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How would you play this par 4?

IceyShanks

IceyShanks

NiceyThanks
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This seems like a fairly unassuming Par 4, but let me tell you there are a quite a few things going on:

  1. It's hole 15, so depending on your round you may be looking to hang on for a good score or go low and make up for some poor shots.
  2. There is a tree directly to the right of the tee box which blocks your lines
  3. There is a bunker in your landing zone, if you try to carry, about 240, the entire fairway slopes to the left and leaves you with a blind/blocked second
  4. The best line is straight over and carry the bunker, but it's a tough shot, especially with a north wind!

no.15
Another striking hole​
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Mens Par 4 | Handicap 14 ladies Par 4 | Handicap 8
Another picturesque hole, with large trees both left and right of the landing area. A well placed fairway bunker looms right of the landing area. The green is large and elevated.
No. of Bunkers: 1
Water Present?: No
Out of Bounds Present?: No
Green Undulation: Relatively Flat
Click to expand...
98021e55-c81e-4185-8b55-8a29c0ee27d7_zps63e5ee0d.png


So the question is, how would you play it???

Typically I play something less than driver about at the bunker and try and roll up around it or keep it directly behind it, the green is quite large and seems to roll front to back so you can easily get a ball to roll back to the pin, but a back pin does make for quite a long second if you hang back with your drive.

As a side note, if you really like to play a draw the tree at the tee, does it make quite difficult to line up for tee ball!
 
Driver off the tee, Im typically not on the right side of anything

8 or 9I in depending on what tees are being played
 
Honestly, it used to just be driver and roll with it.

Now, 3w to the front of the bunker as I really have control with that club right now and then I'll take a soft 9i in.
 
Jman said:
Honestly, it used to just be driver and roll with it.

Now, 3w to the front of the bunker as I really have control with that club right now and then I'll take a soft 9i in.
Click to expand...

take the 3 iron!
 
This is a tough call for me. I tend to play a draw off the tee (especially with driver) so the Tree on the right is very intimidating.

I am pretty confident with my three wood so I would 'try' and hit a small cut to about 225 hopefully left center of the fairway, leaving me with a 9i or 8i into the green.
 
Hybrid to just short of the bunker and then whatever iron gets to the middle of the green - I'm guessing I would have an 8 or 9 iron.
 
3 Hybrid short of the bunker and leave about 150 in
 
I would play a cut off the trees to the left and a wedge in. If the ball doesn't cut the landing area looks wide enough to still be on the edge of the left fairway.
 
Butter-cut driver past the bunker should leave a 52* wedge or PW in.
 
It sounds like you're either going to have a severe ball above your feet lie or have to work the ball right to left on the second shot if you take driver off the tee. For me, this is a nice 4 iron then PW, maybe 9i in.
 
I'd worry that (when driving good) my slight draw would not be ideal here. Couldn't risk the right side trees or wending up too close to those left side trees. I would opt for 5w and center fairway aways from bunker and if its too left it still looks like those left side trees are far enough away to play about a 150yrd approach from that small blue arrow. That seems to be the position I'd want to be in. And actually looks like the widest part of the fairway which almost says imo that may be the given shot deigned on this hole.
 
Driver over the bunker, small iron into the green. Unless the driver was acting up, then I'd probably take a 3 hybrid, and a mid-iron into the green. Most of the time, driver though, as a 240 carry with the driver is still a pretty controlled swing for me.
 
Drive and probably a 7 iron into the green. I tend to miss left with the driver if I miss so that should take the bunker out of play.
 
tpluff said:
It sounds like you're either going to have a severe ball above your feet lie or have to work the ball right to left on the second shot if you take driver off the tee. For me, this is a nice 4 iron then PW, maybe 9i in.
Click to expand...
This is very true, the only way to not have that lie is run it all the way to the left side of the green, you have a flat lie, but then you have to draw the heck out of your second to get it close!
 
I typically fade the driver so I'm aiming at the tree directly across from the fairway bunker. If I pull that off I'm a hard 9 or 3/4 8 in.
 
knowing all that, I would probably play short of the bunker, then a mid/long iron
 
I would aim a driver right at the tip of the small blue arrow and hope the drive will fade in and miss those trees past the arrow. Also assuming I am not going to double cross it in the direction of that other green!

More often than not I am going to end up short of the bunker anyway.
 
I would hook the driver in to the trees, get way too aggressive on the shot out of the woods and end up somewhere in the rough, hit my third shot somewhere around the green likely left of it, chip on and 2 putt
 
375 from the whites?

Cut 5w off the tee. Try and fight the slope a bit, worse case scenario I'm at the low side of the fairway with about 135-145 left. Just hit a high drawing 9i into the middle of the green.
 
Since I guess the fairway kicks it left past the bunker, and the bunker is about 240 to reach, might as well hit a 220-230 club off the tee and have 7-8i in.
 
3 wood with cut to keep it straight and safe, then go for middle of the green from there.
 
Driver!
 
Hey "icey"
Noticed that's 14hcap. One of the easiest par4's on the course? I know its fairly staright but that's a pretty tight hole and calls for good placement and careful tee shot. I just wonder how difficult that course is overall if this is one of the easier holes. Unless it just seems worse in the photo than it really is. But still looks pretty tight to me.
 
Hit a little cut with the driver
then you have a wedge in
and don't forget the 1 putt :)
 
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