Hole 6 at Mammoth Dunes

Hole 6 at Mammoth Dunes rewards golfers who prioritize position over pure distance off the tee. Rather than reaching for driver automatically, consider a 3-wood or hybrid that leaves you a comfortable, repeatable yardage into the green while keeping your ball in the short grass. This is a hole where accuracy off the tee sets up everything else, so take the club that gives you the highest confidence of finding the fairway.

Once you're in position, your approach shot should be played with respect for the medium-sized green. Because the target isn't oversized, precision with your iron matters more than an aggressive line at a tucked pin. Take note of the contours guiding balls toward certain sections of the putting surface, and favor the fatter part of the green if you're unsure of the exact number—leaving yourself a longer putt is far preferable to short-siding your next shot.

Around the green, be prepared for tightly mown run-off areas that can feed balls away from the putting surface. A bump-and-run with a mid-iron or hybrid is often smarter than a lofted flop shot, especially if you're not fully confident with your wedge work. Trust the slopes to help feed the ball back toward the hole rather than fighting them.

Above all, avoid compounding one mistake with another—if your tee shot drifts off line, play conservatively back into position rather than gambling on a hero shot toward the green. Patience here leads to pars; aggression without control leads to big numbers.