How Would You Play This Hole? - Oak Quarry #1

[butt3r3dt0ast]

I'm hitting a 6-iron down the left side. Should leave me with about ~60 yards and a nice partial wedge shot. The uphill lie doesn't bother me too much as long as it's pretty level from left-right.

[Mr. Desmond]

When I played it in April, I had no warmup at the range - went to #1 cold as it was still dark. I tried to take the club that left me to the left of the bunker and about 60-70 in with an easy wedge even though I think it was an uphill lie.

I ended up behind the bunker and hit a lob wedge (?) to the green.

[JCRuzanski]

6i, pw

[Mr. Desmond]

If I play that hole again, I'm probably taking my 25 hybrid for accuracy to left center, hitting it 185, and taking it with a gap wedge to the green. That leaves plenty of room for error

[Maddog10]

I'm going with a driver and aiming right at the green. I usually play a soft draw, so if that is the case a well struck shot would put me just left of the green. If the ball stays straight then I have a chance at an eagle putt... I rarely miss right, but in the event that I did, I would be teeing up again I suppose.

[k-troop]

Here's how I played it:

Top a 3-wood 40 yards into the ravine.  Re-tee.  Hit a solid 3-wood that started at the right edge of the green and (apparently) faded just a bit--I never found it.  Card an ESC 6 on the first hole.

Here's why I played it that way:

My 3-wood is typically a very consistent club for me--usually a 5-10 yard draw, but early in the round when I'm still getting loose it's frequently a 5-yard fade.  My starting line was 5 yards left of the green, which should have left me 10 yards left, on the green, or worst case in the right bunker, and I'm a pretty good sand player.  I hit three 3-woods on the practice tee right before we teed off:  the first one was a complete top, and the next two were perfect 5-yard fades.

Hitting an iron to 80 yards would have been an easy shot for me, but as GD can attest I'd be just as likely to make a six from 80-yards out in the middle of the fairway.  I suck at wedge shots, particularly from an uneven lie.

I've played that hole once before and hit 3-wood into the right bunker and blasted out to 2 feet (after nearly holing the bunker shot).

[jefkve]

I went hybrid, thinned my second off the rocks behind the green, 60 degree out of the collection area. Good times....

[Golfingdad]

I am a little curious why some people are choosing to hit a club to the left of the bunkers.  I'm not saying you guys are wrong, but when I look at this hole, it seems to be screaming at you to either lay up short of the bunkers or try and go over them.  For me, this area is off-limits:

Is it because you guys are so confident with that particular club that the bunkers don't even come into play for you?  Or, is it that you don't fear a 40-50 yard bunker shot like I do?

If I hit a 4 iron, hybrid, or 3 wood, then I'm bringing those bunkers into play.  A bad shot here is putting me in a lot of trouble because I don't have a lot of success with that type of shot.  And a good shot is leaving me with a 40-60 yard pitch shot.  Compare that to a 5-iron or 6-iron through, and a bad shot is not hurting me at all.  I mean, if I can't hit an 80 yard wide fairway with a 5 or 6 iron, then nothing good is happening with that swing with any club.  And a good shot is leaving me with 70-90 yard pitch shot.

So it comes down to one question:  Is it worth the risk of going into one of those bunkers to save 10-30 yards on my pitch shot?  For me the answer to that is a resounding NO.  I would wager that the percentage of time that I am making birdie from the 50 yard range is more than offset by the amount of times I put myself in one of those bunkers and made bogey.

But maybe this just means I need to work on my mid-range bunker play. ;)

Again, not calling anybody "wrong," just trying to get more insight into everybody's thought processes and learn more. :)

[Dave2512]

I agree with layup or hit over but not to the side. The hole is so short just about anywhere in the fairway leaves a routine wedge. Typically I am a proponent of closer is better but it has to be worth the risk and more than just a few yards closer. The long narrow green looks perfect for coming in over the bunkers with a wedge. I'll take fairway over sand any day.

[Fourputt]

Hybrid 180 yards to fat part of the fairway, then PW or 9I to the green (probably 9I, since my normal distances are set for Denver at a mile high).  Seems pretty straightforward to me.

[Golfingdad]

I agree with layup or hit over but not to the side. The hole is so short just about anywhere in the fairway leaves a routine wedge. Typically I am a proponent of closer is better but it has to be worth the risk and more than just a few yards closer. The long narrow green looks perfect for coming in over the bunkers with a wedge. I'll take fairway over sand any day.

Absolutely, so am I.  But, like you said, in this case the risk doesn't seem worth it.  If you're talking about hitting driver, then I totally get that.  The reward is anything from a 20 yard pitch to an eagle putt.  If you are a confident driver of the ball, then I'm backing that play for you 100%.  Of course, the risk of hitting into the hazard is a little high for me, since I'm typically erratic with the driver.

If there was a little more room between the bunker and hazard on the left - like a strip of rough (not very heavy or punishing) 5 feet wide or more - then I'd be even more inclined to go with driver.  The worst case scenario has me pitching from the rough with my third after a drop, and I'm probably just as likely to par from there as I am from a 50 yard bunker shot, lol.

[rustyredcab]

Strategically similar to the first hole on my home course.

I play a 6-iron off the tee up the left side and let it bounce back to the middle of the fairway. Wind can dictate a 5-iron if I want just a bit less left for a second shot. I have found that being a few yards back is better than playing off a bad lie or trying to bite too much off. For me, there is no money in playing close to the trouble.

Option two is to go over the trouble and risk hitting three from the tee. On my course, trouble is all around the green left, right, 60 yards short, and 40 yards long. So, sometimes a 3-wood short of the green is wiser than a driver. But 6-iron is still the play most times.

[chriskzoo]

Anything to leave me in the center of the fairway short of that trap off the tee - probably leaves 100 max.  From that distance I'm putting for birdie and within 15-20 feet most of the time.  Should be a hole you can birdie at least 1/3 of the time and hardly ever bogey unless your swing gets loose.

For the most part, risk never pays off on these types of holes for most amateurs, even low handicaps.  You'll make more birdies hitting wedges than you will making a risky drive and trying to leave yourself with a chip.

[mdl]

If there is a driving range and I am happy with the way I'm hitting the ball I would hit a driver at the left side of the green (and hope I didn't push it right).

If I wasn't happy with the way I was hitting the ball, or if I didn't hit any range balls, I would hit a 5 iron. I assume that club would go 190 to 195 out there like it does here. I would trade the flat part of the fairway for the shorter distance to the green.

The fact that it's the first hole would only figure into my decision if I didn't hit any range balls.

(But I'm only going by pictures and could change my mind if I saw it in person).

Bummed I couldn't make it Sunday.  I'll be at the next event for sure!

I would play it exactly like MS256.  I often don't warm up, so if I came onto that tee cold, I'd probably hit an easy 6i, hoping for a 95-100 yard uphill SW for my 2nd shot.  But I've warmed up both of the two times I've made it to the SoCal TST event.  If I'm feeling my driver at the range, then I'm trying to drive.  My miss with the driver is right, so I'm probably aiming a tad left of the green, happy with a little green side pitch if I hit it straight, and pumped about a par 4 eagle putt if I fade it a bit.

[Strandly]

I am a little curious why some people are choosing to hit a club to the left of the bunkers.

My 5 wood goes 200 fairly consistently and flies pretty straight as well so in this case it's a little bit greedy but not too greedy.  If I don't catch it clean it should be short and safe anywhere out there anyway.  I like the idea of being a little bit to the left because then you're not hitting over the bunkers and you're hitting into the deep part of the green.

[JP1111]

That hole looks custom made for me. My natural shape is a gentle fade so I would be taking it over the smaller bunker on the left with a driver. I know I have enough juice to carry the bunkers so my only worry would be pushing/cutting it into that ravine. 274 yard par 4 would just be too tempting for me. Great chance to start with birdie and even if you find trouble it's not a hole where 1 error is likely to lead to another and ruin the round before it begins. I would say its hard to make more than a 6.

[Golfingdad]

The first hole at Oak Quarry (where our Socal Outing was held yesterday) is a 274 yard Par 4.  It's about 140 yards to reach the fairway over the ravine, and about 210 to reach the first bunker.

My 5 wood goes 200 fairly consistently and flies pretty straight as well so in this case it's a little bit greedy but not too greedy.  If I don't catch it clean it should be short and safe anywhere out there anyway.  I like the idea of being a little bit to the left because then you're not hitting over the bunkers and you're hitting into the deep part of the green.

Not really greedy at all, because unless you really catch all of it, or hit a sprinkler head, you're staying short of those bunkers.  :)

[scv76]

Played there Saturday.. I don't have the length needed to go for the green off the tee. It's layup all the way! You can't tell from the pictures, but there is sort of a collection area between the rock in the fairway and the bunkers. From that area you get a pretty good look at the green if the pin is towards the right side of the green. Last two times I've made par from there (which is better than my skill level) Off topic...how did those of you who played Sunday find the green conditions? Sat. they were real bumpy