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Pinehurst Greens

Thu, May 8 2014 10:49 PM (14 replies)
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  • TTEST47
    18 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 3:23 AM

    Here are some of the notes I wrote to myself in my notebook for Pinehurst greens: "Green from Hell", 'the Devil's Green", "Green from double Hell." Anyone else "enjoying": the greens as much as me?

  • ScottHope
    10,444 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 3:27 AM

    They're gonna be tough if you don't have a set of decent wedges.

  • TonyPhil
    74 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 4:14 AM

    The key is that you need to hit the greens in the best spots. Once you play a decent amount of times, you'll know what I'm talking about. Sometimes, hitting it to 20, even 25 feet might give you a better chance at birdie than 10-15 feet. How many times have you seen the best players miss their approach, but make a long putt? Most of the time, they miss it where they can still give themselves a good look at birdie.

    A couple examples are holes 1 and 6. A little long and left on hole 1 will leave a straight downhill makeable putt. On hole 6, if you hit it hole-high 15-30 feet away, you have a little left-to-right uphill putt.

    Sometimes, though, the greens just break from everywhere and you have to take your medicine. Like hole 4, if you're going for it you must aim to the right with the hole location. It just leaves a nasty right-to-lefter all the time.

    All I can say is use your notebook for each hole and write down where the best places to leave a good putt are located. It may take a while to get each hole down, but it's worth it. Hope I helped.

  • ECBonus
    743 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 8:21 AM

    Read the green before you hit your approach shot, that's what this course is all about

  • TarheelsRule
    5,566 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 8:25 AM

    Tony is very correct here.

    For example in qualifying the other day, I stood at five under through 4, having eagled the third hole, all excited about posting a good round.  I had a good wind on the 5th hole and managed to get my 2nd shot to about 15 feet right of the pin.

    I line up my eagle putt with excitement, it was 3 down I believe and had a good bit of break but looked makeable.  I stroked it about 7 on the scale and watched it touch the edge, dang I thought and then I watched it take what seemed like 2 minute to trickle off the green.  A bad chip left me 9 feet away in the same spot.  Long story short a double bogey and I was back to 3 under.

    There are a number of spots on this course in the game and in real golf that you just have to avoid.  If you go 12 feet long, you roll off the back of the green, 10 feet short and you roll back off the green.  If there is any course that requires you to make use of the notebook, this is it.   I will say that on many courses a 10 foot putt is pretty routine for most of us, on this one it can be an adventure.

  • CerinoDevoti
    3,232 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 9:47 AM

    TarheelsRule:

    Tony is very correct here.

    For example in qualifying the other day, I stood at five under through 4, having eagled the third hole, all excited about posting a good round.  I had a good wind on the 5th hole and managed to get my 2nd shot to about 15 feet right of the pin.

    I line up my eagle putt with excitement, it was 3 down I believe and had a good bit of break but looked makeable.  I stroked it about 7 on the scale and watched it touch the edge, dang I thought and then I watched it take what seemed like 2 minute to trickle off the green.  A bad chip left me 9 feet away in the same spot.  Long story short a double bogey and I was back to 3 under.

    There are a number of spots on this course in the game and in real golf that you just have to avoid.  If you go 12 feet long, you roll off the back of the green, 10 feet short and you roll back off the green.  If there is any course that requires you to make use of the notebook, this is it.   I will say that on many courses a 10 foot putt is pretty routine for most of us, on this one it can be an adventure.

    One thing I've noticed is some of the approach "bail" spots are actually traps to make you play pin high but away from those slope away sides of the greens. Once pin high we have severe side sloping putts that fall away and off the green as you described. On more than one hole I've said to myself, I'll play safe toward the center of the green but still hit pin high power. BIG MISTAKE. Taking dead aim can be dangerous but so can thinking we're playing safe. Real nice setup IMO. :)

  • vadernader
    62 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 2:52 PM

    I'd say 18 has the most ridiculous from a putting standpoint specifically. There is literally no good spot to put it. If you put it below the hole you have a tough uphill putt which is hard to judge the speed on and if it goes past more than a couple feet you're in trouble because of the other spot to put it....above the hole. If you put it a good amount above the hole either straight or to either side you're dead if you miss the putt. It is impossible to get a downhill putt to stay close to the hole if you miss it. Prime example, I had a 14 foot 2down putt that I hit 6 to be on the safe side. It lipped out and rolled down the hill and left me a 21 foot 12uphill putt coming back, yeah. Gotta be careful on the approach and only add a couple extra yards without adding too many because way above the hole is dead. The prime spot is just slightly below or slightly above. 

  • gmaster007
    2,101 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 3:03 PM

    it's a must ding course alright.
    I just hope they lay off the VEM on this puppy,
    it's hard enough to get them to stick on the putting surface as it is.

  • thebigeasy707
    5,885 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 3:17 PM

    greens are bang on IMHO.

    folks just need to learn the greens.

    instead of going for birdie all the time....and ending up with a bogey.....play safe and take par.

  • Woodoworkery
    3,498 Posts
    Thu, May 8 2014 5:06 PM

    But you won't come close to the cut line that way, Either way you lose unless you get some luck going

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