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Hole #1

One look at the opening hole and players will get a taste of the challenge that awaits them as part of a difficult opening stretch.  A conservative tee shot provides plenty of room in the landing area, but a more aggressive drive puts the fairway bunkers on the left and trees on the right into play.  Bunkers protect all but the back right.  The best miss is short.  Par is a great start to what is one of the most demanding opening five holes in golf.
Par 4

Championship

455

Hole #2

Famous golf writer Dan Jenkins included this slight dogleg-right hole among the best holes in America in a book published in the 1960s, and nothing has changed to diminish that distinction.  The tee shot is one of the toughest on the course because of the slight turtleback fairway that sends well-hit drives left or right.  To keep the ball in the fairway, eventual winner Bob Jones in the 1926 U.S. Open hit his 4-wood every round.  The best shot shape is a fade.  Most players will have a long, uphill approach shot to a large undulating green that is bunkered on the right and has hummocks on the left.
Par 4

Championship

460

Hole #3

 A relatively short par 4 that is not to be taken lightly.  The position and angle of the tee suggest hugging the right side is the optimum play, but if it leaks right, trees block the approach.  The line is straightaway favoring the left side.  This opens an approach with a short iron to a small, elevated green, but distance control is a must to reduce the risk of three-putting or finding one of the bunkers lurking front and left.
Par 4

Championship

390

Hole #4

Aim for the middle of the green on this difficult par 3 with trouble lurking all around.  The green is guarded heavily on the left and the front right of the green.  A recovery from the right is a bargain compared to an attempt to scramble from the back, as Gene Sarazen found out in the 1931 Ryder Cup.  He successfully chipped his ball through the opening of the old stone shelter house onto the green, and although he missed his 10-foot par putt, he still won the hole.  He considered the shot better than his famous albatross in the 1935 Masters.  This green is a very difficult one to hit.  Riding the prevailing wind with a draw is the best shot for finding the putting surface.
Par 3

Championship

210

Hole #5

Driving down into the valley might appear easy on this hole named "Ocean Waves" by Scioto's founders, but the ball can hang on the slopes on either side or bound forward toward the creek 300 yards away.  You want to position the tee shot dead center for the best shot into the green.  The second shot is the real challenge, however and an errant tee shot will have to negotiate the cross bunker well short of the green.  Course architect Donald Ross confessed to ignoring his own advice against creating greens that are too severe.  This one, guarded by hummocks on the right and a chipping area on the left, has multiple levels from front to back.  
Par 4

Championship

465

Hole #6

The key here to setting up a birdie chance is a solid drive.  There is plenty of room on the right, where even a tee shot that finds the rough still allows an avenue up the fairway.  The two-tier green is reachable in two, but if the flag is in the front portion of the well-bunkered green, it's better to stay short of the putting surface than be above the hole.  This hole is a perfect example of the location of trees on a parkland course, where they are not really in play unless you hit a poor shot.
Par 5

Championship

565

Hole #7

A well-struck drive in the fairway could help yield another birdie opportunity, but a tee shot of average length leaves a severe uphill lie for the approach to a green guarded by a hummock front left.  Players must choose between a restrained tee shot short of the fairway bunker or use the width of the fairway to the right for a longer tee shot.  The green slopes back to front with bunkers guarding both left and right.
Par 4

Championship

395

Hole #8

This is Scioto's most picturesque hole, but it presents plenty of challenges.  The hole plays as a par 5 for the members and was a par 5 in the 1986 U.S. Senior Open, but was a par 4 in the 1968 U.S. Amateur and the 2016 U.S. Senior Open.  The primary challenge is positioning a tree shot hugging the left side to open up the approach over the lake into a green that slopes gently toward the back and left.   A recovery from the right bunker is difficult due to the slope of the putting surface.  It's a hard par.
Par 5

Championship

510

Hole #9

This is a great hole, where the green sits at an angle and is deceptively difficult.  In the 1926 U.S. Open, Bob Jones never hit the green here and played it in 3-5-4-4.  It's easy to see why.  It's a short but deceptive hole that plays slightly uphill, making it difficult to judge flag placements, and it also plays into the prevailing wind, further complicating club selection.  The safest option is to simply play for the center of the green regardless of where the flag is.  Missing it long leaves a virtually impossible up-and-down.
Par 5

Championship

160

Hole #10

A beautiful hole but quite treacherous.  An ideal tee shot should find the left half of the fairway, just at the top of an upslope.  That should leave 130 to 140 yards to a green that slopes right to left and is guarded front and left by a creek.  Short drives leave a blind shot, while a tee shot hit too far provides a nice view, but from a lie that sweeps downhill and to the right into the rough.  If a player chooses to hit driver, he must keep it down the left side to have a chance to remain in the fairway.  Hitting the fairway is a real key to attacking the flag locations on this hole.
Par 4

Championship

420

Hole #11

The key here to setting up a birdie chance is a solid drive.  There is plenty of room on the right, where even a tee shot that finds the rough still allows an avenue up the fairway.  The two-tier green is reachable in two, but if the flag is in the front portion of the well-bunkered green, it's better to stay short of the putting surface than be above the hole.  This hole is a perfect example of the location of trees on a parkland course, where they are not really in play unless you hit a poor shot.
Par 4

Championship

395

Hole #12

This hole commonly plays longer than the yardage suggests because you are hitting into the hill off the tee.  If a player can reach the middle of the hill with his drive, it's possible to reach the green in two, though the hole swings more left than many people think.  For most, the best tee shot is anywhere in the 40-yard long swale followed by a second shot up the right side of the fairway short of the cross-bunker, leaving a third shot of 110-130 yards to a well-bunkered target.  Subtle mounds on this deep, narrow putting surface, which measures 40 yards back to front, make it a tricky one to navigate.
Par 5

Championship

550

Hole #13

This is one of the tougher par 4s on the course, which plays relatively straightaway and into the prevailing wind to make it seem even longer.  The fairway sloping downhill to the green looks inviting, and the second shot plays quite a bit downhill, almost 60 feet.  But the real work begins on the green, where the rules of gravity seem to be suspended.  The green, heavily fortified with front and side bunkers, is canted against the fairway slope to create the illusion of putting uphill and makes for a difficult read.  Three putts are common unless the player pays close attention.
Par 4

Championship

470

Hole #14

The front edge of the green is a very smart play on this lengthy par 3.  Attempting to play at the flagstick can result in a quick bogey, as this green tilts significantly left to right toward Riverside Drive.  A recovery from the deep right-front bunker is very difficult, as is any shot from the steep bank below it or from over the green, where a chip is difficult to get close.  A tee shot to the front of the green or just short of it leaves a much simpler up-and-down to any flag placement on the green.  The subtle undulations in the green make it one of the most difficult to read.
Par 3

Championship

255

Hole #15

A very demanding hole, where the conservative route off the tee is to play short of the left bunkers.  A big hitter might opt to challenge the right bunkers at the inside of this dogleg-right with a line over the left edge of the bunker.  This can be a very risky play, because the landing area is narrow and the ball could find the woods on the right.  The second shot is to an undulating green guarded short left by a bunker and on the right by a bunker the length of the green.  Gary Player three-putted this hole to cost him the 1986 U.S. Senior Open.
Par 4

Championship

445

Hole #16

A slight dogleg-right where long hitters need to pay attention to the three bunkers on the left side of the fairway.  Hitting the fairway is an absolute must.  Level lies can be found at about 165 yards from the green and again at 135 and 120 yards.  The second shot plays uphill to a natural green setting, but don't be short because the ball will run back down the steep slope.  Despite prevailing wind at your back, use plenty of club; however, the run-off area left, long and back right is no easy up-and-down.
Par 4

Championship

435

Hole #17

This hole is extremely difficult for where it comes in the round.  The soundest strategy here, once again, is to play for the middle of the green. Bunkers guard both front left and front right of the green and water comes into play over the green on the right.  The view from the tee suggests it plays downhill, but it rarely does, mostly because of the prevailing wind against you.  
Par 3

Championship

175

Hole #18

The wide fairway tempts players to hit all out for the extra distance from the new tee box to make the approach shot shorter and a bit easier, but that mistake could bring the big bunker complex on the right into play or result in a pull into the left rough.  The fairway opens up on the left and hits a downslope where the ball could chase 20-30 yards.  The second shot plays to one of Scioto's largest greens.  Bunkers protect the front left and right side of the green and need to be avoided.  Anything middle to back is the play, but shots to the left quadrant of the green could roll off.  This hole requires two quality golf shots to be rewarded with a par.
Par 4

Championship

485