First Hole - how do you play it?

[Imurg]

The first hole is always a knee-knocker, the pressure of trying to get a good start combined with maybe having a Gallery to impress.
The 1st at my club isn't overly long but its a tricky one. 382 yards with a slight dog-leg left, there is a stream that crosses the fairway at about 45 degrees. Trees cover the short carry while the stream straightens and follows the fairway left up to the green. Penal rough awaits a slice too. The carry ranges from 180 to 210 yards and the temptation is to go for it. If you lay up you're faced with a 2nd shot in excess of 200 yards to get to the green. Sometimes we're into the wind so that takes the choice away and you almost play it as a par 5.

Recently I've been "going for it" but mostly have ballsed it up, so tomorrow I'm going to lay-up and go easy to see if that works better.
How's your opening tee shot? I know Homer's at RA is scary off the whites (unless you're Murph!) but what about the rest of you?

 

[mono217]

Par 3 188 usually hit a 3-5 iron depends on weather wind pin position only one bunker on right thick rough right and left small green.

 

[andiritchie]

My first is a dog leg left to right par 5 with a brook around the 200 yard mark off the whites.

Normal tactics is a driver to carry the lot and leave i 5 iron or so in to set up a eagle

But get a card in my hand and i play it 5 iron to the brook,the a 6 leaving a 9-pw in for a safe opening par

Its a shame really as i can eagle that hole so easy once i kill a drive,just dont have the balls to do it in comp

 

[Mattie]

... my first hole today.... LOST BALL
Things didnt get much better, couple of pars and then a lost ball which I found on the next hole, cost me 3 shuts that bugger!!

First lesson tomoro Yippee!

Mattie

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Par 3 of 229 yards off the whites. Pond short left, OB right. Tree line right for the pushed/sliced shot and bunkers left and right. I get a shot so happy with a 4 nett 3 and get away to a decent start. Had an 8 in a medal once which wasn't quite so good and played it like a novice with HTL at members day recently.

 

[brendy]

350 yards with 4 bunkers, 2 short and one each side of the green, On a dry day wind behind and a little bit of bounce its on but usually its a 4 iron to the 150 marker then pw-7i depending on wind, its a big green and noone should ever walk away with worse than bogey unless they are silly.

 

[stevie2722]

I wouldnt fancy homers par 3 to start.
the course im playing at the moment/looking to join has a 370 dogleg left. O/B left and right albeit a long way right. Driver is not an option for me as the dogleg is quite severe. the dogleg limits the straight line driving distance to about 230. I take a 3 wood to keep safe and depending on the line and wind usually have 110-150 yards left in.
The green is elevated with a pond about 15 yards short of the green. Luckily it doesnt really come into play for me unless i hit a real bad one but proves tough for some of the shorter hitters as the second shot is normally into the wind.

 

[Deleted member 1740]

Mines a 350ish S.I 9 dogleg left tree lined with a bunker 200yds to the left and a pond 20yds behind it.

I would like to say i draw it 300yds behind the pond everytime but i dont! I usually aim for the 150 stick which in turn keeps me away from the drink.

Then a 8i on the dancefloor and a 3 putt

 

[bobmac]

350 yards On a dry day wind behind and a little bit of bounce its on

Thats impressive off 9

 

[rgs]

Par 4 414 yds tee shot usually lands on an upslope taking some distance off the shot. Good drive leaves a 5 iron to a two tier green, bunkers on both sides of green. SI 4.
Nice easy start.

 

[brendy]

350 yards On a dry day wind behind and a little bit of bounce its on

Thats impressive off 9

You want to see the accuracy of my mid irons and 60 yard pitches, thats what keeps me honest!
Seriously though I do crack a long ball but there is a guy even longer that is off 2 and should be ashamed how far he hits the ball, saying that he has a very good swing, not going beyond parallel and really hits through the ball, he weighs about half my weight too.

 

[Owen_Thomas_14]

Straight par 4 about 320yards, i pull out driver and give it a go. OB long and bunkers greenside so a easy hole really look for a 3 or 4.

 

[Region3]

The first at mine is an easy start (if there is such a thing).

only about 350 off the whites, slight dogleg right to left, and a nice wide fairway and generous first cut. The only real thing that can go wrong is if you find a lie in the rough with a tree in the way.

 

[Smiffy]

Our first hole is a relatively straight forward par 4 of 379 yards (off the whites). A few trees and a bunker up the left hand side, lots of trees down the right. Quite a severe slope on the fairway from left to right though, so anything hit straight down the middle will bound down to the right hand side and you can be blocked out by the trees that line the fairway. The ideal shot is one played up the left hand side, flirting with the bunker and if played correctly will end up nicely in the middle. Trouble is, you very rarely have a flat lie for your second, for a right handed player you will invariably have the ball below your feet which for me, at least, is my "horror" lie. I've never learnt how to play those shots well!
You then have to play to the left hand side of the green or just short to let it feed down onto the putting surface. A fairly tricky hole to play correctly, I don't think I've ever birdied it. Made par quite a few times but you really are in the lap of the Gods with whatever bounce you may get.

 

[DCB]

Our first is a par 3 of 240 yards. Tight green, raised on the left hand side.

Quite happy to walk off with a nothing worse than a 4 at this hole.

It can be a full blooded driver into a westerly wind. In the summer a lofted wood or rescue club can put you just below the green with a chance for a chip and a putt for 3.

Tough start to a round.

 

[beck9965]

Ours is a 270 yard par 4 uphill with out oob along the left and tree lined on the right, 2 pot bunkers along the right hand side and a greenside bunker on the left, I normally hit a driver up the middle and on to the green which leaves me a two putt for a birdie or if i'm playing well an eagle.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My current first hole is fairly fearsome as those at the GM day this year will testify but its something I'm use to. My first hole at Wimbledon Common was 225 off the white with OB the entire length left (cutting in to about 15 yards left of the green), huge gorse bushes short and right and if you cleared those with a push or slice there was a deep gully filled with trees and rough. Add thick grass on the horseshoe banking around the green and it was a toughie. It was normally a 3 wood or driver and a 4 was always acceptable. Once this was negotiated it was straight onto SI 1

 

[jammydodger]

336 yards so short hole but has SI of 6 so I dont get one here. Heavy trees all up the right and on past the green. At about 230 theres 2 massive oak trees on the left side by side where the fairway doglegs left at about 30 degrees so you cant hit straight towards the green from the tee. They are so big that if you layed up it would have to be about 160 to green to be able to get over them with enough club to reach , however its a small green with a pronounced slope up to it and bunkers front left and right. You need to be up the right side to get a clear shot at the green but its only the longer hitters that can get far enough to see on the angle and this presents the problem where the trees are cutting in as they head for the green. Mostly you end up playing a bump and run of about 100/140 yds under the oak tree and hoping for a good roll out up and onto the green.

Tough start and have used everything from 6 iron to driver trying to find the best spot to land. Now I have given up trying to find the best place and just spank the driver straight at the big oak and let the golfing gods decide where i'm playing my 2nd from

 

[Twire]

We have a nice gentle 346 yard par 4 to start with. A fairway that's about 25-30 yards wide. Straight driving is essential on this hole, and a 3 wood or even a rescue club would be my advice. Down the right we have 3 grass bunkers nestled in between the 5 yard thick strip of heather, which runs nearly the length of the hole, with OOB to the right of that. Down the left we have heather again, this time about a 15 yard wide strip running nearly the length of the hole. The green runs from right to left and is protected with a bunker short left and two greenside bunkers on the right. Bushes to the left of the green and woods to the back collect wild shots in, and just for good measure we have heather again to the right of the greenside bunkers. The gentle par 4 first can be a nice birdie opportunity with a straight drive and a decent iron, or it can bite you on the arse if you don't find the fairway.

 

[Redwood]

Nice easy par 4, 350 yrads, SI 14, to start.

Straight, and slightly raised tee with the fairway running gentley down to the green. Plenty of bail out room on the left if you pull your drive (fifth fairway) which actually gives you a better sight of the green.

For me the easiest on the course, even if it is the first.