How are you playing this hole?

[ThinBullet]

10th hole at Dougalston GC in Glasgow. My home club.

Hole name: Nae Chance
Par 4
White tees: 410 yards
Tee to 200 yard marker = 65 ft uphill
Gap in the trees at the top of the hill = 15-17 yards
Widest part of the fairway = 24 yards
Arrows indicate slope. The longer they are, the more slope there is.
All fairway slopes lead to a red stakes hazard both left and right of the fairway
Red stakes hazard runs up the hill left from the tee box.
Well established pine trees.




I've had a mixture of pars and bogeys to doubles on this hole. If your tee shot is right of centre, you're blocked out and need to hit a fade off a ball above feet slope. Not sure that's even possible.

Reason I ask, is that I need to find a new strategy for this hole, because I can't hit a draw with driver on demand, and more often than not, i'm up on the right blocked out with 180 to go, and on a ball above feet lie, it's hellish with a 5 iron.

Appreciate the tips.

 

[weewullie]

What is the stroke index, do you get a shot? If it is causing you a problem then play sensibly and accept a bogey. Better than trying to be a hero and running up a big number. Course management is your friend

 

[ThinBullet]

What is the stroke index, do you get a shot? If it is causing you a problem then play sensibly and accept a bogey. Better than trying to be a hero and running up a big number. Course management is your friend

Ah, of course. The SI is 3, and off 11, i'd be getting a stroke. Most folk bogey it, but psychologically, starting the back 9 with this hole and making double is horrid.

 

[weewullie]

Ah, of course. The SI is 3, and off 11, i'd be getting a stroke. Most folk bogey it, but psychologically, starting the back 9 with this hole and making double is horrid.

5 for 2

 

[BiMGuy]

Looks like a poor design to me.

One of those holes where a bogie isn’t a bad score. I wouldn’t play for a 5, as you are bringing 6 into play.

How far do you carry a driver? Is aiming at the bunker on the left an option and take your chances from there.

If not then something 220 to the top of the hill, then aim to be somewhere around the green. But if you miss the fairway or have a poor connection you are increasing the chances of a big score.

Personally, I would hit driver up the left and hope for the best.

 

[ThinBullet]

Looks like a poor design to me.

One of those holes where a bogie isn’t a bad score. I wouldn’t play for a 5, as you are bringing 6 into play.

How far do you carry a driver? Is aiming at the bunker on the left an option and take your chances from there.

If not then something 220 to the top of the hill, then aim to be somewhere around the green. But if you miss the fairway or have a poor connection you are increasing the chances of a big score.

Personally, I would hit driver up the left and hope for the best.

I'm driver all day up that hole. I'm certainly an over performer with driver on some of the more open holes, and can get out about 280 and only once I've hit a soft draw up there, and caught the slope and it just released out for days.
However, this season, I cannot stop flying it up the right. It's a recovery shot out of the pine trees no matter what direction you hit it, but it's lost ball if you go left, and need a really high fade over the trees on the left to get a look into the green.

I'm usually left with 150-160 into the green with a pretty severe ball above feet lie, and aim to bank it into the slope on the left of the green and feed it down, but it's soft moss grass, so doesn't always roll down. The green is narrow, so can be a pain at times.

We're usually happy with a 5, but I know I can do better than a 5 or 6 every week. My playing partner is off 4, and expects me to par it every week like he does.

 

[BiMGuy]

I'm driver all day up that hole. I'm certainly an over performer with driver on some of the more open holes, and can get out about 280 and only once I've hit a soft draw up there, and caught the slope and it just released out for days.
However, this season, I cannot stop flying it up the right. It's a recovery shot out of the pine trees no matter what direction you hit it, but it's lost ball if you go left, and need a really high fade over the trees on the left to get a look into the green.

I'm usually left with 150-160 into the green with a pretty severe ball above feet lie, and aim to bank it into the slope on the left of the green and feed it down, but it's soft moss grass, so doesn't always roll down. The green is narrow, so can be a pain at times.

We're usually happy with a 5, but I know I can do better than a 5 or 6 every week. My playing partner is off 4, and expects me to par it every week like he does.

In that case I’d be aiming at the centre of the highlighted area and take my chances from there.

 

[weewullie]

I wouldn’t play for a 5, as you are bringing 6 into play.

Good luck with your strategy of banging a driver as far up as possible.


Edit: Just watched the flyover on the club website. If the OP is struggling it is iron, iron, wedge all day long.

 

[bobmac]

Hit driver at the edge of the right hand trees. If it kicks down to the middle, happy days. If it doesn't and you are blocked out, re-assess and hit wedge, wedge and hope for one putt

 

[Crow]

With modern clubs I'd smack driver well left onto the adjacent fairway, then hit a high hybrid to the green and hole out with my super-stable mallet putter for birdie.

 

[ThinBullet]

Edit: Just watched the flyover on the club website. If the OP is struggling it is iron, iron, wedge all day long.

It does mean a 180 carry uphill to have sight of the green.

Hit driver at the edge of the right hand trees. If it kicks down to the middle, happy days. If it doesn't and you are blocked out, re-assess and hit wedge, wedge and hope for one putt

Usually my play. It's like USB Type-A. 50/50 chance of getting it right.

With modern clubs I'd smack driver well left onto the adjacent fairway, then hit a high hybrid to the green and hole out with my super-stable mallet putter for birdie.

The launch angle needed to get over the trees onto the 5th fairway on the left is pretty much a no go. I don't think i've seen anyone there

 

[yandabrown]

I'm driver all day up that hole. I'm certainly an over performer with driver on some of the more open holes, and can get out about 280 and only once I've hit a soft draw up there, and caught the slope and it just released out for days.
However, this season, I cannot stop flying it up the right. It's a recovery shot out of the pine trees no matter what direction you hit it, but it's lost ball if you go left, and need a really high fade over the trees on the left to get a look into the green.

I'm usually left with 150-160 into the green with a pretty severe ball above feet lie, and aim to bank it into the slope on the left of the green and feed it down, but it's soft moss grass, so doesn't always roll down. The green is narrow, so can be a pain at times.

We're usually happy with a 5, but I know I can do better than a 5 or 6 every week. My playing partner is off 4, and expects me to par it every week like he does.

BiB - How does he do it?

 

[BiMGuy]

Good luck with your strategy of banging a driver as far up as possible.


Edit: Just watched the flyover on the club website. If the OP is struggling it is iron, iron, wedge all day long.

I'll take my chances with hitting the driver as I believe that will result in an average lower score over time.

You assume an 11 HC player is capable of consistently hitting a long iron 200 yards off the tee in play, then another into a tight landing area and then hitting the green with a wedge.

If the OP hits his tee shot with an iron into trouble, he's going to struggle to make bogie being so far back.

The OP just needs to pick an appropriate target, hit driver and accept that occasionally it won't work out for him.

 

[weewullie]

I'll take my chances with hitting the driver as I believe that will result in an average lower score over time.

You assume an 11 HC player is capable of consistently hitting a long iron 200 yards off the tee in play, then another into a tight landing area and then hitting the green with a wedge.

If the OP hits his tee shot with an iron into trouble, he's going to struggle to make bogie being so far back.

The OP just needs to pick an appropriate target, hit driver and accept that occasionally it won't work out for him.

No. He can hit 150/160 twice then wedge on. An 11hcp should be capable of doing that on a regular basis.

 

[Backache]

I have to say using the stroke index of a hole to determine my strategy I dot find very logical. My strategy should be determined by my capabilities and the characteristics of the hole.
SI may not reflect the difficulty on many course even for average conditions and wind etc may change it a lot.
Having said that being a short hitter my strategy on virtually every non par 3 is driver and reassess on landing.

 

[Imurg]

How would I play it?


At the moment...very badly......

 

[Bdill93]

I'll take my chances with hitting the driver as I believe that will result in an average lower score over time.

You assume an 11 HC player is capable of consistently hitting a long iron 200 yards off the tee in play, then another into a tight landing area and then hitting the green with a wedge.

If the OP hits his tee shot with an iron into trouble, he's going to struggle to make bogie being so far back.

The OP just needs to pick an appropriate target, hit driver and accept that occasionally it won't work out for him.

I know very few who can do this

 

[Orikoru]

Driver off the tee since I'd have no choice - going up that slope it probably just makes it past your 200 yards marker there. Let's say 210 best case. Leaves me about 200 yards in which is 5 wood. I'm pretty much guaranteed to hit fades with my woods so I'm probably aiming 10 yards left of the green given the slope brings it down towards the green anyway (and short but straight sees you lose it right?). If it doesn't fade because the ball was above my feet then fine, chip on from the left of the green. If I'm hitting my woods badly on the day then maybe I just hit 7 iron to that part where the slope starts going right instead of left (aiming for the left side of it) - and pitch it on from there.

 

[garyinderry]

Looks a tough hole. Certainly a par is going to be hard work.
I would need to play it to determine how far my driver gets up the hole to see if its worth trying to go with a blunt hit it hard and hope to get it right. The trees don't look too bad right of the fairway so should be able to get it back in play.
There is seemly plenty of room for a lay up shot even it it leaves a very long approach. There is plenty of room left of the green to miss There and I'd have no worries hitting to it from well back.

 

[ThinBullet]

There's space up the right and left in the pine trees but no shot, so it's 100% a chip out to the fairway.

I'm going to take a lesson on how to draw the driver deliberately and not by mistake