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Advice - how would you play this hole...

You can understand why your coach is encouraging you to try and hit the green 155 away would be seen as scoring zone. But trying to hit 5 iron/hybrid to an island green is not a simple task and can definately see the appeal in wedge wedge and 2 putts, a percentage play and more chance of 3 than if your 5i / hybrid misses the green and you find aqua.
So at present I would say go wedge wedge.
 
6/7 and chip. surely the ground cant be that bad making a chip all that hard.


leaving yourself an 80 yard shot to an island green isn't a smart move if you ask me. :o
 
This is what i consider a tough par 3,certainly the toughest i've ever encountered.
235 yards off the stones,out of bounds to rear and right of green,and a steep slope and river to the left.
 

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6/7 and chip. surely the ground cant be that bad making a chip all that hard.


leaving yourself an 80 yard shot to an island green isn't a smart move if you ask me. :o

My hands were shaking at that prospect too, just a little tweak left or right and its gone :eek:

Give me closer from a dodgy lie any day :thup:
 
This is what i consider a tough par 3,certainly the toughest i've ever encountered.
235 yards off the stones,out of bounds to rear and right of green,and a steep slope and river to the left.

you would need to play that a few times to work out a strategy. looks downhill so wont play the full 230.
 
I'm with Ethan (and Gary)

7 iron (assuming it will be short of the inlet on the right, if you hit it that direction, and chip)

However you play it you need to establish both confidence and competence at the approach in order to be able to commit when competing. 50 old balls and a bit of time - 2/3 off the tee and 1/3 with the chip.

If the green is almost flat ie a putt from the middle of the green to most pins is a realistic chance and a likely 2 putt, then I would probably favour 'just hitting the 5 iron' aiming to land on the left front of the green (really aiming, including likely fade!). It's only a loss of one shot on the lay-up route, and it may be a gain of one ie it's not a big enough issue to get seriously stressed about and you should be able to make this work. On a day you feel conditions and your swing aren't there just go back to the 7 iron/chip.
 
you would need to play that a few times to work out a strategy. looks downhill so wont play the full 230.

It does play shorter than its yardage,but it's nearly always into the wind and even when theres no wind it still requires a well struck 3 or 4 iron to a green 5 pace's wide in the middle !!!
Sometimes a 9 iron short of the bunkers and a chance of chipping close are a better option if your struggling.
 
Pic from the whites:

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I think it can be a 189 yarder sometimes.

I normally go for it and only until recently have I been hitting the green, I normally pull it left but sometimes you get a good bounce from the tree mounds. The lay up area is a lot better than it used to be, more grass just needs a cut.
 
Interesting - 2 replies and 2 very different opinions. By the way the 1st is very difficult and the approach to the green almost mirrors the approach to the 4th. It's SI 3, the 3rd is SI 5 - so a tough start to any round...

Edit - water in front doesn't phase me as previous course had loads of the stuff. It's the water carrying all round the right side of the green and very tight to it which catches me out...

No shame in laying up!

I do so on my index one hole a long par four.

I belive someone did it four times on a par three at hte Masters and went on to win!

Play percentages for your game.

Have fun

dandpl
 
I'm with Ethan (and Gary)

7 iron (assuming it will be short of the inlet on the right, if you hit it that direction, and chip)

However you play it you need to establish both confidence and competence at the approach in order to be able to commit when competing. 50 old balls and a bit of time - 2/3 off the tee and 1/3 with the chip.

If the green is almost flat ie a putt from the middle of the green to most pins is a realistic chance and a likely 2 putt, then I would probably favour 'just hitting the 5 iron' aiming to land on the left front of the green (really aiming, including likely fade!). It's only a loss of one shot on the lay-up route, and it may be a gain of one ie it's not a big enough issue to get seriously stressed about and you should be able to make this work. On a day you feel conditions and your swing aren't there just go back to the 7 iron/chip.

Hoping to get some time on the 4th this week to practice the options. I need to really aim and commit to the line for sure as currently have only pulled it into the trees twice and once got away with it. I have the distance and need to trust that and swing easy committing to the line.

On the distance to hit my lay up - I am more adept hitting a full gap wedge than chipping from a bare lie - hate the latter!
 
No shame in laying up to where you're comfortable.

Out of interest, you say your bad shot is weak right, what happens if you aim left of green with a tee shot.

Does the bad shot go on the green? Does a straight shot finish OK? If you hit it left do you get away with it?
 
distance wise for me its go for it. but from what your saying for yourself play it as a par 4. two to get on green it isn't si 1 for nothing. and theres nothing wrong with that mentality. you will be putting for par all the time hopefully. thats wot I would do if I had your distances
 
No shame in laying up to where you're comfortable.

Out of interest, you say your bad shot is weak right, what happens if you aim left of green with a tee shot.

Does the bad shot go on the green? Does a straight shot finish OK? If you hit it left do you get away with it?

Aiming left gives me issues generally from a tee box as I think I tend to open up a bit and cut across it - hence the left to right slide away gradually carrying over the area where it's all water!

So normally it would hit the right fringe I'd say but no room for that on the 4th. If I pull it left or even get some draw there isn't much room before the trees...more likely to have that shape with my 5 iron than hybrid though.
 
To me this is the definition of a Mickey Mouse hole, I just would not enjoy playing it.

Any mid length par 3 where you consider laying up because of the danger of the tee shot is IMHO a bad design, it's just too penal.

Looking at the course on GoogleMaps there appear to be several holes where a combination of trees and water make the hole too scary, the second shot on the first looks pretty nasty too.

There must be some slow rounds there.

To my mind one or two holes would benefit greatly from a bit of tree felling!
 
On the distance to hit my lay up - I am more adept hitting a full gap wedge than chipping from a bare lie - hate the latter!

the arithmetic is that which ever route you select to lay up from has to deliver the best overall score - and v going for the green from the tee, probably an average of under 3 (takes into account that not every lay up tee shot will work either!)

I have to admit slight surprise that you are better from 70yds than 20, from a similar lie; there's always a perception of this based on the memory of failure to get get down in 2 from 20 against the success of getting down in 3 (and sometimes 2) from 70...mind can play funny tricks (there's also the related issue that laying up to 70 is more common than laying up to 20 ie from 20 you are coming off the back of having failed to achieve your primary objective etc etc

Anyone ever mention this game is 80% (++) mental? :)
 
To me this is the definition of a Mickey Mouse hole, I just would not enjoy playing it.

Any mid length par 3 where you consider laying up because of the danger of the tee shot is IMHO a bad design, it's just too penal.

Looking at the course on GoogleMaps there appear to be several holes where a combination of trees and water make the hole too scary, the second shot on the first looks pretty nasty too.

There must be some slow rounds there.

To my mind one or two holes would benefit greatly from a bit of tree felling!

you would love (sic) our 'amen corner' 11, 12 & 13 then........
 
To me this is the definition of a Mickey Mouse hole, I just would not enjoy playing it.

Any mid length par 3 where you consider laying up because of the danger of the tee shot is IMHO a bad design, it's just too penal.

Looking at the course on GoogleMaps there appear to be several holes where a combination of trees and water make the hole too scary, the second shot on the first looks pretty nasty too.

There must be some slow rounds there.

To my mind one or two holes would benefit greatly from a bit of tree felling!

2nd shot into 1st with a good tee shot can be quite easy, it's when you leave it to far back that issues arise.

Tee shot on 17 is quite juicy as well!
 
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