Opening Holes

[Neil_ingle]

My course starts with a 400 yard par 4 which is uphill. followed by a dog leg right 550 yard par 5 then a 190 yard par 3!!!

i was about to start a thread asking best ways to settle into a round as i always start poorly, no wonder i guess.

if anyone does have some good advice though please share.

Thanks

 

[jammydodger]

Ours is a par 3 of about 170 and its very tough. A stream goes right across the front of the green and theres a big pond all the ay down the left of the green too. Theyve bunged a new bunker in on the back righ half of the green to catch the bail outers. All the way to the stream on the right hand side is big trees. Its a small green too that narrows severely towards the back. All in all its a nightmare 1st hole. Oh and its dwon hill quite a bit and usually plays to a cross wind.

Bloody hell Jammy, sounds like that doesn't help pace of play away from the 1st!!!

You're right there RB , you will always get at least 2 people in the front stream. I've seen many groups go off and all of them are in the front stream. That nasty bunker on the right is the captains charity bunker and theres a woman in the clubhouse who keeps an eye on things and alwaysgets you when you come in

I havnt been there long but i've hit the green once out of about 5 goes. One pond, one bunker,one trees and one long right in semirough

 

[Imurg]

Shortish par 4 for me as well please. Something you can hit an iron or maybe hybrid to get you going.

Ours is a Bitch...
Only 385 but a stream diagonally across from 200 out to about 150 out. But there's trees at the 150 carry mark.
It's actually a straight forward 3w/driver but because it's the 1st shot of the day it's fearsome.

 

[Tiger]

Nice relaxing fun enjoyable gentle 216 yard (off whites) par 3! Narrow entrance with bunkers left and right. Green slopes back to front and has a couple of gentle tiers. There's also a fair smattering of gorse on both sides. Lovely way to start the day!

 

[ash01]

At my place its a 550yd SI 5 par 5 with a elevated tee position and a pretty narrow fairway and nasty rough and trees either side. Its a difficult and intimidating hole to start, although its a cool position to nail a drive off the tee.

As for preference I don't mind what par or SI the hole is as long as it's not a par 3.

Ash!!

 

[richart]

Nice relaxing fun enjoyable gentle 216 yard (off whites) par 3! Narrow entrance with bunkers left and right. Green slopes back to front and has a couple of gentle tiers. There's also a fair smattering of gorse on both sides. Lovely way to start the day!

What's your problem Tiger, you get two shots on it !

 

[RGDave]

My preference would be a medium par 4.

We start with a short par 3, and it's SO dull. I hit it, I two putt, I walk on.

It's a bit early to be eyeing up a cheeky go-at-the-pin shot, so I'd rather take my 3 and start on the 2nd.

It's remarkable how often I'm putting (realistically) for a birdie there if I play the course 10-18 1-9.

par 4 340-375 for me.

 

[Crow]

Another vote for a gentle par 4 from me, long iron of the tee and mid iron or wedge in would be lovely.

The reality is a 582 yard par 5, OOB all the way up the right, two ponds that are very much in play, one on the right at driving distance and one that cuts across the fairway and comes very much into play if you've not got very far in two and often means you'll have to lay up your third leaving 120 yards in for your fourth.

In 9 starts I've averaged 1.67 over par with the worst being a 9, not a nice opener. (The second is a tight par 3 of 183 yards that usually extracts a toll as well!)

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I wish the club would revert to playing our course the other way round and start at the 10th as it was intended. That would be a nice 370 ish par 4 with not too much trouble to worry about.

Instead we have a 229 yard par three usually into the prevailing wind with OB right, a pond short left, a line of trees that protect the right of the green 40 yards short and a couple of bunkers left (and it falls that way) and one right. And its only SI10 so a lot of guys don't get a shot.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I love hitting my driver or my irons, I will take anything on at any time!

I love hitting a big drive off the 1st in matchplay, it really puts one over your opponent. I love going first too, I have yet to hit a bad 1st during a match!

 

[Region3]

A lot of you would appear to like mine.

350 ish very slight dogleg left. Only newish trees in the semi rough. OOB right but has to be a big slice to get there.

Probably 'grass is greener' syndrome, but I'm not sure if I'd prefer a hole where I'm not too unhappy with a bogey as an opening hole, before I'm swinging loosely. I hate dropping a shot on out first.

Definitely not our 2nd though, 456yd par 4 with OOB 10yds right of fairway and bog trees 1yd off the left of the fairway at just past driving distance.

 

[Essex_Stu]

The 1st is a 474 yard par 5 si9.OOB to the right, public footpath right across the fairway at about 200 yards and trees to the left. Always get the driver out and always hit the fairway. Its after this point my driving falls to bits. Usually par this hole if i don't thin a ball through the green.

 

[Smiffy]

Short par 4 330 yards, but with a ditch across the fairway at 230 yards. Iron or hybrid off the tee, avoid the bunker and ob on the right, and pond on the left, and you should have a nice short iron into a big green that slopes from back to front.

Or you can do what Paul Nash did.
Mis-hit a drive into the ditch, drop, iron onto the green and can a 40 foot putt for par.
When that happens, you know it's not going to be your day, despite playing the hole perfectly.
I wasn't annoyed. Seriously. Good luck to him.
Knob

 

[thecraw]

Mine is only a 452 yard par 4 dog leg monster with a ridge to clear about 80 yards short of the green.

Take a 5 and move on.

 

[upsidedown]

Ours is 370 yard Par 4 SI 10. OOB all the way down right hand side.

If you bail out left you're blocked out with tall pine trees and then OOB behind green...