss to the left could send your ball bouncing out of bounds.
Hole 3
Course Tour Hole #3
Hole #3 is the toughest par on the course for the better player. It is a 178 yard par 3 from the tips with quite a few little humps and dips on all parts of the green. The tee box is back in a shoot of trees and the last 30 yards it opens up which really affects the ball flight at the end on a windy day. There is a steep bank to the left of the green and any ball that misses just a little bit left rolls all the way down the hill where more double bogeys will be made than pars. The front right portion of the green is a good shot here know matter where the pin is.
Hole 4
Course Tour Hole #4
Hole #4 is not very long, a 356 yard par 4, however, the difficulty is in the lay of the land and the width of the fairway that makes bowling alleys look wide. Again the tee box is back in a shoot of trees, the fairway slopes from right to left and anything that misses just left of the fairway has a good chance of rolling out of bounds. Sounds like the first couple holes, except if you miss right on this hole you are completely blocked out for your second shot. The perfect drive would be about 260 down the left side with a little cut. This would leave you about 100 yards with a perfect angle into this green. If you do not have that shot in your bag, just make sure you hit something that keeps it in the fairway. What makes this hole so difficult is even if you hit a perfect drive, not even half the work is over. The green is severely undulated, slopes severely from right to left and has a ridge running through the front half of the green. Your approach shot needs to be on the correct side of the ridge otherwise a three putt is in your near future. If the pin is in the front be short and if the pin is in the back make sure you get it over the ridge. Again a cut shot into this green will help stop the ball from rolling off the green to the left. All your putts will break towards the left side of the green on this hole.
Hole 5
Course Tour Hole #5
Hole #5 is a short little par 3, only 131 yards from the tips. Once again, a ball that misses just a little left of the green can bounce down the slope right out of bounds. There is also a little ridge that runs across the back third of the green on this hole. A shot to the front right portion of this green is always a safe play, but if you want to make a birdie here, you need to try and get your ball on the same side of this ridge as the pin.
Hole 6
Course Tour Hole #6
Hole #6 is a straight away par 5 that tips out at 508 yards. The fairway slopes from left to right, so favoring the left side or hitting a draw into this fairway is the best play because you can make a big number if you get into the right trees. The longer hitters can get home in two shots; however, it is a very small green to hit with a fairway wood or long iron. If you cannot get home in two you want to at least try to get it past the 100 yard marker because it makes the fairway about twice as wide. A well positioned second shot would be about 80 yards out on the right hand side of the fairway, this gives you the best angle into this green. If you cannot get the second shot past the 100 yard marker, you need to favor the left side because the fairway still slopes left to right and the right trees are trouble. The approach shot wherever it may be from needs to stay short of the hole. This green again slopes severely from back to front and is a much easier putt going up the hill. Do not miss long and right on this green or you can chalk up a double bogey or worse. All the putts on this green will break towards the front of the green.
Hole 7
Course Tour Hole #7
Hole #7 is the signature hole here at Point Venture Golf Club. The tee box sits at the highest point of the golf course and has a beautiful view of Lake Travis and Lakeway in the distance. It is not uncommon for a sailboat to go gliding by as you are teeing off. Hole #7 is a dogleg left that measures 385 yards from the back tees. The fairway sits a good 50-60 feet below the tee so the ball carries a little bit farther than it says. A 240-yard shot to the right side of the fairway is the perfect play. This will leave you about a 100 yard shot into the green. If you cannot quite get it down that far, just make sure you favor the right side of the fairway off the tee. This fairway slopes left to right which leaves your second shot with the ball below your feet. This coupled with the green going back to the left causes most players to miss their second shot to the right. Make sure you aim to the very leftside of the green for your second shot and you will have a great chance at making a par. This is the trickiest green on the course to putt. A combination of the lake water and the setting sun makes all the putts break to the back and right side of the green. Some putts you look at will be hard to believe they will break that way, but trust me they will.
Hole 8
Course Tour Hole #8
Hole #8 is another short, straightaway par 4 that measures 343 yards from the tips. The longer hitters can drive the green if the conditions are right. The hole is relatively wide compared to the rest of the golf course; however, the huge oak tree on the left side of the fairway can play havoc with the tee ball. The best shot is to draw it around the tree and get it to the left side of the fairway where you have the best angle into this green. The out of bounds on the right sneaks in closer than you think, so if you try to hit it just right of the tree and it fades you may be re-teeing it and hitting three. This is the most severe green on the golf course, it slopes dramatically from back to front. It is imperative to keep your ball below the hole on this green. Hitting your approach shot to the front left portion of this green is always a good play no matter where the pin is. Do not miss your approach shot to the right of this green, you will make bogey at best. Again all the putts on this green will break to the front and to the left on this green.
Hole 9
Course Tour Hole #9
Hole #9 is probably the toughest hole on the golf course for most players. It is a dogleg right par 5 that measures 535 yards from the tips. The fairway slopes from right to left, and the long hitters can drive it through the fairway out of bounds. The best drive is to hit it 270 yards down the left side of the fairway with a cut. If you do not have that shot in your bag than you just want to keep it down the left side and get it out there as far as you can. The second shot here is crucial. The long hitters can go for the green in two; however, the miss needs to be to the right side of the green. Most players will need to hit some kind of mid iron over the mound on the right side of the fairway. The ball will kick left off the hill down there between the 150 and the 100 yard marker. Either way the approach shot into this green needs to stay on the right side of the green, anything left is a tough up and down. This approach shot is a little uphill and tends to play a half club long. This green also has a little ridge that runs across the green so you want to try and get the ball on the same side of the ridge as the pin.
