Feared holes

[The19thHole]

Do you ever play with fear? (often saying to yourself,
’I hate this hole’!) knowing that you’ll play it particular badly?

There’s this hole at a course I play regularly and no
matter how calm, relaxed, or mentally prepared I am,
I always manage to F••• it up!

I know it’s all in the mind, but I’m at my tether now

 

[rosecott]

We have a 549-yard par 5 which strikes fear into players of all abilities – single figure handicappers call it unfair.

The first 200 yards is fairly sharp uphill to the fairway marker post where it flattens out until the final uphill 130 yards.. To the right of the post there is a 12-foot gap between the post and a small copse of trees – maybe 8 feet deep –then a hedge over which is out of bounds. Going left from the marker post, the ground slopes rapidly down left to a series of gorse bushes (with some gaps) off the fairway, stretching to about the 300 yard mark.

You have 3 choices:

1. Straight drive between the marker post and copse of trees.
2. A slight draw starting nearly over the out of bounds.
3. A slight fade aimed to the left of the marker post.

All 3 have to be very accurate if you want to stay up on the flat.

 

[LanDog]

6th Par 3 At Greencastle
A decent lengthed par 3 that challenges you with the sea being straight in front and to the left of you, it would be a solid 5 iron on a calm day (but it's never calm) so you end up hitting a careful 4 iron onto a very bumpy green that feeds down to a beach.
I hate it!!!!!!!!!

 

[Evesdad]

yep all 18 of them!! no really my 8th always recks my card, par 5 up hill dog leg, blind aproach over hill to green, ob left trees right. kills me everytime!

 

[Tiger]

Two holes 4th and 15th. Never scored better than bogey on either. 4th is a dogleg right 380 yard par 4. Miss left and you're in gorse and the whole right side is lined with massive trees so venture too close and your route to the green is blocked. The green itself is two tier with a six foot difference between the two.

15th is a tight drive gorse and bushes left and right with a significant dip in the fairway tocatch your ball if your drive is short. The green is protected by a water hazard, couple of bunkers and more gorse. The green itself slopes back to front and breaks a fair bit as you are rarely coming at it from below the hole as they generally cut it tight to the right hand side.

Oh and both usually play into the wind.

 

[NWJocko]

Any par 3 at the moment! Having a shocker with the irons so missing the green any which way you think!

Current issues aside, one of the par 3's at ours has a high bank on the left, green slopes left to right, and a massive bunker on the right. You have about a 4 inch strip of green at the front left to hold it. You could play to "use" the bank but there's oob just beyond it if you pull it a fraction.

Everyone tends to play short right as it's the best chance of up and down.

 

[Region3]

The 2nd and 18th at ours. Just because a bad drive normally means 3 off the tee (right on 2, left on 18). Even if you miss on the 'good' side you're normally looking bogey at best.

 

[granters]

11th at Ranfurly castle- destroyed so many good rounds for me. It's one of those holes that doesn't look so difficult until you play it.

Dog leg left from the tee- either a nice draw over the gorse (lost if you miss) to get a reasonably flat lie on a left to right sloping fairway, or bail out right.

Green well below you for approach which can be anything from a 5 iron to a wedge depending on wind and your drive. And you're hitting with the vall below your feet.

Sometimes i just run a low 6 iron to the front edge to cut out the danger. Have hit it right so many time i lost count. it's one of those approach shots where you're swinging and that wee voice in your head is screaming "ANYWHERE BUT RIGHT!"...

 

[richart]

15th and 18th. If you have a good round going they are the most likely holes in the last six to ruin it. 15th is a great par 3, but almost impossible to get down in two if you miss the green. 18th is just one of the best finishing holes, with a devilish green, and a huge pit inches off the green on the right. Oh and OB left and long, and anything on the front of the green rolls back down the hill.

 

[stevie_r]

Our 12th, not long for a par 4 but all you can see is a wall of trees in front (and close!) and the top of a marker pole. Duff your drive at all and it's a lost ball. Frequently try to over do it and heel it into an overgrown pond or massive slice. Landing zone is on top of a hill, steep down hill to the green with a severe right to left slope on the fairway. Too far right with your drive and you can only see the left hand edge of the green. Short with your approach and it can run off the fairway left into the cabbage, severe gully at the rear of the green to punish the over hits

 

[AuburnWarrior]

10th.

A fairly straight forward tee shot but the fairway slopes left to right so unless you're far enough left, you'll end up in the rubbish down the right side.

The approach should be simple but the green is well guarded by two bunkers at the front and the gap between the two is marginal so you can't run it up between them.

The green itself slopes from back to front so irons should hold - but they don't so you invariably end up chipping back down the green.

Added to that is the slope and pace of the green and you're looking at a blob most times!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The 6th at my place is my real nemesis although it had been playing nicely until the last two rounds. Only 178 yards but OB left and right and I never feel confident on the tee. Tomorrow though is another day and we'll see what I can do

 

[Paul_Stewart]

9 through 11 at Pyrford. All into the wind. 592-yard par 5 with water all down the right, out of bounds left and an island green. 10 is a 170-yard par 3 all over water and then 11 is a 470-yard par 4 with a ton of bunkers and a viciously sloping green.

Get through that trio in level par and you've got a shot.

 

[rosecott]

Somebody needs to compile a list and perhaps have some kind of extended comp including all the feared holes.

 

[Iaing]

Our 2nd hole.
230 yard par 3, uphill into the prevailing wind and with oob hard down the right.
Ended many a score before it's even started.

 

[jammydodger]

There have been a few over the years that i've just not played well. The 17th (par4)at my last club did for me for about a year and a half. Every comp I would come off there with at least a double bogey and very occasionally I might manage a bogey. I tried every club in the bag to get the tee shot right , even resorting to a 7 iron , wedge and wedge in one instance. Happily I got to the stage where I could usually make a bogey comfortably and maybe throw in the odd par.

I swear without that hole I would have been off 2 easily

 

[RGDave]

I have 4 at mine. They are v.v. costly to my scores and handicap.

I can't decide whether to go the whole hog and come up with a bonkers system of negotiating them.

One of them is a 459yd par 4. I play it best hitting 4 iron, followed by "as-much-as-sensibly-possible" then wedge it on.
Best would be a 1 putt par, average would be 2 putt bogey, worst would be a double.

Then there's the 17th par 3 with it's two lakes and run-off the back into another county. My average over a season is over 5. FFS. More than a double on average.

 

[19thagain]

The 17th and 18th at my course.

Both have a very busy road running alongside them, the 17th with 4 yards of rough and a 6 foot fence defending oncoming traffic from my sliced drive!!

The 18th green is ONE YARD from the fence (it is circa 10 feet high at that point) but this hole being a par three, the ball is coming in to the green from a flight higher than the fence.

The additional factor is all the members cars are just over the fence!!

I am of the opinion that the holes can only be played well by golfers with 'penalty taking' mentality - able to blot out the 'what ifs' or so certain of their ability that it does not concern them.

Me?? I can see the car being hit .. crashing .. blood everywhere and I have'nt even teed the ball up!!

 

[brendy]

We have our own Amen Corner, 5th(dogleg right 460 yards with internal on the inside of the corner),6th (Seemingly straight forward 340 par 4 with one of the hardest greens to hit and old on the course) &7th (205 yd par 3, narrow long green bunkers left and right and slope up onto the green to stop thins etc). Generally if you can get though there unscathed you can put a good card together.