2020 Birdie Every Hole Challenge

[pulledabill]

 

Easiest for me is #1, 2, 7, 10, and 16.

Hardest is 9, 11, 14, and 17.

 

Really not sure if I can birdie them all in a year as 9 really haunts me (mental), and 14 is just tough in the evenings with the headwind and multilevel green.  Much easier to play when there is no wind or downwind, but as a twilight member, that's when I play it.  14 is the #1 handicap but I do birdie when the stick is cut front or center. 17 is a longish par 3 that plays either dead in to the wind or a strong cross breeze.  Green is sloped with a false front.  Much easier to birdie when the pin is cut back so you maybe leave yourself with an uphiller instead downhill or severe slide slope. 

 

I need to get off of light duty at work so I can start playing again!!

 

 

Edited February 23, 2020 by pulledabill

[Bucky CC]

Added my name to the Google Docs spreadsheet though I won't be able to start until April unless we get a very early spring.

My friends and I have been doing this the last few years.  It's a fun little side challenge to keep things interesting throughout the entire season.  Last year I birdied 16 of the 18 holes on my home course.  The two that I failed to birdie were:

Hole 7: a 404 yard par 4 that doglegs left.  Tee shot on this one is key.  There are bunkers on the left corner that force you to hit 260+ carry.  Water lines the right hand side so if you push or slice your shot you'll end up wet.  Surrounding the green is a large bunker short right and water on the right that loops behind the green.  The green itself is elevated and slopes back to front.  It really takes two very good shots and leaving yourself below the hole to have a legitimate chance at birdie.

Hole 18: a 347 yard par 4 straight uphill.  Bunkers on the left and OB right make this a tight driving hole.  It's a pretty steep climb the entire way so the 347 yards plays much longer (at least two clubs).  The green is usually the fastest of any on the course as it is elevated and has many large trees lining the back that have roots sucking the daily irrigation.

I birdied these two holes a combined 5 times in 2018 so hopefully they won't be an issue in 2020.

[Peaksy68]

I'm in. My home course is as follows.

 

• Hole 1 | Par 4 | 385: The green is perched high above the fairway, with a false front that feeds the ball back 50 yards if 1/2 a club short.
• Hole 2 | Par 4 | 368: Generally plays into the wind, but a real birdie chance when there's no wind.
• Hole 3 | Par 4 |340: Driveable par 4 but trouble all around. 
• Hole 4 | Par 3 | 190: Tough par 3 with a gully at the front of the green.
• Hole 5 | Par 4 | 370: Straightforward par 4. Birdie-able.
• Hole 6 | Par 5 | 570: Long par 5 with a big dog-leg to the left. Multi tiered green.
• Hole 7 | Par 4 | 420: Plays shorter if you hit the perfect line and catch the steep slope, anything less than perfect is a long way out or in the trees.
• Hole 8 | Par 3 | 154: Great par 3 that is difficult to hit and a tough green.
• Hole 9 | Par 4 | 330: New green complex, with deep bunkers short, and a very slopey green.Easy birdie hole, but will be interesting as the new green gets quicker.
• Hole 10 | Par 4 | 350: Short but narrow par 4. Can be set up very tough or easy depending on pin position.
• Hole 11 | Par 4 | 395: Tough tee shot with deep fairway bunkers. Very difficult green, with lots of different slopes and the wind affects putting.
• Hole 12 | Par 5 | 565: Plays long in the usual wind, but very birdieable..
• Hole 13 | Par 3| 220: Very tough long par 3. Take par and be happy.
• Hole 14 | Par 5 | 530: Straight par 5. One of the easiest holes on the course.
• Hole 15 | Par 4 | 440: Long par 4 that has a deep bunker front right. Par is a good score.
• Hole 16 | Par 4 | 405: Plays shorter than it's length. Dogleg left, the closer to the left rough the easier it plays.Good birdie chance.
• Hole 17 | Par 3 | 152: Can play anywhere from 130 -190, depending on pin position. One of the longest greens I've seen, with a large right to left slope. Get the distance right and it's a good birdie chance, get it wrong 3 putt or worse is a chance.
• Hole 18 | Par 4 | 390: Plays much tougher than it's length due to prevailing wind. Very sloping green adds to the difficulty.

 

[Shankster]

Working on the app to get on the sheet, one bird down. 17 more to go.

[Kenny B]

OK, I'm in.  I should be able to birdie all the holes.  I say this now because I've made more birdies this year so far than any other year by this time.  I'll be playing the Blues; probably singing them too.

 

EDIT:  (added hole descriptions)

#1:  Short opening hole; fairway slopes left to undulating rough and tricky lies.  Big hitters can drive green (I can’t) but bunkers right are penal.  Green is shared with Hole #4.

#2:  Another short hole with 3 bunkers 20-30y from green.  Grassy mounds left and right have severe lies.

#3:  Difficult hole; water down left side and in front of green. Steep grassy mounds on right mean downhill/sidehill lies for 2nd shot.  Must hit fairway.  Pothole bunker over water and large bunker to the right of green. Two-tiered green.

#4:  Par 3 hole that has 2 sections of green; one short with a bunker long and another bunker right; the other section the green is a carry over the bunker on the right and is shared with Hole #1.  Grassy mounds left and right.

#5:  Long straight par 5 hole; no bunkers.  Groups of trees in my landing areas for tee shot and 2nd shot.  Long narrow green; slopes off left, right and back where you can’t see the putting surface.  Usually plays straight into the wind.

#6:  Shorter par 5; goal post group of trees 80y off tee.  Bunkers left and right; mounds left and right.  Bunker short and left of green; trees right.

#7:  Straight hole usually into the wind with trees left and right 40y short of green to fit the 2nd shot through; slightly elevated long, narrow green.  No bunkers.  If you go left off the tee, you will be in the bunkers on hole #6.

#8:  Long par 3 usually into the wind; no bunkers.  Mounds left and right of 2-tiered long, narrow green.

#9:  Dogleg left par 5; cutting corner is not recommended if you can’t get to fairway; mounds and thick rough.  2nd shot is a layup short of pond.  Green is L-shaped 2-tiered green with angled approach.  Must carry over water for right part of green; left part of green is open but going long means difficult pitch from grassy mounds.

#10:  Straight par 4 into the wind with big tree on right at 150y; mounds and driving range left.  Landing area for tee shot is an upslope for me so I don’t get much roll.  Elevated green; bunker short right.

#11:  Straight par 4; difficult 2nd shot.  Trees short left and right and long narrow green with fall off left, right and long.  No bunkers.

#12:  Par 3 with water short right and bunker over the water and on the right.  Bunker long.  2-tiered green.  Wind into and from the left.

#13:  Straight par 5 into the wind.  Fairway drops off to mounds on the right.  Bunker short and left of green starting at 50y out.  Pot bunker long.

#14:  Risk/reward par 4.   I can’t drive it unless I have a favorable wind and the tee is up.  Bunker starting 30y short of green up to and in front of green; pond right of bunker and right of green.  Bunker long left.  2-tiered green.

#15:  Tough par 3 into the wind.  Long bunker right with pond right of bunker.  Grassy mounds left and long.

#16:  Par 4 with fairway dropping off to mounds on right with a few trees.  Bunker left 100 to 50y from green.  Another bunker short right.  Mounds left and long.

#17:  Par 3 with large trees short left with branches overhanging approach shot.  No bunkers, but grassy mounds on all sides.

#18:  Dogleg left Par 5.  Off the tee, large bunker on left, large grassy mounds on right.  Large tree at the corner of dogleg left of the fairway.  Bunker on the right starting at 175y from green that runs up to and in front of green with pond right of bunker.  Mounds left and long.  2 pot bunkers long.

 

My easiest holes:  1, 2, 4, 6, 17

My hardest holes: 

3, I must hit fairway to go for green over pond and 2-tiered green can be a difficult putt.  

5, I must hit 3 accurate shots to get to green (4 if into the wind)

7, uphill into the wind I am hitting 3W or 3H into the green

8, I usually hit 3W or 3H off the tee, sometimes 6i

9, It's easy to end up in the water or the mounds left if I bail out.

10, uphill hole I am hitting 3W or 3H into green

11, A 2nd shot hole; if I don't hit the ball straight it's a difficult pitch shot

18, I must hit a great tee shot for me to see around the tree at the dogleg.  It's a narrow opening to miss the tree and not go in the sand on the right.  If not a great tee shot, I have to lay up around 170y and approach with a 3H or lay up again down the fairway and try for an up/down par.

[Wedgie]

I’ll give it a shot but it’s a long shot. Played my home course 39 times last year and here is my “Dream” score which is my best score on each hole.




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[tony@CIC]

My wife's Ladies league keeps track of each player's best score on each of the holes over the course of the year...  called The Eclectic.  
I've birdied every hole at my course, but not sure if I have done it over one year.  I think so, just never kept a record.  

Our women's league does something similar, they hand out the award at the end of the season.


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[Kenny B]

On 2/21/2020 at 7:13 AM, fixyurdivot said:

I play two "home" courses in Montana. I've made par on all of them so I'll try the birdie challenge. 

Madison Meadows (Ennis, MT)

Beaverhead GC (Dillon, MT)

Hole #6 at Madison Meadows is a tough one to crack.  The green (left arrow) is elevated with a steep apron/false front requiring a carry onto the green.  Catch the back part of the green and it rolls down into a collection area.  It requires a 230+ carry to clear the ravine and hill in the center; and it's frequently into the wind.  A straight drive can continue through the fairway into a hazard - done it and that pisses me off.  Smack a great drive, right on-line, and lose a stroke .  The safe drive is a 3w (driver with wind) to the right, but that makes the second shot longer. I've parred it several times but never birdied it... so this will be my #1 goal.

Guess I'd be playing from the bottom of the ravine!!

[PMookie]

I’d love to enter, but there’s no way I can birdie every hole at my home course for the simple fact that I won’t have enough rounds to do it. The par threes will be really tough as not a single one plays less than 175 yards from the blue tees. Ugh.
I’ll try, but I’ve played there 18 years and haven’t birdied them all yet!


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[THEZIPR23]

26 minutes ago, PMookie said:

I’d love to enter, but there’s no way I can birdie every hole at my home course for the simple fact that I won’t have enough rounds to do it. The par threes will be really tough as not a single one plays less than 175 yards from the blue tees. Ugh.
I’ll try, but I’ve played there 18 years and haven’t birdied them all yet!


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(Cough) play better

[PMookie]

(Cough) play better

All I need to do is get on the “Ryan Plan” and play four times a week!!! Ain’t got no almonds in Louisiana, though!


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[Kenny B]

After going back to look at my 2020 scorecards to record my birdie holes this year... I started thinking.  Usually that's a big mistake, but I couldn't help it.

I'm wondering if this "birdie every hole" challenge will affect my play on those holes that I need to birdie.  Will I play those holes differently... more aggressively?  I don't usually make a bunch of birdies; but I feel like I scramble for pars fairly well.  My birdies come when I least expect it.  I may start trying too hard and make a bunch of doubles instead!!

[JohnSmalls]

Most birdies ever in a week (4), and 3 of them from different courses .  First one down at the home course though!

[chisag]

3 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

After going back to look at my 2020 scorecards to record my birdie holes this year... I started thinking.  Usually that's a big mistake, but I couldn't help it.

I'm wondering if this "birdie every hole" challenge will affect my play on those holes that I need to birdie.  Will I play those holes differently... more aggressively?  I don't usually make a bunch of birdies; but I feel like I scramble for pars fairly well.  My birdies come when I least expect it.  I may start trying too hard and make a bunch of doubles instead!!

 

... Kenny, I think I can honestly say I never try to make a birdie on any hole. There are shots every now and then that are no brainers like a wide fairway with little rough and no bunkers, trees or water so attempting to hit a big drive is SOP. Or a pin placement in the middle of a big green that you can take dead aim. But most shots have a green, yellow or red light. Green may be a DI off the tee, yellow a hybrid/fw and red a driver with water on one side and a deep bunker on the other with a narrow landing area. Same thing on the greens when a pin tucked to the short side with the green sloping away and thick rough means green light is aim to the middle or even the far side of the green, yellow is starting on the far side and working the ball toward the pin and red is going right at it because you think you need a birdie.

... My point being you play each shot the way proper strategy dictates. Of course I have had the most birdies going at a green light pin, but I have also holed 40 foot putts for birdie after a red light pin had me play safe and smart. I think if you play every shot with the proper strategy instead of a potential score, birdies will take care of themselves.  

[Kenny B]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

 

... Kenny, I think I can honestly say I never try to make a birdie on any hole. There are shots every now and then that are no brainers like a wide fairway with little rough and no bunkers, trees or water so attempting to hit a big drive is SOP. Or a pin placement in the middle of a big green that you can take dead aim. But most shots have a green, yellow or red light. Green may be a DI off the tee, yellow a hybrid/fw and red a driver with water on one side and a deep bunker on the other with a narrow landing area. Same thing on the greens when a pin tucked to the short side with the green sloping away and thick rough means green light is aim to the middle or even the far side of the green, yellow is starting on the far side and working the ball toward the pin and red is going right at it because you think you need a birdie.

... My point being you play each shot the way proper strategy dictates. Of course I have had the most birdies going at a green light pin, but I have also holed 40 foot putts for birdie after a red light pin had me play safe and smart. I think if you play every shot with the proper strategy instead of a potential score, birdies will take care of themselves.  

I agree with that.  However, I know that later on in the summer when there is one hole that I need to birdie to complete the challenge, I know I will be thinking about it on the tee, on my 2nd shot, and I dang well know that I will be thinking about it on that straight 6 foot birdie putt.  This could be the most pressure I feel since I quit playing tournaments!!

The good news is that I birdied several of my hardest holes already this year, so I got that going for me... which is nice!

[Smellis745]

I'm in for the birdie/eagle challenge.  So far, I've played the front 9 a lot more than the back and I've got a big jump on that side.  It's been so wet though, the par 5s are playing much longer and I've not yet had an eagle, but I have birdied 3/4.

Cherokee National - Gaffney, SC (blue tees)

 

 

[NoSpoon]

On 2/20/2020 at 1:22 PM, NoSpoon said:

Easiest holes for me: 3, 4, 9, 10, 14, 17

Hardest holes for me: 1, 2, 5, 12, 15, 16

Happy to report that with a few weekend course openings already this season, I've made some progress on this challenge even in the New England weather!

I think I was very much correct about the easiest holes... I've already completed all but 1 of those pars.  However, I was pleased to note that I've parred two of the hard holes as well.  Seems like a real possibility I can finish this off in the next couple months, and then start the birdie challenge.  I doubt I'll complete all 18 of those, but I would be thrilled to make 9.

[DaveP043]

I'm in for birdies, I'll be playing the Blue tees at Stoneleigh Golf Club in Round Hill, VA (6234 yards, 72.0/135).  Only one round so far this year, and only one birdie.  

[chisag]

... This thread has me thinking there are many ways to accomplish a task. The chances of me making birdie on every hole on my most played course are slim but possible. Reading Dave playing a 6234 yd course caused my light bulb to illuminate! The most difficult hole is a 431 yd par 4 uphill and into the prevailing wind. The wind can be much stronger at the top of the hill up at the green than you can feel from the fairway making a GIR a very tough proposition. Par is a great score but birdies are extremely rare. Soooooo near the end of the season I can move up to the 409 tees. Duh! I play this Links Style treeless course from the tips at 6893 or 6466 depending on the wind although it is a rare windless or light wind day that allows me to play from the back tees. But since I am a 66yr old senior, moving up to the tees at 6054 (where most of the people I am paired up with play) just might give me a shot at making birdies on the last few holes that eluded me. And if that doesn't work I can join my wife at the forward tees!  

[TR1PTIK]

Count me in as well! I don't yet have a home course, but I think I've got two that I will frequent quite a bit. I guess I'll just keep track of both and see how it plays out!