A hole-by-hole tour of The Olympic Club's Lake Course for the 2025 U.S. Amateur

The opening hole - a par 5 for members and par 4 for the elite amateurs - is gentle compared to the rest of the course. It rolls casually downhill to reveal perhaps the best view of the ocean. The approach should land short and bounce on, otherwise the slope of the green will boot the ball to the back.

No. 2 is first of many holes that play uphill and longer than the yardage. Judging how far to the pin will be a real issue since players can't see the green's surface from the fairway. The green slopes dramatically from right to left, so hitting to the left of the pin will set up an uphill putt.

The elevated tee of the course's first par 3 features perhaps the best view of the city. The green is a narrow target bracketed by bunkers.

The fourth tee shot introduces the biggest strategic element of the feared Lake Course: A fairway that swings left but kicks the ball into the thick right rough.

The fifth does the opposite, bending right but kicking the ball left. Big hitters can cut the corner of the dogleg to set up a much easier approach.

Like many of the other holes on the Lake, the sixth finishes at a well-bunkered, elevated green. Up and down from thick rough or deep bunkers is never easy here.

Hanse's new seventh hole was used to reconnect the routing to the par-3 8th hole that was moved in 2009. At 316 yards, it's a welcome breather where birdie is attainable and par readily available. Like the old 7th, the fairway climbs uphill. A new bunker up the left side 50 yards short of the green provides a risk-reward proposition. Players who can carry it will be able to feed the ball off a down slope toward the green, which is flanked by three of the course's smallest bunkers on the left and another front right. "It is a much more compelling tee shot," Hanse said.

The 8th also climbs steeply skyward, adding at least 1-2 clubs. The miss is long or right to make sure a player clears the two front bunkers and the false front that will send the ball careening back to the fairway 30 yards below the green.

The 9th, the second-longest par 4 on the entire routing, starts with a downhill tee shot to a right-to-left sloping fairway.

The 10th hole bends gently right. Several bunkers pinch a relatively flat green, requiring an accurate approach for a chance at birdie.

For amateurs, the most difficult part of playing the 11th is putting down the burger dog they bought from Hot Dog Bills. Since the ams won't be stopping for San Francisco's most famous golf treat, they should be able to concentrate on hitting a quality shot to a demanding green.

The 12th has been lengthened by 30 yards in recent years. Tall Monterey pines and cypress trees make it a daunting hole.

I'd argue this is the hardest par 3 on the Lake, although the statistics say it's the 8th. Players should take one more stick than they think. Many will be hitting long irons and hybrids to make sure they carry the front bunkers.

This dogleg left can be trouble for players who hook their shots into the tree line. The second shot to the elevated green is one of the hardest approach shots at the club.

The extremely deep front bunker is like a "Mavericks" wave crashing down on you. It's one of the worst misses on the course.

This hard dogleg left became part of major championship lore when Jim Furyk was caught off-guard by a tee box pushed up by the USGA at the 2012 U.S. Open. He hooked his ball into the tall trees, losing a great opportunity to capture his second U.S. Open.

With a fairway that slopes left to right, hitting it in the short grass isn't easy, but it's paramount to giving this uphill par 5 a go in two. Hanse put a new fairway bunker up the right side to further penalize misses. The green is heavily armored and hard to get up and down on for those who miss.

One of the great short par 4s in golf, the 18th is no picnic for a player sitting on a lead. Hanse put new fairway bunkers on either side of the landing zone. The "IOU" bunkers are deep and the green narrow and crooked. Any par is a welcome one.