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St Andy's

• pastlife63 55 Posts

  Thu, Jan 24 2013 1:43 AM

  Hello there,

  Ok, I recently moved up to master level and my game's gone to hell, just before the move up on St Andy's I  was 4 and 5 under, now 3 over is a great game, so on to my point, i am quite a hit and  miss player hit the ding on the meter  very few times but, for my normal game on St Andy's, it's medium winds, v fast greens hard but not hardest pin positions.

  I have good clubs and use cally level 33 balls but... on the 8th hole par 3  i cannot hit that without scortching across the green a good 20yds beyond the hole, if  i play the hole short i don't make the green, can anyone give any tips on how they play this hole?

  Sorry for long winded  way to ask a question.

• alosso 21,066 Posts

  Thu, Jan 24 2013 3:14 AM

  It's a difficult phase due to the longer approach shots. Time to practice and learn...

  Shots depend on the trajectory of the clubs, and yours are "med/high".

  The 8th of STA has two pins, one behind the bunker and one in the back. There's a wee bump before the back pin.

  The front pin is difficult for everyone. You have to clear the fringe to avoid a wider hop but it won't hold close to the pin with our equipment. Only the best equipment will allow to make the ball stick there.

  Sometimes you'll have to accept that there's no way to come close to the pin...

   

  (The following is meant for #11 - my bad).

  The front pin needs a slightly longer shot to clear the bunker. A good portion of backspin and the upslope will help to stay close.

  The back pin is right behind the top of the green. Too short shots will roll back, those too long will end in the rough. The latter is the better miss IMHO as long as it stays close to the green.

  That said, it's a good tactic to play a wee bit short but with little backspin, allowing the ball to climb the bump. This works with my "high" irons, maybe difficult with the lower R11.

• pastlife63 55 Posts

  Thu, Jan 24 2013 5:10 AM

  Thanks a lot for the info, now i know it's more down to  needing better clubs etc  i can  more readily accept it will always be a par or bogie shot lol. 

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Thu, Jan 24 2013 5:26 AM

  pastlife63:

  Thanks a lot for the info, now i know it's more down to  needing better clubs etc  i can  more readily accept it will always be a par or bogie shot lol. 

  Not so fast. You can give yourself a birdie chance on that hole by just adjusting the type of shot you play. Trying to pound that back pin and make the shot stick is hard with any clubs and ball, it just depends on how the wind is blowing and where you land the shot.

  Try punching your tee shot. What you're looking to do is run the ball up to the pin and with the size of that green and the bump Alosso referred to before the pin, a couple of practice shots will give you an idea of what club to punch and how much roll to expect.

  Go to the WGT Community tab above and get to SA 8 under Golf Courses. You have to use the conditions it gives you (which is basically  slower green) but you will know real quick what that type of shot will take to get the roll right. Keep in mind that the wind affects punches less than full shots. GL

   

• alosso 21,066 Posts

  Thu, Jan 24 2013 6:22 AM

  And how to approach the front pin, YJ?

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Thu, Jan 24 2013 7:15 AM

  I use 2 full shots there depending on the wind. Either a 180 yard 6 iron or a 165 yard 7 iron. The combination of shots with either kind of spin allows for a wide range of options. It all depends on the wind.

• mkg335 5,491 Posts

  Thu, Jan 24 2013 8:09 AM

  Agree 100% with YJ...back pin is 206 yds from the tips, so I usually punch a 3-iron and adjust backspin according to the wind.  A tailwind usually calls for a full (not punched) 5-iron, again with backspin adjusted according to wind strength.

  And like YJ, I use a full 6 or 7 iron to the front pin, with strength and direction of wind determining club choice and amount of backspin.  Into a very strong headwind, sometimes a full 5-iron with almost full backspin is the club of choice.

  So punch and roll (usually) to the back pin, and try to drop a mortar shell on the front pin.