Desert fox

The 17th hole at Shadow Hills Golf Club in Indio features water all down the left side.

You’ll have to be sly to avoid the perils on the 17th hole at Shadow Hills Golf Club

Congratulations to Rob Lasorsa for winning the second week of SoCal Golf Insider's Favorite Hole Contest and taking home a dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls! There are still two more weeks to go to make your submission for a chance to win. Here is Rob's pick, the 17th at Shadow Hills Golf Club in Indio, and information on how you can enter, too:

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In the middle of the best three finishing holes in the desert, the par-3 17th hole at Shadow Hills Golf Club can play from a relatively short 95 yards and be stretched to a staggering 200-plus yards from the back tees and with a very tight back-right pin placement.

Water lines the entire left side and circles partially around the back of the green. A strategically well-placed deep trap lies in front of the green and a diabolical bunker meets your fate if you go over the green, to the right of the water.

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For our purposes, we generally play from the Gold tees that can range from 100 to 130 yards. If the lower tee box is set up, then your tee shot will have to carry over water and bunker to an extremely tilted green.

The right side of the green is perched on a high hill sloping dramatically toward the water. If the pin is in front, many questions arise. Do you try to take it right over the trap, where there is virtually no way to get close to the pin even if you hit the shot of your life? Do you play it high off the hill and let it roll toward the pin? Be careful, if you go too high your ball will roll with so much steam that it will go flying by the flagstick and down an embankment into the water.

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Maybe aim for the middle of the green? Seems like a safe play but then you will have an incredibly tough two putt wherever the pin is located. If you miss the apex of the hill and get caught up in the rough, just pick up your ball and put a triple bogey on your card, as top Tour pros can’t even get off of the hill and get anywhere close to the pin.

Back left pin placement? Good luck as your landing area is perhaps a 5-foot circle. Add to that the pressure of the crowd as you will always have guests sitting on their balconies watching every golfer come through. The hole is our own small version of the 16th at the TPC Scottsdale, made famous during the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. This, by far, is my most enjoyable hole to play in Southern California!

CLICK HERE for more information on Shadow Hills Golf Club.

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Enter our Favorite Hole Contest!

The 18th hole at SeaCliff Country Club was the winning pick last week.

Tell us your favorite golf hole in Southern California and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls!

Fill out the entry form below and provide a description of the hole and why you like it. We’re picking four winning entries (one per week) during the month of October. Plus, we’ll feature the winning entries on SoCalGolfInsider.com.

​See official rules below.

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Official Contest Rules:
• Participants must submit entries for their favorite Southern California golf hole online and fill out the entry form in its entirety. Hole can be at any public or private golf course.
• Participants agree that if they win, their submission will be featured and their name will appear and be announced on www.SoCalGolfInsider.com.
• No purchase is necessary to enter.
• Contest is open to anyone 18 years old and older in the United States.
• The contest begins Thursday, October 1, 2020, and the entry deadline is Monday, October 26, 2020 at 5 p.m.
• Participants may make multiple entries.
• All eligible entries will be judged by SoCalGolfInsider.com staff, which will select one winning entry per week, based on which submissions we think are the best. 
• SoCal Golf Insider is awarding 1 dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls per week for four weeks until the contest expires. The retail value is approximately $50 per prize. Prize may not be redeemed for cash or any other considerations. Odds of winning are .1% based on 1,000 entries.
• In the event there are two of the same holes submitted, only the entry that is selected and published on SoCalGolfInsider.com will receive a prize.
• SoCalGolfInsider.com reserves the right to use and publish non-winning entries after the contest expiration date and without awarding additional prizes.
• Prize will be awarded through U.S. mail with postage paid by SoCalGolfInsider.com.
• A list of the winners will be available and/or announced on the SoCalGolfInsider.com website on or before Thursday, November 5, 2020.
• Inside Golf Media, which publishes SoCal Golf Insider, is the sponsor and promoter of this contest and is located in Aliso Viejo, CA 92656.
• Entrants agree to receive future promotional emails from SoCal Golf Insider and may unsubscribe at any time.

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