What's In The Bag? Sean Stefan of LetsPlayGolf.ca

So what's in my bag right now? Well, it's quite the potpourri. Some of the sticks have been in there for a number of years because I just haven't been able to find anything that works better to replace it with.

Driver: 8.5 Degree Titleist 975J, UST Stiff Graphite Shaft

3 Wood: Callaway Steelhead, steel shaft

Hybrid: 16 Degree Taylor Made Rescue 2, steel shaft

3-PW: Mizuno MP-30, steel shafts

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Oil Can 54 and 58 degree, steel shafts

Putter: Taylor Made Rossa Lambeau Sport 7, centre shafted

Bag: Ping Hoofer 2

Preferred Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Like I said, some of the clubs have been around for a while. I'm pretty picky with what goes into my bag, so when I find something I like it takes something pretty remarkable to knock something out.

The driver is probably the next thing that will be replaced. The thing I love about the 975J from Titleist is the sound, it just sounds powerful. They've gotten away from the sound with their newer models so I don't think I'll be going with Titleist for my next pick. I'm leaning towards the Callaway FT-I driver - it looks goofy as heck, but I've hit it and it feels great. We'll see. The head cover on the driver is a Grand Canyon University 'Lopes Golf Team head cover from my brother Luc who red shirted there last year.

The three wood from Callaway is pretty trusty and I've had it longer than any club in my bag, probably going on 10 or 12 years now. It's great to use from the fairway or on tight/short par 4's.

The Rescue is the club from heaven. I can hit it in the neighbourhood of 225 yards most of the time, and it goes like an arrow. The shaft is nice and short so it's easy to control and the head is nicely shaped for forgiveness.

The Mizuno irons were an eBay purchase and I couldn't be happier with them. They came an inch longer than standard, but luckily I was working at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course at the time so I cut them down and regripped them myself. The MP-30's feel as good as a blade when you hit them well, but offer a bit of forgiveness on off centre hits.

I used to keep three wedges in the bag - a 52, 56 and 60 degree - but with the new irons I liked the 3 iron too much to take it out of the bag so I had to re-align my wedges. I decided on 54 and 58 degree Vokey wedges with the oil can finish because I love the way they feel. I found going to a two wedge system really made me focus more on creating a variety of different shots with the same club. Sometimes I think you can have too much choice in the short game, so having to create shots with two clubs actually works in my favour I think.

The Rossa putter sat in the golf shop at Deer Valley for the better part of a year before I decided to purchase it. I liked it from the moment I saw it, but the grip was put on goofy and the head wouldn't sit square. Finally I just bit the bullet and bought it, put a new grip on, and I was good to go. Love the centre shaft, don't think I'll be changing that any time soon. My putter cover is dalmation nicknamed Romeo after Tin Cup's caddy. I got it as a door prize at a tournament, used it and won the tournament as a junior so I've kept it ever since.

Ping makes a fantastic bag. My only issue with it right now is that there is a big hole in one of the pockets because it got caught on a sharp metal bag tag of a buddy's bag a few years ago. Other than that I just love it.

As far as the ball goes, the Pro V1 is the best ball on the market right now in my opinion. If any ball companies out there want to send me their products to sample I'd be more than happy to review them, but until that happens I'll be sticking with the old faithful Titleist.

Anybody have any suggestions on some equipment that I should be looking at?

Deer Valley Golf Course Player's Guide - Hole #16-18

Deer Valley #16 – Par 3

Championship – 153
Back – 145
Middle – 120
Forward – 103

Rounding out the par 3’s at Deer Valley is the 16th. This hole was much more awe inspiring when the water was not overrun with algae, but it’s still a treat. Leave it short and you’re obviously in the water. Too long and you could run into trouble with the bunker behind the green.

#16 is a perfect hole to catch with your camera as it uses the water, the hill, and the brush to frame the green perfectly. Just forget about the water during your pre-shot routine and you’ll be fine.

Deer Valley #17 – Par 5

Championship – 515
Back – 505
Middle – 479
Forward – 431

Unlike the reachable par 5’s on the front, the back nine five pars are tough to get at. The slopes on the side of the green on number 17 make it undesirable to go at this green in two, so keep that in mind off the tee.

This par 5 presents a few options. The blue tee offers one of the most fun tee shots of the day with a significant drop in elevation. I usually take it over the right side, tempting the bushes below and ideally draw it back into the fairway just over the cart path. You can carry the trees on the right with a good hit, but beware the second set of bushes. The water and bunkers to the left are also in play for almost all players.

The second shot can be played short to a distance of 150-120 yards, or you can play more aggressively by hitting a long iron up the neck of the fairway just short of the green. Your shot into the green need to be extremely accurate. The edges of the green are severely sloped and will kick almost everything into the bush to the right, left, and back. Beware of the spine that runs up the middle of the green in multiple directions.

Deer Valley #18 – Par 4

Championship – 435
Back – 413
Middle – 392/377
Forward – 339

The home hole at Deer Valley has made a mess of many a good round. The water to the left challenges every shot on the hole, but there is plenty of room to the right. Big hitters can carry the bunker on the right and leave a good angle into any pin placement on the green. The tent is often a good spot to aim.

Handle the left Sunday pin on the peninsula by letting it feed off the slope in the middle of the green. Trying to fly the shot right at that pin is tough because the green narrows quite a bit there, and with the angle, if you hit the water you’re pretty much guaranteed to be hitting one from the exact same spot again.

Make your putt and head up to the club house (with construction on a new one rumoured to be starting in October 2008) for a cold one.

Hope you enjoyed the run through of the Deer Valley Golf Course in Deer Valley, Saskatchewan, Canada, just outside of Regina and Lumsden.

Let’s Play Golf!

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 #7-9
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #10-12
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #13-15

Deer Valley Golf Course Player's Guide - Hole #13-15

Deer Valley #13 – Par 4

Championship – 321 (Out of commission)
Back – 294
Middle – 277
Forward – 236

The thirteenth hole at Deer Valley is probably my favourite hole on the golf course. You can make an eagle and walk off the green saying “well, that was easy”, or you can make a quick 6 and leave scratching your head.

When you’re waiting on the tee for the green to clear, have a look down at the 14th green and take notice how it appears heart shaped from up above. There’s also a beaver dam in the creek below. The 13th tee is one of my favourite spots to take pictures.

On most days I’ll take a three wood at the green. It plays a little shorter than the yardage and balls tend to pop up close to the green if they fall short, so there isn’t much point in hitting the driver because long is dead. Hit it right or left and you’re pretty much done too. You could just pull out a mid iron and put it safely in the middle of the fairway, but where’s the fun in that?

The green has quite a bit of undulation, so be sure to hit the right portion (as always at D.V.).

Deer Valley #14 – Par 4

Championship – 396
Back – 377
Middle – 349/344
Forward – 300

This hole is featured on the cover of the scorecard. Take note of the mounding on the left hand side with the bunkers as the designer tried to mimic the natural flow of the land.

My usual play on 14 is to take a Rescue 2 Hybrid or a 3 wood depending on the wind and lay it up between 150 and 100 yards in. The further you try to push it, the narrower the fairway gets. If you’re not careful, the bunkers can be carried on the left and you’ll end up in the trees. The creek also juts out on the right and has been known to swallow up a few balls.

There are bunkers guarding your approach shot into the green, so make sure you take enough club. But not too much, the creek is tight behind the green. So I guess the point is to hit the green. Short is more forgiving than long, but still leaves a tough shot from the bunkers. The green has some funky mounding, so you could experience some fun puts on this one.

Deer Valley #15 – Par 4

Championship – 406
Back – 392
Middle – 356
Forward – 330

For short hitters, you may choose to follow the fairway around the creek, but most players will be able to take their tee shots right over the lone tree on the other side of the creek. Long hitters can get greedy and cut more of the corner but the landing area becomes narrower. Don’t get caught up focusing solely on clearing the creek either as there is brush on the other side of the fairway waiting to steal your ball away.

The green is another two-tiered, wide and shallow green, albeit less dramatic than the others on the course. Approach shots coming from the right hand side of the fairway may have to content with one of the many large character trees on the course. There is also a large bunker that will collect anything that comes in contact with that tree.

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 #7-9

Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #10-12

Deer Valley Golf Coures Holes #16-18

Deer Valley Golf Course Player's Guide - Hole #10-12

Deer Valley #10 – Par 4

Championship – 417
Back – 403
Middle – 369/349
Forward – 345

The safe play here is to aim at the right 150 rock and bring it back into the fairway if a draw is your natural shot shape. If the fade is more your style, just follow the shape of the fairway with your tee ball. The longer hitters can take a more aggressive line just right of the fence line at the 150 marker and bomb it towards the green. Everything tends to run off the hill into the fairway if you hit it far enough, so you should have a short shot into the green.

Speaking of the green, the third two-tiered, wide and shallow green awaits at #10. There’s a little gulley in front of the green that makes shots sometimes look shorter than they actually are. This makes the green a bit elevated so you might need to club up.

Deer Valley #11 – Par 3

Championship – 202
Back – 186
Middle – 167/146
Forward – 98

*Note – The forward tee is pretty well out of commission, so the red tees often play to 146.

Probably the weakest sister of the par three’s in terms of aesthetics, this is the toughest par three on the golf course in my opinion. The hole plays long, so club up to make sure you get the ball to the green.

A quick tip on this hole for anyone who misses in the left bunker is to not worry about hitting your bunker shot too long, everything tends to run back towards you off the back hill.

This green can be quite the adventure. Everything slopes to the front left, but it plateaus from front right to back left. The hill on the left side of the green has seen many balls roll back down after failed attempts. You might have to get creative with your putts if you get caught on the wrong level.

Deer Valley #12 – Par 5

Championship – 537
Back – 522
Middle – 492
Forward – 474

The par five twelfth hole at Deer Valley is tight. The fairway is quite narrow with trees/brush waiting to gobble up your ball on either side. This is not a green that you want to go at in two because your second shot is blind and the green is not an easy one to hit to begin with because it is as narrow as the rest of the hole.

My favourite play off the tee at #12 is to take a 5 or 6 iron (or if the wind is into you, a Rescue 2 hybrid) to the fat part of the fairway just short of the bunkers on the left and the swale on the right. It’s another 5 or 6 iron to the top of the hill, which should leave you with a mid to short iron into the green. The green is a flipped version of the traditional wide/shallow D.V. green, offering a long and narrow two-tiered putting surface. Feel free to run your approach shot up from the front of the green.

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 #7-9
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #13-15
Deer Valley Golf Coures Holes #16-18

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

Deer Valley Golf Course Player's Guide - Hole #4-6

Deer Valley #4 – Par 3

Championship – 125
Back – 113
Middle – 88
Forward – 84

The par 3’s at Deer Valley are an absolute treat – and #4 is no exception. Judging by the yardage, you’d think it would be a piece of cake, but it’s just short enough to make it tricky. Short and you’re in the water, long and you’re in the bush. The green isn’t all that deep, but is extraordinarily wide. Club selection and clean contact are the keys to success at this bite sized par 3. If the pin is at the front, play for the middle of the green and let your ball funnel off the slope and back to the hole.

Deer Valley #5 – Par 4

Championship – 426
Back – 409
Middle – 372
Forward – 344

Rated as the most difficult hole on the front nine, it definitely plays that way. Brush on the left is dead and the creek rolls along the right hand side. The rough is almost non-existent on each side of the fairway as well, so don’t count on your ball landing soft to avoid the trouble. You can leave the driver in the bag to make sure you hit the fairway, but expect to have in the neighbourhood of 200 yards left into the green if you do. The risk/reward aspect is prevalent here as well.

Most of the trouble is off the tee. The hole opens up for your second shot to a two-tiered green. Bunkers protect the front left and back right portions of the green. Again, don’t be long.

Lick your wounds and head to the 6th.

Deer Valley #6 – Par 4

Championship – 407
Back – 386
Middle – 359/337
Forward – 294

The 6th is the second par 4 in a string of four in a row on the front side. This dogleg right presents plenty of options off the tee. You can lay up with a hybrid and have about 150-170 yards into the green or take a driver over top of the bunkers to leave a short pitch. The water on the left is reachable for most, so be wary. This wasn’t a problem for a few years, but it seems that they have finally found a way to keep water in the hazard.

The green is probably 75% hidden from view from most parts of the fairway, which makes it tough to judge the pin placement. The back right is a fairly flat platform with more room to the right than you think.

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 #7-9
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #10-12
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #13-15
Deer Valley Golf Coures Holes #16-18

Deer Valley Golf Course Player's Guide - Hole #1-3

Deer Valley Hole #1 – Par 5

Championship – 567
Back – 539
Middle – 525/501
Forward – 456

Deer Valley starts out with a scoring hole that can set the tone for the entire round. Reachable in two big hits, this par 5 is beatable if you ignore the natural shape of the hole. Remember, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Big hitters should ignore the fairway and take it right over top of the furthest tip of the left hand bunker. Since the maintenance shop brings O.B. to the right of this hole, anyone with a slice should also start the ball out at the bunker as there is plenty of room left in the area between #1 and #9.

If you manage to hit it over the bunker, you’ll have anywhere between 265 and 200 yard into the green for your second shot. If you think you can reach it, give it a rip but don’t be long. Wascana Creek meanders behind the green and is probably within 15 feet of the back of the green at the closest point. You can bring it in off the left hills, but there is some thick brush waiting to swallow anything short and left. Safe play is to lay up to 100 yards (marked by the red old school water pump on the right hand side by the cart path) and play a full shot into the green for your third. The layup is a good idea especially when the pin is back right because anything short will either leave you with a long breaking putt, a tight bunker shot, or a lob over the bunker to a tight pin. And like I said earlier, that creek creeps up on anything long. If the pin is front left, there’s no harm in taking a shot at the green in two as anything short is an easy uphill chip for an easy par option birdie.

Hopefully you’re off to a good start, and it’s up the hill to one of the best par three’s in Canada.

Deer Valley Hole #2 – Par 3

Championship – 176/172
Back – 158/146
Middle – 134/126
Forward – 109/92

The sign says it’s “Canada’s 5th Best Signature Hole” or something like that. I remember the article in The Globe and Mail and it didn’t quite read that way (it was just one of the featured holes in the article) but don’t let the vanity get to you – this is a great golf hole. You’ve probably seen it in the Tourism Saskatchewan ads or above someone’s mantle (like in our house).

This hole has 6 different tee decks, so that will dictate your club selection. Some of the tee decks are eroding into the creek side though, so there’s probably only 4 tee options. Either way, it’s probably going to be a one or two club drop in elevation. It’s a big green, but anything that misses is pretty much dead. There’s a couple of front bunkers to bail out in, but bush and the creek wait to gobble up anything else that doesn’t hit the green.

The green has three distinct levels, so hitting your shot to the right one is definitely a plus.

Deer Valley Hole #3 – Par 4

Championship – 433
Back – 410
Middle – 393
Forward – 352

Oh the options. Hole #3 at Deer Valley is a great example of the risk/reward aspect of the course. You can take an aggressive line off the tee and wind up with an easy 100 yard pitch, but any misses will end up right in the creek or short in the bush. You can take a 3 wood off the tee and leave yourself between 150 and 160 yards in by taking it over the dead tree to the left of the thick patch of bush on the right. Using a driver on that line could put you through the fairway and into the bush depending on the wind. One place you don’t want to be is in the left bunkers – unless of course you’ve mastered the 165-220 yard bunker shot.

The green is quite shallow and wide. Make sure you end up below the hole (the green slopes deceivingly sharp from back to front) and on the correct side. Long is dead. Anything on the left slope of the green will bounce hard into the bush, but the bunker to the right is a forgiving place if you do miss.

After you’re done putting out, make sure to check the direction of the wind because the tee on #4 is secluded and the wind tends to swirl back there.

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

Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #4-6
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #7-9
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #10-12
Deer Valley Golf Course Holes #13-15
Deer Valley Golf Coures Holes #16-18