*Note: Yardages measured from white tees. Hole...

*Note: Yardages measured from white tees.

Hole 1 -- Mesa Linda course (Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club)

Par 4, 432 yards

Arguably the hardest hole of either Mesa Linda or Los Lagos

courses. Plays into the wind. A large bunker on the left and a row of

trees on the right guard a green that is long and narrow. The green

sits on a hill, so if “you hit it to the right or left, you’re

looking at a likely bogey,” said Sean Collins, a teaching

professional and the course’s tournament director.

Hole 2 -- Big Canyon Country Club

Par 5, 451 yards

A hole that has a lot going on. Scores here can range from an

eagle 3 to 7s and 8s if one isn’t careful. It plays downhill with an

often prevailing wind. Water is the dominant feature here, along with

out of bounds stakes that border each side of the fairway. A water

hazard runs along the right side of the fairway -- beginning about

240 yards off the tee -- all the way up to the green. A lake guards

the left portion of the green, which features a narrow opening in the

middle where players can roll the ball onto the putting surface.

“[The gap to the green] is open just enough to tempt you,” said Danny

Bibb, who has won a Newport-Mesa record 11 men’s club championships

and is the reigning senior titleholder at Big Canyon. Golfers must

also contend with a stream that dissects the fairway about 90 yards

in front of the green, which also has bunkers bordering its back and

right sides. Club selections are endless depending on the player. “It

all depends on your game,” Bibb said. “This is a hole everyone can

play because it’s not extremely long.”

Hole 3 -- Santa Ana Country Club

Par 4, 351 yards

A hole that can trick one’s eye when looking down the fairway from

the tee box. This hole, along with No. 7, were each re-designed in

2003 as part of the club’s master plan. The slight dogleg right

layout features two bunkers, one of which was added during

reconstruction, on the left that appear linked when a golfer peers

from the tee, Director of Golf Mike Reehl said. “[The bunkers] trick

your eye. They look like they are connected, but the one on the left

is a good 40 or 50 yards further down the fairway.” The fairway

pinches along the left side, so Reehl advises hitting the tee shot

just left of the one fairway bunker along the right side to have the

best angle into the green. One must not stray too far off the fairway

on either side, however, or else eucalyptus trees will come into play

on the ensuing shot. The green slants from right to left, with the

most pronounced undulation running through the middle of the green.

The best approach shots stay below the hole, Reehl said.

Hole 4 -- Mesa Verde Country Club

Par 5, 505 yards

The second par 5 among the first four holes, this straightaway is

a three-shot hole for all but the very longest hitters, Mesa Verde

head professional Tom Sargent said. Golfers tee off through a narrow

chute that continues to the green. Eucalyptus and Sycamore trees dot

the right side of the hole while a strand of Monterey Pines borders

the left. Despite its length, the hole is birdie friendly, Sargent

said. Mid- to low-handicappers could take anywhere from a short iron

to a sand wedge for the third shot. A trough fronting the green will

catch shots that fall short. The green, which has two bunkers along

its left side, slopes slightly from back to front and left to right,

but rolls true to form, Sargent said. The hole requires three

straight shots to set the stage for a birdie try. A sound test of a

golfer’s accuracy.