How Would You Play It? (9th at Belmont CC, Fresno, CA)

[lumpuckeroo]

Hit a driver at the fairway bunker and cut it, hit a 3 or 5 wood at the bunker next to the green and cut it, easy enought!

[boomergolfer]

I'd probably take my driver out over the parking lot and hook it onto the green. Then 1 putt for a 2. :)

On a more serious note, I can't really tell how much the trees on the right come into play off the tee. I can not fade a ball for my life. But I hit it very high. So I'd probably hit my driver over the trees and expect it to hook into the fairway (I'm not long enough to reach the bunker at 250 so that is not a concern for me.)

I'd then hit a 4 hybrid or a 5 iron and lay up for a wedge or short iron into the green. That's probably my only chance at par or birdie. I hate dog legs to the right like this!

[Golfingdad]

Since I know that the book that shall not be named (for fear of jinxing it) is coming out soon, thus making these types of threads obsolete, I figured I'd throw one last one in there for your consideration.  This one, again, is from my brother's home course, where our big 3 day tournament is fast approaching.  If I didn't mention it already, the format is teams of 3 and it's best ball (net).  It's alternating best one ball, best two balls, each day, with the 9th and 18th being ALL THREE BALLS both days.  So there is no room for error on this hole.  The tournament is played from the white tees, which lists this hole as a 461 yard par 5.  Here is an overhead picture of the hole:

Tee is at the bottom just above the left edge of the pond.  8th green is left of that, 1st green is to the right.  The hole plays up the left side, between the driving range and the street labelled as E Sanders Ct.

When there is wind, it's usually blowing left to right on this hole, I believe.  Here are some distance numbers for the tee shot....

OB on both sides, although you have a fair amount of room between the two.  What makes the tee shot a bit tricky are the trees along the right side.  If you don't play a fade, then the furthest right you can be, realistically, is in line with the middle of the fairway bunker.  There are a lot of options here.  Driver at the bunker and try to cut it.  Normal driver and accept the result in the bunker or left of it.  3 wood, hybrid, iron.

Once that decision is made, then here is what is left for the approach:

OB doesn't really come into play here UNLESS you miss the green long and right.  The back of the green is raised and there is a little hill all around feeding balls down; if you miss the green long and right you risk it kicking into the parking lot.  The trick here is how you negotiate the pond.  The distances are all based on the front edge of the fairway bunker 250 yards from the tee.

So ...

How would you play it?

So the tournament was this weekend and I played this hole in +1 for the combined three days.

On Thursday (the "practice round" - though not really because it was also a tournament with prizes, just not the main tournament, plus it was only best 2 of 3 balls) I went ahead and hit driver.  Hit a pretty decent cut around the bend that just stayed in the fairway on the right edge.  It was level with the bunker, about 250 from the tee and then 225 to the green.  It was about 205 to clear the water, so I went ahead and pulled out my 3 hybrid.  Hit it well but pushed it and figured I was in the parking lot.  Caught a break and it was just in the rough to the right of the back of the green.  Hit a mediocre pitch from there, then 2 putted for par.

On Friday, I decided to play it a little safer because it counted (remember, all 3 balls played) so I went with 3 wood.  Hit the fairway again, but this time far enough back that going for the green wasn't realistic, so I laid up with a 4 iron, and hit it poorly and pushed it way right into the rough.  No biggie though, because I had a clear 75 yard shot ... which I pulled into the bunker and then couldn't get up and down for a bogey.

On Saturday, I went even more conservative and hit 4 iron.  On a couple short par fours on Friday where we needed 2 balls I played aggressively and screwed us up by going OB, so I didn't want to do anything stupid.  Drilled a perfect 4 iron dead center of the fairway, followed by another perfect 4 iron dead center of the fairway, followed by a 45 yard pitch shot to about 15 feet.  Didn't make any putts yesterday and this hole was no exception ... but it was the seemingly easiest, and least stressful way to play the hole of the three.

On regular rounds, I'll continue to judge how to play it based on how I'm hitting driver and 3 wood that day.  I believe all three strategies have their merits, depending.

[Big C]

So the tournament was this weekend and I played this hole in +1 for the combined three days.

On Thursday (the "practice round" - though not really because it was also a tournament with prizes, just not the main tournament, plus it was only best 2 of 3 balls) I went ahead and hit driver.  Hit a pretty decent cut around the bend that just stayed in the fairway on the right edge.  It was level with the bunker, about 250 from the tee and then 225 to the green.  It was about 205 to clear the water, so I went ahead and pulled out my 3 hybrid.  Hit it well but pushed it and figured I was in the parking lot.  Caught a break and it was just in the rough to the right of the back of the green.  Hit a mediocre pitch from there, then 2 putted for par.

On Friday, I decided to play it a little safer because it counted (remember, all 3 balls played) so I went with 3 wood.  Hit the fairway again, but this time far enough back that going for the green wasn't realistic, so I laid up with a 4 iron, and hit it poorly and pushed it way right into the rough.  No biggie though, because I had a clear 75 yard shot ... which I pulled into the bunker and then couldn't get up and down for a bogey.

On Saturday, I went even more conservative and hit 4 iron.  On a couple short par fours on Friday where we needed 2 balls I played aggressively and screwed us up by going OB, so I didn't want to do anything stupid.  Drilled a perfect 4 iron dead center of the fairway, followed by another perfect 4 iron dead center of the fairway, followed by a 45 yard pitch shot to about 15 feet.  Didn't make any putts yesterday and this hole was no exception ... but it was the seemingly easiest, and least stressful way to play the hole of the three.

On regular rounds, I'll continue to judge how to play it based on how I'm hitting driver and 3 wood that day.  I believe all three strategies have their merits, depending.

Lol, I think I would have done the exact same thing as you. Playing my own ball? Sure, take driver and try to blast it down the fairway with a baby cut. Ideally, a good drive would leave me a four or five iron in (I would have some hesitation hitting my 3hybrid because I tend to overdraw it). But going for the green would be a no brainer.

In a team based competition where every ball counted? I'd definitely be hitting my 4 iron off the tee! Nothing worse than being the one guy that cards an "8" and ruins the group's momentum (and believe me, I've done that).

[sopel10]

I don't see myself hitting a driver there.  Out of bound on both sides, long second shot if I wanted to go for the green. Even if you had 200 yards left, you will miss the green more often than not.

Hit whatever you are comfortable off the tee, 4i/hybrid/wood.  Layup with whatever you feel like, and hit 3rd on the green hopefully.

Not a 2 shot hole b/c of the out of bounds/water/dogleg.

[RayG]

That's why I have the 13* FTiZ in the bag. Low slight cut to the fat part of the fairway about 220-230 out. 8i to approach distance of 100. Perfect gap wedge to the center. If it's important to stay in play and keep the high numbers off- then the safe play is the best play for me. If I happen to juice the 13* out to 250 (as happens once in awhile), then the 8i iron to 80 yards- a perfect Sand wedge for me.

[Jeremie Boop]

Depends, I have a lot of trouble keeping myself from hitting driver. A par 5 that's under 500 is really something I fully expect to make on in 2 or at least by the green in 2 as long as I hit 2 decent shots. My recent driver flight has been a slight fade and 260-270-ish on decent hits. Most recently I was able to hit a 505 par 5 with driver 6 iron landing just passed pin high. Of course if I could do that reliably and consistently I would be a much lower handicap player than I am.

[late347]

Short- ish par 5 go for the driver always.

No significant water trouble either, no significant OBdanger either presumably...?

Is the rought penalizing i.e. does the rough make it impossible to find your ball when you drive it slightly off the fairway for instance?

-  driver shot 250-270 into the fairway ideally to the right side of the fairway bunker. (my stock shot is fade). This is low risk shot I don't care what you're going to say !

- second shot, I have to play it safe and hit mid-iron forwards to fairway, or even slightly left into the rough. Small green, protected by water on the right side ( stock shot is fade, miss shot is slice)

- third shot, attack the green with wedge pitch shot. Depending on where the earlier second shot landed, I would aim accordingly. Pitch shot to the back of green - or center of green are both safe options.

-fourth shot is putt

-fifth shot is putt

nice and happy par there for beginner golfer like me. No lost balls, means you save your money and your nerves for the next hole

[late347]

Depends, I have a lot of trouble keeping myself from hitting driver. A par 5 that's under 500 is really something I fully expect to make on in 2 or at least by the green in 2 as long as I hit 2 decent shots. My recent driver flight has been a slight fade and 260-270-ish on decent hits. Most recently I was able to hit a 505 par 5 with driver 6 iron landing just passed pin high. Of course if I could do that reliably and consistently I would be a much lower handicap player than I am.

dude, it takes good accuracy to hit GiR like that... green protected by water on the right, green flanked by sand on the left... Tight entrance in front of the green...

Attacking the green from 200 yards. Good luck bro. I would not screw my team over by hitting in the water. LOSING GOLF BALLS SUCKS ALSO. It increases your golf confidence when you don't lose balls, and you feel better about the round afterwards

[Jeremie Boop]

dude, it takes good accuracy to hit GiR like that... green protected by water on the right, green flanked by sand on the left... Tight entrance in front of the green...

Attacking the green from 200 yards. Good luck bro. I would not screw my team over by hitting in the water. LOSING GOLF BALLS SUCKS ALSO. It increases your golf confidence when you don't lose balls, and you feel better about the round afterwards

I actually feel better when I pull of a good shot than when I lay up. I know I make bad decisions sometimes, no argument from me there. If I'm 220+ out I probably won't be attacking the green, but if I'm inside of 200 then I'll go for the green. Also, it depends on the format of the competition. If only the best score is taken I'll go for it regardless if other people on the team are playing safe. If everyone's score counts, I'll play more conservative. However, if I walk up to his hole to just play it I'm not going to shy away from going for the green if it's reachable.

[late347]

I actually feel better when I pull of a good shot than when I lay up. I know I make bad decisions sometimes, no argument from me there. If I'm 220+ out I probably won't be attacking the green, but if I'm inside of 200 then I'll go for the green. Also, it depends on the format of the competition. If only the best score is taken I'll go for it regardless if other people on the team are playing safe. If everyone's score counts, I'll play more conservative. However, if I walk up to his hole to just play it I'm not going to shy away from going for the green if it's reachable.

if pin location is back of green, would you still attack the green from long range?

The entrance to the green is tight, protected by water.

If you played originally, to the fairway, with shorter more accurate hybrid. This all means that the water is still in play with your second shot, long shot with an iron or hybrid.

Format was something like best three balls, but with net score. So presumably as a high-capper, I would  personally contribute more to team, if I went conservative for par / bogey each and every time.

Conservatively played, I would hit second shot with mid-iron, with no bad results coming from this. Worst case I get into the green bunker itself.

Second shot to the left side rough would take the water out of play pretty much.

Third shot you're going to be hitting a wedge to the green ( just don't slice the wedge or toe the wedge LOL)

[Jeremie Boop]

if pin location is back of green, would you still attack the green from long range?

The entrance to the green is tight, protected by water.

If you played originally, to the fairway, with shorter more accurate hybrid. This all means that the water is still in play with your second shot, long shot with an iron or hybrid.

Format was something like best three balls, but with net score. So presumably as a high-capper, I would  personally contribute more to team, if I went conservative for par / bogey each and every time.

Conservatively played, I would hit second shot with mid-iron, with no bad results coming from this. Worst case I get into the green bunker itself.

Second shot to the left side rough would take the water out of play pretty much.

Third shot you're going to be hitting a wedge to the green ( just don't slice the wedge or toe the wedge LOL)

I'm an overly aggressive player most of the time, it's a flaw.

[DeadMan]

I think there are two plays here. Either you lay up ~20 yards short of the bunker, and then lay up again from there. Then you're looking at a shot from probably around 50-100 yards for your 3rd shot. The other play is to challenge the bunker off the tee with your driver, and if you are in good shape after the drive, you have a nice shot to go for the green in two. Basically, I think it comes down to the following question: are you better at getting up and down from 50-100 yards, or are you better at getting in the hole in 3 from ~200 yards? For me, unless I was dealing with a case of the pull hooks or banana slices off the tee, I'm going to take driver all day on this hole. Personally, I feel more comfortable getting in the hole in 3 from 200-175 yards than I do getting up and down from 75. Besides a real wild shot OB, I don't really see the danger in hitting driver off the tee. If you end up in the bunker, then play for a par. If you end up in tree trouble, punch out and play for a par. Outside of a god awful tee shot, you're not going to cost yourself a chance at par by not hitting the perfect drive. In Colorado, I should be able to carry the bunker - playing my stock fade shape - and end up with less than 200 yards into the green. That's green light city for me. I'm aiming left edge of the green, probably with an extra club to be safe from the water. The water doesn't really bother me that much, though. Worst case, you're in the situation a lot of say you really want - 50 yard pitch shot, needing to get up and down. I would be okay trying to get up and down from the sand or long and left - I'd rather be trying to get up and down from there than from 75 yards away in the fairway. EDIT: thinking about it some more, I think taking driver off the tee with the idea of going for it in two will probably yield a lower score, on average, than laying up. But I think laying up would be better at avoiding bogeys. In other words, I think you'd make more birdies than bogeys going for it, but fewer bogeys overall by playing it safe. Personally, I'm licking my chops if I have a less than 200 yard shot on my second shot on a par 5. That's what makes me go for this all day.

[WUTiger]

Driver would go anywhere from 220 to 240, plus a 4H.  This would leave me from 50 to 60 yards out - either a half PW or a half GW.

If I hit my once-a-week rocket drive and got 260, I might try for the left half of the green with a 7W.

[MacDutch]

In a seriously played round I would try to take all the risk out of this hole. So first shot to the bunker. Probably my 3 wood. Next shot my most dependable club, my 7 wood. This would leave me somewhere between 110y and 80y, third shot a wedge to the middle of the green. Walk away with a par, maybe a birdie if I get lucky. Never worse than a bogey. But when playing a fun round, I would go driver, 3 wood and try to get an Eagle opportunity.

[CarlSpackler]

I'm thinking 3w - 5i - wedge.