Oasis Palmer Detail
This writeup is from the blue tees, which are only 6022 yards, with a slope of 118. If these credentials don't sound scary enough, there is more trouble to be had from the tips (6468 yards, 134 slope). I found that these tees were plenty of course for The Bogey Golfer.
The first hole is pretty straightforward -- lots of room in the middle without needing to crowd the bunker on the left. It's only 334 yards, so even a fairway wood off the tee is fine.
#2 is a longish par 3 at 187 yards. There are bunkers on the left to be wary of.
#3 is a bit confusing off the tee because you can't see the green. It's over the hill, with a dog leg left. Oh by the way, it's also over a pond. It's a long hole (408 yards, so driver is an appropriate play. The pond is out of reach on the first shot, so get all the distance you can.
The fourth hole is another blind tee shot, and it's deceptively long. The scorecard says 328 yards, but most of that is uphill. There's out-of-bounds to the right into people's back yards, but other than that, it's pretty benign.
#5 is a very intimidating hole into a desert canyon with high walls on both sides, yet's it's handicapped as the easiest hole on the front. Huh? Well, let's see... It's short (only 502 yards), and it's from an elevated tee (which makes it play shorter). But those canyons! I guess it's an easy hole if you can hit it straight. Hit a couple of long irons, or even a fairway wood, take your par, and call it good!
The sixth hole is another blind tee shot. This one is a dogleg right. It's 356 yards, so there's room to hit your driver. Favor the right half of the fairway -- depending on the pin position the angle of approach could matter (and it favors the right half of the fairway).
Number seven is a short par 3 (138 yards) over a gaping chasm full of junk (and rattlesnakes, no doubt). I'm sure the canyon is full of golf balls -- I don't care! There's a drop zone on the other side if you do come up short.
#8 is another par 5 from an elevated tee into a desert canyon. As with #5, it's not that long, so the important thing to do off the tee is hit it straight. There's a pond in play as you hit your approach, so take plenty of club!
The ninth hole is a 165 yard par 3. There's no reason not to go straight at the green.
#10 is a short par 4 (284 yards) up the hill. It looks intimidating because of the all the junk on the left. Ignore that, and hit something (anything - driver, long iron, fairway wood) into the fairway, which sets up an easy approach shot with a short iron or wedge.
#11 is handicapped as the hardest hole on the back nine. It's a 412 yard par 4 from an elevated tee. There's out of bounds on the left off the tee, followed by a pond on the left, and the desert on the right. The imporant thing is to keep your tee shot in play. Bogey is a good score here, and a layup can be a good thing when the alternate is a triple bogey.
#12 is yet another blind tee shot. On some of these it helps if you drive up to the forward tee to see where you're supposed to hit it. On this shot, you have to hit it over a finger of desert to find the fairway. It's confusing as all get out, but handicapped as #16 because it's so short (par 5, 475 yards). Pick the right line, hit it straight, and this hole can be had.
#13 is a creampuff. It's only 337 yards, with no trouble to speak of. Hit a three wood in the fairway, and declare victory.
#14 is a little harder. The tee shot is very deceptive because you have to hit over a pretty good sized hill. Second, after you're over the hill, the rest of the fairway is uphill, to an elevated green. So it's a bit longer than its stated 359 yards. You really need a well-hit driver off the tee here, and expect to hit a long iron into the green.
#15 is 350 yards back down the hill, at least from the tee. But its green is also elevated. So, down then up. It's kind of narrow off the tee, so you might want to think about using a three wood instead of a driver.
#16 is a long downhill par 3 (at least it was long the day I played it -- they had the blue tees back with the blacks at 184 yards. WYSWIG - What you see is what you get. Just hit a solid shot!
#17 is a wide open par 4, at least off the tee. It's only 348 yards, and there's plenty of room to hit driver. A pond on the left can come into play on your second shot if you pull it, but it shouldn't be a problem.
#18 gives you a wide sweeping view of the valley below. There's a lake down the right hand side that the hole sort of wraps around. It's 362 yards, and driver is a good play if you can keep it from slicing.
This is a lovely course, with plenty of challenge. However, it's very playable, at least if you pick the right tees!
| 
