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How would you play this hole - the sequel

GraniteRoost

GraniteRoost

Flying Rocks
Albatross 2023 Club Albatross 2024 Club
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
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Location
NH/VT
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6 Grint
Inspired by @the_dude... here is another testy hole for you my friend.

This is the 3rd @ Woodstock Country Club, an RTJ layout in Vermont. It’s a short Par 4 at 370 yards bisected cleanly a brook that offers dramatic risk/reward.

Any drive short of the brook is played from 175+ out to a green that is highly elevated about 40+ feet from the fairway. OB behind the green and left, with left misses sloping hard toward OB up by the green. It is a legit 3 shot hole for many mid to high handicaps due to the elevation change from 175+ out alone, leaving a blind wedge up a steep hill.

A perfectly placed carry of 220-230 will reach the approach fairway with an easy short iron or wedge. But it’s an arrow thin window with OB left and creek fading away from you right.

Go!

0f7fc0f5fa88dc0e0a7a4007eef8a0a1.jpg
 
4 iron out to fairway and 6/7 iron to the green. Love Vermont golf and elevation changes.

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5i to 170 then 8i one putt birdie

@GraniteRoost we need to Shattuck again this year
 
I've played it 4 times, each time 6i off the tee so as not to blow though the fairway, resulting in good position, and then another 6i (3 times) and one 5i up the hill. Have yet to hit the green, twice lucky to snag the front left bunker (1 save), one long and leftish, and one fanned right a bit. +3 over par overall for four attempts.

It is a white knuckle approach from the far side of the brook. The green complex and elevation adds another dimension of difficulty that the graphic doesn't show... zero margin for error left expect that front bunker.
 
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5i out. 6i to the green. That's the smart play.

Realistically I'm thinking I can swing hook a 5-wood and have short iron in, only to put one in the creek

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OITW said:
5i to 170 then 8i one putt birdie

@GraniteRoost we need to Shattuck again this year
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That's my man, droppin birds!! :golf:

Lets keep an eye out for opening day I'm all for it. I'm about ready to commute to the Cape for a round...
 
3 wood over the trees to the fat part of the fairway beyond the creek. GW/SW in and natural 3 putt for a bogey.
 
Golf Ghost said:
...Realistically I'm thinking I can swing hook a 5-wood and have short iron in, only to put one in the creek

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Click to expand...

I have tested this on a practice ball twice. 3w for me to carry with ease, it ended poorly both times. Pulled just left of glory into treeline :clown:
 
How bad typically is the rough off the right side of the second fairway?
 
WMac19 said:
How bad typically is the rough off the right side of the second fairway?
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Thin between the bunker and the brook. Increasingly heavy in the swale beyond the bunker and transitioning up the hill. In the swale you will be carving 3-4"+ of thick turf, or more if it was so wet that the rough is behind on mowing. Green is rather small overall, in addition to elevation.
 
Taking driver off the tee over the short corner of the trees.
 
Dropping this overlay for the big dogs... those Vermont maples on the left are 100 years old and 100 feet tall, including the one off the tee box. Mighty small target that 2nd fairway...

83f7bd499c276c9c80db4c50db5c260a.jpg
 
I’d get Canadan to drive the green with my new F9 and then I’d 4 putt for a bogey.
 
Rusty Casino said:
I’d get Canadan to drive the green with my new F9 and then I’d 4 putt for a bogey.
Click to expand...

This works for me too.

If I’m hitting the ball straight, I lay up. If the draw (near hook) is in play that day I likely just try to get to a short iron range.

This was a fun one - not many right answers. Just pray for a par.
 
Taking driver down the left tree line and hoping I don't hook it. If all goes as planned, should have a 9 iron or PW into the green.
 
I'd love to clear the brook with the steep incline on the approach shot. Driver can get hooky, so I'd probably go 3W off the tee.

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How would you play this hole - the sequel

I tell ya, I likely wouldn't go 2H (I don't play FWs) off the tee because although I can fairly confidently count on 230-235 off the tee with it, if I would push it some, that creek lengthening to the right may likely eat me up.

So my choice would either be driver over or 4H/5-iron safe side of the creek. I'd wanna play it many different ways to get my own feel. First time would likely be conservatively but in subsequent rounds, I'd absolutely try to bend driver around that corner.

While 3-4" of rough in that swale isn't ideal, neither is a 175 yard approach into a 40' elevated green with death behind!
 
I play lefthanded and am most comfortable hitting it straight or a draw. So, trying to tee off the ball over that diagonal creek is a suicide mission for me. I'm going for the 170-yard spot on the fairway to the right. Very comfortable with an approach shot of that distance. That is the way to go for me.
 
This is such a great design. I don’t know a whole lot about architecture but it seems to me that any hole that makes you think like this and gives you so many different options.

Personally I would try and cut the corner with my driver and have a wedge in. Golf is a lot more fun when your not laying up.
 
I don't trust my game off the tee to go for it. I would probably hit a 5-iron to make sure I was short of the brook. My next shot would depend on how far I sliced my tee shot! Hopefully I would be close enough to hit a five or six iron to the green

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First of all, my graphics were wayyy better...lol. I'd probably go 5i/5i, miss green, skull chip and make double and then mumble to myself that I should've taken driver.
BTW, that looks like a track I'd really like.
 
Unlike the last hole we looked at where my draw with the driver would give me confidence, here I would be in tears. I am not long enough to consistently pick a line that I would feel comfortable with on that corner so I would be in fear of the creek. I am taking a 2 hybrid strait down the middle and probably going to be 170ish out. Sounds like I would be trying to hit it around 180-185 to get up that hill so I would go with an easy smooth 3 iron during the summer. I have played a lot of golf this winter and am really noticing distance changes with temp. Even at 30* golf is about a club short of 60* which is about a club short of 90*.
 
Oh, I’m hitting it over the creek to the landing area, with my 3 wood, then probably a PW or more likely a choked down 9i into the green.
 
3 wood or driver cutting it off the bunker on the right leaving some sort of wedge.

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