The par five 13th hole marks the farthest point from the club house on Black Mesa's home stretch. The hole measures 591 yards from the back tees down to 500 yards from the front.

The goal off the tee is to find the space between two saddles that mark the beginning and end of the fairway. The furthest saddle narrows more than the first with a high bluff to the left and a more gentle hill to the right.

When hitting a drive to this point of the fairway, you will notice the bunker on the left and instinctively play to the right. The fairway slopes from left to right and faded tee shots will find the hillside to the right. On days when the breeze is up finding the fairway will feel like trying to thread a needle with an elephant.

A cross bunker running the last three fourths of the fairway presents a major problem for your second shot. You can play to the generous landing area well short of the bunker and have a long third or try to clear it. The landing area over the bunker slopes from right to left with a natural arroyo guarding the fairway and green. Balls finding the hollow in this landing area will leave you with great angles to all pin placements from this planned lay up area. I have found that most second shots anywhere near the fairway will collect in the hollow. Only when the wind is blowing from left to right will the arroyo come into play.

The hourglass shaped green complex is well guarded with bunkers on the left and right. Players who favor the right might find trouble in the deep long narrow bunker that runs the entire length of the green. On the left side, a series of three bunkers above the green will leave those with a questionable sand game with a white knuckle downhill shot to the narrow green.

The green generally slopes from back to front and is the longest on the course. On long putts, players should consider how the initial break will be influenced by the final break on this green. The front and middle of the green features a middle crown that slopes into two catch areas with the middle section featuring a much flatter crown than the front.

Despite the number of times I've played this hole, the back section of this green still tricks me up and is one of the reasons I like to play the course so much. You can have easy putts to each of the three back pin positions, but only when the ball is in the correct position. Otherwise you will face the most interesting putts up to this point of your round.

This hole only sets up the remainder of the back nine which is the reason Dante wrote the book.