Nelly Korda has her hands full! The Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods, Texas, presents a lot of challenges for the world No. 1 and her peers. Every one of them might dream of winning the 2025 Chevron Championship. But it won’t be an easy feat to achieve. Like any other golf course in the world, the amazing fairways at Carlton Woods are also made for the best golfers in the world to compete.

However, the LPGA Tour stars would be more cautious about some of the toughest holes on the signature course. There are five of them that would be in their score logs for all four days of the major. Let’s take a look at all of them and understand why they are challenging.

The nightmare on the 15th

The 15th hole of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is certainly the most challenging fairway in The Club. It’s not just the rough and bunkers that the LPGA Tour pros have to deal with. Along the way, they will also find two creeks that have seen many golf balls sink over the years. If you still manage to overtake them, then the 455 yards will make it extremely difficult to make Par 4. At best, the players can hope to get away with a bogey and save their round because many players might suffer for taking risks and failing to evade any obstacles along the way. If you get a par, it’s as good as a birdie or even an eagle here.

Is the 2nd hole a par 5?

At 468 yards, the 2nd hole will make even the best golfers like Nelly Korda or Lydia Ko tremble. It is the longest par 4 on the course and could easily qualify for a par 5 considering the challenges. It’s not the fairway that might trouble the golfers that much. It’s quite brawny and gives the players a lot of field to work with. That’s where it gets you, because if you are too wide, even on the fairway, then you will risk playing from an angle that has very close bunkers leading to the cup.

As the field narrows down towards the green, players often find themselves scrambling if they are not careful enough. On your worst day, you would only wish it were a par 5 so you could at least make a bogey or double to move on.

Going for a swim on the 4th hole

Don’t get deceived by the par 5 of the 4th hole being the shortest 5-stroke hole in the course. The distance won’t make sense if you can’t see where the flag is placed on the green. Off the tee, if you look straight, you only see a long water body and a very small target with a flagstick. When you look to your right, a vast fairway with water on one side and long trees on the other awaits your ball.

If the players are wise, they will choose to take the longer, more challenging route to the green. But those who aim directly at the green, whether they are brave or fools, can only be determined by the trajectory, flight, and distance of the ball apart from where it stops. If you’re unlucky, your golf ball is guaranteed to be swimming with the fishes as your caddie scours through your golf bag for a replacement.

Scenes from The Forest on hole 11

It’s a horror scene on the 11th hole for anyone who is taking it on. Standing at the tee, you would feel like you’re stuck in a forest surrounded by a horror show of roughs. If the players can hit straight, then they might be able to cross the 459 yards unscathed. However, if they let the wind, their mind, or any other factors drive the ball towards the woods, then The Woodland will take over the round from them. From that point on, the pro can only hope that they can somehow manage to make par with some outstanding strokeplay.

Endgame could be game over at 18th

If they thought the 4th hole was bad, the players won’t like the 18th hole one bit. Unlike the 4th, which gives you a clear direction to the right, the final hole of the course is a bit deceptive. That is due to the stretch of fairway ahead of the tee zone. However, the remainder of the fairway across the rough towards the right is what makes one realize how challenging it actually is.

Stretching across 548 yards, the narrow field of the 18th hole ensures most of the players either hit the rough or sink the ball. While the rough on the right is a safer bet, the best way to score under par is by hitting the fairway. In crunch situations in the final round, such an obstacle can make or break the tournament for any golfer, especially if they are chasing the top spot for a victory in the 2025 Chevron Championship.

With so many obstacles ahead of them, who do you think will win the first major of the LPGA Tour season at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course? Share your views in the comments section.