Pacific Dunes · Hole 14
Blue
311
White
231
Gold
161
Red
111
The shortest par 4 on the course and one of the most dangerous holes at Pacific Dunes. Long hitters can drive the green, but the putting surface is small, firm, and surrounded by bunkers and rough that make a missed drive far more costly than a conservative layup. The hole is a classic risk-reward design — how well you know your game will be tested here more than anywhere else on the course.
Shot-by-Shot Strategy
Tee Shot
Players who can reliably carry 270 yards in the air to a small target can go for the green. Anyone with doubt about that proposition should lay back to 80-100 yards with a long iron or hybrid. The green is tiny and the consequences of a miss are severe — the bunkers on all four sides leave downhill bunker shots to a firm green. A wedge from 90 yards is a much higher-percentage birdie attempt than a driver at 311 yards.
Approach
From the optimal layup at 80-100 yards, this is a full pitching wedge or gap wedge to a small but accessible green. In calm conditions, the green can be accessed with a high, soft pitch. In a headwind, take extra club and play a lower shot. The front of the green is the easiest landing zone — avoid the back, where a tight-faced bunker and a steep runoff combine to make the up-and-down nearly impossible.
Putting
The small green at 14 has a general front-to-back slope with some left-to-right movement. Putts from the back are quick and must be approached with extreme caution. The green is the most compact on the back nine and short putts are not automatic — the firmness and speed of the surface mean even 4-footers demand full concentration.
⚠Gotchas — What Kills Your Score
- •This hole is where overconfidence meets consequences — going for the green with a driver and missing into a bunker is the most common scoring blowup on the back nine.
- •The layup to 80-100 yards requires precision — going too short leaves an awkward partial-wedge shot.
- •All four bunkers surrounding the green are deep and leave difficult downhill recovery shots.
- •In a tailwind, even a conservative layup can run through the landing zone and leave an awkward partial shot.
Wind Intelligence
The southwest wind on this hole varies — it can be a tailwind, which makes the hole genuinely driveable for almost any player, or a headwind, which makes it a legitimate layup-and-wedge situation. In a strong tailwind, even mid-handicappers should consider going for it, as the approach from the fairway at 200+ yards into a headwind is a much lower-percentage shot. Reassess conditions before every tee shot on this hole.
Hazard Map
- ▲Bunkers surrounding all four sides of the small green
- ▲Deep back bunker with a steep face leaving a difficult recovery
- ▲Short rough area between the tee and green that deflects shots
- ▲Firm, compact green with no margin for error on short putts