PLAYROUND COURSE GUIDE

How to Play Pinewood Country Club

Course strategy, tee-specific yardages and a hole-by-hole game plan for Pinewood Country Club in Munds Park, AZ.

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Pinewood Country Club golf course

Pinewood Country Club

Munds Park, AZ
Elk tees · 6,637 yards
COURSE OVERVIEW

About Pinewood Country Club

Pinewood Country Club in Munds Park, Arizona, is a high-country 18-hole championship golf course originally designed by Lawrence Hughes in 1959. Set within the world's largest ponderosa pine forest south of Flagstaff, the layout features narrow, tree-lined fairways, strategic doglegs, multiple lateral penalty areas, residential out-of-bounds borders, and heavily sloped or two-tiered green complexes.

COURSE STRATEGY

How to play Pinewood Country Club

Off the tee

Tee shots demand strict accuracy through narrow ponderosa pine fairways bordered by out-of-bounds lines and penalty hazards. Distance off the tee is often secondary to positioning, as stray drives risk being blocked out by trees or landing in lateral water hazards.

Elevation & terrain

Situated at high elevation in Northern Arizona, cool mountain air and canyon winds affect ball flight and distance control. Subtle tee-to-green elevation changes and elevated green complexes require precise club selection.

Approach play

Approach shots frequently demand forced carries over fronting penalty hazards or false fronts onto elevated greens. Navigating tight tree-lined corridors into greens sloping heavily from back to front makes staying below the pin critical.

Around the greens

Greens complexes feature two-tiered surfaces, steep back-to-front sloping contours, and strategic sand bunkering. Missing on the downhill side can lead to extremely fast, treacherous putts or chips that roll off the green into penalty zones.

Best way to play it

Prioritize tee-shot placement over distance to maintain clear approach windows through the ponderosa pines. Aim approach shots for the center or lower tiers of greens to avoid high-risk downhill putts and surrounding hazards.

Key takeaways

  • Dense ponderosa pine forest corridors require high tee-shot accuracy over sheer distance.
  • Out-of-bounds boundaries and lateral penalty hazards line numerous fairways and approach landing areas.
  • Greens feature pronounced back-to-front slopes and false fronts that heavily penalize shots above the cup.
  • Canyon winds affect tee shots on exposed par threes like Hole 16.
YOUR GAME PLAN

Hole-by-hole game plan

Hole
Par
Yards
HCP
Strategy
1
4
420
4
Target the right-center portion of the fairway off the tee to clear the left water hazard while staying inside the right out-of-bounds line, leaving an unobstructed approach to an expansive back-to-front sloping green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~180 yards remaining by raw distance.
2
4
374
6
Favor the middle of the fairway off the tee to navigate the winding layout, then commit to enough club on the approach to clear the fronting penalty area into a heavily sloped green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~134 yards remaining by raw distance.
3
5
508
8
Hugging the left side of the fairway off the tee cuts down distance for a chance to reach in two, provided you clear the left penalty hazard and avoid pushes into the right tree line.
Your 240 yd driver · ~268 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
4
3
191
10
Aim for the middle or right side of the green off the tee to bypass the left front bunker and avoid dropping short into bogey territory.
5
5
515
18
Longer players should target the left tree line off the tee to shorten the hole, while conservative plays off the right risk getting blocked out by trees on the second shot.
Your 240 yd driver · ~275 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
6
3
187
12
Calculate distance for the downhill slope to ensure carrying the hidden front penalty area, slanting approach lines toward the center-left side away from the right bunker.
7
4
330
14
Drive down the right portion of the fairway to preserve a clear angle to the elevated green, controlling distance to stay short of the sharp drop-off behind.
Your 240 yd driver · ~90 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
8
4
330
16
Prioritize tee-shot accuracy down the narrow fairway to set up a wedge or short iron, playing to the center of a heavily back-to-front sloping green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~90 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
9
4
438
2
Select a club off the tee that guarantees fairway position between double out-of-bounds corridors, setting up a mid-to-long iron approach into a green guarded by two bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~198 yards remaining by raw distance.
10
5
495
15
Favor the right side of the fairway on the drive to stay clear of the left out-of-bounds line, taking care on second and third shots as the green complex sits near the left out-of-bounds boundary.
Your 240 yd driver · ~255 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
11
3
199
11
Adjust club selection downward to account for prevailing tailwinds, taking aim at the middle-left of the green to avoid the penalty zone on the right.
12
5
507
17
Execute a precise drive into the fairway center, then play a controlled layup straight down the narrow tree corridor to set up a clean approach shot.
Your 240 yd driver · ~267 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
13
4
368
3
Find the fairway off the tee between side hazards, then take extra club on the approach to carry the front penalty area and false front onto the elevated green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~128 yards remaining by raw distance.
14
4
414
1
Tee off down the left-center of the fairway to keep clear of the splitting penalty area, then play an approach away from the right greenside bunker to prevent shots from feeding off green slopes into hazard trouble.
Your 240 yd driver · ~174 yards remaining by raw distance.
15
4
339
9
Lay up short of the fairway hazard using a fairway wood or long iron, leaving a short pitch over the front water hazard to the center of the putting surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~99 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
16
3
183
13
Factor in side winds coming out of the canyon on the left, choosing a target line toward the left-center of the green to guard against dropping right into bogey trouble.
17
4
412
5
Drive down the center of the fairway to stay out of lateral penalty areas on both sides, then play your approach to the right side of the green away from the left bunker to leave an uphill putt.
Your 240 yd driver · ~172 yards remaining by raw distance.
18
4
427
7
Favor the left-center fairway landing zone off the tee to establish a clear approach angle, targeting the proper tier of the green while clearing both greenside bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~187 yards remaining by raw distance.

Course information and strategy are provided for planning purposes. Yardages, course setup, hazards and playing conditions can change. Always confirm current course information before your round.