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Briggs Ranch intro and first hole break down

Templet0n

Templet0n

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A'ight THP lets begin the first Dormie network course breakdown for 2024.. We will start with the site that will host first the Goat Cup next month, and later in the year the The Worldwide Golf Championship and theMorgan Cup!

For info on those events see links below.

Goat Cup

Worldwide Golf Championship

Morgan Cup

First a little history about Briggs. It was designed by Tom Fazio who is one of the more well know modern era course architects with many awards, top courses and renovation work down on some well know and exclusive courses like Cypress Point and Pine Valley.

Fazio has some distinct design features that understanding may aid in a players success at one of his courses. Here are just a few..

  1. He typically has large budgets, so he likes to wow players right from the tee.
  2. He likes hazards the run parallel to the hole rather than creating forced carries.
  3. Large greens.
  4. He likes to make things look as natural as possible.
  5. Elevated tee boxes are also one of his fav feature to create dramatic hole scenes from the tee.
Enough about Tom. Now on the course.. Briggs was built in 2001, and is known to not only be one of the best courses in Texas but in the country. Build on what was actually at one time a ranch, the courses was built into the rolling hills that flow from one hole to the next in a natural and unbroken fashion that feels incredibly natural. The players will have the benefit of hitting from thick lush zoysia (a favorite of mine) fairways, and rolling putts on smooth bent grass greens.

The club house features old spanish styling and lots of outdoor activities off the course to keep guests entertained with games and fun outside of golf.

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Now on to the first hole.. The 400'ish yard opener at Briggs ranch is a fairly simple hole off the tee. It is a dog leg left par 4 with good room to the left. Be mindful of the left side fairway bunkers as going in one of those will dramatically lengthen this hole. Off the tee a shot to the left of the second bunker will put you right in the corner with a straight line of sight to the green.

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The green is wide and very shallow with a bunker guarding the front right side of the green. Distance control coming into the green here is going to be a premium. If the pin is in the back right, you might want to just ignore it completely and aim to the more open front left part of the green and trust the flatstick to get it done....

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Strategy notes

Depending on format, and player strengths. It may be best to try and set up for the second shot into the green and have the more accurate player hitting second if alt shot. If it is Shambles, have one take the safe route to the fat part of the fairway, and see if the other can cut the corner left over the trees to try and get closer to the green. But beware, the fairway narrows past the corner, so a ball that misses and ends up in the rough may have to contend with a jumper of junky lie that will hinder distance control into the very shallow green.
 
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Love these threads. Briggs looks so awesome, and starting with a dogleg left would just give me fits.
 
Wow no respect for the World Wide Golf Championship?
 
jdtox said:
Wow no respect for the World Wide Golf Championship?
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Am I Right Blake Shelton GIF by The Voice
 
War Eagle said:
Love these threads. Briggs looks so awesome, and starting with a dogleg left would just give me fits.
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It certainly did me, right is fine, left is dead, and both times I played it I hit my drive left!
 
In my opinion, the first hole is one of the most challenging on the golf course.
 
Hardest hole on the golf course for me. My fade does not work well here.
 
Being a "Drawer" of the ball it looks like I'm going to have to aim at those trees to draw back to the fairway and stay out of the bunkers.
 
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It's a hard hole. Even with a great drive you're looking at a downhill lie with probably a mid iron into a not very receptive green with no great place to miss. Flair a drive out right and you've got a looong second shot coming.



JB said:
In my opinion, the first hole is one of the most challenging on the golf course.
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Wildcat said:
Hardest hole on the golf course for me. My fade does not work well here.
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yup. #2 might be the second hardest as well.
 
Listen Ten Hag GIF by Manchester United
 
JB said:
In my opinion, the first hole is one of the most challenging on the golf course
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Is that code for try to drive the green? 😀. These threads are awesome. I’ve watched that video multiple times but I don’t think it will do it much justice.
 
Such a great start with this hole. I was right on both tee shots I hit here, and it made for a tough approach. If memory serves me correctly, missing left is the better miss on approach, but the video doesn't quite do it justice to how sloped it is away from the green, which could make for a tough chip if you shortside yourself. Looking forward to seeing some THPers take this one on this year!
 
hedley_lamarr08 said:
Is that code for try to drive the green? 😀. These threads are awesome. I’ve watched that video multiple times but I don’t think it will do it much justice.
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I'll be lucky to clear that trap at 260.
 
A difficult hole made more difficult with the first tee THP nerves.

Now imagine showing up to it and not having any golf balls because @JB accidentally took them
 
jdtox said:
Wow no respect for the World Wide Golf Championship?
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Sorry!!! will add.. I was thinking that was at Ballyhack
 
JB said:
In my opinion, the first hole is one of the most challenging on the golf course.
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Interesting. Why?
 
Templet0n said:
Interesting. Why?
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long and green doesn't have much real estate front to back, couple that with not having any real bail out zones and it gets hard.

short is bunker, right the green runs away from you, long doesn't have a ton of space and still faced with a narrow green, and short and left looks like a bail out but has a pretty steep face uphill making it not an easy up and down either
 
Scooby45 said:
long and green doesn't have much real estate front to back, couple that with not having any real bail out zones and it gets hard.

short is bunker, right the green runs away from you, long doesn't have a ton of space and still faced with a narrow green, and short and left looks like a bail out but has a pretty steep face uphill making it not an easy up and down either
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That is what I figured. The layout makes it hard to get close off the tee without bringing trouble into play. Second shot hole for sure..
 
lambeau said:
...and they were switched from bentgrass to bermuda.
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Well that is a bummer. lol. But it is probably much easier to maintain there.
 
Wildcat said:
Hardest hole on the golf course for me. My fade does not work well here.
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This is the same for me. Is there room on the left to start a fade out to the left and let it come back?
 
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