Course Confidential | U.S. Women's Open Hole-By-Hole at The Olympic Club

The Olympic Club has been a part of the U.S. Open rotation since 1955, hosting five installments of the championship over 60 years. However, 2021 marks the debut of the U.S. Women's Open at the iconic San Francisco venue.

The course is touted for its difficulty (and its Burger Dog delicacy), and over the last two years, the USGA has been onsite ramping up the challenge for the best players in the women's game. They've narrowed the fairways by as much as 10 yards in some cases and grown the rough to gnarly lengths.

As those who passed the gauntlet of the opening rounds prepare to play the weekend, let's take a closer look at the host course. Olympic Club Director of Player Development Richard Sheridan, a Team TaylorMade staff professional, takes us on a hole-by-hole journey as he describes the strategy and shots players will need to test the mettle of Olympic.

Welcome to the Lake Course. The opening hole is probably the easiest on the property; it's very gentle. It's a subtle left to right par 5, and reaching in two is definitely in range for the medium to long hitters. It plays downhill and offers captivating views of San Francisco and Ocean Beach. If players find the fairway, then it's a green light with either a long iron or a fairway metal into a relatively flat green. Two bunkers lurk about 50 to 60 yards short of the green and can catch players who decide to lay up if they're not careful.

Overall, this is the best birdie opportunity on the course – and if you're not making four here, you're likely giving a shot back to the field. You need to get off to a good start because the next five holes are very difficult.

This is where the fun starts. About a third of the holes on the Lake Course have reverse cambered fairways - where you're fighting against gravity. Hole No. 2 plays as slight dogleg right, but the fairway tilts sharply to the left, so you have to control the shape and line of your drive to hold the fairway. The second shot is a bit deceiving because it plays uphill, and it's generally into the wind. I've seen many players fail to take enough club and come up short – and bunkers heavily guard the green. The green is also quite severe, as the complex slopes from back to front. If you're above the hole, you're likely facing the fastest putt on the course. Conversely, if you're putting uphill, it's the slowest putt on property. Controlling your tee shot and selecting the club on the second shot will be critical to success on this hole.

This is the most severe of the reverse camber fairways. The hole is a sharp dogleg left up the hill, and the fairway slopes hard to the right. Most players will choose to hit a draw to hold against the slope to stay the fairway. However, you don't want to overdo a draw and end up on the left side. There, you'll be blocked out trees and reaching the green will be a challenge. On this hole, players will be wise to select a fairway wood or long iron off the tee, rather than being too far down there and getting yourself into trouble. The second shot is steeply uphill, and you're unable to see the bottom of the flagstick. The green slopes hard from left to right, making for some heavily breaking putts.

This is possibly the most demanding tee shot on the golf course. It's another reverse camber, as the fairway tilts left and hole doglegs right. There is a grove of trees on the right that can catch your ball if you're too aggressive. Literally, in years past, players have had balls stuck in the tree. Then there are trees on the left that will block you out and force you to hit a sweeping hook to reach the green. Longer hitters can benefit from taking 3-wood, so they don't get too far down the left side and end up blocked out. In an ideal world, you're hitting a short- to mid-iron into this green because it's small and very sloped. The fact that it plays slightly downhill and generally downwind is in the players' favor.

Players may be able to take a breath for the first time since the opening hole. The short par-4 7th offers a little bit of a respite, as it will play 263 yards in the U.S. Women's Open and will be driveable for the longer hitters in the field. However, danger still lurks greenside with heavy bunkering and a severely tiered green complex. A large percentage of the field will play the analytics game and elect to go for the green on this hole if the conditions allow.

Here you want to open your shoulders, make a hard turn and unleash on a tee shot. Distance is an advantage on this particular hole. The second shot will require precision as you play uphill into a two-tiered green. Being on the right tier is critical if you want to secure a good score at 11.

At 398 yards, the 12th is far from the most difficult hole on the course. The tee shot plays through a chute of trees that can play with your mind - I've seen good players catch those trees off the tee before. The fairway slopes down towards the green, so with a good drive, you're looking at short iron or wedge for the second shot. There's nothing overly complicated about the green - just avoid those deep bunkers on the front right.

This is a difficult par 3. Trees overhang both sides of the green, which adds an element of visual intimidation. If that wasn't enough to think about, there's a large bunker in front of the green that certainly gets your attention. If you miss the green left, there's a tightly mown area that makes getting up and down more of an adventure than a guarantee.

Sheridan has been at the Olympic Club since November of 2017. He previously served as Director of Instruction at St. Andrews Links Academy and senior instructor at the Butch Harmon Golf School in Dubai while also coaching China's national golf team.