Going for Golf

Falcons Fire

Like many American courses, Falcons Fire offers a choice of tees – from 5,417 (reds) to 6,901 yards (golds) – ensuring that visitors can enjoy the course instead of feeling they are fighting it. For instance, at the par-three third, the tee shot is over water from the back two tees while from the forward tees, the hazard only comes into play for shots that drift off-line to the right. There are no hidden terrors on the greens, where moderate undulations are not too difficult to read.

The longest hole is the 526-yard seventh, where the fairway narrows about 140 yards out, with sand to the left and a lake to the right if you stray from the conventional route. The three holes from the 13th – a par-four, a par-five and a par-three – follow the shape of the largest of the lakes on the course

But the biggest test still awaits. A tight line along the edge of the lake at the 402-yard 17th gives the shortest passage to the green but the approach will need to negotiate water. On the other hand, a safe drive to the right may leave too much distance to make the green in two.