By Mollee Francisco

Those wondering what it would be like to be Tiger Woods playing the Hazeltine National Golf Club course need wonder no longer.

The private course in Chaska is one of the new courses featured in the recently released Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 by EA Sports. It will allow players to experience the famed 18th hole where, as Woods declares in the game’s trailer, he hit “probably my best shot ever on the PGA Tour” in 2002.

Hazeltine is hosting this year’s PGA Championship in August.

According to Hazeltine Controller Jeff Okland, the golf club’s board wasn’t interested in being featured in a video game when first approached prior to the 2002 PGA Championship.

“As a private club, we don’t do a lot of commercial things,” he explained. “So we said ‘No thanks.’”

But EA Sports didn’t give up. They contacted Hazeltine again last year and this time, when Okland brought the proposal to the board, they had a different mindset.

“I’m sure it had to do with the Tiger Woods game getting so big and Tiger Woods being who he is,” said Okland.

The board agreed to let Hazeltine in among the virtual renderings of other famed courses like Torrey Pines and Bethpage Black.

Okland said that a small crew of 3-4 people visited Hazeltine last fall when the course was in full color and collected information about the course using photography and GPS.

In April, Hazeltine staff got their first glimpse of what the game designers had created. “It was amazing how real it looks,” said Okland. “It’s almost hard to believe it’s animated.”

Their staff made a few suggestions of minor changes but were overall very pleased with the accuracy of their course, Okland said. They haven’t got a chance to see the finished product yet, but are hoping to get a look at the game this week.

“I’m sure they did a good job,” said Okland.

He declared the game a good thing for members of the general public who don’t necessarily have access to their private course.

“It will be equally as fun for people who buy the game before the event,” Okland continued. “When they’re out here for the championship, they’ll recognize it. It’s very realistic.”