How to play a hole with a carry too far

[Slab]

I need to know what the best course management plan is for this scenario:

Lets say its stableford format

• On the tee and faced with a carry to the fairway that is just too far
• Drop zone on the other side of the carry
• Zero chance to find any ball played off the tee that doesn't make the carry
• Success in making this carry is maybe 1 or 2 from 10 if the wind isn't against etc

What to do?

• Do you just accept it, play a scrap ball off the tee and go round?
• Take a nice new long distance ball and concentrate like hell? (looking for that 1in10)
• Scratch the hole on the tee and save a ball?
• Go Happy Gilmore on it?

Thoughts?

 

[Imurg]

Use an old ball, blather it for all you're worth and leave it in the lap of the Gods.
If you can't make the carry there's not much help that course management can give you...

 

[Birchy]

Agree with the above. For the scenario you mention its stand and obliterate :rofl:

Anybody who picks scratch the hole on the tee needs to have a serious word with themself!

 

[louise_a]

how far is this carry?

If there is a drop zone over it, have a crack and then take the drop if you dont make it.

 

[timchump]

go for it, i would use a ball along the lines of a topflite xl or similar pebble

if the carry is over water you could hit a low one that could potentially skim across the water and pop out the other side, i have seen it done before...

 

[Val]

If you can't make the carry and it's stableford then you blob the hole and carry on.

 

[Twire]

I'm trying to picture this hole with a carry so big that the drop zone is on the other side. I'd be surprised if the drop zone is closer to the hole. You don't mention what the carry is, water, ditch, heather, valley.. is it a hazard etc.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Where is this hole? It doesn't sound like a hypothetical question.

How long is the carry? Seems like a pretty bad design to me to have a tee shot that is all but impossible for some golfers.

In answer to the question though, I'd use an old ball and give it a go, other than the obvious, what do you have to lose?

 

[dufferman]

How far is this carry?? There aren't many places where the course is designed with an un-makeable fairway...!

 

[sev112]

18th at Camberley Heath ?

 

[bladeplayer]

Sounds a very unfair hole if you ask me , I take it this is of competition tees , you wouldnt get many paying visitors if it was the normal tee ..

In answer to the question you asked ...ya gota play it every time until you beat it , wouldn't be throwing good balls at it tho..

In reality id be gathering together a few (good few) like minded members & going to the committee saying you paid membership for 18 playable holes , golf clubs all have members of varying abilities & everyone is entitled to have a chance to score ..

 

[Pin-seeker]

Smash it for all I'm worth,then curse all the way to the drop zone. & probably never play the course again.

 

[Slab]

how far is this carry?

I'm trying to picture this hole with a carry so big that the drop zone is on the other side. I'd be surprised if the drop zone is closer to the hole. You don't mention what the carry is, water, ditch, heather, valley.. is it a hazard etc.

Reasonable questions, my initial thought of leaving out that detail was the distance didn't really matter, too long is too long, but since its come up I'll answer

Normally this fairway is easily reachable with a carry only around 130 yrds from the tee's I play but every couple of months, to let the teebox recover, they move it back around 50 yards & that's dam near my limit for a carry (I don't do forum distances)

But since there is 5 sets of tees (with another two further back than this & not just 10 more yrds either) then this problem crops up for golfers of all abilities

The carry is over a mangrove swamp at just about treetop height (slightly lower)
The drop zone is definitely on the other side as so many don't make it off the tee's
Hole is unsurprisingly SI 1 & its a par 4 with 2nd shot (or 3rd/4th) over another similar carry to a sloped green

 

[bigslice]

18th at Camberley Heath ?

is it 207 yards carry? if you cant hit that can you not try and hit along the path?

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Are there skeletons of old Scottish golfers in the mangrove swamp, you know we don't like losing balls.

 

[Wayman]

Give a old ball a good lashing trying to carry it

 

[JustOne]

Chip it to the front (or ladies) tee then play it from there.

 

[Slab]

Sounds a very unfair hole if you ask me , I take it this is of competition tees , you wouldnt get many paying visitors if it was the normal tee ..

no def not the normal tee, this crops up for me when its moved to same location as the championship tee-box (although played from the back black tee's, which I'd never dream of doing, then there are half a dozen holes with roughly 200yrd carries!

 

[Slab]

Chip it to the front (or ladies) tee then play it from there.

The ladies tee is not even visible from the other tee-box's

 

[NorfolkShaun]

We have one like this at my place, 180 yard carry over water off the back tees and a river all the way to the right. chip to the yellows / ladies or a runner down the paths an option as this is normally played into the wind too.

It is a tough carry and there are plenty who cant make it off the whites.