Colonial - Texas - USA

Colonial starts out simply enough on flat ground. The first hole is a straight forward dogleg right par five of 555 yards, one of only two on the course.

It becomes clear pretty quickly at Colonial that the greens are small. Along with Pebble Beach, Harbour Town and Inverness, they are among the smallest of all the courses I have played.

The three-hole stretch three through five is known as the "Horrible Horseshoe." Horseshoe, because the third tee is right next to and left of the fifth green, and the three holes swing around in a U shape. Horrible, because they are not easy. The third is a 468-yard par four dogleg left with a slightly elevated green. The fourth is a tricky 220-yard par three, also with an elevated green.

The fifth hole is one of the most renowned in the world. It gets endless accolades. Golf's 100 Toughest Holes includes it on its list. The 500 World's Greatest Golf Holes ranks the fifth among its top 100. Dan Jenkins, in his 1966 book The Best 18 Golf Holes in America, selected the fifth hole as well. It is a 459-yard par four (481 for the pros), dogleg right. As Jenkins describes it: "The drive must be almost perfect, a slight fade and 250 yards out, if you are going to reach it in two. But fade too much, and there is the Trinity waiting. You can bail out to the left but there is a line of trees and a ditch there." The Trinity he is referring to is the Trinity River, which snakes along the outside of the course.

It's a hard hole for sure, but not that hard. I'm not exactly a scratch golfer and I parred the fifth. In fairness, the prevailing left to right wind wasn't blowing when we played; I imagine it's a different hole if the wind is up.

The tenth was also one of my favorite holes. It is a nice 381-yard dogleg right par four. Your second shot is over a big swale to a well-protected green.

Colonial is a narrow, shot makers course. You don't need to bomb the ball to score well here. What you need to do is hit around trees and be smart with club selection.

John Sabino is the author of How to Play the World’s Most Exclusive Golf Clubs

This club is the home of the annual Colonial Invitational. Annika Sorenstam played against the men here and just barely missed the cut. (I’m sure you read about it – it was covered ad nauseam.) Most important, Colonial was the home course of the legendary Ben Hogan. The Hogan room on the first floor of the clubhouse is filled with memorabilia, photos, trophies, and even his old locker. It’s an awe-inspiring place to ponder the likes of Hogan walking these halls. A wonderful statue of Hogan overlooks the 18th green, leaving you with one last reminder of the great one before you retire to the clubhouse.

Colonial is a great test of golf. It is dominated by rows of dense trees on almost every fairway, and the player who is able to control the shape and trajectory of his shots will do well here. I had barely gotten warmed up on the front nine when I came to “The Devil’s Horseshoe” (Colonial’s version of Amen Corner): Numbers 3, 4, and 5. In 1983, Tour Magazine called Number 5 the toughest par 4 on the PGA Tour. Cary Middlecoff had this to say about it: “First I pull out two brand-new Wilson balls and throw them in the Trinity River. Then I throw up. Then I go ahead and hit my tee shot into the river.” Number 5 is a 470-yard par 4, with the Trinity River running up the entire right side of the fairway. It was Brock’s only bogey on the front nine. I made seven.

The course was designed by John Bredemus in 1933; Colonial is the only course he designed, as far as I know. Its putting greens are seeded with a new strain of bent grass called A-4, bred to withstand Texas summer heat. I was doing very well in Colonial’s greenside bunkers – up and down three of five times. Larry Berle.