At last year's Senior Slam played at the Tournament Players Club of the Twin Cities in Blaine, Allen Doyle won with a score of 5-under-par 67 in his first look at the course.

The four-man field, made up of the winners of the Senior PGA Tour's four majors, played a difficult course setup. All but a couple of the tees were set all the way back on the 7,164-yard course, and most of the pins were tucked in tough positions. "Sunday pins," one of the players called them.

Graham Marsh, who had played the course the previous day in a pro-am, shot 70 in the Senior Slam, and Hale Irwin and Dave Eichelberger shot 72s.

Those were good scores for playing the course for the first time. But those players also are among the best on the senior tour.

For this week's 3M Championship, the course will play at 7,106 yards. That's long by senior tour standards, but with wide fairways that allow the use of drivers on most of the par-4 holes, it will not play as long as the yardage.

With few trees on the course, wind will be a factor in scoring. The prevailing wind is out of the southwest, and there is little to block it but the surrounding houses.

"This golf course depends on the wind," tournament director Hollis Cavner said. "If we get wind, this course plays three shots harder. Without wind, the scores will be low, with maybe 15 under (par) winning it."

Cavner said the rough will be grown to about 3 inches, which is longer than at Bunker Hills the previous eight years of the tournament, and that the greens will roll about 11 on the Stimpmeter, a bit quicker than at Bunker.

"We want the course to play tough," Cavner said. "I think there will be some guys (shooting) low, but we'll also see some high numbers."

Alan Cull, head pro at the TPC of the Twin Cities, began working for the TPC network in 1987. This will be his 18th pro tournament.

"The fairways are wide here, but this is really a second-shot golf course," Cull said. "If you miss the green, you'll be in trouble."

Cull offers his thoughts on how the senior tour pros likely will play the course:

NO. 1, PAR 4, 420 YARDS
The fairway is very generous, and most players will aim left of the bunkers on the right corner of the dogleg. It takes about a 260-yard drive to carry the bunkers. The elevated green is guarded by bunkers left and right. The Sunday pin placement probably will be back left. It's a fair starting hole -- not too hard, not too easy.

NO. 2, PAR 4, 388 YARDS
This is the No. 1 handicap hole for members. It has played harder for them than any other hole. Most players will hit a 3-wood or long iron off the tee because of the pond on the right and out of bounds left -- there's no real advantage in hitting driver. The second shot has to carry the water in front of the green, and there's also water right of the green. It's not long, but it's a precision hole, a thinking-man's hole.

NO. 3, PAR 5, 546 YARDS
There's out of bounds and a bunker right and water left off the tee, but again the fairway is generous. Most players will lay up with their second shot because of the fescues, other tall grasses and bunkers in front of the green. But it should be a birdie hole because most players will have only a short wedge third shot into the green.

NO. 4, PAR 3, 177 YARDS
Most players will hit a 6- or 7-iron into one of the toughest greens on the course. The green is two-tiered, sloping severely from back to front, and is surrounded by bunkers. A pin placement on the back right ledge will be difficult to get at.

NO. 5, PAR 4, 418 YARDS
This might be the most scenic and most remembered hole on the course with a narrow green surrounded on three sides by trees. And it's the only hole without a bunker. Off the tee, you can't miss left because of the tall grass. Most players will hit driver and then have a mid- or short-iron into a green on which they cannot see the putting surface from the fairway. With a big waste bunker in front of the green, a front pin placement could be very challenging.

NO. 6, PAR 5, 571 YARDS
If the prevailing wind comes up, it will be hard for many players to get home in two shots. Off the tee, most players probably can carry the waste area on the right. There's out of bounds and water left, so most players will favor the right side. It's an ominous second shot, with the green tucked behind the water and a bunker.

NO. 7, PAR 4, 318 YARDS
This is Tom Lehman's favorite hole. It's a good short par-4. Most players will hit 3-wood or a long iron off the tee and then only have sand wedge to the green. It's a big risk to hit driver because the green is two-tiered and isn't very big and because of all the bunkers.

NO. 8, PAR 3, 204 YARDS
This is one of Arnold Palmer's favorite holes here. The hole requires a long iron hit to a pretty shallow green -- it's only 20 yards deep -- and there are bunkers in front. It usually plays into the wind, too, making club selection that much more difficult.

NO. 9, PAR 4, 456 YARDS
The longest par-4 hole usually plays downwind. Out of bounds right and prairie grasses left border a wide fairway. Most players will have a mid- to long-iron in to a green that is guarded by water right and bunkers left and behind.

NO. 10, PAR 4, 379 YARDS
It's not a very long hole, but off the tee there are water and a bunker right and trees left that can stymie the second shot. The safe play is not to hit driver. Most players probably will hit a long iron and then have a short iron to a green with water right and bunkers left and right.

NO. 11, PAR 4, 414 YARDS
This is my favorite hole although I really don't know why. Trees go down the entire left side, so you can't miss your tee shot there. And there's out of bounds right and a bunker on the right side of the landing area. The green is elevated with bunkers short right and left.

NO. 12, PAR 5, 593 YARDS
Everything on this hole is set up by the drive. Trees guard the left side, so a drive down the right side of the fairway is ideal, but going too far right brings an unseen pond into play. Some guys might hit 3-wood off the tee for positioning. This is about the only par-5 hole you can run your second shot onto the green, but it plays into the prevailing wind and likely will be a three-shot hole.

NO. 13, PAR 3, 209 YARDS
This long par-3 will play down wind, so club selection will be important because shots over the green will not be good. The green is big and slopes from the back right to front left. There are bunkers short, left and right of the green. Visually, this is a great hole.

NO. 14, PAR 4, 423 YARDS
The tee shot on this hole is probably the most visually intimidating because you have to drive over a pond and then avoid the fairway bunkers. The fairway narrows the closer you get to the green, so most players probably will hit 3-wood and aim between the bunkers and hope they don't get a side-hill lie. The green is fronted by water on the left and there are bunkers short and right.

NO. 15, PAR 4, 437 YARDS
This is the longest par-4 on the back nine and requires two good shots. Trees right and grassy mounds left mean you need an accurate tee shot to have a decent second shot. The huge green slopes from back to front and is guarded by three bunkers on the front left.

NO. 16, PAR 4, 387 YARDS
Almost everyone will hit an iron off the tee because this is one of the tighter landing areas with water right and fairway bunkers left. The elevated green is shallow and is guarded by bunkers front and short right, so the second shot must be precise.

NO. 17, PAR 3, 184 YARDS
The tee shot is all carry over water to a big green with bunkers back right. This hole plays into the prevailing wind, so club selection will be very important.

NO. 18, PAR 5, 582 YARDS
This is a great finishing hole. The fairway is the widest on the course at about 65 yards in the landing area, but the hole plays into the prevailing wind and that will affect the decision on the second shot. Those who drive it close to the pond can go for the green in two; it's about a 170-yard carry from the edge of the pond to the front edge of the green. A poor drive means a tough lay-up shot left. It's a great risk-reward hole and a great hole to end the round and the tournament.