Playing the iconic Southern Highlands Golf Course requires more than just a good swing, it demands a solid strategy. This private masterpiece by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and his son, RTJ Jr., is a strategic test from the first tee to the final putt. This guide will give you a hole-by-hole game plan, offering practical advice to navigate the elevation changes, treacherous bunkers, and slick greens so you can play with confidence and post your best possible score.
Before you even step on the tee, it helps to understand the core philosophy behind a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design. He believes in creating "heroic" golf holes that offer clear risk-reward decisions. At Southern highlands, this unfolds across a stunning landscape of dramatic elevation changes and a beautiful routing that weaves through water features and deep, intimidating bunkers. It’s a course that looks like a lush parkland oasis plopped in the middle of the desert.
Your main challenges will be:
Success at Southern Highlands isn’t about overpowering the course with brute strength. It’s about tactical thinking, precise execution, and respecting the design. Let’s break down how to do that.
Every great round at Southern Highlands starts with strong play from the tee box. The fairways can seem generous, but the Jones family was masterful at using visual intimidation and angles to fool a player's eye. Poor tee shots are punished severely here, often leaving you with an impossible angle for your approach or a trip to a penal bunker.
This is the mantra you should repeat to yourself all day. On many par 4s and par 5s, the ideal landing area is not always reached by hitting your driver as far as you can. Look at the hole layout. Where is the trouble? Where are the bunkers? Where will this leave you for your second shot?
Often, taking a 3-wood or a hybrid off the tee is the smarter play. It may leave you a longer approach, but it will be from the short grass with a much better look at the green. The scorecard demolition crews here are not the guys hitting wild drives, they're the ones hacking out of deep rough or blasting from fairway bunkers.
This is classic RTJ Jr. design. The best angle into the green is almost never from the most direct route. He wants you to think. For example, if a pin is tucked on the front-right of the green, guarded by a bunker, the best approach is probably from the left side of the fairway. This means you should be aiming for the left-center of the fairway off the tee, even if it feels counterintuitive.
Before you swing, take a moment to look from the tee to the green and think backward. Where do you want your *second* shot to be from? Let that answer dictate your target and club selection for your first shot. Avoiding the "sucker" line off the tee will save you countless strokes.
Once you are safely in the fairway, the next test arrives: the approach shot. This is where Southern Highlands really shows its teeth. With elevated greens, downhill approaches, and protective bunkering, club selection and shot placement are everything.
You can't trust the yardage on the sprinkler head here. Gauging the effect of elevation is absolutely essential.
If you take only one piece of advice on your approaches, make it this one. The greens are huge, and the pin placements can be temptations. RTJ Jr. is famous for "sucker pins" - pins tucked just a few paces over a deep bunker or beside a steep runoff area. Going flag-hunting at Southern Highlands is a quick way to make a big number.
Your goal on almost every approach shot should be the center of the putting surface. A 20 or 30-foot putt for birdie is a fantastic result. It takes the big numbers out of play and lets you play with less stress. Focus on your number to the middle of the green, pick the club that gets you there, and make a confident swing. You'll make more pars (and even some birdies) this way than you will trying to hit miracle shots to tucked pins.
To give you a clearer picture, let's break down the strategy for three of the course's most telling holes. This is where your course management skills will be on full display.
This is a fantastic finishing hole for the front nine. It's a stout par 4 with a creek and ponds that make you think on every shot. The tee shot demands precision, a choice between playing safer to the right, leaving a longer approach, or challenging the water left to get a shorter look. Your best bet is to favor the right side of the fairway. A long iron or hybrid might be enough club to leave yourself a mid-iron into a narrow, well-protected green. The approach plays slightly uphill to a green guarded by sand and water. Aim for the center, take your par, and be happy walking to the 10th tee.
This might be the most memorable hole on the course. It’s a jaw-dropping par 3 with a green that juts out into a lake, creating an "almost-island" green feel. While it’s visually stunning, it’s not overly long. The key here is club selection and respecting the elements. The wind can swirl in this part of the property. Ignore the pin, especially if it's on the right side near the water. Find the yardage to the center of the green, take an extra half-club to be safe, commit to your shot, and swing. Bailing out slightly left is a much better miss than finding a watery grave on the right.
A classic, challenging finishing hole that demands two excellent golf shots. This long par 4 doglegs to the right around a large lake that runs up the entire right side of the hole. From the tee, the temptation is to cut the corner over the water, but deep bunkers protect the left side of the fairway. The prudent play is to aim at the left fairway bunker and hit a slight fade (for a right-handed player) that puts you in the prime A-position. From there, you'll still have a long iron or hybrid into a green that's protected by sand and that ever-present water hazard. This is another clear case where the middle of the green is your best friend. A two-putt par on 18 is an accomplishment and a perfect way to end a round at this incredible course.
You've successfully piloted your ball from tee to green. Congratulations. Now for the final exam: the putting surfaces. The greens at Southern Highlands are large, fast, and feature significant, often subtle, undulation. This is where three-putts can appear out of nowhere.
Your focus on the greens should be on two things: pace and line, in that order. Lag putting is your greatest asset here. On your first putt from long distance, your only goal is to get the ball into a three-foot "tap-in" circle around the hole. Forget about making it. Don't be overly aggressive. A smooth, controlled putting stroke that focuses on distance will prevent the dreaded three-putt.
When chipping, observe the slopes carefully. Don't always chip straight at the hole. Sometimes, the smarter play is to chip to a spot a few feet to the side of the hole and let the contours of the green feed the ball toward the cup. Leaving yourself an uphill chip or putt is always preferable to a lightning-fast downhill one you can barely touch.
Playing Southern Highlands is a true joy for the strategic golfer, it rewards thoughtful play and course management over brute force. By focusing on positioning off the tee, playing for the center of greens on your approach shots, and being defensive with your putting, you give yourself the best chance to score well and truly appreciate this magnificent design.
Navigating a complex course like Southern Highlands can be daunting, but with the right guidance, it becomes a welcome challenge. This is the exact philosophy behind our work at Caddie AI. You can use our app to get smart, simple strategies for any hole on the course, or even snap a picture of a difficult lie in the rough to get an instant recommendation on how to play it. We believe a little expert advice in your pocket can remove the guesswork, allowing you to play with more confidence and enjoy the game more.
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