Which hole do you prefer as your opener????

Smiffy

Smiffy

Grand Slam Winner
Joined
Oct 17, 2008
Messages
24,072
Location
Gods waiting room.....
Visit site
Par 3, 4 or 5?
Personally, I struggle with short to mid range par 3's. Never play them particularly well and hate having one as my opening hole, before I've "warmed up".
I don't mind longer length ones, where you can have a bash with either a hybrid or 3/5 wood, like Ascot. Normally get a shot on this length of hole which can help limit the damage.
But on a short to mid range one, where I'm not shotting it can be painful starting with a N/R in a Stableford, and inevitably gets you chasing a couple of 3 pointers to get back to level 2's as early as you can. In a medal, I can quite easily rack up a 5 on one of these buggers early doors. Like starting with a 7 on a par 5. Ouch!
I'd much rather tee off on a par 4 or 5.

When I was a member at Crowborough and you had a multi tee start on a Sunday, I used to hate being drawn to tee off at the 13th (135 yard par 3).
Same at Highwoods..... 10th tee start saw me facing a 138 yarder which I always seemed to play better as my actual 10th hole rather than my 1st.


 
I hate our first hole. It's not a long par 4 but with a ditch crossing diagonally at 170-200 yards from the tee you have to go for it and risk messing up or lay-up and make it a 3 shotter.
Much prefer our 11th as a start. Still 400 yards but much more straightforward - you can hit a driver or 3 wood and stil have a shot at the green.
My new 3 wood seems to be working quite well so I might start taking on the first if the wind isn't in my face.
 
Ours is a dogleg left par 4 on an elevated tee with trees protecting the corner, the fairway slopes off to the right slightly so a blow feet approach shot. I like it as it takes away the nerves of a drive on the first hole
 
Ours is a dog leg right, uphill from the tee box to the lamding area with bunkers up the left! green is fairly well protected with a ridge down the middle! its a 340-350 par 4 and isnt to hard or to easy! a good opening hole i think!!
 
Ours is a 410 par 4. Quite straightforward, wide fairway but OOB on the right and trees left. I always feel the hardest shot is the second on the first. With drivers nowadays the first tee shot isn't so much of a big deal but much harder to hit that first shot from the deck (often a longish iron).

I think that it's good to be able to open your shoulders a bit on the first tee but I'd be happy with a par 3 to start if it was a nice little 6 or 7 iron to a big green.
 
I'm not too bothered what par it is as long as i get off with 2pts/+1 then i know its a reasonable start to try to build on.

Our 1st is a 380yd par 4 but i usually score a 6 or more though
 
Nice gentle par 4 or par 5. the toughest opening hole I know is at Meyrick Park in Bournemouth. it's 220 yards off the whites, a low stroke index but if you miss the green it's a real struggle to make even a 4
 
Our 1st is a 380yd par 4 but i usually score a 6 or more though
Click to expand...

Ours is the same! my most common score there is a double bogey! the 10th is a slightly shorter par 4 and my most common score there is par!

I really do not mind what the course opens with, I trust my swing whatever hole I am playing. I always try make sure I am mentally warmed up before I tee up on the 1st. I know I never have this "well its 5 hole in and I am warmed up now". That for me is 5 holes wasted and I really hate the idea of doing that.
 
Our 18 then it's a 5 minute round, 4-3-4 points hopefully and into the clubhouse for a john smiths...lovely jubbly. :D
 
Ours is a 379 yard slight dogleg left. There is a river running diagonally away from you running right to left which means a 150 yard drive just to hit the fairway.

if you just clear the water your left with an incline where you cant see the flag so ideally you want to hit the drive 200 yards minimum, usually against a head wind.

if you haven't warmed up or it's going to be one of those days you'll soon find out when you tee off.
 
Ours is a 580 yard par 5, out of bounds all the way up the right.
If you do hit a good tee shot it's usually limited in length by a slope that starts the uphill section for your second shot.

You can't be too greedy with your second either as there's a pond that cuts across the fairway about 90 yards short of the green. (Although I'm usually in the trees on the left for my second, having aimed well away from the OB right)

And just to round things off, the green has a decent slope to it.

It's not an easy starting hole, in four years I've never birdied it, not even off the yellow tees. A bogey start is a flyer!
 
216 yard par 3 surrounded by bunkers not a fan. I'd rather start on our 10th very short par 4, drivable for the big hitters. I normally take long iron wedge and get a par more often than not. In fact I'd rather our course was turned round and I played the back nine first!
 
If the 1st is a par 3 then I never feel as though I've started until the 2nd Tee (even if I get a par).

I always try to get to the course early so that I can hit some balls and practise some putts. I try to ensure I've hit at least 5 shots with the each of the clubs I expect to use in the first 3 holes - and I'm always optimistic :)
 
Our first isn't punishing, a 475 par 5. Rolls right to left with left being obb if you hook it, apart from that it's simple, driver, hydrid, wedge or in the summer driver 6i
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Pants
Shots in matchplay
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
sunshine
S
V
Which tees do you play away?
2 3
Replies
43
Views
849
Slab
Slab
G
Alternative to handicaps
2 3 4
Replies
75
Views
2K
sunshine
S
Ye Olde Boomer
Non-scratch player--bagging a driving iron?
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
Ye Olde Boomer
Ye Olde Boomer
Orikoru
What are you hitting here?
2
Replies
27
Views
906
Imurg
Imurg
Top