Jump to content
IGNORED

I'm letting this three hole stretch kill me....post simular if you have them


Dub
Note: This thread is 5332 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!

Recommended Posts

I've been letting these three holes absolutely beat me up....virtually every time I play this course.

One of the nines on my home course is the Island nine. Some consider it the hardest of the three nines. One of the reasons is that the 3 of the par 4's require you to work the ball off the tee for optimum placement (first two holes reward a drive that draws and fourth hole sets up well for a long fade).

Those holes do make you bear down and focus...but it's one particular stretch: Hole 6 (par 3), Hole 7 (par 5) and Hole 8 (par 3) that are beating me to death.

I'm racking up big numbers far too often on this nine. I shot a 43 going out on another nine yesterday, but came home on the Island nine with a 48. Don't get me wrong...I love the challenges these holes present....but I cringe when I get to them. This "dread" is some of my problem, I suspect.

Okay...here is some of the detail of the holes:

Number 6, The Island Hole:

Gold tees: 141
White tees: 161
Blue tees: 178
Black tees: 181

I normally play the white tees. They move them between two boxes and the yardages can vary greatly...145-175...8iron-4iron. The wind can be a huge factor as this island juts out into the end of a "lake" with the bulk of the lake on the right of the green...so a hard right to left and in your face wind is not uncommon. Mean...mean golf hole....to me at least. I played in a foursome last Friday where three of the guys par it routinely...and one carded a tidy little 6....care to guess which score was mine?








The next hole is number 7 par 5:
Gold tees: 489
White tees: 509
Blue tees: 528
Black tees: 539

The tee shot is basically straightaway....don't fade it or you'll wind up in trouble....favor left of center, but don't draw it or you'll find rough or water if you hook. Funny thing is that I can play the entire round....up to this point and not hit a hook...but then bust a big / high hook that gets up into the wind and blows right into the "lake".

Second shot wil be to a blind landing area if you went right of center off the tee. I usually try to land one on the 100 yard marker.

Third shot....water necks in in front of green and bunkers protect it as well. Long shots will have you chipping back down a fairly steep slope. Green is split by break line. My wedge shot in makes or breaks me on this hole as putting can be easy uphill to treacherous downhill with break on top of the speed.





Okay....last hole in stretch is the straightaway 8th, par 3:
Gold tees: 140
White tees: 176
Blue tees: 196
Black tees: 204

This one can play long....way long. It's not uncommon for me to hit 4 iron or 3 iron on this one. You can't miss this hole long or short left as the water will be in play.

There is usually a right to left wind on this on as well...as it's oriented very simular to the Island Hole. The only good thing is that you aren't penalized to badly for shots flying short of the green. It allows for a easy pitch-n-run approach. The bunkers are mean...I've seen folks go coast-to-coast on the bunkers before....good golfers, too. The tree on the right of the green adds some character to the hole. I sometimes aim just left of it and plan for a draw.

I can't really see a reason why I haven't scored better on this hole...it's not that difficult. I suspect that I'm simply frustrated by this point.




I suspect that I need to re-read Dr. Bob Rotella's books to get a better strategy and mental state of mind for dealing with these three.


Please post your nemesis golf holes if you have any that stand out.

909D Comp 9.5* (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-6)
Burner Superfast 3 & 5 woods (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-4.8)
G15 Hybrid 23* (AWT shaft)
G5 5 iron-PW-46*, UW-50*, SW-54 & LW-58 (AWT shaft)
Studio Select Newport 2 Mid SlantGrips: PING cords & Golf Pride New Decade Multi-Coumpound Bag: C-130...
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Great post, cool pics. The island hole looks tuff, but probably feels GREAT to par.

I have a lot of trouble with 16,17,18 on my course. I can be having a low 90 day and end up with a 100+ because of those fookers. I'll revive this thread with some pics of my own when I play it next..
Drivers:
FT-i Draw 9* W/Grafalloy Red
Sumo2 5900 9.5* W/Grafalloy Red

Irons: A3OS 3-PW Graphite/Steel regularWedges: A3OS GW, SW, LWPutter: Rossa Monza SpiderLittle round white thing:
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Great pics man. Looks like a very nice course.

The par 3s I just think are a problem of confidence and committment. You gotta think "let's just put it on the green" instead of "don't put it in the water, don't hook it into the bunker, etc". The brain doesn't understand the word "don't".

The par 5 well, there are a couple of ways to attack it. You could practice a power fade and then trust that for the tee shot, then layup short and play for par.

Another alternative, play a hybrid to mid iron off the tee for position, another for layup, then a short iron / wedge over. Still can make par, or bogey at worst.

It's a par 5, and not all par 5s are worth going for the green in 2 shots.

Pick a strategy and commit to it. Trust your game plan.
Favorite Practice Course:
Z Boaz Municipal, Fort Worth <<< Ben Hogan grew up playing here!
--------------------------------------------------

In the bag: 983E 9.5*, Fuji Speeder S RPM LP, 4W, Neutral Bias STAFF Ci6 irons, S (going up for sale soon) Tom Watson PVD 08 Wedges (G.S,L)... and a 4...
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Got in a while ago from the course....sort of thawing out now with a cup of coffee.

I played the 3 hole stretch in 5 over!!!! #@$%&*!!!!!!!

Number 6, par 3: Playing about 180 w/ mild breeze, nothing to factor too much. Hit a 4 iron that missed the green...splash. Hit SW on from the drop area and 3-putted. Walked off red faced.

Number 7, par 5: Playing 520. Took a few practice swings and forgot about the last hole. Took dead aim at the short trees you can see left of center in photo and busted a nice drive that almost ran out of runway. Hit a solid second shot to my layup spot. Hit SW 8 ft. past the flag. Lipped out birdie putt and tapped in for par.


Number 8, par 3: Playing 178 with a bit of breeze coming from the right and into my face just a bit. Hit 5 iron short & left. Chipped it too firmly...rolled up through the green (first time chipping all day). Ran par putt from fringe by the hole.....way to firm. Lipped out come backer and tapped in for a double bogey 5.

Couldn't help but laugh as I walked off.





Gonna play the course tommorrow with a few guys. I'm actually looking forward to the stretch again. I'm looking forward to seeing how they deal with it.

One thing that I truly believe is happening on the Island hole....I'm getting really tense and making a very restricted and rigid pass at the ball. Nothing is uncoiling and stretching out properly. I'm bound and determined to stop this.

I'll make a deliberate swing and accept the result. No more fear. The hole is not gonna eat me, for crying out loud. If I dump it, then I'll take my drop and make an excellent wedge shot and make bogey with a good putt.

I'm also gonna make a practice swing or two to get grooved.

I think this will isolate the "pain" of a possible bad score to just this one hole. Deliberate tee shot...accept the result and get over it. Focus on the next hole...forget the Island.
909D Comp 9.5* (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-6)
Burner Superfast 3 & 5 woods (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-4.8)
G15 Hybrid 23* (AWT shaft)
G5 5 iron-PW-46*, UW-50*, SW-54 & LW-58 (AWT shaft)
Studio Select Newport 2 Mid SlantGrips: PING cords & Golf Pride New Decade Multi-Coumpound Bag: C-130...
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I'll make a deliberate swing and accept the result. No more fear. The hole is not gonna eat me, for crying out loud. If I dump it, then I'll take my drop and make an excellent wedge shot and make bogey with a good putt.

I think that's a great approach for any hole. Pick your shot and hit your shot. Don't worry about the results, they'll take care of themselves. Paraphrasing Yoda, don't *try* to hit over the water, just hit over the water. I'm sure you can hit the shot you want over and over on the range, so you just have to hit that shot like every other time. The ball doesn't care whether it's flying over water or grass!

I had a good (for me) day today because I finally had some confidence in my ball-striking. It's amazing how much better you do when you just hit the shot and don't *try* to do anything. Hope I can keep the feeling, another 9-hole round like this and I'll finally be off the handicap index cap....

In the bag:
FT-iQ 10° driver, FT 21° neutral 3H
T-Zoid Forged 15° 3W, MX-23 4-PW
Harmonized 52° GW, Tom Watson 56° SW, X-Forged Vintage 60° LW
White Hot XG #1 Putter, 33"

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Number 6, The Island Hole:

161 yards to an island green from the white tees is simply bad design. More so if it can play as long as 175 yards.

I am not a fan of island greens but this is just retarded.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Well, missing greens certainly never helps, but take another perspective looking at those stats. It's not gonna be what you want to hear, but...

You got frustrated and lost a lot of strokes on putting and chipping. That SW and 3 putt on the par 3 is the perfect example. Should have certainly been SW and one or two putts. That's where the short game can save you significantly. I know it's maybe only saving one stroke, but we're only talking about eliminating 5 over strokes.

Perhaps you would do well to take the professional approach to these holes. Take some time to map the greens, rolling balls from each side. Map the contour and grain so you know how to get it close from any angle. The pro's score well consistently because they not only have good shots, but they know the course. They know where to hit it, when to hit it there, and more importantly, where not to hit it. There may be a hole where the left side off the green is a severe slope where recovery for par is impossible. So you always plan to never miss left. Play to eliminate big numbers.

I've even gone to the extreme of having three strategies for tough holes. Basically three plans: aggressive birdie, regular par, gamesaver bogey. I'll use one or the other based on how I'm playing and feeling that day.

It also sounds like you got really mad at yourself. That's probably the biggest challenge for all of us...
Favorite Practice Course:
Z Boaz Municipal, Fort Worth <<< Ben Hogan grew up playing here!
--------------------------------------------------

In the bag: 983E 9.5*, Fuji Speeder S RPM LP, 4W, Neutral Bias STAFF Ci6 irons, S (going up for sale soon) Tom Watson PVD 08 Wedges (G.S,L)... and a 4...
Link to comment
Share on other sites


161 yards to an island green from the white tees is simply bad design. More so if it can play as long as 175 yards.

I tend to agree. A hole with such a layout should never be more than a 7I shot... and that is pushing it. I feel that island greens are a gimmick... the 17th at Sawgrass became famous and suddenly it was copied all over the place. Unfortunately, some (like this one) stretch it out too far to make sense. The 3 yard separation between the blue and the black tees doesn't make any sense either. It's the kind of hole that low handicappers look at as a hard challenge and the mid to high handicappers approach with abject terror.

There are plenty of ways to make a par 3 hole play tough without the island gimmick. The other 2 holes look from the photos to be relatively straightforward.... difficult but not quite as penal, with possible bailout areas to shoot for on those days when the swing isn't solid. I suspect that your problem with this stretch is all in the 6th hole... it wedges the bad thoughts in your mind and it takes a while to flush them out again.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I really only have two holes that mess with me on my home course.

The first one is a short Par 4. The hole bends a bit more left than it shows in the hole diagram. The T-box is designed so it sets you up aiming at the treeline on the right side which is exactly where you do-not want to be. Even from the right side of the fairway this is a difficult hole to par. You need to play this hole down the left side. The first three years as a member at this course this hole killed me. It seemed no matter where I aimed I seemed to end up either in the right rough or on the right side of the fairway. This year I figured out a foolproof way for me to play this hole. I picked out a particular tree down the left side and I block out everything else. I set my alignment to that tree and hit a high cut with the driver or 3-wood that starts at that tree and cuts into the left side of the fairway with little or no roll out.



The second hole that messes with me is our 18th hole. This one for me is the most difficult hole on the course. There are condos down the left hand side, a very narrow fairway that bends to the right and trees down both sides of the fairway. There is no place to bail out to on your t-shot on this hole. Also, from 180 in to the green the fairway slopes downhill so even if you are in the fairway you face a challenging approach. I have tried no less than 6 different strategies on this hole with little success. I only par this hole about 25% of the time. Driver for me brings the condos and trees down the left into play. Driver also puts me on the downsloaping portion of the fairway. Lately I have been playing 3-iron off the T which leaves a 3 to 5 iron into the green. This small green has severe slopes to it and is guarded by 2 deep bunkers. My long iron strategy makes holding the green very difficult but so far its the best thing I have found.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Strategy for the 3 holes is important for your mental approach to these holes. expectation and accepting boogies and par should be considered a birdie.

How should you play these holes based on your game and your tendencies? do you lay up short and rely on your short game? If you learn to play these 3 holes you will be so confident that you can play anywhere with any fear!

Titleist 910 D2 9.5 Driver
Titleist 910 F15 & 21 degree fairway wood
Titleist 910 hybrid 24 degree
Mizuno Mp33 5 - PW
52/1056/1160/5

"Yonex ADX Blade putter, odyssey two ball blade putter, both  33"

ProV-1

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Strategy for the 3 holes is important for your mental approach to these holes. expectation and accepting boogies and par should be considered a birdie.

How would you lay up on that first hole????

That seems to be the cause of his misery on that stretch. No lay up, no bailout.... hit the green (or a bunker) or pay the piper. I agree with your strategy on the other 2 holes, but there really aren't any options on that first one.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I have a three hole stretch on my course where I routinely screw up.

Hole 5:
438yrd Par 4 off the whites.
Nasty dogleg hole with the turn at around 220yrds down the inside with trees preventing you cutting the corner. The turn and fairway are sloped away from you so if you hit a nice tee shot close to the trees you've still 200yrds left to the green with the ball below your feet. A few tough bunkers around the green too. I keep an average of my scores and get 6.83 as an average on this hole

Hole 6:
332yrd Par 4 off the whites.
Nice, wide open fairway with plenty of room left and right for stray tee shots so easy enough to start off with. You play up onto a green maybe 20ft above you. The green is guarded on three sides by bunkers and the green itself is just brutal. You have to hit the green directly below the flag or you're going to struggle to 2 putt, most unforgiving green on the course. I've made GIR before and walked off with a double bogey!

Hole 7:
303yrd Par 4 off the whites.
Downhill hole, pretty short, a good drive with wind behind will probably make the green (haven't done that yet though!) Put it right and you'll have a tall tree guarding your line to the green, any further right and you're playing over some fir trees. Left of the fairway and you're under dense trees forcing you to crouch down and punch out. Again, a very unforgiving green sloping to the front. If you put your second in any of the three greenside bunkers you'll be walking off with a double, easily. Everytime I've gone in the greenside bunkers even the very luckiest of shots that have just trickled onto the green have rolled off the front.

From my spreadsheets it shows these holes make up my 1st, 2nd and 4th worst scores (by mean) on the course.

In the Matrix XTT Standbag:

Driver: Biggest Big Bertha 11*
Fairway Wood: Steelhead Plus 3 Wood
Irons: T-Zoid Titanium Insert irons 3-SWWedge: Vokey Spin Milled Oil Can 60.04Putter: Pro Platinum Laguna 34" w/ British Open '04 headcoverBall: ProV1 Rule35 Playing again after a three year hiatus...

Link to comment
Share on other sites


4, 5, and 6 at my home course are make or break holes. 4 is a 195 yard par 3 where you have to work the ball left to right or keep it straight. Anything right of the green hits a slope and kicks into the bush.
5 is a 410 par 4 with a 90 degree dogleg right about 230 yards out. This hole's tough because to hit driver I have to cut the corner, and that's about a 290 carry; if I pull it off I'll birdie most of the time, but If I don't I'm in the bush. The iron off the tee is tough because it can leave you with 210 into the green if you're anywhere left of center.
6 is a 360 par 4. It is another 90 degree dogleg, but left. The green is drivable, but there is a lot of bush around it and 2 out of 3 times you'll be hitting 3 off the tee if you go for it. The lay up is tough because if you hit it right it is a minimum 200 yard approach. However, if you go left you're going over water onto a ridiculous side-hill lie. This hole can be the easiest or the hardest on the course depending on where your tee ball ends up.

Cleveland Hi-bore 9.5* stiff, Taylormade Burner T3 14.5* stiff, Mizuno mp 32 3-PW, Nike SV Tour Black Satin 52, 56, 60* wedges, Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2 35 inches
In the market for a new driver, then my bag will be the shiz.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


How would you lay up on that first hole????

Correct...no layin' up on the first hole. Thing that is so tough there is the distance it can play from the whites....8 iron to as much as 3 iron. There are two different tee boxes they use for the whites that are offset by twenty yards or more. The hole morphs and gives you a different look every time you play it......I hate it......I love it......I beats me down like sexy school marm paddling my arse.

I'm grooving the par 5 middle hole lately. I've never tried that one in two...and honestly don't see myself ever doing so. I've shot par, par & bogey on it the last 3 times playing it. My strategy is to drive it at the yardage markers in the center of the fairway...taking into account the wind (lower my shot or tee it up and let it get up more) then hit a shot for the 100 yard marker and then wedge in tight. The last hole isn't the devil it once was to me. I quit the overswinging and dumb stuff....I'd rather be short than left or right and a bump-n-run wedge on and two putt will give me bogie.....no harm, no foul. Now...I've carved it down to just this one bully hole. My key to it is to make a bold and dedicated swing at it with no tension. Whatever happens will happen.....pars-to-triples....whatever...it's just one hole and will not define my round.
909D Comp 9.5* (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-6)
Burner Superfast 3 & 5 woods (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-4.8)
G15 Hybrid 23* (AWT shaft)
G5 5 iron-PW-46*, UW-50*, SW-54 & LW-58 (AWT shaft)
Studio Select Newport 2 Mid SlantGrips: PING cords & Golf Pride New Decade Multi-Coumpound Bag: C-130...
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Hey, I think I know these holes, lol! Seriously though, don't feel too bad about 6. It's a pain sometimes no matter where the pin and tees are. I think of all the times I have played it, that one par that I scored in our round was the only one I ever had on that hole.

My bag:

Bag: TaylorMade

Driver: Taylormade Super Fast 2.0 (S)

3W: Taylormade Super Fast 2.0 (S),

Hy: 3 (18*) Rescue, Irons: 4-9, PW, AW TM Burner 2.0, Wedges: Rumar 56 and 60 degree, Putter: TM Ghost Blade

Ball: TM RBZ

Shoes: FootJoy DryJoys

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Hey, I think I know these holes, lol! Seriously though, don't feel too bad about 6. It's a pain sometimes no matter where the pin and tees are. I think of all the times I have played it, that one par that I scored in our round was the only one I ever had on that hole.

I remember your tap in par. That was a dandy one!!!!

One of these days I'm gonna crack that egg with a par or birdie and things will settle down for me on it.....one of these days.
909D Comp 9.5* (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-6)
Burner Superfast 3 & 5 woods (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-4.8)
G15 Hybrid 23* (AWT shaft)
G5 5 iron-PW-46*, UW-50*, SW-54 & LW-58 (AWT shaft)
Studio Select Newport 2 Mid SlantGrips: PING cords & Golf Pride New Decade Multi-Coumpound Bag: C-130...
Link to comment
Share on other sites


On the first par 3, try not to treat it any differently just because there is water in front. You have to hit the ball solid to hit the green no matter what is in front of the green. Another thing to work on is commitment. You are better off hitting the wrong club with complete confidence as opposed to hitting the correct run with dooming thoughts in your mind.

On the par 5, try three wood off the tee. However, that doesn't mean you should be guiding the ball off the tee. Just swing the club like ou know how. Try hitting a bit lower ball maybe that will stay below the tree line and not get pushed around by the wind so much. Then just commit to your layup and wedge shot and youll be just fine.

On the second par 3, it looks like theres a ton of room to run it up. Why trying airing it out when you can punch something that will run onto the green? Its a higher % shot IMO.

Also try taking each shot for what it is, although it is easier said than done. Pick small targets and stay commited. Best of luck!

Monster Tour 10.5* w/ Redboard 63
FP400f 14.5* w/ GD YSQ
Idea Pro 18* w/ VS Proto 80s
MP FLi-Hi 21 w/ S300
CG1 BP w/ PX 6.0 SM 54.11 SM 60.08 Sophia 33"

Link to comment
Share on other sites


There is a 3 hole stretch on my home course that was eating me alive also:
#10: 395 yard Par 4, dogleg left, very small driving area.
#11: 435 yard Par 4, slight dogleg right, creek in middle of fairway about 275-280 out.
#12: 195 yard Par 3, fairly routine with the exception of overhanging trees on right side of tee box (I hit a draw).

At the beginning of the year I had multiple rounds of 36-44, 35-46, 37-45, etc.

When I figured out it was MENTAL I overcame the poor swing thoughts that were running around in my head...it took me forgetting that I had made a triple there last weekend and approaching the hole with a level of confidence that had been lacking.

I also determined that I was getting tired, physically and mentally, at the turn and started having a snack on the 10th tee. These are tough holes, that much is true. As of late I have given myself permission to be content if I play them +1 total as a group. That has taken a little pressure off.

Good luck and thanks for the swell pictures.

Driver: 9.5* Sumo SQ 460 w/ UST Proforce V2
3 Wood: 15* 906F2 w/ Aldila NV Fairway 75S
5Wood 18* 906F2 w/ Aldila NV Fairway 75S
Irons: 695CB, 4-W w/ True Temper S-300's, standard loft and lie
Wedges: 52*,56*, 60* CG12/ChromePutter::Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2Bag: BX-8631Ball::...

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Note: This thread is 5332 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!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...