Deer Valley Golf Course Player's Guide - Hole #7-9

Deer Valley #7 – Par 4

Championship – 394
Back – 378
Middle – 349/333
Forward – 298

This tee shot calls for accuracy. With O.B. right and water and a bunker to the left, a tee shot is at a premium on #7 at Deer Valley. With the elevation change, the hole plays shorter than the yardage, so you should only need to hit a hybrid or fairway wood to put yourself into good position. The left side of the fairway is generally the better side to be on because the bush can limit the view of the right side of the green if your ball lies on the right side of the fairway.

The green is another two-tiered, wide and narrow surface, similar to #3. There’s swamps to the right and left of the greens and bush to the rear. This green has a pretty constant slope from back to front, so if you’re not below the hole you could be in for some sharp breaking putts.

Deer Valley #8 – Par 4

Championship – 321
Back – 311
Middle – 297
Forward – 263

If you’re walking, this is one hole you’ll wish you had a cart. The first 170 yards are straight up the hill. At about 130 yards out, there is a rock creek that was installed after struggling to keep the fairway in shape after big rains. The run off from the side hills was a bit too much for the course to handle, so while not ideal, the rock bed was probably a necessary evil.

I’ve always found #8 at Deer Valley to be a remarkably forgiving hole to hit driver on. Sure I’m prone to the odd snap hook that ends up close to #2 tee box, but for the most part you can let the big dog eat. Hit it right over the big rock on the hill with a tiny draw and you could be putting. Everything right filters down off the hill as well, so as long as you don’t fly it too far, balls tend to follow the cart path down towards the green.

Wherever your second shot ends up, you’ll have to be aware that the ground up by the green as well as the green itself is very hard at the eighth. Low runners will chase up to the green, which runs away from you towards the back left corner. Don’t expect to hold shots very easily into the green.

Deer Valley #9 – Par 5

Championship – 546
Back – 538
Middle – 502
Forward – 481

If it feels like you’ve been here already, it’s because you have. #9 runs parallel to #1, so if you took my advice and went left on #1, you may have already played a shot from the #9 turf. From the back two sets of tees, this is a really fun tee shot. #9 at Deer Valley gives meaning to the old cliché “Tee it high and let it fly”. Left is far better than right, the prairie grass to the right can be sketchy at best. I’ve actually found that the angle into the green is better from the lower area between #9 and #1 because you can use the hill behind the green as a backstop when taking a run at the green in two.

If you don’t try to get home in two at #9, leave yourself a full shot into the green. If the pin is in the front, beware of hitting it past the first level because you will be left with an uphill put that turns into a downhill putt at the halfway point.

Grab a quick hot dog at the turn from the Valley Girls and head to the back nine.

The rest of the Deer Valley hole summaries can be found by clicking the links below:

Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #1-3
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #4-6
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #10-12
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #13-15
Deer Valley Golf Coures Holes #16-18