How pros prepare for a 'crazy' desert course littered with lava rocks

PGA Tour pros face many challenges at this week's Black Desert Championship, the tournament's premiere. From racking up FedEx points for next year to trying to earn one last big payday, they've got their hands full.

They also face a hurdle they are not used to: having to play a new tournament course for the first time.

And it's not just any parkland course. Designed by Tom Weiskopf, the course at Black Desert Resort looks unlike any other course played on tour. The 18-hole course is located in the Utah desert. Fairways and greens are lined with black lava rock, the complex is surrounded by red mesas and the snow-capped Rocky Mountains loom in the distance.

Additionally, it is an altitude course with an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet.

All of these remarkable qualities of the course force tour professionals to prepare differently than they normally would, as Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair explained in their pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday.

Blair, who had never played Black Desert before this week despite being from Utah, was the first to notice its breathtaking beauty.

“Really pretty, of course. The landscape out here is pretty crazy. I think it's going to look great on TV and stuff,” Blair shared. “I’m pretty excited to see what the results look like and what the game looks like under tournament conditions.”

Fishburn explained the complications that arise from the course's altitude, which the Utah native already has to deal with from his childhood in the state.

“Playing at height is definitely different. I grew up in Ogden, Utah, and played at Ogden Country Club, which is probably at 4,000 feet, and we're probably at 3,000 feet here. The ball just does different things,” Fishburn said, before pointing out another hurdle to consider: the expected high temperatures. “There are just a lot of different factors that come into play with the heat this week. If you're not used to that, it results in a few more calculations going on in your brain, although for me personally less calculation is better.”

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Both players also explained that accuracy off the tee will be crucial as the lava rocks scattered throughout the course pose a challenge. Blair noted that this would likely prevent many players from hitting the driver off the tee, but not necessarily him because of the lack of distance.

“I don’t get very far, so a lot of people have talked about how they can’t reach a lot of riders,” Blair joked. “I kind of felt like I could meet a lot of riders. I’m the smallest player on the tour, so…”

According to Blair, a shot into the rocks this week essentially amounts to a lost ball.

“I think all the lava rock is just like that and it doesn't pose any danger, it's just kind of a lost ball, it's not really like anything else. So there are certain places you could go and they could be dangerous, or you go to Arizona and you come across it in the desert and you can still find it and eradicate it,” Blair said. “Most of the time you won’t find it here. Especially in the rocks. I think it's very unique, very different. People are all seeing it and learning it for the first time.”

He continued: “But there’s plenty of room out there to play. It's not like it's super tight everywhere. They gave us a lot of room to hit driver or anything else off the tee. I just need to keep it away from the rocks.”

But Fishburn mentioned an advantage newer pros will have this week as everyone is playing the course for the first time in tournament conditions, unlike most Tour courses where veterans have years of playing experience.

“Playing against people who have known these things for 10, 15 or more years. You know, you try to catch up as much as you can in a few days,” Fishburn said. “So this week comes, I haven’t seen the course yet, played it a few times, I feel like at least with that it will be a level playing field. Then playing at Utah, having the experience that I’m having at Utah, just hopefully something that helps me.”

Fans and players alike will get their first look at the tournament-ready Black Desert course when the first group tees off at 9:40 a.m. ET on Thursday.

Kevin Cunningham

Golf.com Publisher

As executive producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes stories on GOLF.com and manages the brand's e-newsletters, which reach more than 1.4 million subscribers each month. As a former two-time intern, he also helps keep GOLF.com running outside of breaking news and service content from our reporters and writers, and works with the technology team to develop new products and innovative ways to deliver an engaging experience for the website our audience.