Par 4

380 yards

Few courses offer a more gentle start to the U.S. Open. Most players will use a fairway metal or long iron off the tee on this dogleg right, aiming at the right edge of the bunker beyond the fairway. The second shot is a short iron to a green that is elevated and guarded by bunkers on both sides.

Par 4

502 yards

Converted into a par 4 for the U.S. Open. A straightforward tee shot that should avoid the bunkers on the right side of the fairway. Anything left in the rough means a player will probably have to play short of a large ditch about 100 yards from the green. The green is narrow, with a menacing bunker along both sides.

Par 4

404 yards

A severe dogleg left, with the second shot facing the Pacific breeze. Big hitters might try to take their tee shot over the trees and cut off the dogleg to leave it just short of the green. It can be tough to judge the distance to the slightly elevated green, which has deep bunkers on both sides.

Par 4

331 yards

This begins a beautiful, seven-hole stretch along the ocean. A driver will put the ball just short of the green, although it’s a high risk for a shot demanding accuracy with a bunker to the left and ocean to the right. Most players will hit a fairway metal, leaving a wedge to a green that is surrounded by bunkers.

Par 3

195 yards

A slightly downhill par 3 that Jack Nicklaus designed for the 2000 U.S. Open. The green is shallow, and with the hole exposed by the wind, club selection is never easy. The safe play, no matter the hole location, is left center of the green. Small bunkers guard the front of the green, with a larger bunker back and left.

Par 5

523 yards

Easiest hole in the 2000 U.S. Open. The rough has been mowed on the right side so that wayward shots no longer will be prevented from going over the cliff. The second shot is blind, going over a steep hill with long bunkers down the left side to a green guarded by bunkers on both sides.

Par 3

109 yards

One of signature holes that is frightening despite it being a flip wedge away. Depending on the wind, this can be anything from a soft sand wedge to a hard 6-iron. The green is small and guarded by a series of six bunkers, large and small, with the most daunting hazard the ocean to the right and behind the green.

Par 4

428 yards

The tee shot, usually a 3-wood, is blind to a fairway that runs out at about 275 yards, depending on the angle. The approach is over the ocean to a small green that slopes severely to the front. Two bunkers behind the green catch shots that go long. Another bunker is short of the green, assuming the shot clears the ocean.

Par 4

505 yards

Played the toughest hole in 2000. The ocean runs the entire length of the right side, and the key is a properly placed tee shot to leave a mid-iron into the green. The second shot usually is a sidehill lie, adding to the difficulty. A gully with two bunkers is short and to the left, although it could come into play if the wind is against players, or they hit their tee shot into the rough.

Par 4

495 yards

A new tee has added nearly 50 yards to this hole. The ocean again runs the entire length of the right side, and the fairway slopes severely to the ocean. The green sits on a bluff, with a steep drop to the beach on the right, and bunkers catching anything that misses long or left.

Par 4

390 yards

A fairway simple tee shot is followed by an approach that is more demanding than meets the eye. This hole runs away from the ocean and typically is a fairway metal off the tee. The second shot is a short iron, but it is uphill. Taking too much club can be trouble, for the green slopes severely to the front. Bunkers are prevalent back and right of the green.

Par 3

202 yards

Clustered bunkers make this hole look closer than it is, and the green is wide but shallow. A large bunker protects most of the entrance to the green, and with U.S. Open greens typically firm, it will require a mid-iron hit very high. The best miss is short and right, except for the front left hole locations. Trees down the right make judging the wind difficult.

Par 4

445 yards

A new tee has added nearly 40 yards to this uphill, slight dogleg to the right. A bunker complex protects the left side of the fairway, with three small bunkers on the right. The challenge is the approach, which will require at least one more club because of the elevation. The green slopes hard to the left, so anything right of the pin makes for a difficult two-putt.

Par 5

580 yards

This might be the toughest par 5 in major championship golf. The green, protected by a deep bunker in the front, is elevated. Left of the green has been shaved, meaning chips go to the other side of the green or come back at a player’s feet. Making a par on this hole is not giving up a shot to the field.

Par 4

397 yards

Seventeen Mile Drive down the right of the hole is out-of-bounds, and a series of bunkers is to the left. This should be a straightforward tee shot, leaving a short iron or a wedge to the green, which slopes severely to the left.

Par 4

403 yards

Players must find the fairway at any cost, even with a fairway metal in hand. The tee shot must clear an island bunker, although a driver can leave an awkward, downhill lie. The approach is over a barranca to a difficult green, which has a deep bunker short of it, a small bunker for shots that fly the green and trees to the left. The green pitches fiercely to the left.

Par 3

208 yards

This famous par 3 is where Jack Nicklaus hit the pin with a 1-iron in 1972, and Tom Watson chipped in for birdie to win in 1982. It typically plays right into the Pacific wind to an hourglass green protected by a massive bunker in the front and smaller bunkers over the green. It was the toughest par 3 in 2000, and the third-hardest hole.

Par 5

543 yards

One of the most picturesque closing holes in golf, with the Pacific Ocean running down the left side and a sea wall keeping the crashing surf out of the bunker. It’s easy to make a par, challenging when a player has to make a birdie. The green is protected by a deep bunker to the right, and towering pine that forces players to keep it left and bring the ocean more into play.