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Is there a hole out there that completely owns you?


Todd Ruggere
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My home course, Highfields Golf Course has my all time nemesis hole. The 16th hole is 441 from the middle tees, Par 4. All the way up the right hand side is OB, and starting at about 240 yards off the tee all the way up to the green there is a huge pond on the left side. If you hit your driver you have to be dead straight. The fairway is about 25 yards wide I'm guessing. If you hit the left side of the fairway it all runs towards the water.

If you bail out your tee shot to the left there is thick rough before the pond. I would say my lifetime scoring average on that hole is about 5.5. Lately I've been trying to hit a 3 iron off the tee, but even with a good tee shot I still have a good poke to the green. The hole is a complete monster from the black tees measuring 481 yards.

http://www.highfieldsgolfcc.com/club/scripts/golf/view_course_scorecard.asp?GRP=6838&NS;=GO&APP;=33

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Well I would venture to say that a hole like that would be an extreme challenge for just about any golfer, and anyone who isn't a really low capper would struggle to average better than a 5.

The hole that "owns" me is actually the easiest hole on my home course. Hole 16 at El Dorado in Long Beach. It measures 328 yards from the blues and is a straightaway hole with no doglegs off the tee. There is a bunker that protects the left half of the green, but the right side is completely unprotected and most big hitters can get to within greenside chipping distance with a good drive. It is the definition of a birdie hole, but my scoring average is 4.7.

The reason is that both of the "trouble" areas are tailor made to accept my misses. The left side of the fairway is well protected by a thick row of pine trees that run from 200 yards out all the way up to the green. Any pull or hook (my common misses with driver at 3W) generally leaves no shot to the green.

If I choose to play it safe and hit long iron or hybrid, there is a bunker on the right side of the fairway, that catches any rightward tee shot traveling about 190-205 yards.

I could choose to play it safe and hit 6I or less off the tee box, but leaving myself a 150 yard approach on this hole seems so unsatisfying. Usually I end up taking my driver and hoping for the best. And more often than not, I leave my "best" in the bag.

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I don't know if a hole COMPLETELY owns me, but I go thru spells with a particular hole. Big pond in front of the green and you basically have to hit across the corner of OB/jungle to layup, can't carry the pond with a driver, so you have to layup.  I'll go months at a time without any issues and then 3 or 4 rounds in a row, I'll slice my tee shot into the trees or fat one into the pond.

Craig 

Yeah, wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?

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I've been shank-fading© my tee shot on every God Damn par 3 lately. Freakin' annoying.

Yours in earnest, Jason.
Call me Ernest, or EJ or Ernie.

PSA - "If you find yourself in a hole, STOP DIGGING!"

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This one.  I hate it!

Nate

:pxg:(10.5) :benhogan:(4W):titleist:U500(3UI) :benhogan: Icon(4-PW) :edel:(52/58)

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Yes the first par 3 at the home course usually doesn't play easy for me. More than anything I struggle with the yardage, some of it due to slight elevation from tee to green and the wind above the houses. The wind can push the ball a lot longer than it should go. It usually plays in the 150-175 range and I've hit everything from 7i-PW wedge there. I've hit 8i from 170 and still missed it long thinking I was hitting a 155 yd shot to the front of the green so it would roll back towards the hole. When the wind is blowing towards the tee the same club may drop 10 yds short of the green. Deep bunkers in the front make missing it short a disaster and there is a huge collection runoff to the left. I usually miss left and long. Problem is the pin is rarely towards the front so the pitch up to the green is both short side and to the narrowest part of the green. Pitch it long and you risk the deep bunkers on the right, there are two in front and a big one behind the one on the right. Pretty much have to bump it and hope it bounces off the bank and rolls on the green.  If I get out of there with bogey I am grateful. I've made more doubles and triples on this hole than any other. Walked out of there with a 7 last week.

Dave :-)

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#3 at The Meadows at Mystic Lake.  It's 550 to 500 depending on which tee.

It's really weird.  It fits my eye really well, even though there is trouble down the left, my swing and typical flight seems like it should be a great hole for me.

Super good looking hole, fun test.  usually the green is too hard for me to even consider going for the green in 2 (if I ever would hit a good drive on this hole).

I get up there, the hole looks great and I'm super confident - and then I pull one hard left to the water, then much of the time pull my next shot left to the water again (when I don't chunk it), then usually thin my approach shot across the green.  Lots of trouble and penalties.

Finally, this last time I played it was a 2 man scramble and we actually played the thing in regulation - every shot was mine (birdie putt missed by a half inch) - especially cool as my partner was a 3 handicap - significantly a better player than me and he hit each of his shots just fine - but my drive crushed his - my layup 5i was straight and tighter to the edge of the fairway (i was a bit lucky, it falls off to the water, but my rollout didn't quite get to the slope....but it was cut too close) - my approach was half again closer and an uphill putt.

Maybe this breaks the streak?  I hope so.

(Instead of D (270) -5i (190) -wedge (80), I suspect the smart play (green) is 2h or 4h (200 - 220) short of the bunkers, 4h (200) to the big layup area, and then a slightly longer wedge (110) farther right to the fat of the layup area.....maybe next time - cutting that left edge so close wasn't really on purpose by any means....I wish)

Bill - 

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I enjoy playing a course in NW Jersey named Sky View, and it is beautifully maintained with incredible views of the hills and surrounding area - I think the best views in the State.  The greens are on the fast side, and there is plenty of sand and elevation changes to challenge you.  One hole, #4, a 475 yard par 5 from the Whites, kills me every time.  It is a slight dogleg left off the tee where the fairay narrows and there is deep brush on the right and lateral hazard down the left side.  It is also a blind shot if you hit it any distance down the left and accounts for many assumptions that the ball is in the hazard.  2 out of 3 times I play I will put at least one ball in the hazard (which is a steep ravine into a wet area, not a pond).  The green is located after about an 80 - 100' sudden drop, and trying to judge it is to say the least difficult, and most of the time you can hear your ball land but not see it - quite a few lost balls.  The second time I played the course I parred the hole.  I have not in the last 2 years, and the last 3 times I played it I had an 8.  Being rattled at that point, I am typically good for a couple of doubles after that hole. I usually start the day with the goal of breaking 90, and I am typically 1 or 2 strokes away unless I par or bogey #4.  Sure I may have trouble on a few other holes, but #4 causes lots of indecision on the tee.

But like most of us I will be back again soon to challenge my nemesis.

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Yep, mine is a par 3 hole 5. At a municipal track I play a lot. I come in there around par all the time or even under par. Fronts play about 145 all up hill, grass bunkers up front that if you land in leave you going over the ridges with not much fringe between the top and the green starting and then the green runs away from you, almost a 3 tiered green but more 2 tiered and then a big run down on the other side, bunkers in back and big run off if you go between them. Left side runs downhill from the green big time and the right is more flat from the green but is protected by tall weeds. When I moved back it's like 185 which means I have to hit a 4 iron which I suck at or a 80% 5 wood which I can't seem to do. After all that I don't think the hole is really that hard, just get the ball on the green, but I just kind of suck. You can write me down for a 5 before we start.

James

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My home course, Highfields Golf Course has my all time nemesis hole. The 16th hole is 441 from the middle tees, Par 4. All the way up the right hand side is OB, and starting at about 240 yards off the tee all the way up to the green there is a huge pond on the left side. If you hit your driver you have to be dead straight. The fairway is about 25 yards wide I'm guessing. If you hit the left side of the fairway it all runs towards the water.

If you bail out your tee shot to the left there is thick rough before the pond. I would say my lifetime scoring average on that hole is about 5.5. Lately I've been trying to hit a 3 iron off the tee, but even with a good tee shot I still have a good poke to the green. The hole is a complete monster from the black tees measuring 481 yards.

http://www.highfieldsgolfcc.com/club/scripts/golf/view_course_scorecard.asp?GRP=6838&NS;=GO&APP;=33

I've played that course and I'm trying to remember the hole.....but even looking at the pictures I can't remember.  I do however, remember really liking that course.  Sorry I can't be more helpful!

Dan

:tmade: R11s 10.5*, Adila RIP Phenom 60g Stiff
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:vokey: Vokey SM4 54.14 
:vokey: Vokey :) 58.11

:scotty_cameron: Newport 2
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The eighth hole at my usual course is the easiest hole on the course. Straight par 4, woods on the right, trees and creek on the left, but the fairway is WIDE and the hole is 330-360 depending on how the tee and pin are set. The last two weeks I have come to that hole 3 over, and got a 7 one week and snowman the next. There is a big oak on the right about 100 out that gives the illusion of teeing through a chute, but it really isn't that close; you can still use draw, fade, or straight ball. Next week I am owning that hole!!

Don

In the bag:

Driver: PING 410 Plus 9 degrees, Alta CB55 S  Fairway: Callaway Rogue 3W PX Even Flow Blue 6.0; Hybrid: Titleist 818H1 21* PX Even Flow Blue 6.0;  Irons: Titleist 718 AP1 5-W2(53*) Shafts- TT AMT Red S300 ; Wedges Vokey SM8 56-10D Putter: Scotty Cameron 2016 Newport 2.5  Ball: Titleist AVX or 2021 ProV1

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2nd hole Par 5 at Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx. It's about 560 from the white tees. I'm playing there tomorrow and I think my best score on that hole is an 8 (on like 4 or 5 tries) It's long and thin, with OOB on the right and trees on the left. The fairway is SEVERELY sloped to the left. If you aim right on your tee shot you risk going OOB. If you aim left, your ball will roll downhill onto the adjacent fairway with trees and tight lies in between. It was featured as one of the best holes in NYC. Here's the write up: 1) Van Cortlandt Golf Course (Kingsbridge, Bronx) No. 2 (619 yards, Par 5) Nothing like a 619-yard, par 5 on the second hole to shatter egos right away. Hit a long and accurate tee shot and just keep hacking away. It is likely to be a good four or five shots just to get on the green. A par, even a bogey, is an accomplishment on a hole known as "The Babe." "I named it after [Babe Ruth], the home run king," Van Cortlandt general manager Will Larkin said. "You have to hit the first shot to a slanted fairway so you only have about 10 yards to keep it in and then it will down to the left rough. Then your second shot, you have to play about 150 yards slight right or it will roll down to the left rough. I think it's one of the most challenging holes in the area." If I can even get a DOUBLE on this hole tomorrow I will be happy.

Driver: Callaway Mavrik 10*

Wood: Callaway Epic Flash 17* 

Hybrid: Callaway Mavrik 20*

Irons: Callaway Rogue X 5i-GW

Wedges: Vokey SM8 54*S and 58*K

Putter: Ping Prime Tyne 4

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@CarlSpackler e this golf hole :-D

Right now this is the only one I can think of that really gives me trouble every time I play it. A 505 yard par 5. I marked OB on the left, and there is water with a little channel that comes into play off the drive on the right. The problem I have is with the tee shot. The tee box is at the upper left part of the picture, next to the cart path. Its about a 70 degree dog leg right. I hate this shot because the water comes into play on a block shot, and if I pull it left then I can challenge the OB. Also the OB is on top of a levee there, where the pink line is. There is a steep embankment that goes up about 20 feet. You can get you ball stuck on that side slope, and for a right handed player, the ball will end up about a foot to a foot and a half bellow your feet. Sometimes they let it grow out to the heather type stuff. So sometimes you end up loosing a golf ball as well. Just a challenging tee shot for me, who hits a draw, and has the distance to catch the channel and pond on the right. Then the 2nd shot is to a very small, very sloppy green. Just an overall TOUGH hole. Cause if you lay back too far, now you are looking at long iron and hybrid into the green, with all that water on the right, and OB on the left. Just doesn't fit my swing at all.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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My ex wife? There is at least one hole on every regular course I play ... Have you ever noticed that you miss in the same place every time, even though you swear you are not going over "there." I think the golf gods like messing with me ... I think it's a game for them: Hey look, there is that dude again ... Watch what I do when he hits the ball ... Now watch him throw his club ... Funny stuff, he does it every time ...
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Ken Proud member of the iSuk Golf Association ... Sponsored by roofing companies across the US, Canada, and the UK

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My home course, Highfields Golf Course has my all time nemesis hole. The 16th hole is 441 from the middle tees, Par 4. All the way up the right hand side is OB, and starting at about 240 yards off the tee all the way up to the green there is a huge pond on the left side. If you hit your driver you have to be dead straight. The fairway is about 25 yards wide I'm guessing. If you hit the left side of the fairway it all runs towards the water. If you bail out your tee shot to the left there is thick rough before the pond. I would say my lifetime scoring average on that hole is about 5.5. Lately I've been trying to hit a 3 iron off the tee, but even with a good tee shot I still have a good poke to the green. The hole is a complete monster from the black tees measuring 481 yards. [URL=http://www.highfieldsgolfcc.com/club/scripts/golf/view_course_scorecard.asp?GRP=6838&NS;=GO&APP;=33]http://www.highfieldsgolfcc.com/club/scripts/golf/view_course_scorecard.asp?GRP=6838&NS;=GO&APP;=33[/URL]

That hole is BRUTAL! I've played it from the blacks, and the only good thing is that it's 300 to reach the pond, so you can pretty much swing away with the driver.

In my bag:

Driver: Titleist TSi3 | 15º 3-Wood: Ping G410 | 17º 2-Hybrid: Ping G410 | 19º 3-Iron: TaylorMade GAPR Lo |4-PW Irons: Nike VR Pro Combo | 54º SW, 60º LW: Titleist Vokey SM8 | Putter: Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas H7

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The two hardest holes I play are at Trenton Golf Course and back to back, and yep I would say both of those "own me" big time. :cry:

If I get through those two holes at 2 over par I'm having a really great day. No water, no OB, not long holes, just very extreme slopes and no place to miss narrow landing areas.

Hole number 4 is between 390 and 400 yards depending on the tee markers and is a par four. The only decent landing area is only 20 yards wide. Anything right of that goes down a huge slope into a completely dead area. Anything left of that goes down a huge slope leaving a very awkward stance. If by chance I happen to hit the green in regulation that's where even worse problems begin. The entire green slopes severely from back to front and there is no legitimate place for a hole location.

Hole number 5 is only around 480 and is a par 5 but doglegging up the side of a steep ridge the entire way. You never see the green or even the flagstick until you actually get up to the green level. Assuming I hit a good tee shot and a perfect layup to 100 yards (which is the only place to lay up) that 100 yard shot is to a green that's probably 100 feet above me. As on number 4 troubles are only starting when on the green.

BTW hole number 3 in no picnic either. The rest of the course is no problem and possible to make up almost sure losses on 3-5.

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Note: This thread is 3564 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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