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2nd hole, St Andrews Monthly Stroke Play

• CStaddon 48 Posts

  Fri, Feb 21 2014 4:49 PM

  I have a problem on one of this month's stroke play tournaments - specifically the 2nd hole on St Andrews Monthly Stroke Play. The green grid shows very little or no left or right movement on the 2nd.... (***, par 4, handicap 6) . But the green changes its bias from game to game.

  I've noticed, when I par or bogie the first - and go to putt from within feet on the 2nd  - it almost always goes straight in. However.... If I am lucky enough to birdie the first, the green acts totally differently. As if by magic, a previously non-existent bias (according to the grid anyway) will suddenly divert my ball at the very last minute. And I mean "suddenly" as in 2 inches from the hole, literally veering left or right (it varies).  But there's nothing on the grid to explain it. And it's driving me round the bend. Anyone got any ideas?

• chuddlymccannon 298 Posts

  Fri, Feb 21 2014 5:31 PM

  See if you can just Eagle it from the fairway.  LOL

  The hole seriously sucks and I'm pretty sure it picks on everyone and not just you

  So............. Don't take it personal

   

• Wheels65 744 Posts

  Fri, Feb 21 2014 6:17 PM

  The more that you play here, the more you will see that small differences in your approach shot (and therefore small differences in your azimuth & distance from the pin) will make big differences in the green "break".   This hole is particularly difficult when the pin is on the front left side of the green - the small mound between the pin & ball makes it tough to stop a ball from carrying 5 to7 yards past the pin. I'm not a 'great player', but I try to land my approach shot slightly to the left on the top of the mound. & let is (S   L    O    W   L   Y) roll toward the pin.

  Yes, the green is challenging - pay attention to how fast the dots are running.  Fast dots close to the pin, mean a bigger slope there and a bigger break.

• andwhy67 2,816 Posts

  Fri, Feb 21 2014 6:23 PM

  St Andy's #2

  Either pin placements are tough, from the fairway looking to the green, the right pin l aim right hopefully leaving an uphill putt.

  Above the pin and let it roll down to the hole

  Or this way!

  Or slam dunk it

  Either way, no heroics, play to par the hole a birdie is a bonus!!

• CStaddon 48 Posts

  Fri, Feb 21 2014 6:41 PM

  Above the pin and let it roll down.... If I was 6 feet away certainly.

  But when I'm 11 inches away and there are no racing dots between me and the hole I presume there can't be any break. All the same, one time, it'll veer left.. the next time I'm in the same place, it veers right. It's as if... but it can't be.... can it....?

  Could my enemy on this hole really be... varmint....?

  Think about it: nobody's seen that gopher since Caddyshack 2.

• frappefort 3,994 Posts

  Fri, Feb 21 2014 7:29 PM

  i agree ,  play for par , bonus  if better .

• andwhy67 2,816 Posts

  Sat, Feb 22 2014 12:41 AM

  Don't just rely on the dots you see during the putt selection, go to chip/pitch mode for a considerably more accurate view of the break.

  CStaddon:

  Above the pin and let it roll down.... If I was 6 feet away certainly.

  But when I'm 11 inches away and there are no racing dots between me and the hole I presume there can't be any break. All the same, one time, it'll veer left.. the next time I'm in the same place, it veers right. It's as if... but it can't be.... can it....?

  Could my enemy on this hole really be... varmint....?

  Think about it: nobody's seen that gopher since Caddyshack 2.

   

• gil45 60 Posts

  Sat, Feb 22 2014 6:00 PM

  wgt program sucks on this hole they can not make up there mind on the breaks on the green so look at the dots behind the ball and after the hole to get a clue

  good luck

• ApexPC 3,164 Posts

  Sun, Feb 23 2014 10:09 AM

  Because of the need for a very slow pace, downhill putts are affected a lot more by break than uphill putts.

   

• jayw4862 3,364 Posts

  Sun, Feb 23 2014 11:08 AM

  CStaddon:

  I presume there can't be any break

  There's your problem. :)