Fortunate enough to get a late invite to play Hacienda again this past weekend and it was once again a tremendously beautiful challenge that never allows you to let your guard down from the first hole... Continue »

Fortunate enough to get a late invite to play Hacienda again this past weekend and it was once again a tremendously beautiful challenge that never allows you to let your guard down from the first hole until the last.

Good news - the practice area that was being redone last time I played at Hacienda is now finished, so there is a small but very nice driving range and practice greens near the clubhouse. This is a very important update to the club's amenities and it's been done really well.

The course itself is a masterclass of challenge. The distances are long, the carries are intimidating, the greens are lighting fast and the overall course conditions are just a shade under immaculate at the current time. It's just so easy here to get yourself into a tricky situation, and the solutions are rarely straightforward. The layout is divine and it throws everything at you at once.

Conditions, as previously stated, are near perfect, but a little summer has creeped in for a few spots on the course. But overall the fairways are beautiful carpet that are a treat to hit from, while the rough (recently mowed down thankfully) is still a beast. I made the mistake early of trying to get too much out of my long irons when I should have bitten the bullet and used an 8 smartly instead. The bunkers are in great shape and the tee boxes (we played from the V set of tees) were perfect - at least until I got through with them.

Greens are just insanely good and so difficult to get close. Shots (mostly chips) that seemed good would run out a mile and then you would be left with a 70ft downhill lag - good luck! I had three 3-putts on the front nine trying to figure out the speed, but finally settled down and only had one on the back - still not great! But the tiers and subtlety of the breaks is just perfect. It's a real test of putting that you won't find just anywhere.

Not being able to reliably use my driver makes this course incredibly tough but I'm looking forward to the next chance to get out there and take another crack at it. Every visit gives a little more course knowledge and you'll definitely need that at a place like Hacienda to be successful.