I'm leaving the game for a while so I'm posting my course walk-throughs in the forum in case someone finds them helpful.
GL all and HF
Royal St. George's Course Walk-Through
27 Feb 2012 at 10:37 AM
Rather than write this 14 times throughout the walk through, I'll just say it once at the beginning. Putting backspin on the ball amplifies the effects of a mishit and it amplifies the effect of the wind, even on dinged shots. When dealing with heavy crosswinds on links courses, it's generally a good idea to keep backspin to a minimum unless you need to carry some sort of danger.
Lastly, the greens at RSG are a little slower than the other courses, enough to leave a higher percentage of good putts sitting on the lip . It's generally a good idea to give your putts a hair more power than you usually would.
Hole 1
The first hole eases you into RSG. It's fairly straight forward without a lot of local knowledge to be had. It's wide, it's flat (ish), and there's not a lot of danger to avoid.
With the wind in your face or at your back, you can cheat the fairway by playing to one side or the other to minimize the amount of crosswind on your approach shot.
Drives that skirt the edges of the fairway are likely to come to rest in the rough, so try to stay at least five yards from the edges.
The Approach
The three bunkers in front of the green only come into play when there is a strong tailwind and you have to play for extra roll. With no wind or a headwind you'll fly over them.
The center pin location gives you a lot of green to work with from all directions. With a strong crosswind, play a center ball shot and try to land the ball short enough and windward enough to roll to the hole. Unless you misjudge the effect of the wind or grossly mishit your shot, you should end up close enough for a good chance at birdie.
With a strong tailwind or headwind, you should put backspin on the ball. With a headwind, you can throw a dart at this pin and have a very good chance at ending up inside 1 yard.
With a tailwind, the backspin is used to control the roll after the ball lands. Just remember that the ball will have considerably more carry with a tailwind. When allowing for the roll, aim about a yard left of the pin. The final few yards to the pin (on the left side) has a downward and to the right slope. If you get your distance correct, this ball can end up very close.
Hole 2
This is one of the few exceptions at RSG to the "no backspin from the tee" rule of thumb. The two bunkers that jut into the fairway, almost amputating the dog's leg on this dogleg left, can almost always be carried without backspin. The problem with a center ball shot from this tee is, if you carry the bunkers, you're likely to roll through the fairway and into the right side rough. Backspin will keep the ball in the fairway and help carry the bunkers, but it comes at a price.
High trajectory drivers using backspin in strong crosswinds should allow for double the effect of the wind. This may put your aiming point over the rough. I think most golfers have a mental block about aiming for rough, but if you want to score on a links course, you better get used to it.
The Approach
The green is above you 2'-14' and it's domed. Missing to the right is usually safe - you'll probably hold the green and have a difficult birdie putt or an easy two putt for par. If you miss left though, you're likely to roll off the green and down the hill, leaving a much trickier pitch to the hole.
The real danger of this green is being long (see my replay "Upslope of RSG 2 green" for a demonstration). Missing long can easily result in a 3 putt because of the severe slope. If you miss long and off line, you will almost certainly 3 putt.
(A fun shot when the opportunity presents itself, is a center ball wedge 5 yards past the hole that will roll back down to within a yard of the hole. Gimmicky, but fun).
Hole 3
A difficult, but also sometimes spectacular par 3
The dangers
Usually a long iron, or in some cases, a 3w (and for me, from the back tees, with a headwind, sometimes it's even a driver). This is very similar to the back side par 3 in that they are both two tiered greens with the pin at the front edge of the upper tier.
The most common shot is one that faceplants into the rise between the two tiers, then rolls back down the hill leaving a difficult to read 20'-30' putt that rises several feet. If you find yourself in this position, par is a good score.
With a strong tailwind, there is just as much chance of blasting right through the green and ending up in the back side rough. It's pretty easy to save par from there with a decent chip or pitch and you might even hole it out for a neato birdie. The danger is chipping too far and rolling off the upper tier. Don't hit this chip with too much power.
The tricks
There are many ways to get close to this pin and not all of them are intuitive.
The left side rough. Intentionally hanging your your ball up in the left side rough, pin high, will leave you with an entirely makeable short pitch shot to the pin. This is a good lie for strong crosswinds.
The right side bump and run. At 239 yard from the black tees, my 225 yard 3w can reach the pin with a moderate right to left tailwind. The upslope between the upper and lower portions of the green is much less pronounced on the right side. Shots to this side can reach the upper tier when shots at the pin will roll back. (see my replay "Rightside approach RSG 3")
The right side carom shot. I discovered this shot by accident one day, but now it's part of my repertoire and it's the only shot I can get close with a strong tailwind. (I'll post a replay of this shot the next time the situation comes up). With a 20+ mph tailwind and 239 yards away, I can still get within 5 yards of the pin. The green is bordered on the right side by a mini mountain range. Using a 3w and no backspin to keep it low, I aim for the face of the hill that's about pin high. The result is a shot the bounces left and rolls along the front edge of the upper tier toward the pin.
Disclaimer: This ^^^ is a low percentage shot, but pretty cool when it works.
Hole 4
A long and difficult par 4
There are tricks to this hole too.
With a tailwind, it's a grip it and rip it drive. The fairway is a little bit above you so you're going to get some extra roll. This can result in some monster drives. Allow for this when aiming because drives that are too long can easily end up in the rough.
With a headwind, you can some extra yardage off this tee by playing for the far side of this hill on the right hand corner of the fairway. When I was at Master/Tour Master with a K15 driver (250 yards), I used this shot regularly. As a legend with a G10 driver, I still use this shot. The ball will hit the far side of the hill on the downslope, then kick forward another 20 yards. This shot is so effective, forgiving, and repeatable that there are times when I will use less than full power just to get the bonus yards.
A variation on this trick shot, is playing for the inside corner of the same hill. It will also kick your ball forward, but at a slightly different angle. This shot comes into play when the headwind is so strong that you can't even reach the far side of the hill. It also comes into play when the headwind is from left to right so as to keep your ball closer to the center of the fairway.
The approach
If you had a small flat circle of modeling clay and then pinched the left side of the circle with your thumb and index finger, you would a reasonable facsimile of what this green is shaped like. This oddly shaped green leads to some interesting and creative approach shots.
Don't be short. That's the key.
The tricks
Top left corner. Hit the ridge at the highest point on the left side and it will trickle toward the hole.
Laying up right. The green has almost no slope on the right hand side, and sometimes the pin is out of reach. In these situations, playing to right will leave you a long, but entirely makeable long birdie putt.
Using the ridge. You can land your ball just short of the top of the ridge in front of the pin, then slow roll down to the hole. It will probably keep rolling past the hole, but it's pretty much what everyone tries to do anyway.
Being long. You can just say screw it, plan on being long, and end up in the far side 20-25% rough with a chip or pitch for birdie. When I birdie this hole, it's almost always from this position.
Hole 5
A lay up par 4. Local knowledge is very important to this hole.
Put it in the fairway. Seriously. If that means teeing off with a three wood, so be it. Don't try to cheat this fairway either. If you end up at the closest corner to the green, short of the rough and right of the bunkers, you know, the perfect drive, you are only slightly better off than if you played safe and hit for the smack dab center of the fairway. My advice is not to cheat this fairway, the risks outweigh the reward.
It is possible to use driver and, through dumb luck only, end up with a wedge shot to the green from 20% rough. It's possible, but not very likely. Going for this drive is a fool's errand, like not laying up on Oakmont 9. There's a 90% chance you'll be better off with 150 yards from the fairway.
The approach
This hole plays long. This hole plays long. This hole plays long. About 5% longer than what you think. Club appropriately and trust that this is the truth.
This hole punishes missing left. You can miss right and miss long by a mile and still have a long, but birdiable putt. If you miss left however, you will run off the green and have a tricky pitch back up the hill to save par. If you miss short, there is a chance your chip to the pin will also trickle off to the left and down the hill. Miss long and miss right.
Hole 6
A birdiable par 3.
There is a ton of room in front of this pin to play a bump and run with a tailwind. There is also a good chance of sticking this green close with a headwind.
The most common problem on this hole is being long. The green is below you so shots carry more than expected whether running it up to the pin or trying to throw a dart. From behind the pin, you will have a right to left breaking putt with some forgiveness built in. The break gets more severe the further right you hit your putt, so you're likely to end up at the same place even if you mishit. The trick to making this putt is speed control.
Tee shots that end up short will have to deal with the steep rise before the pin and a left to right break. Get your speed right and you should have an easy par, but don't expect to hole this putt, it's a lag.
Shots that miss left in the rough or the bunker are in the hardest position. There is no room in front of the pin and a steep downhill slope. Any shot from the bunker, or any shot from the rough greater than 10 yards is probably going to be a bogey. Avoid missing left from the tee.
Hole 7
A three shot par 5
At 573 yards from the tips, expect to have a wedge into this green. With a good tailwind, closer tee boxes, and a long driver, you can reach this in two and also hit some monster drives. Most likely though, you'll be on in three.
There's not much to this tee shot, just aim for the center. If the wind is coming from 7-8 O'clock, You can put backspin on the ball. This will give you more carry and hopefully fly the ridiculous drive-killing lumps in the fairway.
Regardless of where your tee shot goes, the second shot is the most important of also the most unassuming. Play this shot to your strengths. There aren't many opportunities at RSG to have a short wedge into a green for birdie, so don't waste this one. Plan your shot to end up at you favorite wedge distance to the pin. The fairway is wide and flat so there's no excuse for an awkward 35 yard shot at the pin.
The green is hard as a rock, so getting a long iron or fw wood to bite is unlikely. You can roll it up to the pin, but the green wants to funnel those shots left into the greenside rough, or through the green entirely.
With a 50-60 yard wedge, it's just target practice for a tidy birdie.
Hole 8
A difficult par 4
There are a lot of ways to inadvertently screw up this hole. Depending on your tee box and the wind, you can easily drive right through the end of the fairway and into 40% rough. The fairway slopes up hill for two thirds of its length, the starts sloping down hill. Even with a light headwind, it's possible to fly the crest of the fairway and land your drive on the downslope causing it to kick forward and through the end of the fairway. This is the other exception to the "no backspin from the tee" rule. Backspin here will cause your ball to land softer and roll less.
The fairway also slopes from right to left, so hug the right side as much as you safely can because you can easily roll off the left side of the fairway.
The approach
It looks simple enough. Land the ball on the ridge in the center of the green and let it roll down to the hole. It rarely works out that way.
This approach is a wind multiplier. Whatever the strength, and from whichever direction it's blowing, the wind always seems to have a greater effect than expected. This is because the green is 10'-12' below you, but strangely, doesn't really give you the extra yardage you'd expect. The wind is the driving factor on this approach.
Hole 9
From the back tees, you have to come at this fairway from an angle. From the front tees, it fairly straight on. Either way, this is a tight fairway and accuracy is the key.
The fairway predominately slopes up (allowing for the hills and lumps that comprise RSG) so don't expect any huge drives even with a strong tailwind. Just be conservative and aim for the middle.
The approach
This is the hardest shot at Royal St. George's. In order to have a good birdie chance, you have to stick this shot within 3' of the pin. Anywhere else and it's going to roll downhill somewhere. If you miss right, it's going to roll off the green leaving you with the most unforgiving pitch shot imaginable. If you miss left it's going to roll down to the center of the green after it wanders around like a drunk for a while. If you miss short or long, it will end up in one of the two positions just mentioned. Throw a 20 mph crosswind into the mix and your looking at an exciting shot.
Miss left. If you're going to miss, par is salvageable no matter where you are, but birdie is more likely from on the green than off. You'll be putting uphill no matter where you are. As long as you get your speed right, you have a chance. Hit it too hard and you'll find out what it was like from the other side. Hit it too soft and you might get to try again.
From the right, off the green.
So many shots end up here, it's worth describing this shot specifically. You're probably around 10-15 yards from the pin, on a fairway lie, and 3' below the hole. For this shot, you need a ball with some bite. I can't imagine this shot with a free wgt ball. For me, it's a pitch shot with full backspin. Add the distance and half the elevation (in yards). In other words, 14 yards out, 3' up means I'm hitting 14 + 1.5 = 15 1/2 yard pitch. With this formula, I expect to be within a yard of the hole to save par.
Congressional CC Course Walk Through
22 Feb 2012 at 8:38 PM
Hole 1
This hole is a slight dogleg left. Most hitters will be aiming past the dogleg from this tee and landing the ball a bit crosswise to the fairway. Even though the fairway is wide, this angle of approach narrows the fairway down quite a bit. Unless you have confidence in your ability to hit the ding, avoid putting backspin on the ball here. Backspin amplifies the effects of a mishit, and there's just not that much room to miss. The landing area is a half dozen feet below the tee box, so plan on your shot being a little long anyway.
On the right, just past the dogleg, there's a big bunker just waiting for a bad shot. Pulled shots will usually find the 30-40% rough with no look at the pin. The best position is on the right side of the fairway as far up as you can get it.
The Approach
From a good fairway lie, this is usually a short iron into an upsloping green that's 5' or 6' above you. The green has a fair amount of room in front if your coming in with a mid iron, but don't expect a lot of run. The upslope of the green causes many approaches to stop short of their intended target. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
The danger of this back left pin placement is in being long or being off line and pin high. Long shots will have a very fast putt coming back and often roll 5' or 6' past the hole. Shots that go off line are dealing with that slope from a profile view. Approaches that land short usual have a heavy, but safe putt up the hill for an easy two putt.
If you're approaching from the sand or the 40% rough, you can still make this GIR, but you have to be smart about it. Run it up the throat of the fairway and roll it onto the green. You're not going to have an easy two putt to save par, but it's not unreasonably difficult either. What is unreasonably difficult, is trying to save par from the greenside bunker which you had no hope in hell of carrying, but went for anyway because the laws of physics don't apply to you. Run it up the fairway please.
Hole 2
Tee Shot
Club up and add backspin.
A long iron at least. This is maybe the hardest par 3 of all the courses to birdie, but not necessarily difficult to par. The green is 20' above you, so your shot is going to come in low and flat and have all the bite of an elderly sea cucumber. You'll skip right through this green and into the 30-40% rough that Congressional uses as fringe, probably.
With a strong headwind and a high trajectory club with lots of backspin, you might hold the green. The risk in this scenario is drifting left or short which will most likely put you in a deep greenside bunker.
Another option is to run this tee shot up the mouth of the green and try to get it to stop within 20' for a long, severe right to left breaking putt for birdie. Overall, I think this is the smarter play when the wind is coming from right to left. If it's blowing the ball away from the hole, it's a coin flip.
Assuming you're around the green, but not on it. Remember the thickness of the rough and the slope of the green. The rough is going to kill any backspin you put on a pitch or a flop, and you'll most likely be attempting from somewhere above the hole, so it's going to run fast and far. If you take those two factors into account, this is a makeable shot. I've holed out pitches from the rough on this hole several times and come close a dozen more. Play it as a lag and try to get the ball to stop at the hole. It's easy to run it 6'-8' by the hole.
From the bunker, par is still well within reach. If you're high in the bunker, you can pitch it onto the perfectly flat green between you and the pin. If you're deeper in the bunker, a full swing or flop is in order.
Hole 3
This hole is a long par 4 that gives up very few birdies. The tee box is as much as 35' above the fairway so look for a tailwind, add a little backspin, a dash of salt and you'll be looking at a 300+ yard drive. It's a wide fairway and forgiving. Avoid the rough, what do you want me to say?
The best lie is on the right side of the fairway to get a good look at the back left pin placement. From there, you can bump and run it up to the pin, which is the safer shot.
The Approach
Almost invariably, this is a long iron approach shot. Depending on the wind and your irons, you can fly it up to the hole or run it up the fairway. The green is probably about 15'-20' above you, but don't interpret that as automatically clubbing up. Much of the distance between you and the pin is green. If you bump and run, the ball rolling on the long green is going to make up for the distance lost to the elevation. You can play this shot pretty close to the rated distance of your irons and a centerball hit. This is a nice option to have when there is a strong crosswind and you want to keep the ball down.
Flying to the pin is the other option, but because of the elevation, you have to allow for a shorter ball flight and a longer roll out.
Hole 4
A dogleg right long par 4. Birdies are rare. Pars are well done.
Most likely, the landing area will be very close to the knee of the dogleg, maybe a little past. You're goal is to be as far right as possible, but still in the fairway. This will test your driving accuracy. Missing the fairway will put you in 40-50% rough. The upside to that result is you are no longer faced with the insecurity of figuring out how to hit a good approach. Just lay up. You're decision is made.
For the Legends, just try not to hit the big tree some idiot planted right in front of the tee box.
The Approach
At a buck and a half, you're probably a mid-iron away. But wait, the green is 20' up, but it looks perfectly level on my screen, maybe a half dozen feet, but surely not 20'! This is the problem I think most golfers have on this hole, because every single damned one of them ends up short and in the bunker.
It really is 20' up, you really do need to club up, and it really is going to come in low and flat. Be careful of tailwinds because you need to keep the ball between you and the pin. Running past this pin will result in a very fast downhill putt, though probably not with a lot of break.
Left to right winds also bring the tree into play. Which tree? Why, the magic tree of course. The tree so strong that a single outstretched twig, no thicker than a pencil, can stop a careening golf ball dead in its tracks and drop it back to earth like expelled bluejay poop. Anyway, if you over correct left, or otherwise miss left, you'll bring it into play.
It's really a very simple shot, just adjust for elevation, add backspin, correct for the wind, keep it below the hole, carry the bunker, and hit the ding. Easy right? This shot on this hole is one of the more difficult shots in golf.
From the bunker, it's not a difficult up and down. If you're going to miss, there are worse situations to be in. Just hit every shot on this hole perfectly and you should be ok.
Hole 5
A genuine birdie chance, short par 4.
The tee shot on this hole is just a joy. A nice wide fairway that sits below you 10' or so and makes a graceful arc to the left. Usually, the wind will help you here by coming somewhere from the right. If it's behind you a little, all the better. Just give your drive a half ball of backspin and miss the ding just a hair with the wind. You'll be rewarded with a nice long drive that seems to be following the centerline of the fairway around the bend. It's really a nice drive to watch.
The Approach
This is where it gets a little trickier. The hole is below you 5'-7'. If there's any kind of tailwind, trying to stick the ball by using backspin is likely to cause your approach to sail past the hole 6 yards. If the pin is in the front right location (I think that's the only location, but I'm not sure), then come at it from the left. The green slopes away from you and to the right toward the pin, so a better shot is a short iron that lands a few yards short and left, then trickles to the hole.
Because the hole is below you, your ball will hit Earth at a little steeper angle than normal which will cause it to roll a little less than normal, so take that into account too.
Hole 6
Easily birdied, sometimes eagled par 5.
The fairway is like 30' below you. If you have a tailwind, add some backspin and pick a spot 30 yards farther than usual to land your ball. Don't cheat the fairway here, play for the middle. If the wind is in your face, just hit it in the middle.
The only mistakes to be made on this tee shot are not expecting the ball to travel that far and missing the ding.
The 2nd and 3rd shots, lay up or approach?
Again, elevation is going to come into play. The fairway and green are both below you. That means with any kind of tailwind and full backspin with your 3w (or even sometimes 3i) you can add some serious carry. Whether or not that means you can reach the green is up to you. If you can, you have a real shot at eagle.
If you're not sure, play it to land in the throat, or simply lay up next to the water and take a full wedge into the green. It depends on the wind. If the wind is blowing left to right, try and ride that wind around the water and up to the green. If the wind is blowing right to left, lay up to your best wedge distance. As always, it's easier to hit a 60 yard full swing than a 35 yards half swing.
Hole 7
An uphill par 3 with a two tiered green.
It's 20+ feet above you, so the instinct is to club up. Not necessarily. Much depends on the ball flight of your irons and the spin your ball will accept, but I rarely club up from what the caddy offers me. I use full backspin and a 185 4i to get it to fly 170 ish and roll the last 6 yards. If there's a headwind of any kind, then you do need to club up, maybe even more than once if it's especially strong.
The real danger is missing left of the pin. The green runs toward you at about 45 degrees from right to left. The back half of the green is the upper portion, the front half is the lower portion. Bisecting the two halves is a steep 2'-3' rise. The pin is on the edge of the precipice on the upper half. If you miss left, you will have to putt up a 2' wall and the end of your putt.
On the other hand, shots that go long or right will have a very fast downhill putt coming back to the hole. Now here's the fun part. If you misjudge the speed coming down hill and overshoot the cup by more than a foot or so, yup, it's going to fall off the edge of that two foot wall and roll 20' away.
This is often when your stroke play opponent will quit.
Hole 8
A short, birdiable par 4.
This hole is the reward for making it through 7. Most golfers will be cutting the corner of this slight dogleg right at which point you'll be faced with a short iron or wedge into this green.
The only real difficulty on this hole is figuring out where and how to hit the green.
The green is probably 8-10' above you and there is the wind to deal with. With the green above you, your shot will land a little shorter and run a little longer. a quarter or half ball of backspin is usually enough get your irons to act normal again, now just correct for the wind and then it's target practice. Don't over think this hole and you should walk away with either a birdie or a lame excuse about why you didn't.
Hole 9
A very long par 5 that you can't reach in two so just don't even try.
Unless you're teeing off from the Legend tees with a subpar driver like me, there's really no reason for the average golfer to try and squeeze every last yard out of this drive. Your second shot is going to be a long iron or hybrid lay up anyway, so why risk the danger of an errant shot by adding all sorts of english to the ball. Just a clean center ball hit right down the middle. Nice and boring like.
The Approach
Your second shot is where you have to be precise. You want to be as far up the fairway as possible, but one foot past the end of the fairway is 40-50% rough. To make matters worse, the farthest point of the fairway turns into a downhill funnel that looks remarkably like the pourspout to a tupperware pitcher. Anyway, if your ball rolls too far, the fairway will "pour" you into the rough.
It's generally a good idea to hit your second shot with full backspin to get it a high and land as soft as possible. Because the fairway is far above you, plan on a lot of roll. If you hit this shot well, you'll be about 105 yards out and 6' below the hole.
The approach, a simple wedge to the hole. As with all uphill shots, plan on a shorter flight and longer roll. A little backspin will control the roll and extend the flight, but there's really nothing complicated about this final approach shot. The green is mostly flat but slightly up hill.
So long as you didn't do anything stupid like try to bounce it off the cart path, this is a very birdiable par 5. It just seems difficult because it rewards prudence and punishes risky shots.
Hole 10
A long iron par 3 downhill and over water.
The further back your tee, the greater the elevation change. From the front tees, it's 156 yards and 18' down. From the legend tees, it's 208 yards and 27' down. How you approach this tee shot depends on your clubs and the wind.
With zero wind and full backspin to maximize carry, your ball will carry more than your club's stated yardage, but how much more will depend on your club choice. From 208 yards with no wind, I would like to hit a 200 yard 3i with full backspin. Unfortunately, my 3i is only rated for 195 yards which will leave me in the rough perilously close to the water's edge. Because I don't carry a hybrid, I'm forced to choke down on a 3w which is not a good substitute and usually results in over-shooting the pin by 5-10 yards.
With a headwind or tailwind, this hole becomes easier for me personally. With a 10 mph+ tailwind, I know I can reach the green with a 3i. With a 10 mph headwind, I play a 3w, full backspin, and use the meter as if there were no loss or gain of yardage.
The green has a ridge just past the hole that separates the green into the upper back half and lower front half. Putts from the upper half hit the downslope, pick up speed, and generally roll right past the hole. If I was given the choice to putt from up top or chip from the rough below the hole, I would pick the rough every time.
The ridge can be used to your benefit too. If you faceplant your tee shot into the ridge, you can get it to roll back toward the hole leaving a fast, but makeable 6'-8' putt for birdie. The nice thing about the ridge is, no matter where you miss (right or left), the semi-circular ridge will funnel the ball toward the hole (see my replay "CCC 10 approach" for an example of this shot).
Anything on the green and below the hole is good birdie opportunity.
Hole 11
A long par 4 to an uphill green. Very few birdies here, but not impossible.
With the fairway below you 20+ feet, a tailwind and judicious backspin to get the ball up in the air, you can hit some pretty impressive drives here, which is good because it's more than 500 yards from the tips. If you have a headwind here, reaching the green in regulation is a challenge.
For the best look at the pin, try to land your drive on the left side of the fairway.
The Approach.
This is the money shot on this hole. It's probably a long iron or a fairway wood to a pin that is 20' above you and protected by water on the right and bunkers on the left. The choice is whether to fly the ball to the hole or bump and run. The bump and run is the safer shot and can get close, but involves a fair amount of luck.
Flying the ball to the hole will require full backspin to have any sort of bite on this elevated green. Adding backspin on a long iron shot so close to the water is risky. The slightest mishit right can cost you a stroke, The pin is also at the back of the green where it slopes away from you, so even a dinged shot is likely to roll off the back side into the rough.
For the bump and run, try to run it up the middle of the green. The overall left to right slope of the green will pull the ball toward the hole. The nice thing about the bump and run is that it doesn't require spin, which means slight mishits are not the end of the world. The green will forgive rolling shots that miss a little left. Rolling shots that miss a little right will probably get hung up in the rough before hitting the water, and sometimes they will even follow the right hand border of the green and funnel back toward the pin.
All in all, running the ball up the fairway on your approach is a much better chance at a rare birdie here.
From the backside rough.
A disproportion number of approaches will end up 7-10 yards behind the pin in the rough. This is an entirely makeable chip shot. The key to holing this shot is speed control. From behind the pin, it's a very fast trip to the pin and it breaks from right to left. I prefer a pitch with full backspin, and then play it about 75% power of what I would normally hit at this distance. You might end up a little short, but a tap in par is a good score on this hole.
Hole 12
This is a driver - mid iron hole for many, but it's one of the few good birdie chances at CCC. The key to a good score on this hole is an accurate drive.
Depending on your clubs and tee box, you will either be playing to fly the dogleg or hug the left side at the bend. What gets most players in trouble here is the bunker on the right past the dogleg (unlikely from the tips), or the rough on the left short of the dogleg. The back tees are 20' above the fairway, so you can plan on some extra carry here. From the forward tees, the fairway is almost level. From that perspective, this hole is a bit of an equalizer between the tiers.
The Approach
The pin is protected on the right by a large bunker. If you end up in the bunker, you are looking at bogey for sure and possibly double bogey. There is simply no way to get out of the sand and end up anywhere near the pin. With that said, there is absolutely no reason why the bunker should even come in to play.
The green slopes uphill from the fairway and generally breaks from left to right. The correct approach is to fly the ball most of the way and plan to land the ball on the left side of the pin to keep the bunker out of play. If the ball releases at all, it will release toward the hole.
Landing the ball short and right will also cause it to trickle toward the hole, but not with any control as it means rolling down a steep slope, and you have to flirt with the bunker. It's a bad decision.
The common mistake is under-clubbing this approach. From the numbers, it seems like a straight forward approach, but the steep uphill slope of the green usually causes mid irons to stop short of the hole. Play this one 3-5% longer than you think.
Left or right of the pin will mean a breaking putt, but putts from the left side of the pin will be level or uphill.
Hole 13
Uphill par 3
With the frontside pin, this hole gives you a lot of opportunity for birdie, but there are some factors to take into account.
The upslope of the green and the raised elevation causes most tee shots to be short. Play this hole about 5% longer than the stated yardage to reach the pin. However, being short on this par 3 will leave a makeable putt of chip back up the hill.
Don't be long! Be on line! Tee shots that are long or off line will have to deal with a fast putt, a hard breaking putt, or both.
Hole 14
A difficult from start to finish downhill-uphill-downhill par 4.
The tee shot here may require a 3w. The fairway thins down to a toothpick in the middle, so if you have the club length to get to the skinny part, a wise golfer will club down rather than risk an approach to this green from 30-40% rough. Bear in mind the elevation of the fairway which will cause your tee shot to carry far.
The Approach
From just short of fairway corset, you'll have a 170 to 190 yard approach to to a green that is raised 25' or more. Pretend the green is level with you. Seriously.
The bump and run, five yards left of the hole, will roll right up the green and gently arc to the right toward the pin. If the pin is 185 yards away, play it with your 185 yard club with no action on the ball. This is one of those rare holes where less is more. No backspin, no topspin, no clubbing up or down, just aim a little left and roll it up there, it will consistently get closer than you think.
The only exception to the above paragraph is dealing with headwinds and tailwinds, adjust your club or power accordingly, but still play a centerball bump and run.
If you get your yardage right, you should roll right up the rise in the green just short of the pin. Even though you'll end up with a fast downhill putt, if you make a mistake on this approach, make it a little long. Usually being below the hole is preferable, but this hole is the exception. The ridge immediately below the hole makes misjudging the speed of the uphill putt a real possibility. I would rather have a 20' putt that's 3" downhill than a 25' putt that's 15" uphill.
Hole 15
A lay up par 4.
A lot of other players will disagree with my management of this hole, but to me, a par on this hole is like getting 1/2 a stroke on the rest of the field.
I don't care about my drive because I'm going to lay up at the end of the fairway left of the bunkers. I'm might hit a 3w if there are tricky winds to deal with, or a centerball drive in light winds, but there's absolutely no reason to risk putting it in the rough off of this tee.
My lay up is usually a mid to long iron up the throat of the fairway to 20 yards short of the green. The worst outcome is over hitting the lay up and trickling onto the edge of the green for a 100'+ hard breaking putt. From my fairway lie, I have a full wedge to the pin and I virtually assure myself of par, (see my replay "CCC 15 approach").
That's how I play it.
Regardless of how good or bad your tee shot is, most players will go for the pin on their approach (By the way, when playing in an AS match on CCC back 9, I will opt to tee off first simply to have the approach shot on this hole. Par is almost always a win on this hole), if you go for the hole, the elevation of the green will assure you won't hold the green and will either be short and in the frontside bunker or long and in the thick rough chipping downhill to the pin. All things considered, I'd rather be long here.
Hole 16
At 515 yards from the red tees and 569 from the black, this hole is pretty much unreachable in two. With a helping tailwind and two well struck shots, I'm usually still outside of my preferred distance for wedge accuracy, but I'm a short hitter so for most, I'd guess that there's a real danger of ending up in that undesirable 30 yard range to the pin.
Play your second shot to set up your third shot. If your best wedge distance is 50 yards, try to leave it at 45 out (the upslope of the fairway causes a lot of approaches to be shorter than expected). Don't just hit without thinking. Plan for your ideal shot. There aren't many opportunities to wedge and putt for birdie, don't waste this one.
If you're planning on drawing the ball back to the hole with backspin, be careful not to fly the green. There's not much room behind the back pin location.
Hole 17
Another difficult par 4.
You have to add backspin! The fairway is above you in the landing area then downhill in the rolling out area, also, there is another pitcher spout at the end of this fairway. If you don't put backspin on the ball, the drive's low angle of impact when it hits the fairway is going to make it run far. When the downslope kicks in, your ball will keep running until it is effectively slowed down by the 40% rough. It's better to be short and hitting form the short grass.
The Approach.
Like the first hole at BPB, this hole plays long. There's no reason for it; the hole is below you and the green isn't on big upslope. Still, a 165 iron, with no wind, only goes 155-160 here, so add some power and plan to land the ball a little left of the pin and it should trickle toward the hole.
Hole 18
From the tips, this is a 520 yard par 4.
The tee shot here is a lot of fun. The fairway is below you so, right away, you're going to get some extra distance. The fairway also slopes away from you so that's going to add some roll. Throw a tailwind into the mix and you could be looking at a 320-330 yard drive. But it's not that simple...
Most hitters will try to cut the corner of the slight dogleg left to get a few more yards out of their drive. This is short sighted.
Playing to the right side of the fairway greatly diminishes the threat of getting wet on your approach. Still, 80% of the time, I watch my opponent fly over water to reach the pin. The right side doesn't take it out of play, but it does give you the option of laying up on the green and still getting to the lower portion,
(see my replay "CCC 18 green lay up". In this replay, from view #2, you can see how the overall slope of the green will run the ball from the back right side to the front left, with a little more roll, this is a birdie opportunity).
Unless the wind is strong and in your face, you will most likely need to club down because the green will be 30'-35' below you.
Bethpage Black 18 - Course Walk Through
17 Feb 2012 at 9:18 AM
Hole 1
The Drive
With the landing area 40' below, it's easy to drive into the farside rough if you're not paying attention. Look for a tailwind off this tee. When conditions are right, full backspin with a tailwind to such a low fairway can result in some amazing drives with tremendous carry.
(If you don't add backspin, your drive will be at a much lower trajectory that will either get hung up in the trees or bounce through the fairway into the farside rough. Backspin not only has more carry, but lands very softly from this elevation)
Most players with good quality drivers in such conditions can cut the corner and leave themselves only a short iron into this green. It takes a leap of faith to aim for a fairway 300 yards away when your driver only goes 270, but it should make it.
If the wind is in your face, all bets are off. Aim dead straight and play for the middle of the fairway at the dogleg. Cheating the corner will give you a few extra yards, but be careful of the 40-50% rough on the right.
The Approach
From the fairway: This hole plays long. Add three or four extra yards to your approach to get it up to the pin. This is true whether the pin is in front or in the back left position. Neither location will allow for much roll since both are on an up slope, so plan on flying the ball almost the whole way.
From 40-50% rough: Which iron to hit depends largely on your clubs and how well they play from the rough. For me, a 140 yard shot from this lie is a 175 yard 5i. I aim for a clear path to the green over fairway because the ball is only going to fly about 80 yards, then bounce the rest of the way. I also use about a half ball of backspin to make more solid contact with the golf ball. I won't go any lower than a 5i from this lie regardless of the distance.
If you're behind a tree, trying to pull off a miracle shot is unlikely to have a good outcome. Know when the right choice is to wedge it out to the fairway. From 120 yds out, it's a fairly easy up and down.
The green doesn't have a lot of surprises, so correct for the wind and make sure you give it a little extra oomph and you should be close.
Hole 2
The drive.
This is a hard hole to birdie because your drive and your approach are equally important. A mistake on either takes birdie out of play. If you can make it to the green in regulation, you'll be rewarded with a fairly flat putt that is makeable up to 20'.
The drive requires most golfers to cut the corner of the trees and land on a fairway that runs about 30 degrees to the left and up the hill. The fairway is protected on the left by a large tree that I like to call, "You $#@#ing %$#@sucker" and it takes great pleasure in dropping you into 40% rough.
Advanced players can draw the ball around the tree by aiming right and hitting way left, but it is a low percentage shot for most people, so I don't recommend it. Play for the edge of the tree and get your ball as far up the fairway as possible, even if it means teeing off with a 3W (A 3W, incidentally, can fly the tree). Also remember that the landing area, which slopes upward, will minimize the amount of roll after landing.
The ideal wind is right to left. You can ride that wind right around the corner.
The Approach
The green is anywhere from 20' to 35' above the fairway depending on your lie. Such a disparity is often the hardest variable to factor into a golfer's club selection. This shot, regardless of club, is going to be short and it's going to roll out. Anything with a lower trajectory than a PW is going to be hard to control.
Adding full backspin to your approach will maximize the amount of loft and help curb the roll once it lands. Here are 3 examples of similar shots:
From 85 yards out with an 8 mph tailwind, and 24' below the hole, my dinged 56 degree (90 yard) wedge with full backspin stuck the green at 81 yards, 9.6' short of the hole with a downhill putt
From 88 yards out with the same 8 mph tailwind, and 25' below the hole, my dinged 56 degree (90 yard) wedge with half backspin flew 82 yards, and rolled 2 more yards.
From 88 yards out, same 8 mph tailwind, 25' below the hole, my dinged 105 yd PW with no spin at all, landed at 94 yards and rolled out to the far side rough at 103 yards.
(I would have done one more with a PW and full backspin, but I reached the 10 stroke limit)
My point is, plan for short carry and long roll on this approach. Rolling a bit past the hole will leave you with an easier uphill putt.
If you're hitting from the fairway rough, you're unlikely to reach and hold the green. Playing for the ball to get hung up in the rough between to two greenside bunkers makes for a decent chance at an up and down to save par.
Hole 3
The tee shot
A visually daunting long par three that isn't as tough as it looks. At the back pin location, the hole is below you 4'-10', so you should be able to get your tee shot carry any danger and land softly. Winds on this hole are generally from a left to right direction and not as strong as on the rest of the course. A little backspin will help carry the front bunkers and help hold the green.
If you're going to miss, miss right. Shots that miss right are generally a little shorter with less roll than a pulled shot. The front edge of the green on the right side is 50 yards closer than the back edge of the green on the left side. This means you have a ton of room to miss right.
Missing left will find either the bunker or 40-50% rough. Miss right.
Hole 4 - Reachable Par 5, (or two par 2-1/2s)
The Drive
The big danger on this drive is the grove of bunkers left of the fairway. The whole fairway is above you, so don't expect any record breaking drives, but it's sloped from right to left to help well-struck shots roll around the corner like a race car on a high bank.
Avoid the rough at all costs on this drive!
The most common mistake on this tee shot is over compensating for the bunkers and driving into the rough on the far side of the fairway. If you can fly the bunkers, then you don't have to worry about the rough and you can land your ball squarely in the middle of the fairway. If you can't fly the bunkers and have to roll around them, you're better off with a 3W from the tee rather than risking the rough.
A drive into the rough not only takes birdie out of play, but anyone dumb enough to try to reach the upper fairway from that lie, will almost certainly find the enormous bunker up ahead. If you hit the rough, lay up as far as you can on the lower fairway and you can still reach the green in regulation.
2nd Shot - Lay up or Approach
The smart money is on laying up to the right, pin high. This leaves a full or punched wedge to the pin and an easy birdie. Pick your spot about 55 yards away from the pin, add full backspin to give you some extra loft and club up. You'll be trying to reach a landing spot that is 30-40' above you, so you'll probably still be a little short. From this lie, you should be about level with the pin
If you go for the green, you will probably not reach it and get hung up in the thick rough if you miss left, or the bunker if your shot is on line. Either way, I'd rather have the full wedge shot from 50 yards than a 25 yard chip from the rough or a 20 yard from the sand, both shots have the green running away from you.
If you manage to land the green, the trajectory of your shot will be so low that you are unlikely to hold the green and will end up in the backside rough. The choice is yours. I choose to lay up.
3rd Shot - Approach or Rescue
From the bunker, play a full swing wedge with partial power or a flop to clear the lip of the bunker. Full swing is better because you can fly the edge of the green which has a nasty bump that can kick your ball forward 20'. A pitch is unlikely to make it out of the bunker.
From the rough, club up with a pitch with full backspin. You should get within 10' - From the fairway, full swing wedge or punch. Nothing to it, just target practice.
Hole 5 - A Looooong Par 4
This hole is similar to the 9th at Oakmont in that it's a lay up par 4. Going for the green in regulation is tempting, but ultimately a mistake and the sign of an undisciplined golfer. If you try to reach this green in two, I can guarantee you, you'll end up with more bogeys than pars and birdies combined.
The drive
Depending on your clubs and the wind, your goal is to carry the farthest bunker. The landing area is downhill 10'-15' so it's not as difficult as it looks, give yourself between 1/2 to full backspin to give you some extra carry and to control the roll after you land.
The more common danger is driving into the farside rough, so you should club down if that's a risk for you.
Ultimately, a great drive on this hole is wasted. Smarter players will be laying up to the end of the fairway rather than trying to hold a green 200 yards away, uphill, and surrounded by danger on all sides. (See my replay #3 "Taking the Bait @BPB 5" for a best case scenario of this approach shot)
Drive conservatively here and you shouldn't have a difficult time saving par.
The Lay up
You might only need a wedge or a short iron to lay up, but it's still the right shot. Play for the end of the fairway and you should have a relatively easy up and down 75-85 yards out. (See my replay #2 - "Saving Par @BPB 5" for an example).
The green is still 15'-20' above you from this lie, so it's not a gimme. Play a little long with your wedge and control the roll, but you should still end up with a very makeable putt to save par.
Hole 6 - A Long Driving Par 4
The Drive
Probably one most peoples' favorite driving hole; a well struck, well placed drive can catch the downslope of the fairway and roll 310 yards with a 270 yard driver. Of course, it can also get snagged by the bunker left or wind up in the deep rough on the right.
Use the zoom here and pick the perfect spot to land your ball. Longer hitters will have more carry on this hole, not just because they are longer hitters, but because the fairway slopes downhill away from the tee. The longer you hit your drive, the more downhill the fairway. Because I use a 250 yard driver from the TM tees, I'm not really able to reach the downslope like others can. Still, I have a few pointers for this drive.
First, don't use full backspin unless you have a strong tailwind! It will shorten your drive and possibly bite before reaching the downslope. Backspin also amplifies mishits and this is one hole where straightness is more important than distance. Half-backspin (or less in a light headwind) is enough to get the ball in the air high enough to carry the bunker.
The hole is birdiable with a short drive too, so don't let testoterone get the better of you.
The Approach
The pin is below you. How far below you depends on the length of your drive. From 150 yards out, you're about 15' above the pin. From 100 yards out, you're only about 5' above the pin. Play your approach with these numbers in mind and adjust accordingly. Both shots will carry more than the clubs' rated yardage, but the longer shot will have a bigger discrepancy.
The pin, whether front or back, is fairly flat and easy to get close.
Hole 7
500+ yard Par 4
By all accounts, this is the hardest hole on BPB. It's really a par 5. It requires distance and accuracy on both the drive and the approach to even have a shot at up and down for par.
The drive
There is a huge landing area just past the large bunker to the right, but not every part of the landing area is a good spot. Golfers who try to squeeze extra yardage off the tee by hugging the right side can find themselves blocked from the green by the hammock of trees.
If you can't drive past the trees to the point where you can see the green, then don't play that shot. Aim further back on the fairway to a point where you have a good line of sight to the green.
2nd Shot and 3rd Shot - The Lay Up and Approach
Much like the 5th hole, this hole should be played like a par 5 with a fairway lay up for a wedge to the pin. There is danger at the bottle neck with sand on both sides. Even if you thread the needle and stay on the fairway, if you don't have enough club to reach the green, you'll be left with an awkward 25-35 yard shot. If you hit one of the bunkers, you'll probably end up with bogey.
It's a better idea to club down to an iron and give yourself an easy 50-75 yard wedge. You may not get birdie, but you completely remove danger from the equation. In my replay number 4 (Laying Up @BPB 7) you see a mishit 3i that is still safe and on the fairway, leaving me with a simple 50 punched wedge for an up and down and a good par on this difficult hole (See replay number 5: Approach @BPB 7)
Hole 8 - Downhill Par 3
The tee shot
This hole is all about club selection and wind. At 20'-30' below you, you have to know which club is going to give you the right distance, and that's going to depend largely on the tee box location.
For the Pro thru Tour Master tees, a good rule of thumb is to club down for light winds, club down twice for a good tailwind, and play the regular yardage in a strong headwind. Obviously this depends on your particular clubs more than anything, but it's an effective general guideline.
Because the pin is so far below the tees and because it's on an upslope, the ball is going to stick this green like a wedge shot.
Don't miss right or left. Try to get your line perfect. Crosswinds affect this hole less than you'd expect so don't overcompensate for the wind. If you're short or long, you will have a fairly straight putt. If you miss left or right, you'll have a hard breaking putt.
The best scenario is a good line to the pin and short, this gives you a simple uphill putt for birdie.
Hole 9 - A Blind Par 4
The Drive
The fairway slopes dramatically from right to left. and at the crotch of the dogleg left is a bunker. Directly to the right of the bunker, extending out at about 2:00 O'clock, is a ridge that cuts the fairway in half. If you land your drive into the face of that ridge, your ball will stop dead. If you land your drive on the backside of that ridge, you'll get a nice kick forward. That's where I try to land it, but I have a short driver and most people can fly the ridge altogether.
If you fly the ridge, aim for the right side of the fairway and your ball will want to follow the contour of the fairway to the left. Hit it too hard and you'll be in the farside rough.
Avoid trickling down the slope of the fairway toward the bunker because you'll have an uphill approach to a green that can be hard to hold
Another option is to play past the bunker to the landing area just in front. This takes good club length and a complete diregard for the danger posed by trees. Although risky, it's worth the risk. The payoff is a short iron into a level green. It's the difference between birdie and par if you execute the drive.
The Approach
From below, this green becomes difficult to reach and hold. You have to err long because of the frontside bunkers so plan on using as much backspin as you can get to come in high and soft.
From over by the trees, it's simply a short iron accuracy contest. The green doesn't wobble very much so you can let it run a little too. You can also throw darts at this green for a nice finishing flourish to the front 9.
Hole 10 - A long "play for par-hope for birdie" Par 4
Drive
How you approach this hole is largely dependent on how much club length you have. The hole is shaped like a lightning bolt with the pin to the left of the tee box, and a jog to the right in the middle. The fairway is protected on both sides by a sea of bunkers.
If you have the club length to carry the bunkers on the right, then this hole just got a lot easier.
The approach to the pin should come from as far to the right as possible to take the greenside bunkers out of play, but you need to carry the fairway bunkers on the right to have that luxury.
If you don't have that length from the tee, hug the right side of the fairway as much as you can without bringing the rough into play. If you land in the 40-50% rough, (or 30-40% first cut) off the tee, your only option to save par is to lay up at the end of the long fairway and hope for an up and down with a 65-80 yard wedge shot.
Approach
If you've carried the right side fairway bunker, you should have a pretty good look at the pin without much danger or elevation change. At this point, it's mid iron target practice. Bump and run is not an option because the green is protected by 40-50% rough, so you'll have to fly it up there and land it softly to hold the green. If you didn't carry the right side bunker you will also have to carry the frontside bunker protecting the green.
Either way, being short (or long) is not an option. For me, I club up and put full backspin on the ball to get as high a ball flight as possible and try to drop it next to the pin. If you can't get that kind of action on the ball, the next best option is to bounce it through the green rather than intentionally hanging it up in the frontside rough. Even though you'll have a downhill chip from the far side, you'll have a much better fairway lie.
The green slopes toward the front and any ball that holds the green short of the pin will have a makeable uphill putt for birdie. Any ball that flies the pin or the green, should be thinking "lag" back.
Hole 11 - A Bulemic, but very birdiable par 4
The Drive
The fairway thins down to a wisp near the landing area, but most players with good club length should be able to carry the skinny portion. If you can't, and your club length and the the wind conditions put your landing area squarely in the middle of the thinnest part of the fairway, don't be a hero. Tee off with a 3W and you still have a decent shot at birdie. The skinny part of the fairway is about 150 yards out, so playing short will still only be a mid iron away from the pin.
If you land in the sand or rough on either side of skinny part, you've obviously not read this walkthrough and I'm done helping you.
The Approach
This is maybe the easiest approach at BPB. You can throw a dart, you can bump and run, or you can land the green and let it release. Whichever shot you feel most confident with is playable here.
The green slopes from back to front and slightly to the left so don't worry about running through the green unless you have a strong tailwind. Just take aim and do your best. Birdies are common here.
Hole 12 - Long Par 4
The Drive
This hole is daunting from the tee. It's a very long par 4 with a dramatic dogleg to the left and a super dangerous glob of bunkers on the inside of the dogleg. With that said, it's not the length of the hole that gets most players in trouble here, it's the placement of the drive.
Most players will be able to carry the dogleg and land in the wide open area just past the bunkers, but that's really not the best place. The best landing area for an easy approach to the green is from the right side of the fairway past the dogleg. This requires good distance control with your driver because if you're too long, you'll end up in the rough on the far side. If you're too short, you'll probably still be in the fairway, but you'll need to throw a dart with a long iron to reach the green, or you'll need to play for the open part of the green and have a long two putt for par.
A tee shot that lands on the right side of the fairway past the dogleg will be rewarded with an open pathway to the green and a decent chance at birdie.
The Approach
As mentioned a moment ago, placement of the drive is most important on this hole. If you're where you should be, on the right side past the dogleg, it's a fairly simple mid to long iron into the green with a good look at the pin.
If you're anywhere else on the fairway, you're looking for par. Don't hunt the pin from the left side of the fairway; there's just not enough green to work with and you'll either get buried in the frontside bunker or bounce right off the far side of the green. The correct shot from this lie is to play for the center of the green and two putt your way out. A long birdie putt is a possibility as the green isn't particularly tricky, but par is a decent score from a less than perfect drive.
If you're in the fairway bunker and you lay up a full shot wedge away, saving par is not that difficult, but avoid running the ball up closer than 50-60 yards because it will be hard to get the golf ball to stick near the pin on your third shot.
Avoid the frontside bunker at all costs! It's very deep and you won't have very much green to work with. What green you do have will be running away from you, so the likelihood of stopping the ball anywhere near the hole is slim. Any approach that ends up in the frontside bunker is an almost automatic bogey. BTW - From the fronside bunker, you'll end up closer to the pin if you land your ball at the hole or longer, than if you land the ball short of the pin. That's because short of the pin, your ball will be landing on the downslope and kick forward. After the pin, it will land on the upslope and roll less!)
Hole 13 - Everybody's favorite Par 5
You will NOT reach this green in two unless you are a L90 Tour Pro with the longest equipment, even then, you won't get an eagle because you won't be anywhere near the pin, so get that thought out of your head and play for birdie!
The Drive
When faced with a long par 5, the natural reaction is to drive the ball as far as it will go. Believe it or not, it's unnecessary on this hole. Safety off the tee should be your primary concern. Just keep it in the fairway and be long enough to reach the landing area short of the bunkers with your second shot. That means you can even use a 3W off the tee with no penalty.
Risking the rough or a hit tree just to gain an extra 10 yards is foolish and a sign of an amateur golfer.
The 2nd and 3rd Shot
As I alluded to in "The Drive", your second shot should end up short of the bunkers protecting the green. That is the best place. Not forward and to the left 30 yards! Let me say it again, placing your second shot further up the fairway and closer to the green, but off to the left is a mistake! Here's why:
The green slopes down toward the bunkers at a very steep angle. Anyone who has been long on their approach here knows how tricky and fast that downhill putt can be. Any approach shot that lands left or right of the pin has a severe and fast break that will most likely miss.
If you squeeze that extra 30 yards out of your second shot and end up in the middle of the fairway, but to the left of the green, your 3rd shot (your approach) will coming at the pin from the side. This means, unless your distance is perfect, you're going to end up with a severely breaking putt for birdie.
If your second shot lands short of the bunkers like it should, your approach to the pin will be straight up hill. This means that if you misjudge the distance to the pin and go short or long, you may have to deal with a very fast or very slow putt for birdie, but you DON'T have a massive break to deal with.
Laying up will result in more birdies than even perfectly executed bombs. I can't stress this enough.
Hole 14 - A Tight-Lie Par 3
The Tee Shot
This is an interesting par 3 that requires a little thought. First of all, the green is below you. This means that the ball will carry a little farther and it will come in at a little steeper angle causing it to roll a little less. This is ideal for a par 3. That's the good news. The bad news is that the pin placement is in the back right corner of the green and protected on three sides by danger. Any shot that's long, short, or right is going to have a difficult up and down for par.
Here's some more bad news: The green looks like it's hanging out to dry on a clothesline. There's a ridge through the middle with the front two thirds of the green sloping toward you and the back third fairly level. The pin is just past the ridgeline on the part that's fairly level.
The only real shot at birdie here is a high shot that lands pin high. Anything left and short of the hole is going to have a vicious break. Anything short is going to be hard to judge the speed since the putt levels out after the ridge. Anything right is in the bunker. Anything long has a downhill hill putt that, if you hit too hard, can wind up 20' past.
Starting to get the idea? Throw a dart and be accurate. Everywhere else sucks.
If you end up in the bunker, par is still salvageable, but it's not easy. The bunker is deep and you'll need a very high shot to get out without running off the green. Use a full swing (the highest shot) and your shortest wedge. Put full backspin on the ball (it will help control the roll and give you more loft) and play it at twice the actual distance. You should be able to stop within 4 or 5 yards past the hole.
A riskier play, but still an option, is trying to use the greenside rough to slow down your out. The danger is getting hung up in the rough which makes par almost impossible.
Hole 15 - The Carnival Ride Par 4
The Drive
Grip it and Rip it. Just keep it in the fairway. The longer your drive, the more likely you are to have good placement from the frontside rough for an up and down for par.
The 2nd shot
Normally, the 2nd shot on a par 4 is the approach to the green. Not so much on this hole.
I will gladly listen to alternatives for this hole because I'm not so sure I play this one correctly, but here goes anyway:
I rarely bogey this hole, but I never birdie it. I play my second shot for the frontside rough. The ideal second shot is as close to the green as possible, but I never actually reach it. With the green 30'-40' above and 180 yards away, this is a full 225 yard 3W with full backspin (to give it more loft) that usually leaves me 5-10 yards short and in 40-50% rough.
Believe it or not, that's just about perfect for me.
The 3rd Shot - The Carnival Shot
We've all seen this green before. A green so steep at it's front side that it requires crampons and an ice axe to scale. From 12 yards away from the pin, I don't even think about this shot anymore. Aim left of the pin about 3', hit a 22 yard pitch shot with full backspin. The ball will fly about pin high then roll another 3 or 4 yards. That's when it reaches the steepest part of the green and starts its U-turn back down the hill. Leave the pin in the hole and you might get lucky and the ball will hit it like a backstop leaving only a tap in par. Most likely, you'll come back another 3 or 4 feet for a not-too-tricky uphill par putt (see replay #9 BPB 15)
Good luck.
Hole 16
The Drive
Wanna set your personal record for a long drive? This is the hole for you. With the fairway 50'+ below you, you can hit your tee shot, get up and make a sandwich, come back to the computer and the ball will still be in the air. With a tailwind, put about 1/4 backspin on the ball to give it more time aloft without compromising the roll too much - You won't get much roll anyway because the elevation change will bring the ball down to Earth at such a steep angle.
Play for the left side of the fairway. The green takes a hard right turn and you still won't have a look at the pin, but playing to the left does help take the greenside bunker out of play.
The Approach
If you have high lofted clubs and can throw a dart with your mid irons, this is a birdiable par 4. The ball wants to run off the backside of the hard green so control your roll more than you think you need to. With crappy clubs, it might be better to bump and run up the open alley toward the green left of the pin. With good distance control, it's a pretty easy two putt for par.
Hole 17 - A mid to long iron - well protected par 3
The Tee Shot
At 182 yards from the Tour Master tees, and my rather short irons, I may not give very good advice for this hole since I'm playing it with a 3i or 4i depending on the wind.
The green is raised 5' so expect the ball to run more than usual, but you can't play short because of the frontside bunkers. The most likely outcome is landing in the far side rough. From there it's a relatively easy pitch to save par.
For shots that land in the bunker, use a flop at about 1-1/2 times the distance, full backspin, and only aim half as far left as you normally would for a flop shot (the sand will mute the rightward squirt of the golf ball).
Once you're on the dance floor putting is straight forward.
Hole 18 - A short, but difficult (and easy) Par 4
The Drive
If you're prone to wild drives, club down to a 3W. You'll still have a wedge or short iron into the green for an easy par and possible birdie and you take the bogey-making bunkers out of play. If you can hit your driver accurately, get it as far up the fairway as possible and you'll have a good shot at birdie.
The Approach
This is the dangerous shot. You don't want to be in the frontside bunkers. Everything else is easily salvaged.
From the fairway, the hole is probably 15'-20' above you, so this means you need a high shot and a little more club to get there. For a 100 yard shot, play it like 110 and put full backspin on the ball. This will give you more loft and help controll the roll out.
Any shot that comes to rest within 5 yards of the pin is a makable birdie putt, though approaches that are long will have a pretty severe downhill putt to contend with.
Kiawah 18 Course Walk Through
17 Feb 2012 at 9:02 AM
Hole 1 - Very Birdiable Par 4
The Drive
Maybe the easiest hole on WGT, Kiawah 1 is a flat, short, low-wind dogleg right. It starts off narrow, but widens considerably. Grip it and rip it. It's hard to have a bad tee shot. Shots to the left will bounce back toward the fairway, and shots to the right are usually saved by the slight dogleg.
The Approach
Usually this is a wedge or a short iron, and it's usually just target practice. The green is open, flat, and level.
Not much to say about this hole other than, "have fun"
Hole 2 - Birdiable Par 5
The Drive
Depending on your clubs and tee box, this hole is either reachable in 2 or 3. For me, it's always 3 and I think that's probably true for most people who are correctly equipped for their tier, so that's how I'll describe this hole.
The drive should be safe if you're going for a GIR. There's no reason to flirt with the weeds that bisect this hole or the sand short of the fairway. A very common mistake is players ending up in the sand because they tried to squeeze every last inch out of their drive and they just couldn't carry it. When you consider that their second shot was still going to be a lay up, the risk seems unecessary.
Just put it in the fairway.
2nd Shot - The Lay Up
There is a landing area left of the green. By hitting a well thought out 2nd shot, you can leave yourself a nice full 50 or 60 yard wedge to the hole for an easy bird.
Those with less forethought will probably end up in that gray area between shots at around 35-40 yds. It's also likely that those who try to get as close as possible will end up in the rough or in the sand short and left of the green. So, if you're going to lay up, then lay up properly and give yourself a nice full wedge.
If your drive went into the sand, you will be tempted to make up for your mistake by trying to pull off a miracle shot that clears the second ditch further up the fairway. Don't do it! It's a low percentage shot and will most likely result in the loss of a ball. Take a short iron or wedge and put it back on the fairway like an adult. Compounding errors is the fastest way to double bogey.
3rd Shot - The Approach
From the landing area left of the green, the ideal shot is to stick a full wedge at the pin or a punched wedge that lands a few feet short and left of the pin, then rolls the last few feet down the slope toward the hole.
Anything longer than a 9 iron into this green and you're really just playing for par. It's easier to two-putt from past the hole than it is to up and down from the frontside bunker, so be long if you're going to miss.
The Green
Anything longer than a 6' putt should be considered a lag on this green. By all means, try to make your first putt, but don't let it run past the hole. The ball can quickly get away from you leaving you with the dreaded three-putt.
Hole 3 - Birdiable Par 4
The Drive
Put it in the damned fairway!
When playing AS matches and my partner has the tee shot, I always cringe on this hole. It seems so reachable that inexperienced players with long drivers always seem to get themselves in trouble here. Easy birdies become difficult pars.
Before talking about how to drive this hole, I want to talk about why going for eagle is a waste of time.
First off, you're not going to hold the green. Even if you make it past the sand, through the big tree, over the 50% rough, and onto the raised green, you're going to bounce right off the other side leaving you with a big uphill pitch or flop that's going to run. That's the best case scenario. Most likely, you'll end up in the sand or the rough and you'll have a very difficult up and down. If you want an eagle here, you have a much better chance of holing out a wedge than driver/putter.
The other unforced error on this hole is trying to tear the skin off the ball and ending up in the rough on the island in the middle of the fairway. This is a sure sign of an inexperienced player. Driving for show on this hole equals putting for bogey.
Aim for about 10-20 yds short of the island and you'll have an easy wedge shot at the pin and you've taken danger totally out of the picture.
The Approach - A running wedge.
This is a seemingly straight forward approach, but there are some hidden dangers to this shot.
At 6'-8' above you, this raised green is well defended against low trajectory shots and will cause high trajectory shots to run more than usual. Judicious use of backspin will control the roll to that of a level wedge shot, but leave you a couple yards shy.
Another thing to be careful of is the use of a punched wedge for an approach. The height of the green can cause low-flying punches to faceplant right into the side of the hill short of the green. 60 degree wedges and longer should only use full swings here.
Basically, keep your approach high and tight and you should get it close.
The landing area on this green is as close as you can get it to the hole without going left or short - Especially on tournament greens. Shots that end up left or short will have a small, but pronounced lump to deal with between the ball and the hole. No 3 footer left of this hole is a gimme, but any 8 footer right or long is makeable.
Hole 4 - A "Play-for-Par" par 4
The Drive
There are bunkers to right, but they rarely come into play. Most people just try to get as far up the fairway as possible without rolling into the rough, and that's not necessarily a bad shot.
Personally, I play center-left of the fairway to take as much of the greenside bunker out of play.
Some people intentionally go right to get closer to the green, but it's a trap. It's the only bad shot you can hit from this tee. The green looks reachable from there, but it's not really. The green is raised and the pin is so close to the front edge that even if you carry bunker, you probably won't get it to bite and you'll still have a 25' putt. If you miss, you're looking at a difficult par save.
Playing right has no upside and increased danger, stay left or center off the tee.
The Approach - You're not that good, don't do it.
Half of the green is open and reachable, the other half isn't. Going at the pin will almost certainly result in bogey. Get birdies out of your mind and you'll make par.
The left side of the green is closer to you than the pin, so club down or you'll probably run off the far side of the green. The safe shot is a high trajectory sticky iron that lands 20 feet left of the hole.
A more adventurous shot is a bump and run up the fairway that rolls onto the green, catches the slope, and trickles nearer to the hole. A good bump and run might still be 12' away, so it's up to you if you want to risk it.
If you're going to miss, miss left.
The Green
For most holes in this walk through, I don't give green advice beyond where to land your approach. This green is an exception.
Regardless of where you are on the green, your first putt is going to be a lag. The hole location is on a steep ridge that defends many four footers. If you're 20+ feet away, your goal should be getting the ball to die at the hole. If it goes in, great, you made a rare birdie; if it doesn't, you have a relatively easy tap in.
If you overshoot this putt, you're looking at the very real possibility of three putting. Being overly aggressive on this green is a mistake.
Hole 5 - Tricky Par 3
Tee Shot
This is a long iron tee shot into a green that doesn't want your ball there. The goal is to come in as high and as soft as possible. It will probably not be high enough or soft enough to stay within 5 yds of the hole, but, at that distance, it's still birdiable.
The hole is cut into the left side of a hill that runs from about 7 o'clock to about 1 o'clock from the tees. If you end up on the wrong side of the ridge, you will have a very difficult two putt. If you land left of the hole, you will have a long putt or chip back up the hill.
The ideal landing spot is near the top of the ridge just short of pin high. In a perfect world, the ball will roll down toward the hole leaving you a makeable birdie putt. In reality, it will probably keep on going past the hole half a dozen yards, but at least you'll have a makeable uphill putt.
Danger short, long, and right.
The bunker in front of the green is the worst possible lie. Avoid it, even if it means going long. From the bunker, play a full swing shot with full backspin and aim to right of the pin three or four feet. With the hole 3 feet above you and the 15-20% hard sand, hit it about 150% of the distance to the hole. (20 yard shot, hit it about like you would a 30 yard shot from a fairway lie). A flop is also an option, but you can't control the roll as well as a full swing. A pitch probably won't clear the lip of the bunker.
Hole 6 - A moderately difficult, but still birdiable Par 4
The Drive
Where you aim here depends on your club length. For most of us, it means hugging the left side of the fairway on this backward question mark-shaped hole. For those who can carry the long bunker on the left side, well, you're lucky.
Distance control is a factor here. For shorter drives, the fairway is nice and wide, but the longer your tee shot, the less wiggle room you have. Ultimately, you're fenced in by the left turn in the fairway so you're not going to get much closer than about 140 yards regardless.
If you overshoot the drive, you'll be treated to all sorts of interesting lies, like 15-20% Mulch. I don't have a good mulch shot for you, so I can't tell you how to get out of it. I can tell you that my 123 yd 9 iron only went 86 yards from the mulch when I dinged it, so my guess is you'll hate it.
The Approach
Seemingly simple, but usually not.
At about 150ish yards, it seems like you should be able to get this one close. There are two factors that usually make this less likely.
First, the wind is squirrelly on this hole. A 10 mph right to left wind might only affect your shot like a 2 mph wind. Sometimes it blows opposite what is indicated. (The 12th hole has the same variable winds). Second, the green is big undulating mess near the pin. Good shots can wander away and mishits can end up surprisingly close.
It's wise to keep your shots "tidy" on this hole. Don't let it roll too much. Don't put too much action on the ball. Don't try to be too creative.
Landing the ball right of the hole and a little bit short has the most forgiveness; the further right it is, the more it will funnel down to the hole. Left of the hole is tempting because of all that wide open green, but it's a super highway that goes right past the hole.
Hole 7 - Birdiable, (sometimes eagled), par 5
The Drive
For most golfers, regardless of tier or clubs, this hole means driving to the fat part of the fairway left of the huge bunker. For the lucky few who can carry the bunker, they will have an honest shot at eagle here.
Wind is the factor if you're on the bubble. The sand dune bunker officially takes birdie out of play.
2nd Shot - Lay up or Approach
Again, wind is a factor. With a good wind, long players can reach this green in two, but there's no guarantee they'll hold it. With the pin in back, rolling through the green and into the rough on the far side leaves a makeable pitch or chip for eagle.
If you choose to lay up, be careful. The fairway narrows down quit a bit at the landing area. As always, it's easier to get close with a full wedge than a partial power shot, so adjust accordingly.
3rd Shot - Approach or Chip
The green is fairly level, but it's very lumpy. The ball is not going to have a graceful journey to the hole on the ground, so keeping in the air as long as possible is preferable. A stuck wedge will almost certainly end up closer than a long pitch shot, even if that means hitting your wedge with only partial power.
If your third shot is a chip from the far side of the green, think of it as a lag. Chipping in for eagle is always nice, but on the off chance you don't make it, you don't want a long putt because of the aforementioned "lumpiness".
Hole 8 - A "play for a Hole-in-One - hope for par" Par 3
Tee Shot
Land it 5 yds left and about 10 yds short. If you're a good God-fearing person who goes to church on Sundays, you might get rewarded with a Hole-in-One as your golfball trickles down the slope toward the hole. If you're a heathen like me, you'll probably end up at the bottom of the hill with a hard right to left 15' putt.
When talking about how to play this hole, it's more accurate to describe the places you don't want to be most.
You definitely don't want to be long, because you'll bounce right off the backside of the dowslope and right off the green. You don't want to be short because you'll have an incredibly fast and hard breaking downhill putt that will make you look stupid in front of your friends. You definitiely don't want to attack the pin because you won't be able to stick this green unless you're teeing off with a Lawn Dart. And you definitely don't want to be right because you'll end up in Canada.
I have no real advice for this one.
Hole 9 - A long par 4 with few birdies.
The Drive
There is danger to the left and wide open fairway to the right, but if you want to reach this green in regulation, you have to hug the left side of the fairway. The ball will naturally follow the contour of the dogleg left if you have enough roll.
The Approach
This is the make or break shot on this hole. It's a mid to long iron up to a raised green that is really just a concrete slab with astroturf laid on top. If you hit the green on the fly, don't expect it to come to a stop within 30 feet of the frontside pin location.
This is either a bump and run shot or an intentionally short approach for an easy up and down from the greenside fairway.
If you play the bump and run, it's birdiable, but there is danger of running right past the hole a dozen yards, so be warned. If you lay up short of the green, you take birdie out of play, but you probably won't bogey either. The choice is yours.
HighFiv3 showed me another approach to this green that involves bouncing off the hill at the right-front of the green and trickling toward the hole (you can see a replay on his profile). It looks interesting, but, to be honest, I haven't tried it so I can't make a case for or against it. The resulting putt looks like a tricky downhill right to left-er.
Hole 10 - A dogleg left par 4, very birdiable.
The Drive
The tee shot here is key, whether you can fly the bunker on the left or lay up along side.
If you can fly the bunker, then you'll be rewarded with a nice kick forward from the downslope just past the bunker. Play for the middle of the fairway and compensate for the wind. The left side gets you closer to the hole, but can easily wind up in the rough, so play for the middle.
If you have a low trajectory driver, a little back spin will help you carry the bunker, but don't go full backspin unless you have a very strong tailwind or you might stick the ball on the fairway without benefit of the forward kick,
Carrying the bunker will leave a wedge or short iron to the hole.
If you can't carry the bunker, then lay up along side. It's still a birdiable hole, but you have to be careful not to run the ball into the rough. This hole plays a little short, even in light winds, so give yourself 10-20 yds of buffer short of the rough; you'll probably end up closer than you thought.
The Approach
The pin sits on a downslope running to the left, away from the fairway. About 10' before the pin is the top of hill. That's your landing area. Plan to land your shot on the top of that hill and about a yard right of the pin, then let it roll down toward the hole.
If winds are light, or otherwise suitable for it, you can stick the approach close, but be careful of going long or going left. Both mistakes will most likely result in a two putt or more.
If you end up in the sand left of the green, all is not lost. It's an easy up and down from there if you know the shot, but a potential disaster if you try to get creative. There's not a lot of green to work with, a lot of rough to carry, and there's a downhill right to left break, so you want as much loft as you can get.
Aim about 2' right of the pin, put full backspin on the ball (you'll be in 15-20% sand so the effect of backspin won't be great, but it will help), use a full swing with your shortest wedge, and play it just under twice the distance. In other words, if the pin is 13 yards away, hit it like a 25 yard shot from the fairway.
This is a forgiving shot. If you mishit, you will still end up with a makeable par putt. If you try to flop or pitch your way out of the sand, you will most likely get hung up in the rough short of the green or rolling a dozen yards past the hole.
Hole 11 - Very birdiable, but mostly unreachable par 5
The Drive
It's not the distance that makes this par 5 unreachable in 2, but the raised green that prevents the bump and run and sends landed shots rolling off the other end. I'm not saying at can't be reached in two, it's just a low percentage shot for most people regardless of club length.
If you accept the you're not going to reach the green in two and plan to lay up, your chances of birdie increase dramatically. For that reason, a big booming drive is largely wasted on this par 5 since you'll be clubbing down to an iron for your second shot.
The primary function of this drive is to give you an easy second shot, so play for the smack dab middle of the fairway. If you mishit, you'll still be OK. From the Master/TM tees, you should aim for about 250 yds out. For some, this means clubbing down to a 3W off the tee. A lot of people can't bring themselves not to use driver on a par 5, but seriously, it's just added risk with little benefit.
2nd Shot - the lay up
This is not a glamour shot. You won't hear crowds cheering when you nail it. You won't get everyone else in your foursome clamoring to tell you "vns", but it is still the most important shot on this hole.
You want the second shot to end up 1 full wedge shot away from the pin. This will probably put you in the neighborhood of "Bunker Hill" (my own name for it), a small, but perfectly annoying volcano of a bunker right in your path.
Bunker Hill is not as much of a danger as it appears. If you were aiming for it, you'd probably miss it. The surrounding hill has no rough and it effectively bounces shots back onto the flat fairway. Keep it in mind and play around it, but don't woory too much about it. Even mishits will probably be safe.
The main danger to your second shot is distance control. Play your lay up about 5-10 yds shorter than where you want to end up. The fairway is downhill and slopes away from you, so your 2nd shot is going to both fly and run more than you think.
What you don't want is to end up in the 25-35 yd range from the pin. This requires a partial power wedge or a harder to control flop. A full wedge shot is much easier to get close. For me, that's between 50-60 yds.
3rd Shot - The Approach
Because this is a raised green, your wedge shot will land shorter and at a shallower angle than a level shot, this means it's going to run a little more than normal. At 60 yds away, the elevation change won't affect the shot very much, but at 25 yds away, it becomes a major factor.
Ideally, you don't want to have to put any action on the ball, and if you've done everything right, you shouldn't have to. Just aim and hit it. A short wedge should stick very close to the pin. If you want to increase the likelihood of holing out the approach, club up and punch it. That will give you a little more roll to the hole. Just remember to land it a few yards short.
Hole 12 - A Long Birdiable Par 4
The Drive
While there is a lot of room to miss on this drive, that doesn't mean you should throw caution to the wind. For a good look at the pin on your approach shot, you want to be on the left side of the fairway off the tee.
There are bunkers to the left that you need to be careful of, other than that, there's not much danger off the tee. There is a canal that runs the length of the hole on the right, but a drive would have to be seriously wayward for that to come into play.
Longer drivers can bypass the bunkers altogether and they will be rewarded with a sloping bank along the left side of the fairway that will funnel their drives back to the middle if they pull their tee shot a bit. This is welcome relief for the big hitters because the fairway narrows down considerably as you move ahead
The Approach - ding it!
As I mentioned on Hole 6, the winds seem to get squirrely on this hole. By "squirrely", I'm referring to the direction when faced with light wind. Light winds are light winds and they're going to keep being light winds, but a dinged shot that you might expect to go left a yard or two might end up on the right side of the pin. I have a theory about this, and if you'll bear with me, I'll explain.
Many golfers at WGT accuse the game of having bugs and biases where the wind is concerned. Bugs? Maybe. Biases? No. Still, I don't think the wind variability on this hole is a bug. I think the winds at the Kiawah Golf Resort in South Carolina probably are squirrely, and I think it's because of the proximity of the water.
On every golf course on Earth, because of topographical features, the wind you feel at the tee may not be the same wind that's felt at, (or on the way to), the green. Hills create wind tunnels, oceans have breezes, forests block low winds, etc.
At the tee, there is a large body of water to your immediate left. At the green, there is another large body of water to your right. Water heats and cools at a different rate than the air and, as a result, creates updrafts and downdrafts depending on whether it is warmer than the air or cooler. An updraft sucks the surrounding air toward it. A downdraft pushes the surrounding air away from it.
I believe that it is this phenomenon that creates the variable winds on this hole in real life and I believe that WGT has factored this variability into its program. If I'm wrong, so be it, but regardless, it's good practice to compensate for the wind a little less on this hole than you normally would.
Back to the approach shot now.
Water right, a bunker that doesn't really come into play on the left and a million feet of green in front of the back pin location.
The green is fairly flat so a well played bump and run has a higher than normal chance of hitting this flagstick. I avoid trying to stick this shot for two reasons. First, it's usually a mid to long iron approach for me and I don't want a mishit to wander to far off the reservation so I limit my backspin just enough to control the roll. Second, if the wind is manageable, I firmly believe I can eagle this approach. (I haven't yet, but I've come close countless times), and for that, I need the ball to roll forward.
Ultimately, there are no real secrets to this hole. It's just a test of accuracy.
Hole 13 - A Birdiable (and bogeyable) par 4
I mentioned earlier in this walk through that this was written with the average player in mind who is equipped with clubs that are appropriate for his or her tier. For that reason, I've mostly been writing in generalities, regardless of tee box locations. This hole is an exception.
For players between Pro and Tour Master, this hole plays completely different than it does for Legends. The Legend tee is 102 yards longer than the next closest. Amateurs with starter clubs will face some of the same obstacles as Legends.
The Drive
For Legends and Amateurs, the water is not much of a concern on this hole. A much bigger issue is the bunkers they'll be trying to skirt. My advice to legends (and this comes only from playing the legend tees in practice with a crappy driver) is to miss center-right. Errant drives may get hung up in the 20% first cut on the right, but it would have to be pretty bad to find the water. Judicious backspin will protect you from running into the rough on the left, if necessary.
For all others, the bunkers are generally flown by 20-50 yards. For these drives, water becomes more of an issue because the fairway narrows down quite a bit in the landing area. You can choose to tee off with a 3W to take water out of play or you can nut your driver and be hitting a wedge or short iron into this green. The choice is yours.
The Approach
The water to the right of this green is a mirage. It's not there. It won't come into play unless you sneeze in the middle of your swing. Still, 80% of the time (this is not an exaggeration), myself included, the approach will end up on the left side of this pin which is on the left side of the green. I'm pretty sure this is the effect of subconciously avoiding the water.
The left side of the pin is the absolute worst place to be. The putt is super fast and it breaks like a union worker. I have seen literally hundreds of missed 8' putts from the left side of the pin and maybe a dozen birdies. Don't go left.
On the flip side, you don't have to be very close to have a makeable birdie putt from the right side of the pin. From the right, the putts are uphill and mostly flat. The main reason for missing these putts is usually lack of power. This is not a lag situation, get the ball to the hole and it can drop.
Hole 14 - An Uncomplicated but Challenging Par 3
It's a hill with the top sawn off. Drainage on this green is front right so there's a bit of dip in that corner and you can use that to your advantage. From the tee with a strong tailwind, it can be hard to get the ball to stop rolling. You can play for the slight incline on the backside of the drainage to help kill the roll. You might not birdie, but you won't have a terribly hard two putt either.
For more accommodating winds or with more responsive equipment, you can attack the pin. You'll probably be using a long iron, or maybe a hybrid, so plan for some roll.
The green does have a slight left to right camber to it so plan on landing the ball short and a little left. The ideal wind for this hole is lightly in your face and a little left to right. The ball just seems drawn to the hole without much risk of anything else happening.
The danger of this hole is that will punish mishits and bad shot decisions by falling off the green, making for tough up and downs. If you find yourself in this position, you have to know how to deal with pitching and flopping from below the hole. Generally, it won't fly as far, and because the ball is reaching Earth at a flatter trajectory than a regular pitch or flop, it has much more forward momentum. It's going to roll out. A lot.
The normal result for one of these pitch shots falls into two groups: Group A) never made it to the green and got hung up near the fringe, or Group B) Hit the green and rolled 15' past the hole.
For that reason, don't use a pitch if you're more than 3' or 4' below the hole. A flop, (or even a partial power full swing if you're more than 8' below) will give you much more stopping power.
Hole 15 - A Deceptive Par 4
The Drive - Aim Left
There are a couple of counterintuitive factors that make this hole more challenging than it needs to be. When you look at the inset image of this hole, it looks like you want to be on the right side of this fairway to get a better look at the pin. Actually, the opposite is true for a couple of different reasons.
First, the fairway has a high bank on the left side that bounces balls toward the middle. You can get some extra yardage on your drive by hitting the bank and letting it roll down the hill to the right. For the same reason, drives that hug the right side of the fairway will bounce right and often end up in the 30% rough at the knee of the dogleg.
Second, being on the right puts you below the hole. Now, if you're reading this as you're playing, you may notice that being on the right says you are somewhere around level with the hole, and you may further think I'm full of crap, but I assure you, you are below the hole. Which brings us to...
The Approach - Aim Long
This hole plays about 1-2% longer than the yardage. You are much more likely to be short than long here. The green is also on an up-slope which is going to mute any roll you might have expected.
As a rule, add a couple of yards to a wedge and then trust it to be correct. This hole is an easy birdie if you play left from the tee and long from the fairway.
Hole 16 - A long Par 5
For me personally, this is one of the harder par 5s at WGT. Properly managed or not, It's challenging from start to finish.
The Drive - Be Right
A long strech of bunker lines the left side of the fairway. The fairway itself is bisected into an upper terrace on the right side and a lower section on the left. You want to be on the upper section. As you move up in tiers, you will find this increasingly difficult to do as the tee boxes move further and further to the left of the fairway to where you feel like you're driving onto a fairway that perpendicular to you.
Drives that are short will find the face of the incline between the two halves of the fairway, effectively shortening the drive. Shots that reach the upper section will be rewarded with a little extra roll. If you land in the sand, you're probably playing for par.
2nd Shot - Carry the Bunker
This shot looks more intimidating than it actually is. The fairway in the landing area for this shot is below you anywhere from 2' to 6', this means you're going to get a little more carry anyway. If you add some backspin to your 3W, it will fly higher and land softer. With a 230 yd 3W and no wind, you can expect it to fly about 215-220. Just make sure you're landing on grass and not sand.
3rd Shot - The Approach
Here's the trick part. Generally you'll have a wedge or short iron into this green. If you hit your first two shots well, the pin should be 3'-6' above you from about 90 yds away. The green slopes up and away from you. So with the uphill shot into an up slope, expect this hole to play longer than the yardage (more than on the 15th).
The front half of the green runs right to left and the back half of the green runs left to right so factor that into your approach, though the pin placement on the front half is mostly just uphill.
Hole 17 - The Water Hole - Par 3
The Tee Shot
Miss left.
Yes. There are bunkers fore and aft of the left side. There's a big hump on the green 15' short of the flag. There's another hump 20' past the flag. The rough is thick and deep between the bunkers, and of course there's water right, but with all that danger, there is still a good sized landing area on this green with a decent chance at birdie.
My advice is play for the ace. The safest part of the green is right where the flag is. I'm not saying that to be a smart ass, I'm serious. Even if the pin were somewhere else, I would still try to aim for the same spot.
Being afraid of the water is healthy, but being too afraid of it gets people in other troubles. Ignore the water and you'll get a lot more birdies here.
Hole 18 - A Long Boring Par 4, meh...
The Drive - Let the Big Dog Eat
I hate this hole. It's featureless to me. Drive it as long as you can along the left-center fairway and you'll be safe. Mishits left are usually bounced back into the fairway anyway. Playing to the right side will squeeze out a few more yards, but it brings rough and a couple bunkers into play. The extra 5 yards closer to hole isn't a big enough benefit to play a riskier shot. Either way, you'll still be hitting a mid to long iron into this green, and if you do it from the right side, you'll be hitting uphill.
The Approach - Stick this Pin
A good approach here is one that flies 90% of the green and stops like a dart. Landing in the rough to the left of the green is OK here if you have a decent short game.
If you don't have the equipment or golfballs to stop a long iron, you can cheat by aiming for the rough just off of the green. The pitch from there is entirely makeable for birdie, but if you miss, you should have an easy putt.
Laying up and playing center of the green in hopes of two-putting from 20'-40' away is a mistake. The green slopes away, so your shot is probably going to run off the far side, but even if it doesn't, there are no easy putts from that distance on this green.
The best option here is to be aggressive.