Risk/Reward - My course

[One Planer]

Just for a bit of fun. Here is one of the Risk/Reward holes out my local course.

Its a driveable 269yard Par 4.

The White lines on the image indicate OOB (with the left OOB being a boundary wall)

The red line at the top indicates a water hazard, which is just off the green, with the green running towards the hazard.

The arrows show (poorly) how the land runs, with anything right of the green running into the hazard, anything over/through the green running down a slope into the rough.

The orange dot shows (roughly) the 150yard marker.

The blue diamond shows the tee box.

Bit of background. From the tee box, you cannot see the green as it is obscured by the tre line that marks the right OOB.

The first 180 yards runs up hill with the remainder running down to the green which has a bunker front right.

So, how would you play it? Risk and reward or lay up?

 

[Mattyboy]

Its a lay up for me I am affraid (if I was in a medal). Looks like a 5 iron off the tee leaving about 75 yards in. I would expect the 5 iron not to reach the real narrow part of the fairway.

 

[slugger]

lay up. every time.

too much risk... not much of a reward. chances are that your ball isn't landing on the green unless you nail it every time. Hit a hybrid, or even a 4i off the tee then leave less than 150 onto the green.

 

[CMAC]

Medal- 3 iron then SI
Bounce game- go for it everytime

 

[ADB]

Lay up for me as well - that tree to the front right of the green looks like it makes the entrance narrow meaning a high strong fade would have to be played - I tend to go more right to left.

Maybe a 6 iron to the left fairway and 9 iron onto the green if all went to plan.

 

[Gazp]

What course is it...looks a bit like Trentham Park ?

 

[StrangelyBrown]

I can't hit the ball 269 yards, so it'd be a layup for me too.

 

[Monty_Brown]

I agree with snaphookwedge, you'd need to fade it in there to get past that tree by the looks of it. If you overcook it, you're OB, if you don't get the fade and hit it straight on the fade set-up line, you're going OB left.

So a lay-up. How tall is that tree on the left half of the fairway? Guarantee I'd be magneticaly drawn to that!

Gareth, I'm guessing you have a crack at it in friendly games, so being honest, how often have you hit the green versus hitting it OB or in the crap?

BTW, great idea for a thread... more of these please to those who are handy on Photoshop!

 

[Mattyboy]

BTW, great idea for a thread... more of these please to those who are handy on Photoshop!

Agreed

 

[GeneralStore]

Layup for me, I couldnt get it to land and stay on that green unless I hit the shot of my lifetime

6iron and then a full gap wedge for me

 

[Lawrence22]

After slicing my first out of bounds with the driver I'd change to my 5 iron for 3 off the tee. I'd probably hook this one into the rough behind the trees on the left, next a wedge back to the fairway and then another wedge into the bunker short of the green. Get out of the bunker at my second attempt and then 3 putt. That's probably how I'd play that hole.

 

[One Planer]

I agree with snaphookwedge, you'd need to fade it in there to get past that tree by the looks of it. If you overcook it, you're OB, if you don't get the fade and hit it straight on the fade set-up line, you're going OB left.

So a lay-up. How tall is that tree on the left half of the fairway? Guarantee I'd be magneticaly drawn to that!

Gareth, I'm guessing you have a crack at it in friendly games, so being honest, how often have you hit the green versus hitting it OB or in the crap?

BTW, great idea for a thread... more of these please to those who are handy on Photoshop!

The tree in the fairway is tiny, but the trees in the rough to the left of it are a different story all together. They aren't massively tall, but they are very close together so getting over/through is tricky at best.

As for going for it, I don't, even in a friendly (Wimp I know). I did have a pop once with, from memory a 3 wood and found the bunker.

I generally play a mid iron from the tee and play for position.

 

[bignev]

Lay-up for me 6 iron off the tee leaving me 100yrd wedge into the green. Even if I dont hit the 6 iron well still a good chance of hitting the green with a slightly longer Iron.

 

[USER1999]

Internal OB is poor course design in my view. One of my pet hates.

 

[BluenoseGolfer]

I'd take a nice easy swing with my 4 iron and go for it

 

[john0]

Internal OB is poor course design in my view. One of my pet hates.

Got to agree with murph (did I really just say that ) - the out of bounds on right is unnecessary.

 

[thecraw]

I COULDN'T CARRY THE BALL 270, NOT IN A MILLION YEARS, EVEN WITH A YEARS WORTH OF FREE COACHING FROM BUTCH COUPLED WITH AN OUT THE SCREWS, SWING OUT MY BOOTS SUNDAY BEST.

4 IRON EVERY TIME.

 

[fundy]

Bounce game or better ball game and I expect it would be 3 wood or driver depending on if any wind, in a medal I could very easily see myself hitting 8 iron then SW in. In medals one of our par 4s plays just under the 300 yard mark and I have been known to hit wedge wedge there in a medal when going well lol

That said lookijng at the picture looks a lot more risk than reward on offer (personally dont like internal OOB as mentioned above and if its supposed to be risk/reward Id rather see a bank or bunker back right rather than everything feeding into the hazard

 

[Monty_Brown]

I agree, it's curious why there's an internal OB here on the right. Is that a long par 3 adjacent on the right, coming back in the opposite direction? In which case, it's not likely there are people milling about on the fairway.

If the OB is designed to make people reluctant to take on the green from the tee, then as was said above, that's a lazy way to "defend" a green. Make the shot physically harder by all means, but don't use the threat of 3 off the tee as a piece of "design" to mitigate that the hole is just too short.

The 10th at the Belfry is a great hole becasue it's worth having a crack, even with water front and left.

 

[Ken_A]

Lay up - leaving a wedge to green - not worth it - however, if I was playing on the evenings as a bounce game I would probably take driver out everytime.