“A Donald Ross grinder where iron precision, not brute distance, cashes tickets.”
East Lake plays 7,605 yards on the card but rewards approach quality over raw pop — elite iron players hit from 131 yds while the bottom tier is stuck at 152. The par-3s are the teeth: 4, 6, and 14 all flag penalty, with the 235-yard 14th a genuine bogey magnet. Three par-5s (2, 9, 18) plus a cluster of wedge holes (3, 8, 12) are where you make your money, so lean into ball-strikers with sharp short-iron and par-5 scoring. Fade the one-dimensional bombers who can't control mid-irons on 5, 10, 16, and 17.
310+ yard drivers who shrink the course to a 2,360-yard, 131.1-per-shot approach test. Distance off the tee turns 9 and 18 into gettable par-5s and leaves flip wedges on the scoring holes.
Convert the short-iron looks on 3, 7, 8, 12 and bank birdies on all three par-5s while surviving the penalty par-3s at even.
295-310 yard drivers working from 2,555 yards and 141.9 per shot. Still in range on the par-5s but conceding a full club into most greens versus the elite group.
Iron sharpness and clean par-3 pars; can't afford to leak strokes on 4, 6, 10, and 14 with longer approaches.
≤295 yard drivers grinding a 2,735-yard, 151.9-per-shot workload. Longer clubs everywhere magnify the penalty stretches and cap par-5 upside.
Elite ball-striking and scrambling to offset the yardage gap; realistically playing for cuts, not contention.
| Hole | Par | Yds | Elite | Mid | Bottom | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 4 | 435 | 1209i / 8i | 1339i / 8i | 1458i / 7i | Par 4, 435y opener into a neutral flag; a mid-iron from 120-145 to settle in. Take par and move on. |
| #2 | 5 | 570 | 95PW / 9i | 108PW / 9i | 1209i / 8i | Prime scoring hole; failing to birdie here costs you in the field. |
| #3 | 4 | 390 | 75SW / PW | 88SW / PW | 100PW / 9i | Par 4, 390y, opportunity flag, just 75-100 in. Short and gettable — expect the field to go flag-hunting. |
| #4 | 3 | 200 | 2005i / 4i | 2005i / 4i | 2005i / 4i | Distance edge is neutralized — pure long-iron and nerve. |
| #5 | 4 | 465 | 1508i / 7i | 1637i / 6i | 1757i / 6i | Par 4, 465y, neutral flag with a 150-175 mid-iron in. A par-saver where the bottom tier feels the 25-yard club gap. |
| #6 | 3 | 210 | 2105i / 4i | 2105i / 4i | 2105i / 4i | One of five holes where yardage tiers don't matter — pure ball-striking. |
| #7 | 4 | 410 | 95PW / 9i | 108PW / 9i | 1209i / 8i | Par 4, 410y, opportunity flag, 95-120 wedge in. Get aggressive and stack a birdie. |
| #8 | 4 | 380 | 65SW / PW | 78SW / PW | 90PW / 9i | Full-wedge scoring hole — proximity leaders separate here. |
| #9 | 5 | 610 | 110PW / 9i | 1239i / 8i | 1359i / 8i | Longest par-5 on paper, softest scoring in practice. |
| #10 | 4 | 495 | 1806i / 5i | 1936i / 5i | 2055i / 4i | Brutal par-4; the bottom tier hits 205 yards to a penalty pin. Bogey stretch begins. |
| #11 | 4 | 420 | 105PW / 9i | 1189i / 8i | 1309i / 8i | Par 4, 420y, opportunity flag, 105-130 in. A recovery birdie chance after the 10th. |
| #12 | 4 | 400 | 85SW / PW | 98PW / 9i | 110PW / 9i | Part of the 8-12 wedge cluster where birdies pile up. |
| #13 | 4 | 435 | 1209i / 8i | 1339i / 8i | 1458i / 7i | Par 4, 435y, neutral flag, 120-145 mid-iron. Solid-par hole to steady the round. |
| #14 | 3 | 235 | 2354i / hybrid | 2354i / hybrid | 2354i / hybrid | Bogey magnet and the single biggest scoring hazard on the course. |
| #15 | 4 | 420 | 105PW / 9i | 1189i / 8i | 1309i / 8i | Par 4, 420y, opportunity flag, 105-130 in. Reset after 14 with a genuine birdie look. |
| #16 | 4 | 480 | 1657i / 6i | 1787i / 6i | 1906i / 5i | Par 4, 480y, neutral flag, 165-190 mid/long-iron. Long and demanding; par is a win. |
| #17 | 4 | 460 | 1458i / 7i | 1588i / 7i | 1707i / 6i | Par 4, 460y, neutral flag, 145-170 in. Another stern two-shotter where the club-gap between tiers bites down the stretch. |
| #18 | 5 | 590 | 100PW / 9i | 113PW / 9i | 1259i / 8i | Closing par-5 that rewards aggression; a birdie-or-better hole for contenders. |
Long par 4s — 200+ yard approaches for shorter hitters
Wedge approaches + par 5s — birdie targets across all tiers
The elite approach group works from 131.1 yds/shot versus 151.9 for the bottom tier — a full-club edge that compounds over four rounds. Target proximity and strokes-gained approach leaders over pure driving-distance profiles.
Holes 4, 6, and 14 hand everyone the same yardage regardless of pop, and the long par-4s at 10, 16, and 17 demand mid-to-long iron control. Big hitters who can't flag it get exposed here — fade distance-only names lacking iron numbers.
Holes 2, 9, and 18 all flag as opportunities with wedge-range third/second shots. Lean into par-5 birdie-or-better props and four-round par-5 scoring markets for the top ball-strikers.
At 235 yards to a penalty pin, the 14th is the round-wrecker. In matchups and 3-balls, side with the steadier long-iron player to win the hole outright or dodge the double.
Two penalty flags with the longest approaches on the property (205 and 235 yards for the back tier). Field-wide over on combined bogeys through this stretch has real value on soft-scoring weeks.
East Lake is an iron-play and par-5 scoring track wearing a 7,605-yard bomber's costume. The penalty par-3s (4, 6, 14) and long par-4s (10, 16, 17) neutralize distance and reward the field's cleanest ball-strikers, while the wedge cluster (3, 7, 8, 12) and three reachable par-5s decide the leaderboard. Back precision approach players with par-5 upside; fade the distance-dependent profiles who can't control the long irons.
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