How Many Balls Would it Take You?

[iacas]

How many balls would it take you to hit a fairly large green from 135 yards?

Now, how many balls would it take you to hit that same green surrounded by water?

I said on the podcast I could hit it pretty easily. I didn't understand the trouble the pros were having. I've played the TPC of Sawgrass (once) and I hit the green. So my unofficial answer is that it'd take me "two balls" - the ones between my legs. My official answer is 1, because I think I could average under 1.5 balls and that rounds to 1.

[Thrash13]

I think it would be much tougher for me to putt once I found the green rather than actually finding the green. That green would eat me alive.

Seriously though, I think it would take me two shots to get it on the green. In other words, I would probably double bogey it more often than I would get par.

It wouldn't be near as tough if I was playing by myself or with friends, but it would be tough in a tournament atmosphere. But I'm still going with an average of two shots.

Then again, the drop zone for the third shot may be a tougher yardage for me than the regular shot. So I might get some 10s along the way.

Great hole.

[NM Golf]

One ball! We have an island green at a course in Santa Fe, the island is alittle bigger but we also play it from 186 yards. I have played there five times and have never missed the green. Plus, Saturday and Sunday I was 8 for 8 in par three greens. Now with millions on the line and with thousands of people watching it might be a different story, I might not even be able to take the club back!

[westcoast941]

uhhhh...

to hit the green, possibly one if I can forget about the water

To have the ball stay on the green is totally another situation

[ragontona]

There's a replica course in Maryland called Renditions that has a pretty accurate imitation of Sawgrass' 17th. Played the course twice, both times hit from the Gold tees. Hit the green both times, once to within eight feet.

Granted, this was in front of my foursome with five dollar skins on the line.

PS - I actually found the replica of Augusta's 12 much more difficult. Doubled it once, bogied the other. Yeesh.

[Rafcin]

there is a replica @ World Tour in Myrtle. Played it twice few weeks ago. First time - par with a 2 putt, second time (more wind ) hit the front and spun back into the water. Noted - the green in MB is about 1/2 size of the Sawgrass original

[flap]

Would have to belive I can hit a 8 iron onto a green 145 yards away fairly easily.That said on national TV all bets are off.Tigers eye in N.C. has a similar hole #11 that is even longer like 168 but does offer a bailout of land to the left but is totally over a large pond with water on 3 sides and I do quite well on it.You want tough?The 17th on the Black is a strong 5 iron {179}for me,with sand traps around an hour glass shaped green that Sadamm would be proud off.And it is about 205 from the tips!!!!

[Baynative]

Sometimes, I think double bogey is a commendable score. If that first balls gets rinsed, putting the second shot on the green, even from the drop zone can be much harder. ( Unless you're Fred Couples)

[mediaguru]

I say one. But if there were heavy winds that would be a totally different story. That's the problem many of the pros had.

[sungho_kr]

If it was your first ball, you either have to be lucky, make sure you can control ur spin like omeara or lehman, and u have to be real good. If you said one, your probably thinking of a par 3 in your course like it with a good amount of wind. These pro's can shoot 8 under anyday at your course without practice but a third of them sink it into the water. So mathematically and theoretically if you can perform 2/3 of what the pro on the pga tour can perform, then you have the right to say 1, and 2. If you are not even close to a pro, don't even go there. Im disgusted by stats saying 1. Im a 5 handicap, and with no wind I probably can hit my pw in their fairly easy, but 1, the wind is different all the time, 2 you have to muscle the ball, 3 choose like a 7 or 8 iron and control the spin and distance. If you can pull this off, go to q school.

[NM Golf]

If it was your first ball, you either have to be lucky, make sure you can control ur spin like omeara or lehman, and u have to be real good. If you said one, your probably thinking of a par 3 in your course like it with a good amount of wind. These pro's can shoot 8 under anyday at your course without practice but a third of them sink it into the water. So mathematically and theoretically if you can perform 2/3 of what the pro on the pga tour can perform, then you have the right to say 1, and 2. If you are not even close to a pro, don't even go there. Im disgusted by stats saying 1. Im a 5 handicap, and with no wind I probably can hit my pw in their fairly easy, but 1, the wind is different all the time, 2 you have to muscle the ball, 3 choose like a 7 or 8 iron and control the spin and distance. If you can pull this off, go to q school.

If all you need to make it in q-school is a 140 shot then heck I'm there next year!

[jeffgladchun]

If it was your first ball, you either have to be lucky, make sure you can control ur spin like omeara or lehman, and u have to be real good. If you said one, your probably thinking of a par 3 in your course like it with a good amount of wind. These pro's can shoot 8 under anyday at your course without practice but a third of them sink it into the water. So mathematically and theoretically if you can perform 2/3 of what the pro on the pga tour can perform, then you have the right to say 1, and 2. If you are not even close to a pro, don't even go there. Im disgusted by stats saying 1. Im a 5 handicap, and with no wind I probably can hit my pw in their fairly easy, but 1, the wind is different all the time, 2 you have to muscle the ball, 3 choose like a 7 or 8 iron and control the spin and distance. If you can pull this off, go to q school.

I just don't think that shot is really that hard. If the wind gets whippin' up about 20mph then its a different story, but a couple mph isn't that hard of a shot. The green is huge, the pros get in trouble when the fire at the pin, not when the shoot for the center. The question wasn't "Think you could birdie the 17th?" it was "how many shots to get on it." I'm still saying 1.

[Jeepthrills]

I just don't think that shot is really that hard. If the wind gets whippin' up about 20mph then its a different story, but a couple mph isn't that hard of a shot. The green is huge, the pros get in trouble when the fire at the pin, not when the shoot for the center. The question wasn't "Think you could birdie the 17th?" it was "how many shots to get on it." I'm still saying 1.

Very valid point. I think I could do it most times in 1 or 2 if it were a regular Sunday round with my normal foursome. However, put one in the drink and each successsive one gets tougher. Holding the green is the bigger issue. TV cameras and pressure, forget about it. I may go Tin Cup. In that case you need two really big ones.

[mediaguru]

I may have to correct mine from 1 to perhaps several after today's round. 30mph winds,lost 7 balls! WTF?

[sungho_kr]

The green is pretty big, but it's firm, unless you hit your ball with a high spin rate, you won't hold it most of the time, also the winds are going to be crazy, its not a freakn 130 yard shot with 10 mph wind its more like 30. You have to be able hit a knock down. It's like a gajillion times harder. One of my friends a 3 handi hit into the water 2 times when he played there. Ive seen him stick it like crazy on my home course, unless he was a bunch of bull, you guys are being kind of ..... arrogant. seriously, the green is hard!!! these are tour greens not the ones at your course. If they hit a full sand wedge in you home course they could spin it like 20 feet, on the tour may be 3 feet at most, does that say anything? Seriously, if you say(50%), then you are a pro. Go to q school.

[jeffgladchun]

The green is pretty big, but it's firm, unless you hit your ball with a high spin rate, you won't hold it most of the time, also the winds are going to be crazy, its not a freakn 130 yard shot with 10 mph wind its more like 30. You have to be able hit a knock down. It's like a gajillion times harder. One of my friends a 3 handi hit into the water 2 times when he played there. Ive seen him stick it like crazy on my home course, unless he was a bunch of bull, you guys are being kind of ..... arrogant.

1. I can hit a knock down.

2. I can back mine up about 15-20 feet on my home course. 3. That green would be actually quite similar to my home course's greens, besides they're being bentgrass, the roll at around the same speed (11-12) and are devilishly hard. I guess if a course has played host to 6 US Opens the greens play pretty decently. I stick with my answer: it would take me one shot to get on that green.

[NM Golf]

The green is pretty big, but it's firm, unless you hit your ball with a high spin rate, you won't hold it most of the time, also the winds are going to be crazy, its not a freakn 130 yard shot with 10 mph wind its more like 30. You have to be able hit a knock down. It's like a gajillion times harder. One of my friends a 3 handi hit into the water 2 times when he played there. Ive seen him stick it like crazy on my home course, unless he was a bunch of bull, you guys are being kind of ..... arrogant.

Dude, you better never play at Sawgrass EVER. You're a headcase! You would have to buy a dozen balls to play that hole because you are already psyched out. The greens on tour aren't THAT much different. Jeez didn't you watch the coverage of the tournament? They had the cameras out at the 16th 3 weeks before the tournament interviewing amateurs as they played it. There were a lot of guys with really ugly swings that hit that green no problem. And they weren't having to play knockdowns and they sure weren't spinning those Top Flight distance balls they were using. It's a golf hole! So it's surrounded by water, so what. If you unfortunately have to play it when the wind is blowing then sure it would be a little harder but for the love....... I am not going to Q-school anytime soon but I stick to my first answer ONE DANG BALL!

[sungho_kr]

Your not all of 50% though, so maybe 1 exception