How Would You Play This Hole (500 Yard Par Five)?

[Lihu]

Piece of cake, strategy-wise for me.  I hit the driver because I cannot reach the bunker.  Then, assuming a successful drive, it is a fairway wood or hybrid layup, depending on lie & distance.  Then a pitch, probably into a greenside bunker.  Then a thinned bunker shot over the green  Then a chunked chip to the fringe.  3 putts later we are carding a smooth 8.

Who said golf is hard?

Most of can't with our average shot.

[dbuck]

Piece of cake, strategy-wise for me.  I hit the driver because I cannot reach the bunker.  Then, assuming a successful drive, it is a fairway wood or hybrid layup, depending on lie & distance.  Then a pitch, probably into a greenside bunker.  Then a thinned bunker shot over the green  Then a chunked chip to the fringe.  3 putts later we are carding a smooth 8.

Who said golf is hard?

Yeah, we could play together. Cart golf.

[DrvFrShow]

Since turtleback put actually how the hole would turn out....  from the reds.....

* my drive comes up short landing in the fairway bunker near the far lip.

* I walk to my ball, utter a few choice expletives at it, pull out a 56 wedge, and try to get it out of the bunker. I need the wedge because it's too close to the lip for anything longer. I succeed. However, I pull the shot and land on the left side of the fairway about 10 yds in front of the white line near the trees.

* shot #3. I decide to lay up with my 56 wedge again, and aim for the peak of the heart shaped part at the end of the fairway. I pull the shot and it lands off the left edge of the fairway, hits a rock and bounces into the ravine. I hit a provisional ball. See shot #5.

* shot #5 I hit the same shot again, this time skulling the ball, but it lands in a fairly safe area off to the right where the red line touches the dark green.

* we look for the ball hit in shot #3 and it is nowhere to be found.

* shot #6 I hit a fabulous pitching wedge landing the ball on the green 6 ft from the hole.

* I putt out for a double bogey and feel victorious.

OR

* I hit my drive and it clears the bunker going right of it.

* #2 I hit my second shot that I shank with my 9 iron, and it goes into the woods. Hitting a provisional ball on 4, I hit a perfect shot with my 19 Hybrid and land it on the fringe of the green. Ooos and Ahhs are heard from some members of the foursome. I've declared my second shot lost without looking.

* Another member in my foursome finds my second shot... in very tall grass... behind a tree... because a ball is a terrible thing to lose. I swear under my breath. My 5 or 6 just evaporated.

* I take an unplayable because of the tree root, (+1), and I hit a knock down back out onto the fairway because a tree branch prevents me from hitting anything else.

* Shot #5 I lay up to the ravine.

* #6 I hit a wedge shot over the ravine

* I three putt for a 9, and leave with disgust.

[turtleback]

Since turtleback put actually how the hole would turn out....  from the reds.....

* my drive comes up short landing in the fairway bunker near the far lip.

* I putt out for a double bogey and feel victorious.

OR

* I hit my drive and it clears the bunker going right of it.

* I three putt for a 9, and leave with disgust.

Proving that being able to clear the bunker is not all that it is cracked up to be.

[InTheRough]

this hole looks like a lot of fun...very much a risk/reward type of hole.  i would go driver off the tee aiming for the fairway to the right of the bunker.  How the driver shot ends up would determine the next shot.  In the bunker or to the left of it i will lay up because i wouldnt want to try to hook a long iron or hybrid that much into that small of a green.   if i am on the right side of the fairway with a clear shot into the green and within 220 i would go for it.  That would give me a normal swing with the hybrid.  Anything more than that would be pushing it to the top end of the hybrid or to a 3 wood which i wouldnt be comfortable hitting into that small of a green.

Still a tough shot no matter what but Go Big or Go Home!

[Strandly]

Not really a hard decision for me since I most likely couldn't reach the green in 2 anyway.  I'd hit a driver though and risk the sand and then an iron to the end of fairway, chip across, etc.

[k-troop]

Not much of a decision. I can't go for that green from more than 240, so anything short of driver off the tee is a guaranteed layup. Laying up from the bunker is no worse than laying up from the fairway. So it's driver off the tee. If I hit the bunker it's a layup. If I carry the bunker or miss it right (which would be the intended shot) then I'm hitting 5i to 2h into the green.

[Aflighter]

First off id aim my driver right for the bunker knowing my ball will fade and also I only hit it 220.Next id hit my 4wd or 5wd about 190 leaving me just under 100 yards and hit my PW to green.Hole looks pretty simple aslong as you play within yourself.Trees to the right shouldn't be problem for a fader or straight shooter.Thats what I would suggest doing but since I hit my driver off the deck pretty good I could get within 70 yards or so and also knowing the driver off the deck will cut on me ill still be ok.

[JonMA1]

After reading all the posts from the distance vs accuracy thread (Is Distance Really That Important for Amateurs?), I was just curious. I wondered how people would play this hole not because it's difficult, but because I think it really offers two very different options for better players (we'll call that group "Player A"). I picked the blue tees at 500 yds (from the tips it's an extra 30 yards and would eliminate that option for all but the best players IMO).

The hole is simple for those of us who drive under 250 yds (we'll call that group "Player B"). Both the drive and the 2nd shot offer huge landing areas. In my mind and with my game (ego), I should par this hole way more often than I do (see turtleback's post - that would be me).

So here's a hypothetical scenario from a high capper who knows nothing about what it's like to pull off a 220 yard shot to small, well-protected green.

As a 5 handicapper, I approach this hole with the intent of getting on the green in two, so I aim my driver to a small area that will allow me a possible 2nd shot to the green. If I miss, no big deal - I go to plan B which is to layup as tight to the ravine as possible. Using a half-swing wedge to carry the ravine, land it within 10 ft of the flag. I sink the 10 foot put for a birdie (remember, I'm an awesome 5). Not a bad result for taking the easy way out.

But if I do land my drive where I want it, I stand there and debate whether to go for the green. I've just re-read the section in LSW on decision maps, feel good on this day about how I've been swinging my hybrid and I go for it by hitting a high draw. The worst case scenario is that I miss the landing area and have to take a drop right in front of the ravine from which I easily land my 4th shot onto the green. I will at worst 2-putt for bogey but could possibly still make par.

If I do get on the green in two, I have a certain birdie with a chance at eagle because the green is not that big nor is it particularly tough.

Ok, back to reality.

With my game, the only way I go for this in two is to play from the white tees (435). I'd have to hit a perfect drive that would leave me 180 yards to attempt this 2nd shot using a 4 hybrid. If the drive leaves me with 200, I'd need my 5 wood and I don't attack this green with that club.

So there's my argument for working on improving distance. My hybrid is a bit more precise than my 5 wood, my 5 iron a bit more precise than my hybrid, and so on. If I could hit my 5i 180 yards and still maintain the same degree of accuracy - not out of the realm of possibility with proper swing mechanics - I'd score a bit lower on every course.

Once I've learned the mechanics necessary for maximizing my distances and can repeat them, I will then work on improving accuracy using that swing - mainly key #5.

Oh wait, we were supposed to be back to reality... my bad.

[iacas]

I think the strategy on this hole, for me, is to hit a driver up the right hand side.

If I'm having a bad day with my hybrid, hit it in the bunker, don't feel good about the hybrid, have a bad lie, have a lot of wind against me, etc. - I lay up to the edge of the fairway. Otherwise, I go for it.

The opening inside the trees is 30 yards. That's somewhat narrow. I'd probably lay up about 80% of the time, maybe more. That includes from good lies, too.

Why then don't I just hit hybrid off the tee if I'm laying up so often? Because it reduces my options, and makes the lay-up harder. Two 210-yard shots are more difficult to pull off than fairly standard 270-yard tee shot and an 8I or 9I lay-up.

[Golfingdad]

I think the strategy on this hole, for me, is to hit a driver up the right hand side. If I'm having a bad day with my hybrid, hit it in the bunker, don't feel good about the hybrid, have a bad lie, have a lot of wind against me, etc. - I lay up to the edge of the fairway. Otherwise, I go for it. The opening inside the trees is 30 yards. That's somewhat narrow. I'd probably lay up about 80% of the time, maybe more. That includes from good lies, too. Why then don't I just hit hybrid off the tee if I'm laying up so often? Because it reduces my options, and makes the lay-up harder. Two 210-yard shots are more difficult to pull off than fairly standard 270-yard tee shot and an 8I or 9I lay-up.

Right. And you consider that the bunker isn't hurting you if you're laying up anyway, then the fairwY is basically 75 yards wide at that point.

[Pretzel]

I personally would hit my tee shot to go over the bunker. If it carries the bunker and ends up with a decent angle at the green I'd go for it but if I didn't like my lie or angle, or if the ball ends up in the bunker, I would just lay up to a safe area.