19th Playing of International This Week
at Lofty Nicklaus-designed Castle Pines

By David Vecsey
Courtesy of PGA.com

The Castle Pines Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course, was designed to complement its densely wooded areas and rolling hills.

Driving around the 7,559 yards of Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colo., is not a problem. Walking it in the rarified Rocky Mountain air can be.

The PGA Tour returns to the longest -- and highest -- course on the circuit with this weekend's International, where risk-reward golf takes on a whole new meaning. Playing under the Modified Stableford scoring system, the International puts aggressive play at a premium on this Jack Nicklaus-designed course 6,400 feet above sea level.

Like all Nicklaus courses, the emphasis is on second and third shots, says Club Manager and Director of Golf Keith Schneider, who previously was the Head Golf Professional at Castle Pines for 22 years. Before that, he worked at Nicklaus' home course at Muirfield for eight years.

"We put demands on the approach shots," Schneider says. "If you don't hit the green, it's a very difficult up and down.

"We're the longest course on tour, but at our altitude we need all that length ? especially with how far guys are hitting these days because of the ball, the equipment and the athleticism."

The altitude adds about 10 to 15 percent carry, and low-ball hitters will be at a definite disadvantage. But Schneider says for as much you can muscle up, the drive is best served to set up the treacherous second shots, which feature a lot of uneven lies in the mountainous terrain.

Putting an extra twist into this year's event is rough that is as high as Schneider has ever seen at Castle Pines. "I would be very surprised to see any records broken this year," he predicts.

Schneider says the course shares many of the Nicklaus trademarks.

"There's a lot of relief around the greens. There's a lot of natural ampitheater effects around the green, slopes off the green -- from lower-to-higher or higher-to-lower," he said. "You've got have a good wedge game. These guys handle the bunkers like they're nothing, but the rough is one thing they can't control."

Because eagles can go a long way in deciding The International, Castle Pines' four par-5s at Nos. 1, 8, 14 and 17 become the pivotal holes. If you're thinking about winning this event, you better think about eagling the 492-yard No. 17 at least once.

While 17 may the hole that wins the event, the 485-yard, par-4 No. 10 is the hole that can lose it. En route to running away with last year's tournament, however, Davis Love III birdied the course's most difficult hole twice in four days.

No. 10 is often included on lists of the toughest holes in the country. The pond nestled to the right, front of the green wreaks havoc with an approach shot that must carry the water at about 210 yards.

"It's downhill, so again the drive is a premium," Schneider says. "The hole is so long that guys have started hitting 3-woods off the tee, but I think Davis Love played it 3-iron, 6-iron every round."

And if the scenery doesn't leave you breathless, the low-oxygen walk will. Mastering Castle Pines isn't for the faint of heart.

"It doesn't matter how good of shape you are in when you get here," warns Schneider. "It still takes a couple days to get used to the air."