Pine Mountain Lake Golf Course, Groveland, CA

Pine Mountain Lake Country Club
18-hole, 6,351 Yards, Par 70
12765 Mueller Drive
Groveland, CA 95321
Phone: (209) 962-8620

Year Built:  1971
Designer:  William F. Bell
P.G.A. Professional:  David Rau
Golf Course Superintendent:  Alan Macdonald
Course Type:  Semi Private
Dress Code:  No tank tops or cutoffs
Spikes:  Metal spikes not allowed
Earliest tee time:  11:00 A.M. Winter, 7:00 AM other seasons

Course Description

This shot maker's course is located in a very natural and scenic setting, featuring many oak and pine trees lining undulating fairways.  Players will be challenged by a variety of uphill, downhill, and sidehill lies and several approach shots to elevated greens. Many of the greens are well bunkered and/or tiered.  Both par 5's feature tight fairways and are difficult to green in two. Many of the par 4's play long, and most of the par 3's are challenging; so birdies are hard to come by on this rather difficult course, and eagles are a rarity.  

1st Hole

Par 4
# 11 Handicap Men/ # 7 Handicap Women
Yardage: 386 378 364 324

This is a risk/reward hole; those who dare to bring the lake and trees into play with their tee shot can be rewarded with a short approach shot.  However, the smart play is to aim for the right center portion of the fairway on your tee shot, with a club that will not reach the lake.

Placing your drive short of the lake will leave you an approach shot of around 130-160 yards.  Considering that the green is well bunkered with OB in the back, an approach shot targeted at the center of the green is the safe bet.  The green generally slopes from back left corner towards right front corner.

2nd Hole

Par 4
# 13 Handicap Men/ # 9 Handicap Women
Yardage: 325 317 315 286

This is a sneaky hole; it looks short and easy, but without an accurate drive it can be trouble. Too far left or long and you are O.B.; too far right and your approach shot will be blocked by a massive oak tree. Far right is O.B. as well.  The ideal drive is to left center of fairway – right of the fairway bunker, and preferably beyond the elevation change, leaving you an approach shot of 100-145 yards.  Big hitters should club down to a fairway wood from the tee, as hitting too long may result in O.B.

The approach shot is slightly uphill and considering the bunker in front, you might want to take an extra 1/2 club. But... dont hit it behind the green; you'll be left with a very fast and difficult chip if you do so.  The green is sloped quite a bit from back to front and is tiered.  A blue (back) pin placement is common on this hole, and most rarely make it to the hole on an uphill putt.  So, if you find yourself in that predicament, give it a little extra, and then give it a little more.

3rd Hole

Par 3
# 15 Handicap Men/ # 17 Handicap Women
Yardage: 189 184 173 161

This is a longish par three that 80% of tee shots come up short on, with many balls finding the right front bunker.  And in drier conditions, any ball that hits right of the green has a good chance of kicking/rolling out of bounds on the right.  So take an extra club and target the left center of the green, regardless of pin position. Play this hole conservatively and try to get out with a par.  The green slopes steeply from back left to front right.

4th Hole

Par 5
# 5 Handicap Men/ # 1 Handicap Women
Yardage: 482 471 450 441

This is a par 5 with a severe dogleg right; the tee shot intimidates a lot of golfers, but is not as bad as it looks from the tee.  If you play it conservatively you will be rewarded with a par; if you don’t, you can loose a lot of strokes on this hole.  Drives should be targeted to the right center of the fairway.  Long hitters can reach the green in two, but the landing area for long drives is narrower.  Too far left and you will be in the trees; too far right and you will be in the rough on a very sloped hill that makes even a lay-up iron difficult.  Unless feeling very accurate, long hitters should consider laying up with a fairway wood or utility club to a much more generous portion of the fairway.

The second shot is over a large hill and blind, so it is recommended that you drive or walk to a vantage point where you can find a target for your layup (or approach) shot and than figure out which background tree you need to aim at.  Left center of the fairway, about 80-100 yards from the green is a good lay up target, as it is relatively flat.  Hit it to the right and you risk OB or a very sloped lie for your approach shot.  Keep elevation changes in mind when selecting your approach club, many golfers are short on their approach shot to this green.  The green is tiered and generally slopes from back left to front right.

5th Hole

Par 4
# 3 Handicap Men/ # 3 Handicap Women
Yardage: 436 408 391 324

This is a long par 4 with another intimidating looking tee shot; the tall trees on either side give the illusion of a narrow fairway, but the fairway is actually quite accommodating.  Short hitters may just want to play this as if it is a par 5, using a comfortable club to target the center of the fairway on the drive, and favoring the left side of the fairway on the second shot.  Long hitters should target the left side of the fairway, because if a long drive misses the fairway on the right, the approach shot will be blocked out by trees. Also, drives that make it over the hill will roll somewhat right, and if you are lucky enough to hit the left cart path, you will be blessed with a relatively short approach shot.

As you get closer to the green, the O.B. comes more into play on the left and behind the green, and the trees intrude more on the right side of the fairway; more reasons why short hitters may want to plan on three shots to reach the green.  Bite off more than you can chew and you can get in a lot of trouble on this hole.  The green slopes from back left to front right.

6th Hole

Par 4, Par 5 for Women
# 1 Handicap Men/ # 13 Handicap Women
Yardage: 406 403 398 343

This is the #1 handicap hole for men, a dogleg right.  A long drive targeted towards left center of the fairway is required to have an approach shot that is not blocked by the trees on the right.  Short hitters should plan on three shots to reach the green.  Approach shots that land short (as many do) leave a difficult uphill lie pitch shot to the green, so plan on using an extra club for the uphill approach shot.  This very deep green is tiered and slopes from back left to front right; it is easy to misjudge speed of putts on this green, so focus carefully on the speed of your putt.

7th Hole

Par 3
# 9 Handicap Men/ # 15 Handicap Women
Yardage: 189 162 144 126

This is an uphill par three with a front right bunker that usually captures at least one ball per foursome.  Most people come up short on this hole, so take an extra club for the approach shot.  If you hit right of the cart path on this hole, you could end up in some serious tree trouble.  Left short is OB, left long is bunker or OB.  The green is tiered, slopes mostly from back right to front left, and is usually difficult to putt.  Be happy to get out with a par here.

8th Hole

Par 4
# 7 Handicap Men/ # 5 Handicap Women
Yardage: 360 348 346 262

For short hitters this is a tough hole and plays longer than the yardage indicated due to an uphill approach shot.  For long hitters, it can be a scoring opportunity.  The fairway is wider than it appears from the tee box, so aim your drive for center of the fairway (with confidence).  The elevation of the green usually necessitates the use an extra club on the approach shot.  To boot, approach shots are commonly from an uphill lie, which effectively adds loft to the clubhead, another reason to consider using an extra club.  Be sure to move the ball a little farther forward in your stance and favor your weight on the downhill foot for solid contact from an uphill lie.  This is another hole where hitting your approach shot over the green will leave a difficult downhill chip, so try to keep your approach shot under the hole..  The green slopes from back to front.

9th Hole

Par 4
# 17 Handicap Men/ # 11 Handicap Women
Yardage: 310 302 298 272

This is a short hole, but it can bite.  There is a Lake short right, and OB on the left and long right side.  Drives should be aimed at center fairway, but if the flag is to one side of the green you might want target your drive towards the opposite side of the fairway for a better approach angle at the pin.  The approach shot is the trickiest part of this hole, as you are usually hitting from an uphill lie, to a narrow, elevated green that is well bunkered.  The green is tiered and generally slopes from back left to front right; it is always one of the most difficult greens on the course to read..

10th Hole

Par 4, Par 5 for Women
# 8 Handicap Men/ # 14 Handicap Women
Yardage: 429 419 417 335

On this longish par 4, drives should be targeted towards right center of the fairway to avoid O.B. and more predominant tree problems on the left side of the fairway.  The approach shot may require an extra club if you are hitting from the large dip in the fairway.  The green slopes slightly from back to front.

11th Hole

Par 4
# 2 Handicap Men/ # 8 Handicap Women
Yardage: 489 475 370 307

This is a monstrous dogleg left par 4 that, despite an elevated tee, is difficult to green in two.  Even most long hitters will usually be left with more than 180 yards for their approach shot.  Drives should be targeted at the center of fairway.  Long hitters, if willing to flirt with the O.B. left, can favor the left side of the fairway to cut some yards off of their approach shot.  The approach shot is difficult, as the green is "sand-wiched" between several bunkers.  The green is tiered and slopes from back right to front left.

12th Hole

Par 4
# 12 Handicap Men/ # 6 Handicap Women
Yardage: 411 375 364 303

This is a relatively straight forward hole with a good sized landing area for drives.  Long hitters need not worry about the visible fairway bunker on the right but there is yet another bunker about 50 yards behind it; short hitters should aim left center on the drive.  The approach shot is slightly uphill to a green with a "false front" in the middle and sand traps left front and right front, so a half club more is recommended.  The green is well bunkered, shallow, but wide and slopes from back to front.  On the left portion of the green there is a distinctive back left to front right break.

13th Hole

Par 4
# 10 Handicap Men/ # 10 Handicap Women
Yardage: 372 367 331 286

A good drive takes some of the sting out of this otherwise tough hole, but if your drive is off target on this tight fairway, it quickly becomes a difficult hole.  Drives to the right will be in the trees, and drives to the left will leave you with a difficult ball-below-feet side hill lie from the rough and possible tree obstacles.  If you end up with that lie, aim left as the ball will likely slice; it is also a good idea to play an extra club and just take a ¾ swing (for better balance). Approach shots from the fairway will be to an elevated green and require an extra club. This green slopes from back to front.

14th Hole

Par 3
# 18 Handicap Men/ # 18 Handicap Women
Yardage: 172 136 127 116

A fair par three with a large green, this is rated as the least difficult hole on the course for both men and women.  But, don't take it for granted, as this hole is more exposed to wind than any other hole at Pine Mountain Lake; so remember to take that into account when selecting your club.  The green slopes generally from back to front, and also breaks towards the center of the green from either side. Regardless of flag location, try to leave the ball a little short of it for an easier uphill putt.

15th Hole

Par 4
# 14 Handicap Men/ # 12 Handicap Women
Yardage: 320 317 305 275

With tree trouble left and right, this is another hole that requires an accurate drive.  The drive should be targeted at the right center portion of the fairway, as there is a large oak which can interfere with appproach shots from fairway left.  Long hitters may want to aim just right of that large oak on the left side of the fairway. The approach is to yet another elevated green with bunkers on the front and back left, and may require a half or full club more.  The green slopes from back to front.

16th Hole

Par 5
# 4 Handicap Men/ # 2 Handicap Women
Yardage: 537 525 439 402

This is a classic long par 5 with trees right, OB left, and very few level lies.  Drives should be targeted towards the right center of the fairway.  The fairway narrows for long hitters, who may want to lay up from the tee to a larger and relatively flat landing area.  Even the longest hitters will rarely be able to hit the green in two, and the reward for a huge drive is usually a tough downhill lie.  

The second shot should be targeted at the right center portion of the fairway for a more level lie to hit the approach shot from.  The green is, you guessed it - elevated, and will require an extra club.  The green has bunkers long left and short right, and slopes from front to back.

17th Hole

Par 3
# 16 Handicap Men/ # 16 Handicap Women
Yardage: 188 172 158 136

With tall trees left and right, bunkers front and front right, and a significant elevation change,
this is not an easy par three.  Without wind it generally plays a club less.  Aim for the center of the green, and be happy to walk away with a par on this hole.  The green slopes from back right to front left.

18th Hole

Par 4
# 6 Handicap Men/ # 4 Handicap Women
Yardage: 381 366 343 322

On this dogleg right hole, long hitters who can play a high ball flight should hit over or just right of the large oak that intrudes on the right side of the fairway.  Short hitters should stay left of that tree.  A good drive will leave from 110-160 yards for an approach to an elevated green.  It is better to hit your approach shot a little long than a little short as the hill behind the green forms a “backstop”, and a front bunker will foil those who hit short.  Additionally, if the flag is placed left, many approach shots hit to left center of the green will roll off the front of the green!  So, you may want to take an extra half or full club on approach.  The green slopes from back right to front left.  Chips from behind the green can be a nightmare as it is very quick, and many chips from the back end up rolling of the front of the green.  Be thrilled with a par here, buy drinks if you get a birdie.

Notes:  This Course Guide represents a general guide based on the thoughts and opinions of several golfers (of varying handicaps) who play the course regularly.  The author - Tom Knoth is not an employee of, nor should this article be considered a publication of Pine Mountain Lake Country Club.  Course stats are from the course scorecard at the time of writing of this article, and have not been verified by the author, nor should they be relied upon for handicapping purposes.  

Updated 01/10/2009.  Copyright © 2009 Tom Knoth.  All rights reserved.