Nicklaus Private golf course at PGA West in La Quinta, California

Perhaps the most challenging of the three closed-to-the-public golf courses at PGA West, the Nicklaus Private Course features elevated tees, sunken fairways and unpredictable greens. And that's not to mention the spectacular views.

Once ranked among the top golf courses in the world by Golf Magazine, the Nicklaus Private Course opened in 1987 and sits alongside five others at PGA West. Jack Nicklaus designed it to host the Ryder Cup Matches, though the event never came to California.

The par-72 golf course plays to just under 7,000 yards from the championship tees, essentially equal in length to the Palmer Private Course as the shortest at PGA West. But with a slope rating of 146, the Nicklaus Private Course ranks second only to PGA West's Dye Stadium Course at the 90-hole, desert resort. Each of its holes are assigned names, including some rather ominous tags like Courage, Confusion and Tension.

Nicklaus Private golf course at PGA West - hole 1

Bunkers protect both sides of the fairway on the par 4 opening hole at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course. The green is flat - but narrow.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course - hole 2

You'll want to avoid "Gibraltar," the tall rock formation protecting the front of the green, at the second hole at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course - hole 3

Aim for the center of the green at No. 3 at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course. The canal is left, a large bunker lies short and there's a hard-to-see bunker back right.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private GC - hole 4

No. 4 at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course is a good birdie opportunity. You'll want to stay left on this par 5, because Lake Cahuilla is to your right.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course - hole 5

Don't be lulled in by the wide fairway off the tee on No. 5 at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course. The approach leads to an exacting green; miss it to the right, and you'll face a blind chip.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course - hole 6

You might think it looks easy, but miss left, and you'll hit lake; to the right, you have lake and trees. The center of the green is a smart play at the sixth at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course - hole 7

The seventh at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course is a simple par 3 that plays slightly downhill. Miss short and you're looking at a bunker shot and putt for par.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private golf course - hole 8

The eighth at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course is reachable in two shots if you take your tee shot left. Stay away from right. Trouble lurks in the form of a lake.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course - hole 9

Stay in the middle of the fairway at No. 9 at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course. There's a huge lake on the right that presents a problem.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private GC - hole 10

Hit it straight at the 10th at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course, and you'll land in a huge bunker. If you're long off the tee, go right, and you'll get an open shot to the green.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private golf course - hole 11

On the 11th at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course, make sure you lay-up right, because bunkers guard the front and back of the narrow green.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course - hole 12

You'll face mounds on No. 12 at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course. You have to get over one off the tee left and on your second shot to green.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private GC - hole 13

Don't be intimidated by the par-5 13th at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course. It's reachable. Hit drive left, avoiding the bunkers and landing short of the lake.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private GC - hole 14

Don't be lulled in by this short par 4; No. 14 at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course is the fourth hardest hole on the course. You'll have to carry the water on your second shot to a narrow green. Good luck.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course - hole 15

The 15th at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course is an uphill dogleg left. Be careful of a front-left pin placement. Your ball might find itself rolling back to you.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private golf course - hole 16

A deep, 50-yard green awaits at 16 on PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course. The green is well-bunkered and winding. This par 5 features a dogleg right.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course - hole 17

Your round might come down to the par-3 17th at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course. This hole will test your patience, because you'll need to hit over the "volcano" and the bunker that hides behind it.

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PGA West's Nicklaus Private GC - hole 18

A tough golf course finishes on a tough hole. The 18th at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course features a generous fairway and a green protected by a lake on the right.

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