In just 3 short weeks @mancest and I will have the privilege of teeing it up with @DannyLe and @JB at Whistling Straights (home of the 2020-2021 Ryder Cup) for Shaft Up #3 with UST Mamiya. During the trip we will be playing both the Straits and Irish courses. We will be walking the Straights course and riding for the Irish course. Leading up to our travel day, @mancest and I thought it would be fun to do a hole-by-hole preview (1 hole a day) for both courses, provide some insight into how we plan to attack each hole, and also give the THP community a chance to chime in with how they would play each hole (internet golfer style). This thread will serve as the Straits course thread, and @mancest will be starting the Irish course thread.
Before we get started with Hole #1, let’s take a look at the scorecard for the Straits course.
I know from following other THP Experiences that the typical yardage played is in the ~6500 range, so I would imagine we will either be playing the Green (~6700 yards) or White (~6400 yards) tees. I am also anticipating a shamble format (similar to prior Shaft Up Experiences).
Now that we have the scorecard out of the way, let’s dive into Hole #1…
Hole #1 – “Outward Bound” (Par 4 – Handicap 15; 370 from Green, 361 from White)
“A gentle dogleg left starts the journey out to Lake Michigan where the true meaning of links golf starts to shine.”
Flyover -
How to Play This Hole
“A well-struck center of the fairway drive off the tee sets up a short to mid-iron approach. A tee shot down the left side flirts with a series of bunkers and dunes, while a tee shot to the right creates a longer approach from the rough. Favor the right center of the green to avoid deep bunkers short left and long.”
My swing speed has dropped a bit over the past couple years (from the 110-115 mph down to the low 100s), so my distance off the tee and on approach shots is not what it used to be. Off the tee I plan on taking my newly fit driver and aim along the right edge of the bunkers/dunes on the left side of the fairway and allow my natural fade to bring me back into the center of the fairway. If all goes well (and we end up choosing my drive) I should have somewhere in the range of 125-140 yards left on my approach into the green, which will most likely call for either an 8 or 9 iron (wind speed and direction dependent) and aim for center-right portion of the green. From there I hope to have a birdie opportunity on the green, or do my best to get up and down for par.
THP – How would you attack this hole with the hopes of taking an early match lead on @JB and @DannyLe?
Before we get started with Hole #1, let’s take a look at the scorecard for the Straits course.
I know from following other THP Experiences that the typical yardage played is in the ~6500 range, so I would imagine we will either be playing the Green (~6700 yards) or White (~6400 yards) tees. I am also anticipating a shamble format (similar to prior Shaft Up Experiences).
Now that we have the scorecard out of the way, let’s dive into Hole #1…
Hole #1 – “Outward Bound” (Par 4 – Handicap 15; 370 from Green, 361 from White)
“A gentle dogleg left starts the journey out to Lake Michigan where the true meaning of links golf starts to shine.”
Flyover -
How to Play This Hole
“A well-struck center of the fairway drive off the tee sets up a short to mid-iron approach. A tee shot down the left side flirts with a series of bunkers and dunes, while a tee shot to the right creates a longer approach from the rough. Favor the right center of the green to avoid deep bunkers short left and long.”
My swing speed has dropped a bit over the past couple years (from the 110-115 mph down to the low 100s), so my distance off the tee and on approach shots is not what it used to be. Off the tee I plan on taking my newly fit driver and aim along the right edge of the bunkers/dunes on the left side of the fairway and allow my natural fade to bring me back into the center of the fairway. If all goes well (and we end up choosing my drive) I should have somewhere in the range of 125-140 yards left on my approach into the green, which will most likely call for either an 8 or 9 iron (wind speed and direction dependent) and aim for center-right portion of the green. From there I hope to have a birdie opportunity on the green, or do my best to get up and down for par.
THP – How would you attack this hole with the hopes of taking an early match lead on @JB and @DannyLe?