Strategy - Inverary Golf Club Hole 14

**4zim** · May 10

Hey team. This is a very difficult hole at the course I started golfing on and where I often go back. I always struggle - it’s narrow (35y) with trees on both sides. If you go lateral, you’re out of bounds. The green also feels small.

I play the white tees usually, so 30 or so yards up from here. If I hit my driver, it usually goes lateral and lost or if it curves it hits a tree and I lose a ton of distance.

I carry my 7i probably about 140-145, with 5-7 yards of roll out. Driver is 265 with roll out on a good strike with a premium ball, but probably closer to 220 carry on average. My hybrid goes about 180-200 including roll out but has been fading quite a bit recently

not too much wind on this hole and the ground is hard, but I’m not sure I’ve practiced a long punch. If that’s what I need to work on, happy to put in the time.

Appreciate any advice anyone has, approach to holes like this, or other things to consider.

**saevel25** · May 10

A chainsaw 😛

**klineka** · May 10

Super narrow hole. Stroke average will likely be well over par here.

Since it seems like it only plays what 300-305 for you from white tees I don't think 7i - 7i is the worst play if 7i dispersion is small enough that it would hardly ever reach the penalty hazards.

But if your 7i dispersion brings the hazards into play then you're likely better off hitting something further up there since everything would have the hazard in play.

**4zim** · May 10

9 minutes ago, klineka said:

Super narrow hole. Stroke average will likely be well over par here.

Since it seems like it only plays what 300-305 for you from white tees I don't think 7i - 7i is the worst play if 7i dispersion is small enough that it would hardly ever reach the penalty hazards.

But if your 7i dispersion brings the hazards into play then you're likely better off hitting something further up there since everything would have the hazard in play.

I don’t think bogey is a great score here. Will try the 7i - 7i approach. If I’m short, I think I can get out of the bunker and if I’m on the right I can chip up.

**klineka** · May 10

2 minutes ago, 4zim said:

I don’t think bogey is a great score here.

How isn't bogey a great score?

As a 20 handicap every single time you make a bogey you are playing better than expected. Because if you bogeyed every hole you'd most likely be lower than a 20.

You're a high handicap playing a hole that is lined with hazards the entire length of it on both sides.

Bogey is a very solid score for you on that hole.

From 300yds off the tee PGA tour players average 3.71 strokes to hole out. As a high handicap you are going to be more than 1 full stroke higher than that, probably closer to 2 full strokes higher.

If you had 100 different 20 handicaps play that hole I would bet a lot of money that the scoring average is greater than 5.0

Sometimes courses have really hard holes. Play for your bogey, be ecstatic about a par, and do everything possible to minimize double bogey.

**4zim** · May 10

Haha I made a I typo. I was thinking two things at once, ‘I don’t think bogey is a bad score’ and ‘I think bogey is a great score’. But I mixed them up and said the opposite

**klineka** · May 10

Ah, got it.

Yeah I'd just play it for bogey. Even as a low handicap I wouldn't be all that upset with a bogey on that hole.

**GolfLug** · May 10

Ah, target golf off the tee and all the way to the hole always grinds my gears, This is not a terribly long hole so here's my two cents:

Job #1 is to put yourself in play.

Job #2 is to keep yourself in play.

If hitting a driver is such a crap shoot then you are already betting on lower than 50-50 odds. Hit a hybrid and take your chances with a long iron, punch or whatever. Stick to your plan and accept your result knowing you did.

**snapfade** · May 10

Thats the second hardest hole so bogey is ok. How do you do on the number 1 hardest hole?

**billchao** · May 10

42 minutes ago, 4zim said:

Haha I made a I typo. I was thinking two things at once, ‘I don’t think bogey is a bad score’ and ‘I think bogey is a great score’. But I mixed them up and said the opposite

Yea I’d be willing to bet the scoring average on the hole is higher than you might think given that it’s the #2 handicap hole and it’s so short.

Keep the big number off the scorecard here.

**4zim** · May 10

25 minutes ago, snapfade said:

Thats the second hardest hole so bogey is ok. How do you do on the number 1 hardest hole?

I find the #1 less difficult. It’s narrow, and longer, but if you’re in the trees you can find your ball and punch out.

The narrowness of this course and the small greens make it a tough one, especially at my skill level. I’ve always just tried to hit the ball as far as possible and got into trouble. This year I’m hoping to use a bit more thought and actually try to play golf.

**Elmer** · May 10

7 iron
7 iron
Chip
2 putt

move on to #15

**StuM** · May 10

2 hours ago, 4zim said:

Hey team. This is a very difficult hole at the course I started golfing on and where I often go back. I always struggle - it’s narrow (35y) with trees on both sides. If you go lateral, you’re out of bounds. The green also feels small.

I play the white tees usually, so 30 or so yards up from here. If I hit my driver, it usually goes lateral and lost or if it curves it hits a tree and I lose a ton of distance.

I carry my 7i probably about 140-145, with 5-7 yards of roll out. Driver is 265 with roll out on a good strike with a premium ball, but probably closer to 220 carry on average. My hybrid goes about 180-200 including roll out but has been fading quite a bit recently

not too much wind on this hole and the ground is hard, but I’m not sure I’ve practiced a long punch. If that’s what I need to work on, happy to put in the time.

Appreciate any advice anyone has, approach to holes like this, or other things to consider.

I think the hole in the top hole diagram looks a lot easier than the bottom. Is there a way I can choose to play the top vs the bottom, It just seems the trees are less of an issue. 😜

**GolfLug** · May 10

56 minutes ago, 4zim said:

I find the #1 less difficult.

I think it is a common fallacy to think handicap number indicates degree of absolute difficulty.

The hole hcp no. simply decides the order of holes where one gets strokes from a player of a lower handicap.

And no, it is not necessarily the ' hardest hole first The hardest hole could be hard for players of all levels then it would not be no. 1.

4 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

Edited May 10 by GolfLug

**Ty_Webb** · May 10

How come the marked shots on the picture add up to 366 yards and the label says 325? Are you playing it at 325? In any case, that hole is narrow with a capital NARROW. If those woods are lost ball territory, then I think you hit from the tee whatever club is accurate enough that you'll be able to hit the fairway "most" of the time. That could even be a wedge potentially, especially depending on how restrictive the trees back near the tee are. I might seriously consider playing this hole as 8 iron 6 iron or so. There's more room up by the green than the fairway, so save the longer club for the second shot.

**pganapathy** · May 10

Essentially find the longest club you can hit straight and go with that off the tee. You want the shortest shot into the green for your second. If that is the hybrid or 7i or even PW, go with that. You lose a lot more by being OB and having to re-tee

**mdl** · May 10

4 hours ago, klineka said:

Super narrow hole. Stroke average will likely be well over par here.

Since it seems like it only plays what 300-305 for you from white tees I don't think 7i - 7i is the worst play if 7i dispersion is small enough that it would hardly ever reach the penalty hazards.

But if your 7i dispersion brings the hazards into play then you're likely better off hitting something further up there since everything would have the hazard in play.

This. Whatever your longest iron is where you won't be in the trees a high percentage of the time. If that's shorter than 7i (as in, you'll have to hit a longer iron for your approach bringing trees back into play with high probability), I agree you're better off getting closer. But again play the percentages. If your 3w or 5w dispersion is solidly narrower than your driver, hit those. But some people hit driver straighter, so whatever gives you the highest probability of not being in the trees.

**p1n9183** · May 10

Crunching the numbers, if you play the hole.. 100..1000 times, the best average of the hole you are going to get is with the Driver/Hybrid or playing it as a Par 5 hitting 3 wedges.

Assumptions of your game:
Driver 240 yards (100 yards dispersion)
Hybrid 200 (80)
6 iron 160 (60)
9 iron 120 (40)
P wedge 100 (30)

Other assumptions from the hole:
- When you hit it towards the threes 15% of your shots are going to bounce back to the fairway but 40 yards shorter, and 15% are going to remain in the threes but punchable out. The other 70% is going to be lost or OB so you need to Re-Tee (penalty + distance).

You are going to hit less balls OB if you hit 7 iron off the tee but you are still gong to hit balls OB! and you are going to play 100% of your 2nd shots from 150 yards where you can still can hit a couple more OB!
The average score for each club (assuming you go for the green in the second shot) is:
Driver: 5.4
Hybrid: 5.5
6 Iron: 5.9
9 Iron: 6.0

Given that 5.4 is the best average you can get, is not necessary to go for the green in two. So you can hit 3 shots to reach it, maybe P (100), P(100) and wedge (90) and be around bogey or double but with this strategy you are going to be almost 100% in play all the time to avoid a roller-coaster of scores in that hole.

Scratch players can hit 150 off the tee with a 9 iron and keep the ball in play almost 100% of the time so they can play the hole as a par 4 and be around par in average.

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