Hole 15 at Mammoth Dunes

Hole 15 at Mammoth Dunes is a par 5 that rewards smart, staged decision-making over brute force, so start your strategy right from the tee. Rather than reaching for driver automatically, consider the width of the fairway and any dunes or bunkers pinching the landing area — a 3-wood or hybrid that finds the short grass will almost always beat a longer drive buried in fescue or a sand pit. Positioning matters more than raw distance here, since it sets up your look at the green in two shots.

For your layup or second shot, play to a comfortable yardage that favors your strongest wedge or short-iron distance rather than trying to force extra yards. Given the green's medium size, precision becomes more important than power as you close in — take note of where the pin is cut and favor the fat part of the green if you're unsure of the exact number, leaving yourself a makeable birdie putt rather than a tricky two-putt from the fringe.

Around the green, be disciplined with your short game: use a bump-and-run or standard chip when the lie allows, keeping the ball below the hole to avoid fast, breaking putts coming back. Avoid short-siding yourself, especially if bunkers or false edges guard tight pin positions — a shot that misses to the fat side of the green is almost always safer than one that flirts with trouble. Play conservatively off the tee, commit fully to your layup number, and you'll turn this par 5 into a genuine scoring chance.