Other Reviews by Sonny Jones Natural lakes and stream beds not only gave Nicklaus the opportunity to make golfers ponder course management, but also allowed English stonemason Charlie Batten to add beauty to the course. Batten spent six weeks hand building stone walls supporting the 5th, 9th, 10th and 18th greens. The view from about 150 yards away from the green looks down onto Batten's artistry and is a breathtaking scene. National has four sets of tees, ranging from a monstrous 7,122 yards to a challenging 5,378 yards from the reds. If you play from the tees that best suit your game, you're almost assured of an enjoyable round.
Wide fairways provide plenty of landing area off the tee.
It's a very playable course. Ironically, Nicklaus chose to start with a hole that doglegs slightly left. Your approach shot is to an elevated green that features pot bunkers to the right. Depending on the pin placement, only the brave or foolhardy try to play over the bunkers. There's water to the left and back, but a well struck tee shot can easily result in par.