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Countdown to The Gauntlet

Hole #2 is one of the holes that is pretty different from the blues as opposed to the whites. From the blues: You can play your drive pretty straight or hit a bit of a draw to get into good position, but you're almost always looking at a 3 shot hole. I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think the green is elevated, so you can't really run anything onto this green, and the gap of fairway that runs up to the left side of the green isn't very big. From the whites: You can think about trying to fly the 2 bunkers on the left with your drive and cut some distand off that way and then try to get home in 2. The green is shallow as well, but pretty wide. Obviously, missing left around the green is better than short and right.
 
Looks like a fun green.
 
Saturday was the 34 day mark. This is hole #3 of Fazio
hole3.jpg

[h=2]Hole Number: 3[/h][h=3]Par: 4
A long bunker on the right and a small bunker on the left guard this fairway. Play to the 150-yard post. This deep, elevated green is guarded on the right by two deep bunkers. A back pin placement may require an additional 2-3 clubs on your approach.[/h]
Yards:
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412
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412
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396
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357

#3 starts with a tee shot over the canal with trouble on both sides of the landing area. The green is elevated a good bit. There is OB left off the tee.
 
Sunday was day 33. That means hole #4 of the Fazio course.
hole4.jpg

[h=2]Hole Number: 4[/h][h=3]Par: 3
This par 3 requires an exacting shot to an elevated, two-tiered green with two bunkers short left. Make sure you have enough club and be wary of a back left pin placement. Out-of-bounds lurks just to the left of the green.[/h]
Yards:
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205
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195
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190
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137

This picture doesn't quite show the two pine trees that guard the front left and right. Probably don't want to play a fade into the green or that left tree looks like it might catch your ball.
 
Today there are only 32 days until the Gauntlet. We are closing in on a month to go. This is hole #5 of the Fazio course.
hole5.jpg

[h=2]Hole Number: 5[/h][h=3]Par: 4
Tee shots to the left of the 150-yard post may be blocked by trees, so stay to the right and leave yourself an open shot to the green. Elevated, small and protected on the right by a large bunker, this green can be tough to hit. Choose your club wisely.[/h]
Yards:
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389
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372
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364
green.gif
295

It looks like if you just play to the 150 post, you will have to play a draw to get around the trees. If you are left of that, you might have to layup. This looks to have a very narrow approach window. That bunker short and right looks really deep. Short and left is the safer bailout area. The green looks like it has an upper tier in the back right portion.
 
On #3, if you are OK with a slightly longer approach shot, you can stay short of the bunker on the left off of the tee. You probably want to take at least 1 extra club on the approach shot to account for the slightly elevated green.

I never seem to play #4 well at all. It's a long par 3 where the rough falls away from the green on all sides, and it's a tough green to hold from 190-200 out. If you had to miss, right is better than left. The left front bunker isn't a bad place, but long and left is dead.

On #5, you can actually go a little straighter than you think from the diagram, but this is one of the few holes where you can take something less than driver to play for position. From what I remember, you don't really have to hit a draw from the 150 post if you are in the center to right side of the fairway, but the more you try to go to the left off the tee, the more you'll deal with the trees on the approach. There's a pretty steep falloff behind the green too. I'd play my tee shot to get me into the 100-130 yard range and have a short iron approach.
 
You definitely want to be center/right of the 150 marker and long enough on 5. I hit a 5 or 6i down the left side thinking I'd have a really short shot into the green. I did, but I had to try to go through all the trees in the backyard of the house on the corner. I thought I was good until we got close, not knowing the trees on the left after the dogleg came out as far as they did.
 
31 days until the Gauntlet. Just a long month. This is hole #6 on Fazio.
hole6.jpg

[h=2]Hole Number: 6[/h][h=3]Par: 3
Check the wind; being short is not an option. A front left pin placement can be tricky. Long or anything left are good bailouts here.[/h]
Yards:
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180
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167
white.gif
156
green.gif
136
On the flyover, this green doesn't look all that receptive. Middle of the green is probably going to be my aiming point.
 
6 is a relatively simple hole: just try to put it in the middle of the green and get your par. As the description said, better to miss long than short. If the pin is on the right section of the green, make sure you have enough club to carry the 2nd bunker on the right.
 
Well I got sidetracked yesterday and missed day 30. Yesterday was just a normal month away. Hole #7 on Fazio
hole7.jpg

Hole Number: 7

Par: 4
This wide fairway runs downhill past the 15-yard post toward the lagoon. Do not miss this long narrow green to the left. Pin placement on this elevated green can make a 2-3 club difference on your approach shot, especially into the wind.

Yards:
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414
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374
white.gif
359
green.gif
320

The fairway is really wide, just avoid the OB left. Check the wind around the canal on the approach. I'm a little scared to hit driver on this hole with it being down hill to the water.
 
I hit 3w on this hole and only had like 125 left, definitely not a driver hole.
 
Today is just 29 days till the Gauntlet, or February in a leap year. This is hole #8 of Fazio.
hole8.jpg

[h=2]Hole Number: 8[/h][h=3]Par: 4
This demanding, uphill tee shot is to a crowned fairway and requires commitment and precision. A well-bunkered, elevated green makes the approach play long. Take plenty of club and check the wind.[/h]
Yards:
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431
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422
white.gif
421
green.gif
342
The fairway is uphill and slopes to the left up to the fairway bunker. If you can carry past the fairway bunker then the fairway goes back downhill and you can get some extra roll. The green looks really elevated.
 
On 7, it's all about the second shot. The green is elevated and fairly narrow. Beware that the fairway slopes towards the water at the end, so don't get greedy off of the tee.

8 is a brute of a par 4. The tree trouble off of the fairway is a little worse on the right side as compared to the left side, even though it doesn't look that way off of the tee, the trees on the right past the bunker can block you out on your second shot if you're near that bunker. I don't remember much about the green though.
 
Only 29 days, that's hard to believe.

8 looks like a pretty tough hole. Very long with trouble on the right is a recipe for disaster.
 
Is 8 the one with the mounding across the fairway? I think I hit a low drive that hit a mound and popped in the air leaving me about three and a half miles for my second shot.
 
For those that have not played these course, you are just in for a treat. Only advise I can give is play to the fat part of the dog legs and stay below the hole on approach shots.
 
That is super solid advice Panda.

All three courses are unique and have there challenges, but playing to what you can see or playing to the 150 is never a bad idea.

I wish I had the chance to go at these courses again.
 
Today is 28 days away and halfway through our countdown to the Gauntlet. Hole #9 on Fazio
hole9.jpg

[h=2]Hole Number: 9[/h][h=3]Par: 4
Getting past the fairway bunkers opens up the left side; otherwise, it's a narrow landing area between them. The 45-yard deep green is only 20 paces wide. Large bunkers protect its entire left side; the only bailout is on the right.[/h]
Yards:
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421
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409
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385
green.gif
321
I like the look of this hole as it sets up nicely for my fade off the tee. That green looks skinny and is kind of bowled according to the flyover.
 
Not a good place for my sporadic "Tiger left" to come into play.
 
I like how this hole sets up too. Should be a grip and rip hole for me. Really liking how a lot of these holes set up for me to hit my 3h off the tee. That's my money club.
 
I hit a high power draw, so this one is perfect for me. Thes greens may be harder to navigate then they look
 
Jaysfan said:
I hit a high power draw, so this one is perfect for me. Thes greens may be harder to navigate then they look
Click to expand...

High fade is better on 9 than a draw, you risk going into the rough on the left with a draw. Don't ask me how I know that.

9 is one of the hole that plays significantly easier from the whites as compared to the blues. It's a huge advantage if you can carry the bunker on the right.
 
arydolphin said:
High fade is better on 9 than a draw, you risk going into the rough on the left with a draw. Don't ask me how I know that.

9 is one of the hole that plays significantly easier from the whites as compared to the blues. It's a huge advantage if you can carry the bunker on the right.
Click to expand...
Would you guess its around 260 carry to the bunker on the right?
 
I believe I may be a little excited to leave..
Bag already packed last night. I am worried it may be over 50lbs, lots of stuff packed in there.
 
Jaysfan said:
Would you guess its around 260 carry to the bunker on the right?
Click to expand...

Probably that type of carry from the blues. Whites are easier. Being able to laser the carry will be good on that hole.
 
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