Wayman
Tour Winner
Hit driver over the top all the time
Fairway Bunker 200yds from Tee
- Thread starter SwingsitlikeHogan
- Start date
sawtooth
Tour Winner
Driver, flick with a wedge, 3 putt job done.
Or into a howling force 6 wind , 3W, 3W, 3 putt.
Or into a howling force 6 wind , 3W, 3W, 3 putt.
ScienceBoy
Money List Winner
Seen this design plenty of times, it often throws players off but it's a good design. Sometimes you hit a longer second than tee shot. Which is not bad
being serious now, just sound like a classic risk reward hole to me.
reward, fly the bunker have a much shorter shot for the 2nd.
risk , if you miss the fairway its trouble. lay up short of trouble a harder longer shot.
reward, fly the bunker have a much shorter shot for the 2nd.
risk , if you miss the fairway its trouble. lay up short of trouble a harder longer shot.
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ManinBlack
Tour Winner
The way I look at it, if I lay up I'm playing a wedge to the green for my third shot. If I hit driver & finish up in the bunker, rough or trees I'm probably hitting wedge or something similar for my third. If the driver goes to exactly the right place I'm hitting something like a 4 or 5 iron to the green with a chance of a birdie. I'd hit the driver every time.
Spear-Chucker
Tour Rookie
Sounds like a very well designed hole to me with several options of how to play it dependent upon ability and conditions. I can think of three options for my game. Is the hole/course an old design or relatively new one? Sounds like a classic from days gone by which still bears great relevance to the modern game - that's a hit in my book.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
It feels like a fairway bunker
As we have to usually cope with a strong left to right wind and our tee shot is exposed we have to basically aim at the bunker.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
We're an old James Braid course and hole has not much been changed over the many years. We have taken one big diseased old tree out that was short left of the green. But if you hit way over the bunker into the gunge you still have younger trees and the LH greenside bunker top negotiate. Before the tree was taken out if you hit your tee shot over/past the bunker and tight down the left and either just in the fairway or in the first cut rough - you had this huge tree to go over - and most didn't try. Now with the tree out the shot to the green is clear - but you have to clear the LH greenside bunker and the green is not deep coming in from the LHS.
One idea is to take out the LHS of the 'fairway' bunker - leaving the rest where it is - so all the pluses mentioned by all here for where it is remain. If you then were to hit to where the LHS of bunker was your tee shot will keep going into rough and behind the trees and you'll have a very tough shot to the green - or play out 'sideways' - most do.
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Spear-Chucker
Tour Rookie
I can see the logic to that proposal, at least you can maintain the original character to the drive! We're also a Braid design and have several holes with bunkers at that yardage - most of them are still proper hazards and need careful thought.
Piece
Tour Winner
For me, hit your straightest longest club off the tee.
Mike07
Head Pro
we have a similar placed bunker on the 1st at my club. For me its 2/4 iron just going over of 3 wood to sail it long past.
The majority of the members see it as a well placed hazard as they go into the bunker a lot!
What about making the bunker more dangerous, i.e. shaping it so that the lip is higher and difficult to get out of? Whats the total length of the h
The majority of the members see it as a well placed hazard as they go into the bunker a lot!
What about making the bunker more dangerous, i.e. shaping it so that the lip is higher and difficult to get out of? Whats the total length of the h
Sweep
Journeyman Pro
The fact that you are talking about this makes me think this is a perfectly placed bunker that does its job. It's a proper hazard that makes you think, maybe even place doubts in your mind. The sign of a good design is one that makes the player think and gives them options. Moving the bunker would only render it less relevant and make the hole a lot easier, making it a just another hole where you reach for the driver without thinking.
From the plan and from what you have said, it seems the designer wants you to play right of the bunker so if I understand you correctly, changing the LHS of the bunker would not be relevant to the design.
I would suggest that if the rough / trees around the bunker make it unfair then deal with those and leave the bunker in place.
The fact that this is a James Braid design that remains relevant and challenging to this day speaks volumes. Tinker with it at your peril!
From the plan and from what you have said, it seems the designer wants you to play right of the bunker so if I understand you correctly, changing the LHS of the bunker would not be relevant to the design.
I would suggest that if the rough / trees around the bunker make it unfair then deal with those and leave the bunker in place.
The fact that this is a James Braid design that remains relevant and challenging to this day speaks volumes. Tinker with it at your peril!
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
24 yards wide fairway level with the bunker? That is wide, and the bunker should not come into play.
I would leave it as it is, but neck the fairway down to 16 yards from the other side, like most of ours do. Some of our fairways are only 8 yards wide in places.
I would leave it as it is, but neck the fairway down to 16 yards from the other side, like most of ours do. Some of our fairways are only 8 yards wide in places.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
The hole is 404yds. The lip/rim of the bunker is not that high but the sand is gently sloped up to it so your ball will run up the slope and then stop - often very close to the (slightly) overhanging top rim. So you can often find yourself within a foot or so of the rim with only option 8i or less.
Hosel Fade
Tour Rookie
As said I don't see the issue with 24 yard width, just had a look at some aerials of local clubs and that seems to be about average course wide
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
The difficulty is not so much with the width of the fairway - more that we often have a strong left to right wind - with a line of mature tress tight to the RHS of the fairway and OoB close to the other side of the trees. It is very easy to let a tee shot go and the cross-wind just whips it into the trees or OoB.
I have no issues with the bunker position btw. It's a tough hole - some say our signature hole. As SI 7 I get a shot. I need it. If I walk off with a par I am very pleased.
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
I haven't played too much golf in Portugal but I found the courses in villamoura to be quite bland in their design. Real samey stuff over and over.
Big bunker at 220-260 left and water right or vice versa. Rinse repeat.
Big bunker at 220-260 left and water right or vice versa. Rinse repeat.
ger147
Tour Winner
I thought you wanted it filled in and moved out to 240 yards. Is that not what you said in your OP?
LanDog
Journeyman Pro
To me it seems like it makes a fairly straight forward hole a bit more interesting, that can't be a bad thing in my opinion, 24 yard wide fairway is generous enough for a landing area
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Didn't say that's what I want - but it is being proposed.
