As a Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II design and home to the Texas A&M golf teams, The Traditions Club is a true championship experience. The 7,121 yard course is laid out along Turkey Creek featuring multiple forced carries, rolling terrain, and great architecture. The course is host to the Aggie Invitational with past winners such as Rickie Fowler, Anthony Kim, Spencer Levin, Cory Whitsett, and Peter Uihlein. The course presents players a great challenge of good ball striking and strategic play hence the past champions of the Aggie Invitational. A recent bunker renovation has had great impact on the overall look of the course and added to its great architecture.
Hole 1: 412 Yards Par 4
The first hole is a hard dogleg left with two fairway bunkers hugging the right side of the fairway (the nearest one is 230 yards from the back tee and 260 yards to carry). The fairway is one of the widest on the course, up to 50 yards wide. From the first tee shot players are given a couple options off the tee. The ideal line is to tug a driver just to the left of the first fairway bunker leaving the player around 130 yards to the hole. A second option is to hit driver down the left portion of the fairway and have nice angle into the green, about 170 yards away. The third and least utilized option is to go directly at the first fairway bunker with a wood. This will leave a player around 155 yards away but with a much tougher angle to most pins and a blind shot over trees. This is by far the safest play, it takes the bunkers out of play and gives the player a mid iron into the green. The approach shot needs no lack of concentration. Players are forced to carry the creek about 50 yards from the green, and the green itself is guarded by two bunkers; one to the right of the green and on short and left. The best angle is acheived by taking driver off the tee to have a shot with more forgiveness in distance control and slopes. To the left of the green is an apron which is no doubt the best place to miss, giving players a simple pitch to most hole locations. The green is lightly contoured and divided into three main sections, with the back pin being the toughest and most strategic.
Hole 6: 354 yards Par 4
Arguably one of the best holes on the course, the sixth hole gives players all they can handle. The fairway is guarded on both sides by the creek with four fairway bunkers. Off the tee one can hit a draw around the bunkers on the left and leave themselves with a wedge into the green and the best angle. The most common play is to hit a wood or hybrid down the center of the fairway and avoid risking the hazards on both sides of the fairway. Another option is to play short of the bunkers on the left, this will leave you with a longer club into the green (roughly 145 yards) and a nice angle to the flag. The green is heavily guarded and not very wide ( roughly 15 yards in width). Two deep bunkers to the left intimidate players visually and a bunker behind the green provides a great test of short game. Left of the green, a drop off of about 10 feet leaves players with one of the toughest pitch shots on the course. With little room to work with, players short games will be put to the test if the don't stick it on the green. As the shortest par 4 on the course, it definitely isn't the easiest.
Hole 7: 192 yards Par 3
This hole has the wow factor. The intimidation of Turkey Creek and bunkers gives a player all they can handle. The green sit up and creates a volcano like terrain around the green with every shot missing the green rolling back down. Very similar to the "Eden" template hole (modeled after the 11th at St. Andrews), this par three is arguably the best on the course and in the area. From the back tee, the green is hit or miss. Missing in the "Hill" bunker to the left gives a player a bunker shot going up about 8 feet to the green with the flagstick out of the player's view. The "Strath" bunker is down about 5 feet and is a much easier shot than the other bunker. Behind the green, there isn't an "Eden" bunker but an apron rolling down into the hazard beyond the green. The green has a false front that can turn a great shot into a bad one really fast. This provides a front pin with incredible protection along with the bunkers. A slope running down the center of the green divides the putting surface into two tiers. Most players assume the right tier is the toughest location but soon find out is is the most forgiving. This hole is an incredible test of ball striking and a very difficult version of the "Eden" template.
Hole 8: 584 yards Par 5
The eighth hole is a daunting par 5. On the tee box, the players eyes are drawn to Turkey Creek running all along the left side of the fairway. The tee shot is among the most strategic on the course. The safe play is to go dow the right side of the fairway and avoid the creek. A more aggressive play is to take it at the oak tree through the fairway, taking about 20 yards off the hole. For the scratch player, taking driver over the bunker just over the creek is a risk reward shot potentially allowing them to go for the green. The second shot is best hit with a draw that feeds down the fairway that slopes left, down toward the creek. There's really no advantage in positioning for the approach shot unless the pin is back left, then a shot on the right portion of the fairway would be best. The green is guarded well with a creek and bunkers guarding the front. The back part of the green is only about 10 yards deep and runs away from the player. Behind this part of the green is an apron, allowing for a simple chip for those who go long. This green is also pretty unique as it is connected to the 17th green. Some of the bunkers on 17 can come into play and penalize shots on the 8th as well.
Hole 10: 562 yards Par 5
The tenth hole is arguably the hardest hole on the course. The double dogleg is a strategic masterpiece. Off the tee, players are best off hugging the left side of the fairway, avoiding the fairway bunker through the fairway. The fairway slopes hard to the left, all the way down to the creek. Staying left will give you a flatter lie and a better angle to go across the creek and set up a good approach. For those that stay right off the tee, a difficult second awaits. The ball will be above the players feet where a cut is the ideal shot over the creek. The third shot is best placed as close to the group of bunkers through the second half of the fairway as possible to avoid having to take it over the oak tree right of the green. The green is guarded by a lone bunker in the front and creek past the green. The green has somewhat of a double plateau shape (not an actual double plateau but similar style) with the front pin being the most challenging hole location. A good angle into this green helps tremendously, this is a hole where a lot of strokes can be gained or loss.
Hole 13: 381 yards Par 4
The 13th hole is my personal favorite on the course. Off the tee the player, again, has multiple options on a hard dogleg. The most obvious is taking driver left of the bunker. The ball will continue to feed right and leave a player about 120 yards out. A tee shot hit over the bunker catch the slope just over the bunker and gives players a wedge in. Another option, which is rarely utilized (at least on purpose) is to stay short of the bunker, in line with the bunker. This gives players the best angle to every pin on the green, especially the back. The green is one of the most exciting on the course. A huge ridge in the middle of the green creates a backstop for pins on the right. Most players use this to bring a shot back to the hole and avoid leaving it short in the creek in front of the green. A back hole location is very difficult. The green is only about 10 yards deep in this area and runs away from the player down into an apron behind the green. The bunkering on this hole is incredible. The fairway bunker creates multiple options off the tee, but the two around the green have little different purpose. Both of these bunkers penalize a poorly hit shot. The front left bunker is about 5 feet deep and the green runs away from the player no matter where the pin is. The back right pin is usually avoided but for players who miss it there with a front pin, an intimidating shot awaits.
Hole 14: 407 yards Par 4
Off the tee players are faced with a bunker in the middle of the fairway, about 240 yards away. Players can choose multiple routes off the tee. Going to the left of the bunker or staying short is the more conservative play but will leave players with a longer shot and a tough angle into the green. Players going over the bunker strictly gain a distance advantage on the hole, but are still left with a difficult angle into the green. Going right of the bunker sets up an ideal angle into the green which is guarded by a lone bunker in front. The approach from here will be blind and over trees but is no more difficult than approaches from the left of the fairway. The long and narrow green is well guarded by the bunker in front along with the false front and aprons running away from the player. The ridge running through the center of the green puts a premium on placement around the green. Many simple shots are turned into tough up and downs just being on the wrong side.
Hole 18: 439 yards Par 4
18th hole is a beast of a hole. The tee shot is uphill and typically into the wind, as if it wasn't hard enough already. The fairway slopes right to left and feeds into the bunkers on the left. The ideal shot is a draw up the right side that will ride the slope and gain a few more yards. Trees right of the fairway serve as a hazard on the approach, making a draw off the tee even more of a premium. The approach has one of the best views on the course, overlooking both 9 and 18 green and an A&M logo behind the first tee box. The green is surrounded by 5 bunkers and a creek running in front of and to the right of the green. The ideal shot into the green would be a cut, but most players will have the ball above their feet making this shot even more difficult. The green is rather small and puts a premium on missing in the right places. The back left bunker provides a difficult challenge to most pins and should be avoided. The other bunkers give players a much better chance to get up and down, as the green is not running away from the players. The final hole is a fantastic end to the round and has some really interesting architecture.
