Most daunting tee shot

[nickjdavis]

The tee shot that I always struggle with (and I've faced it at least a dozen times) is the 4th tee on the Europa Course at La Cala. It's the most intimidating tee shot for me. Long par 4 that plays much longer than it's yardage, the tee shot needs to be hit to a tiny sliver of fairway, anything left is a lost ball into a wide river bed ravine, and anything right is lost in a cliff face covered in overgrowth. And if you manage that, you have to cross back over the river ravine to try to hit the green.
It's consistently the hardest par 4 I've ever played, and most of it is down to how difficult the tee shot is.
Have tried playing it many ways. Have even tried hitting a driver left of the river to the fairway there, but it's completely blind going that way and have never ever found a ball in play despite some solid straight strikes (or so I thought).
It doesn't help either, that I always have to play it with a blinding hangover from the night before.
http://www.lacalagolfhouse.com/campoeuropa/

Wasn't the tee shot that did for me on that hole....it was the 2nd. Played it a few years ago in horrendous rain....put the tee shot in the middle of the fairway but then mistook a red post I could see at the very end of the fairway as the flag (didn't have a course guide) such was the strength of the rain. Nailed my second shot to within 2ft of the red post much to the mirth of my mates who all promptly played back across the river to the green. I did think as I lasered the post that my approach shot to the green was a bit shorter than I expected!!!

 

[sunshine]

A few spring to mind:

Berkshire Blue 1st tee. 217 yard par 3, with a 200 yard carry over a valley of heather. What makes it so tough is that it is the first shot of the day, right in front of the clubhouse terrace, guaranteed audience.
https://www.theberkshire.co.uk/courses/blue_course_hole_one/

I remember the New course at Sunningdale having some intimidating carries over heather, but I played it at a time when my driver was a magic wand and I had no fear.

Montecastillo also has a few 200 yard carries over ravines on the back 9, but the 10th always caught me out: very narrow fairway, OOB left and water right. It's 390 yards from the yellows so not a beast, but the green is surrounded by water so you don't want to hit an iron off the tee and leave a long approach. I've always gone with a 3 wood or hybrid off the tee to leave a mid iron approach but always found trouble off the tee. Great design, real risk/reward and messes with your head. I could hit PW-PW-PW if I wanted but that's not fun!

 

[timd77]

The tee shot that I always struggle with (and I've faced it at least a dozen times) is the 4th tee on the Europa Course at La Cala. It's the most intimidating tee shot for me. Long par 4 that plays much longer than it's yardage, the tee shot needs to be hit to a tiny sliver of fairway, anything left is a lost ball into a wide river bed ravine, and anything right is lost in a cliff face covered in overgrowth. And if you manage that, you have to cross back over the river ravine to try to hit the green.
It's consistently the hardest par 4 I've ever played, and most of it is down to how difficult the tee shot is.
Have tried playing it many ways. Have even tried hitting a driver left of the river to the fairway there, but it's completely blind going that way and have never ever found a ball in play despite some solid straight strikes (or so I thought).
It doesn't help either, that I always have to play it with a blinding hangover from the night before.
http://www.lacalagolfhouse.com/campoeuropa/

Great hole though isn’t it. I don’t think I’ve had a par there, played it a couple of times. Pretty sure I bottled it and laid up before coming back over the ravine with my second shot! ? I think I hit a 6i off the tee over the narrowest bit, a short iron up near the bridge and then played back over.

 

[IanM]

3rd tee (among others) at Perranporth .... eeek miss fairway lose ball!

10th St Enodoc - similar... trouble everywhere

 

[sunshine]

Long Carry doesnt scare me.


Water and oob makes me tense up.

Yup, that's me too. The picture below is 10th at Montecastillo that I posted earlier. Red = OOB, blue = water. No cary required but the lack of width is frightening to me.

 

[jim8flog]

The first hole on any course where I am playing a competition particularly when there is an assembled audience.

I have played for absolutely years but always get first tee nerves.

 

[Blue in Munich]

I’ve been looking at playing a open comp at Hankley Common in July which will be played of their purple tees.

Came across this picture of their 3rd hole, and just looking at the picture, my pulse went up a notch. According to my app it’s about 225 carry to reach the fairway, and having played the hole before from the yellow tees, it was tricky enough from there.

View attachment 31091

Do you have a particular tee shot that strikes you with fear? Not talking about your local bogey hole that you for some unexplainable reason cannot score on, but a tee shot where all you can see is danger and hazards and where you question if your shot will even reach fairway.

Any one where I'm giving you and your horse a shot.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Generally holes that have right to left shape, tight with trees and have a (slightly) sloping fairway left to right.

As someone who tends to shape the ball gently left to right that shots put me under pressure. The 14th at the home course is a perfect example of that(tight with trees on both sides and the fairway slightly slopes and nicks the ball off into the trees), sorry not got a pictures.

A much easier example hole is off the whites on the 2nd at Beau, which is set back a bit from this picture on the left (normally you can find me in the right rough afterwards )

 

[Slime]

A few spring to mind:

Berkshire Blue 1st tee. 217 yard par 3, with a 200 yard carry over a valley of heather. What makes it so tough is that it is the first shot of the day, right in front of the clubhouse terrace, guaranteed audience.
https://www.theberkshire.co.uk/courses/blue_course_hole_one/

I remember the New course at Sunningdale having some intimidating carries over heather, but I played it at a time when my driver was a magic wand and I had no fear.

Montecastillo also has a few 200 yard carries over ravines on the back 9, but the 10th always caught me out: very narrow fairway, OOB left and water right. It's 390 yards from the yellows so not a beast, but the green is surrounded by water so you don't want to hit an iron off the tee and leave a long approach. I've always gone with a 3 wood or hybrid off the tee to leave a mid iron approach but always found trouble off the tee. Great design, real risk/reward and messes with your head. I could hit PW-PW-PW if I wanted but that's not fun!

Hopefully I'll be there again in September!
The one that gets me is the 13th, elevated tee with death all around. It's not particularly long, but it gets me every time!

I'd also add the 7th at Las Ramblas with the fairway at an angle the other side of a canyon/gorge thing.
It's a question of how much to bite off!

Monte Mayor, when it was open. Just about every tee shot. In fact, just about every shot!

 

[Coffey]

La Cala Asia Course in Spain. I think it is the 4th hole, from the back sticks, the tee box is the green circle on the left.

You have to cross the ravine to land on a slither of fairway which is surrounded by a ravine on the left and OOB on the right. To make matters worse you then have to cross the ravine again to hit the green. It plays about 370 yards but the day we played it was into a breeze. I remember hitting driver and then 4 hybrid into the green.

 

[CliveW]

I’ve been looking at playing a open comp at Hankley Common in July which will be played of their purple tees.

Came across this picture of their 3rd hole, and just looking at the picture, my pulse went up a notch. According to my app it’s about 225 carry to reach the fairway, and having played the hole before from the yellow tees, it was tricky enough from there.

View attachment 31091

Play a wedge to the forward tee and then play to the fairway.

 

[Deleted member 25172]

Any one where I'm giving you and your horse a shot.

I’m gonna have to live with this forever, aren’t I? ???

 

[Bazzatron]

I’ve been looking at playing a open comp at Hankley Common in July which will be played of their purple tees.

Came across this picture of their 3rd hole, and just looking at the picture, my pulse went up a notch. According to my app it’s about 225 carry to reach the fairway, and having played the hole before from the yellow tees, it was tricky enough from there.

View attachment 31091

Do you have a particular tee shot that strikes you with fear? Not talking about your local bogey hole that you for some unexplainable reason cannot score on, but a tee shot where all you can see is danger and hazards and where you question if your shot will even reach fairway.

I thought the second tee box was the fairway and then realised. I'd have no chance.

 

[Bazzatron]

The black tee on the 3rd at Aphrodite Hills is over a canyon. Quite daunting when stood on the tee.

Stayed at the hotel but never got to play it, looked great.

 

[Blue in Munich]

I’m gonna have to live with this forever, aren’t I? ???

In the words of the insurance bulldog, "Ohh yesss!"

 

[The Autumn Wind]

La Cala Asia Course in Spain. I think it is the 4th hole, from the back sticks, the tee box is the green circle on the left.

You have to cross the ravine to land on a slither of fairway which is surrounded by a ravine on the left and OOB on the right. To make matters worse you then have to cross the ravine again to hit the green. It plays about 370 yards but the day we played it was into a breeze. I remember hitting driver and then 4 hybrid into the green.

View attachment 31095

It’s the 4th on the Europa Course at La Cala. Scroll up to the start of this thread, I nominated it too. But I didn’t include the good graphic like you did. It’s just a horrible looking tee shot and I rarely hit a good one on it !

 

[chrisd]

I'm sure BlueinMunich will agree with me that the 16th on Port Royal Bermuda is quite a daunting prospect. When we played it it was about 195 yards on the side of a cliff and a fairly stiff breeze blowing.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Any inside info if it's still going ahead?

Still showing online sign up on the website ?

 

[chrisd]

Beautiful though eh?
The colour of the water is unreal.

Indeed the views, and especially those from the course, were spectacular and that particular hole was daunting stood on the tee but that's why we played it

 

[srixon 1]

There are a few tough ones at The Players Club off the very back tees if you ever play in The Stiff Salver.