My bad game or poor course design??

[Robobum]

If you hit a good shot should you always be able to hit a par 3 green and expect the ball to stay on it??

I ask the question because I played at Pyle & Kenfig nr Bridgend last week and one of the par 3s has a green that slopes away from you which is one of my petty dislikes on a golf course.

It was playing just short of 190yds to the middle, flag was towards the back. Really nicely struck 5iron pitches on the front and off it trundles down the green and over the back. It was pretty soft conditions and the greens were not too quick after over night rain of biblical proportions!!

I don't like greens that slope from front to back away from you in general, perhaps with a short or mid iron where you can hold the ball with spin they're ok but going in with a long iron (champ tee was another 15yds back too!!) or lofted timber like my playing partners??

There was a 3ft hump at the green front too that stopped any balls from running up from short, my pro landed into the hump literally 2 feet short of where mine pitched and it ran back off the front.

If anyone has played Pyle it was the 15th.

Poor hole design or overly precious golfer??

 

[JustOne]

Play Worthing mate, pretty much all of the greens slope front to back... never seen so many balls roll of the back of greens as i did that day. Only way is to scuttle one in there perfectly or fly it all the way to the flag with checkspin.

 

[Smiffy]

Badly struck 5 iron.
I would have hit a full blooded 5 wood pin high and stopped it stone dead.

 

[freddielong]

Possibly good course design and bad golf

 

[Robobum]

....
I would have hit a full blooded 5 wood and pitched on from 10 yds short

Nice course management

 

[Smiffy]

....
I would have hit a full blooded 5 wood and pitched on from 10 yds short

Nice course management

Crikey that hole suddenly became 285 yards long

 

[Ethan]

The green that slopes front to back is a classic design feature, in this case done by Harry Colt. Colt did not design too many bad holes.

In some conditions, it may be very tricky to hold. That is be down to the greenskeeper rather than the designer.

Links courses have some funny bounces. Some consider them unfair, others consider the somewhat random nature of some bounces part of the game.

 

[Robobum]

....
I would have hit a full blooded 5 wood and pitched on from 10 yds short

Nice course management

Crikey that hole suddenly became 285 yards long

Must have been a "knock down" 5wood, a shot you perfected with the 6iron right??

 

[Imurg]

If a green will not hold a "perfect" shot then to my mind its a poor green. Now whether that's down to poor design of poor maintainence is debateable.
I've played some holes like that one and its a lottery.
The 15th at my old club has an upturned saucer green. You can only stay on the green if you run up through lush grass.
The 15th at Aylesbury Vale is similar. Unless you have a very soft green you're either short or of the back. That to me is poor design.

 

[johng]

If anyone has played Pyle it was the 15th.

I have played it many, many times and it can be a bit of a b!tch in all honesty.

Depending on the wind, weather, tees, firmness of ground etc it can sometimes be extremely challenging to hold a green like this, especially with the mounds up front - which prevent landing it short and letting it roll on

As a side issues I much prefer the par 3 12th hole on that course, far superior. (other than that I think the course is totally overated and TBH I would never pay a green fee to play there )

Did you play any other courses down this area at all?

John.

 

[drawboy]

Why not come and try our par 3's at South Leeds: yrds off the whites, 3rd 198, 6th 162,8th 187 and 14th 162. all pigs not 1 easy par 3, never mind hold them first you have to hit 'em.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you hit the ball well then it should stay on any green and the fact that it didn't even in softish conditions sounds like poor design rather than poor maintenance. If the green is mown what else can be done? The angle of the green isn't designed to allow the ball to stop sufficiently with a 5 iron let alone a wood

 

[Ethan]

Nonsense. No rule that says you must be able to hold every green. When that green was designed, the players didn't have box grooved wedges or spinny Pro V1s either, so it probably plays a lot easier now than it did then.

 

[Robobum]

I have played it many, many times and it can be a bit of a b!tch in all honesty.

Depending on the wind, weather, tees, firmness of ground etc it can sometimes be extremely challenging to hold a green like this, especially with the mounds up front - which prevent landing it short and letting it roll on

As a side issues I much prefer the par 3 12th hole on that course, far superior. (other than that I think the course is totally overated and TBH I would never pay a green fee to play there )

Did you play any other courses down this area at all?

John.

I'd go with that John, also thought the short par 3 4th was a better hole although the front 9 is lacking in inspiration.

Played at Machynys and Ashburnham whilst there, usually play Pennard but Pyle was added this year as they had a big comp on @ Pennard.

 

[johng]

[/QUOTE]
Played at Machynys and Ashburnham whilst there, usually play Pennard but Pyle was added this year as they had a big comp on @ Pennard.

[/QUOTE]

Some great tracks there, though the back 9 of Machynys is the star.

As for Pennard - absolutely love the place, fantastic course.

 

[fundy]

Agree fully, especially regarding 15 at Aylesbury Vale, basically its a lottery in the summer, doesnt help that it seems to get very dry very quickly in that part of the course too which just adds to the problem

If a green will not hold a "perfect" shot then to my mind its a poor green. Now whether that's down to poor design of poor maintainence is debateable.
I've played some holes like that one and its a lottery.
The 15th at my old club has an upturned saucer green. You can only stay on the green if you run up through lush grass.
The 15th at Aylesbury Vale is similar. Unless you have a very soft green you're either short or of the back. That to me is poor design.

 

[RGDave]

I remember a similar length hole at my old club which was impossible to hold other than in very wet conditions.
My feeling is that on a course a player knows, it's an interesting challenge to be savoured. On a less known or new course, after you hit a decent shot, yes, it's frustrating.
I wouldn't necessarily look to alter such holes.