PGA Tour Conditions Open to the Public

Week in and week out the players on the PGA Tour play on the most well-manicured golf courses in the country. The fairways look as if they have been freshly rolled out, each of the bunkers are raked each morning and the greens are smooth and fast. It is a real treat when the average golfer has a chance to play under these stunning conditions.

TPC Canyons, located in Las Vegas, NV, is such a place. This golf course plays host each year to the Frys.com Open - usually played in October. Several weeks before the tournament, the golf course will shut down in order to prepare for the influx of some big-name golfers. Recently I had the opportunity to experience this golf course first hand.

TPC Canyons was designed by Bobby Weed with Raymond Floyd as a design consultant. The golf course was opened in 1996 to rave reviews. Quickly this course became one of the priemer public golf courses in Las Vegas. Scultped among the desert landscape, this golf course has a good variety of long and short holes.

I have played TPC Canyons several times but this was the first time I played the golf course with a forecaddie. TPC Canyons enhances your PGA Tour experience by adding forecaddies to each group, this gives the average player the chance to not only play a tour-manicured golf course, but play it with a caddie as well. Many golf courses in Las Vegas have a caddie program and I was looking forward to seeing how the TPC Canyons' program stacked up against the rest. Our caddie met us at the practice facility and led us to the first tee.

The first hole on the TPC Canyons is a straight-forward par-4 of 359 yards. Usually I would hit a 3-wood but there was some heavy rain the night before so I decided to hit a driver. As expected the ground was soft and my ball landed in the fairway. The greens on this golf course require some very accurate iron shots. Many of the greens have slopes around them that will lead errant shots into well placed collection areas. Sometimes playing for the middle of the green is a smart play. Overall the greens at the TPC Canyons are medium sized and if you hit the middle of the green you will have a good putt at the hole.

The second hole on the golf course is one of my favorite holes. This par-3 has an island green surrounded by water and sand. In addition to playing down-hill, this hole is only 196 yards. Depending on where the pin is playing you will only need to hit a mid-iron into this green.

I have always felt the front nine is where you have your best opportunities to score on this golf course. Three of the par-4's on the front nine are under 400 yards and can yield birdies with good approach shots.

Our forecaddie was a great help during the round. In addition to providing yardages, he also would rake bunkers, tend the flagstick and cleaned our clubs after each shot. It was especially nice to have a second pair of eyes when putting. Many of the breaks can be subtle and it helps to have someone who walks the golf course everyday to read your putts.

All of the forecaddies recieve comprehensive training on etiquette, rules of the game and general golf knowledge. The caddies also keep play moving at a steady pace. Allowing the golfers to focus on their game instead of raking bunkers which can take time off any round.

I feel the back nine is the tougher of the two nines. Although this side is slightly shorter than the front, it requires more attention off the tee. The 10th hole is a great example of the difficultity you will encounter on the back nine. This up-hill par-4 measures 419 yards from the back tee. There is desert running down the left hand side and trees that line the right. Once your ball finds the fairway you will have an up-hill shot into a green fronted by bunkers.

All of the bunkers I was in during this round had been raked that morning. Perhaps no one in front of us was hitting into the bunkers but I never had a bad lie in the bunkers. The bunkers at the TPC Canyons have a lot of sand in them and if you hit the ball high into the air expect to have a fried-egg lie.

Holes 13-18 are great finishing holes. Hole 13 is when the desert canyon really comes into play. Your tee shot must carry over the canyon to land safely in the fairway. From there you will have a long to mid-iron into this slender green. Making a par on this hole will be a great score and will gain you strokes on the field.

The 16th hole is a long par-3 that will force you to carry the ball all the way to the green. Running the ball onto the green is not an option. The front of the green is guarded by both a bunker and desert to the right. If the wind kicks up take an extra club and aim for the middle of the green.

Hole 18 is one of the best finishing holes in Las Vegas. This hole measures 447 yards and will test both your tee shot and your approach shot. It is better to be right off the tee than left. The left is guarded by a water hazard and bunkers that makes reaching the green in regulation very difficult. Once again from the fairway you will be faced with a slender green that has water on the left and bunkers guarding the right.

TPC Canyons offers the average golfer the chance to play a PGA Tour golf course in tour condition with a caddie. I can't think of a better way to spend the day with my friends. If you want to test your game on a golf course the professionals play, then bring your sticks to TPC Canyons and get ready for a great day.