How would you play this hole?

[Lacassem 14,912]

4 minutes ago, Chip Strokes said:

here’s my entry. whitney farms golf course #6. par 5, 562 from the blue tees. 

the tee box is elevated and tight. you’re hitting into a small landing area about 230-240 straight out. cutting the corner is out because the trees overhang the tee box. 

from that landing area you’re about 310-320 out facing a blind second shot as the fairway goes up, then back down to the hole. long on your approach is dead because behind the green falls off to narnia. ive never gotten off this hole with better than bogey. 

whatcha got?!

If you truly cannot cut the driver out there I would go 4H and then 4H again, very accurate club for me. That would leave me about 100 in which would be an easy gap that would hold the green well. 

Can you bring an extended trimmer and give ya a little more room 

[Chip Strokes 6,741]

1 minute ago, Lacassem said:

Can you bring an extended trimmer and give ya a little more room 

id like to bring an excavator.  i hate this hole.  i actually feel claustrophobic on the tee box.  can't go left, can't go right, can't go long.  and i absolutely hate blind shots. 

[Lacassem 14,912]

Just now, Chip Strokes said:

id like to bring an excavator.  i hate this hole.  i actually feel claustrophobic on the tee box.  can't go left, can't go right, can't go long.  and i absolutely hate blind shots. 

Snag a picture of the tee box view next time you are there, that aerial view does not do it justice sounds like.

[RickyBobby_PR 8,229]

31 minutes ago, Chip Strokes said:

here’s my entry. whitney farms golf course #6. par 5, 562 from the blue tees. 

the tee box is elevated and tight. you’re hitting into a small landing area about 230-240 straight out. cutting the corner is out because the trees overhang the tee box.  this picture was taken from their flyover and the camera is probably about 20 yards in front of the blue tees.  that tall tree in the top right of the frame is very much in play from the tee box.

 

from that landing area you’re about 310-320 out facing a blind second shot as the fairway goes up, then back down to the hole. long on your approach is dead because behind the green falls off to narnia. ive never gotten off this hole with better than bogey. 

whatcha got?!

I like holes like this. There’s some goo aiming points and also layout that makes you think about options. At that distance it’s a 3 shot hole and depending on ones confidence club choice off the tee will vary especially with how tight it is all the way to green second shots are just as important. Since it’s #6 I’ve already hit the range played several holes and know what my driver is doing and if I’m going to have to worry about the pull or pull hook. The mark you have at 236 is right around my aim point and playing the fade a driver will move to the right some for me so I can squeeze that in there and not have to worry about cutting the corner but rather use hole layout to my advantage.

If I’m not feeling confident then I’m playing fw off the tee and landing short of the 236 mark

32 minutes ago, bens197 said:

Love this thread. 
 

@RickyBobby_PRits a driver all day. That landing area is ripe. 

Thanks. The landing area leaves lots of room. The first 3 holes on this course have some room off the tee but they are all long holes especially from the blues. They all play from the whites if using the combo tees. But they are also well protected with bunkers, elevated tees and hills and thick rough. I’ve gone anywhere from +1 to +5 on those holes 

[RickyBobby_PR 8,229]

Along with Dlows post in random thread this hole but also this course came mind along with some previous threads about course management and people looking at their shot dispersion. Once you get to hole 5 things start to tighten up a bight off the tee depending on shot shape and really start to change on hole 7 & 8. The par 5s from 9 thru the back are open for drivers but second shots have some decisions to make. 
 

Theres holes where I hit driver now that I didn’t in the past in an effort to leave certain distances or because of hole layout. I’m a little more aggressive on some of the holes 

[THEZIPR23 6,107]

4 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

May be in the wrong forum but could be considered mental game.

Dlow’s post in random thread reminded me of this hole. The course is Blue Mash which is a sister course of @Golfspy_CG2 old hole course Waverly Woods.

The front and back nine play complexity different and the back nine is usually pretty windy compared to the front. It also has shorter holes.

The first 3 holes play long from both white and blue tee boxes. This is hole 3. A par 4 and per scorecard white tees are 426 and blue 453. Red are 359 and green just slightly behind them. The course has a combo tee option and this one plays from the whites of using that option. The black circle is roughly where the 150 marker is. Tees are usually in the middle box where the tree on the left is. When I play there whites are anywhere from 400-430. Many times it’s into the wind which adds distance and difficulty.

What strategy would you use to play this hole?

For me I play a fade off the left side of the fairway to try and avoid the bunkers. My typical drive is short of the cart path that splits the fairway to about 20 yards behind it. Usually have anywhere from a 5i to my 4/5 wood depending on what bag setup I have into the green. It’s a hole that I don’t par often and play it to make no worse than bogey.

Edit: #1 hdcp hole. The green is surrounded by a hill on the back and sides with thick rough.

Looks like pick a bunker in the middle that you can carry and rip driver. If you can't carry them it still looks like you just aim right at them and then adjust from there. 

3 hours ago, Lacassem said:

I like this idea of "how would you play this hole", I feel like this is going to be one of those long term threads.

I am tossing one out there, I have talked about this hole in the past, it is one of my favorite holes around and its a beast:

This is hole 9 @ Highfields country club in Grafton, MA. Total yardage is carded at 622/570/550/490 from Black/Gold/White/Red. It plays a little less from each about 20 yards less.

The first circle is 300 out from the green, and 200 from the 2nd circle. 2nd circle is 100 out from the green roughly. The window is very tight off the tee no matter where you tee it from (see below) the widest point is about 35 yards and tightest about 20. Left side is completely OB with the houses and the fairway funnels right into the woods. The green is well protected in the front with 2 traps and if you lay up you will have to fly the green on your 3rd as you most likely will not be able to run up the front of the green as the fairway cuts back left and then back up into the green. The 3rd shot has the green below you, but the green IS raised and runs down the hill around the entire green from trap to trap.

I typically play from the Golds on this course. I have never reached in 2. Par is a huge positive. So what say you?!

There are a lot more trees now on the left side and this was before the houses there as well but this is the view from the tee box.

This just looks like a fun motha.... at the widths you provided there are really no options. Hit something that allows you to keep it in play and reach green in reg. 

[vandyland 339]

Widest part of the fairway appears to be at 215 yds (40 yd landing zone between trees) off the tee playing about 10 ft downhill. Fairway does look like it tilts about 5 feet left to right. Since I also couldn't reach this in my wildest dreams, it would be easy 3W/hard 4hyb trying to keep it in play off the tee. 

For the second shot, assuming I am safely in the fairway, it looks like the trees on the right open up a bit if I can carry it 190+. Also the second shot looks to play about 15-20 ft downhill. Landing zone that is 210 yds away is 53 yds wide. Fairway tilt is now more like 8 ft left to right. 

Finally, the reward for pulling off 2 smooth 3Ws would hopefully be about 120-130 left into a green that is not huge by any means (23 yd deep x 24 yd wide) that looks like it tilts left to right and drops off about 4-5 feet if you are long. Does not look fun! But I see no reward to hitting a driver here unless you just hate your 3W or lowest hybrid for some reason. If I somehow managed to thread a driver in there I would still have about 90 yds as an approach shot (3rd shot, no way I am reaching this) and I don't think I am demonstrably closer to the hole with a soft GW vs a PW but I am demonstrably more accurate with a 3W vs a Driver off the tee. 

Edited October 20, 2021 by vandyland

[mywong23 6]

Agree with hitting driver, as that should land in the widest part of the fairway.

If scoring a sure bogey is acceptable, I would use the 5i and land short of the narrowing; in front of trap;

avoiding rough to the right and trouble behind the green.

then short 30 yard pitch and hopefully easy two putt.   there seems to be a lot of green to work with.

who knows, your pitch might place you within 10 ft of the hole and you sink a par saver

======================

Of course, if you feel like gambling for a par, then hit whatever you need to land on the green and two putt.

But the above suggestion is answer for a sure bogey, with a 25% chance for a par.

[MNUte 309]

Here's my entry: Hole 13 at The Ridge Golf Club in West Valley, Utah.

Flyover View of the Hole: 

Details: Hole 13 is a Par 5 that is fairly short but offers some interesting risk-reward challenges. It's a very easy par hole if you want to play it that way. The reason I'm proposing it is because the more aggressive you play it, the more you have swings between birdie/eagle and bogey/double. 

Tee Shot & fairway: from the Tips it is 538 yards, from the Blues 507, from the Whites 474. However, it's a blind uphill tee shot, and the further back you play, the more uphill your tee shot is and the further down the hole you go, the tighter it gets. There's water on the right starting about 250 yards down from the blues that extends all the way up to the green, and there are bunkers right in front of the green. The entire hole slopes left to right, and the left side of the hole is hill that slopes down into the fairway. 

Greens: There's maybe 2 to 3 yards of cut between the water and the front right of the green. The right side of the green funnels down and out. Otherwise, the green slopes mostly back to front. You have about 25 yards from bunker side to back and about 30 yards from the water side to back. The pin tends to be tucked towards the front. 

Edited October 21, 2021 by MNUte
Expanding.

[THEZIPR23 6,107]

2 hours ago, MNUte said:

Here's my entry: Hole 13 at The Ridge Golf Club in West Valley, Utah.

Flyover View of the Hole: 

Details: Hole 13 is a Par 5 that is fairly short but offers some interesting risk-reward challenges. It's a very easy par hole if you want to play it that way. The reason I'm proposing it is because the more aggressive you play it, the more you have swings between birdie/eagle and bogey/double. 

Tee Shot & fairway: from the Tips it is 538 yards, from the Blues 507, from the Whites 474. However, it's a blind uphill tee shot, and the further back you play, the more uphill your tee shot is and the further down the hole you go, the tighter it gets. There's water on the right starting about 250 yards down from the blues that extends all the way up to the green, and there are bunkers right in front of the green. The entire hole slopes left to right, and the left side of the hole is hill that slopes down into the fairway. 

Greens: There's maybe 2 to 3 yards of cut between the water and the front right of the green. The right side of the green funnels down and out. Otherwise, the green slopes mostly back to front. You have about 25 yards from bunker side to back and about 30 yards from the water side to back. The pin tends to be tucked towards the front. 

This hole looks like an architects attempt to pull you into the water. It looks like there is roughly 70 yards from the green dot to the cart path. If that is the case the water shouldn't be in play off the tee. Also 2nd shot looks like hit it at the bunkers and make sure you have enough club to carry the water. I can't tell but it looks like there is plenty of room behind and left of the green. 

[Tom S 4]

On 10/20/2021 at 9:59 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

May be in the wrong forum but could be considered mental game.

Dlow’s post in random thread reminded me of this hole. The course is Blue Mash which is a sister course of @Golfspy_CG2 old hole course Waverly Woods.

The front and back nine play complexity different and the back nine is usually pretty windy compared to the front. It also has shorter holes.

The first 3 holes play long from both white and blue tee boxes. This is hole 3. A par 4 and per scorecard white tees are 426 and blue 453. Red are 359 and green just slightly behind them. The course has a combo tee option and this one plays from the whites of using that option. The black circle is roughly where the 150 marker is. Tees are usually in the middle box where the tree on the left is. When I play there whites are anywhere from 400-430. Many times it’s into the wind which adds distance and difficulty.

What strategy would you use to play this hole?

For me I play a fade off the left side of the fairway to try and avoid the bunkers. My typical drive is short of the cart path that splits the fairway to about 20 yards behind it. Usually have anywhere from a 5i to my 4/5 wood depending on what bag setup I have into the green. It’s a hole that I don’t par often and play it to make no worse than bogey.

Edit: #1 hdcp hole. The green is surrounded by a hill on the back and sides with thick rough.

Interesting hole.  It looks like a double fairway.  I've seen double greens and double tees, but never a double fairway.   I would take out a driver and blast it to the right.  It looks like the best approach shot is from the adjoining fairway on the right side.  There's no bunkers to go over, no trees, nothing but green.  Assuming there's no internal out of bounds, it looks like that's the best way.

[RickyBobby_PR 8,229]

26 minutes ago, Tom S said:

Interesting hole.  It looks like a double fairway.  I've seen double greens and double tees, but never a double fairway.   I would take out a driver and blast it to the right.  It looks like the best approach shot is from the adjoining fairway on the right side.  There's no bunkers to go over, no trees, nothing but green.  Assuming there's no internal out of bounds, it looks like that's the best way.

The fairways on left is for hole 2 and the one on the right is for hole 5

[MNUte 309]

3 hours ago, THEZIPR23 said:

This hole looks like an architects attempt to pull you into the water. It looks like there is roughly 70 yards from the green dot to the cart path. If that is the case the water shouldn't be in play off the tee. Also 2nd shot looks like hit it at the bunkers and make sure you have enough club to carry the water. I can't tell but it looks like there is plenty of room behind and left of the green. 

Back left of green is above the green. So you'd be hitting onto a downslope below you. If you're comfortable chipping, you can definitely do it that way. But if you go too far back, it slopes away into a trench (the light green patch on the snapshot). 

And going left definitely is the safer/smarter play, but it makes the hole longer, puts the ball on more slope the further left you go, and brings the bunkers into play if you don't have a club you're consistent hitting over 225 with on a slope. 

I am a shorter hitter so I work around and take the par. But for longer hitters, there are plenty of benefits to keeping the ball as right as possible. 

[Jonny_Crash 186]

At the Houston Open they set the tees on the 17th at 301 yards.  Some players went for it and others (Matthew Wolf) teed off with a pitching wedge.  It made for some good entertainment. https://golf.com/news/how-quirky-houston-open-par-4-star-teed-off-wedge/

Most of us mortals would just hit out into the fairway, so it doesn't make a great hole for this thread.  But I thought I'd post it anyway.

 

[kevin6853 2]

 I play it forward.  The Red tees are long enough.

[Albatrass 54]

I would use driver and aim along left rough line.  Hopefully I have a shot of 160 to the green where I would aim to middle of green and have a decent putt at the cup. 

[Ben_Howell34 386]

I’ve got one, Par 3 version. Number 14 at Ballantrae in Birmingham. Par 3 220 yards, water all down the right and bunker on the left. Obvious answer is to play left but the problem is if you are in the bunker, the green slopes down towards the water so it is hard to stop the ball out of the sand. 
 

I tend to try and play it short to give a decent shot at up and down, but still a tough hole. 

[Rojohn6262 1]

I’m a white tee player but from blues I hit driver then probably two hybrids

[GolfPro59 2]

Since I cannot get there in 2 shots I would hit my 3 wood with a slight fade down the left center of the fairway.  I would then, depending on the pin placement, hit either my 2 hybrid or 4 iron to lay up to an appropriate position where I would have a good angle to pitch or chip into the flag.  Most of the time I would be able to get it from 80 yards in to about 6-10 ft and try and 1 putt for the birdie.  This would ensure a easy Par on the hole.

[edingc 11,265]

This one is a little more "cut and dry" than the others, but I've never had the guts to go for it with driver. Curious to see what people would do here:

No. 15, Diamond Springs Golf Course

Par 4, tee locations marked. 245 yards to carry the ravine/hazard to front of green from whites, about 270-275 from blue. There's a decent backstop to the green so you can drive and stop it. 

There's all kinds of bail out room in the fairway, but there's a huge ridge that runs the length of the fairway and funnels balls left or right. Balls hit left of the ridge have a completely blind shot into the green with no view of anything. They often put the pin on the left most part of the green, too, so the chance of stopping the ball close to the hole is next to nothing.

The Fried Egg has a good drone shot of this hole:

Me personally, the last three times I've played here I've laid up well short (something like a six iron, I think), from both white and blue tees. Twice I stayed right of the ridge and had a good look at the pin with a wedge but ball below my feet. One other time I was left of the ridge and had no view of the green at all. I hit a decent pitch but still didn't come close to the hole as it rolled down the backstop and well out onto the green.

Last time I played with @ncwoz he hooked his first drive out of bounds, but landed his second drive from the blue tees past the green onto the backstop and it trickled down onto the green perfectly. Still one of the best shots I've ever seen in person, and it ended up with him halving the hole with me with bogey.