The Hole You Dread

There's one particular hole at my place that I hate, and walking off with a bogey is a bonus everytime. It's one of those holes that I've birdied only twice and parred many times, but I would bet my average score is c5.3 or worse on it.

Stroke index 1: 393 yards dog leg left and all uphill in a big way to a raised and well banked USGA green that has plenty of pin positions that can see you slide past the hole and run off the green on 2 sides. The drive is with 3-wood or driver to a flattish plateu and anything longer sees you in knee high cabbage. Miss the plateu right and into knee high cabbage, but miss it left and your down a valley of sin and into a drainage ditch. The 2nd shot is betwen 150 and 200 yards up to this beast of a green, and I've witnessed good players being chuffed at being on in regulation, only to see them scream when they walk off with a 7. I played it a few weeks ago with 3 mates and two of them were on in regulation whilst me and the other guy got on in 3. I walked off with a 5 and one got 6 whilst the 2 who were on in regulation were in bits after walking off with a 7 and 8. Both saw their putts trundle up to the hole and then pick up speed to run back off the green and end up some 40 yards down the fairway.

just from reading your description it sounds like a very poorly designed hole indeed - relatively new course by any chance?

scarpa wrote:just from reading your description it sounds like a very poorly designed hole indeed - relatively new course by any chance?

Scarpa, the course is 7-years old but a Hawtree design, and this particular hole is a belter and a good test. Unfortunatley we have a few of the really slopey USGA greens on the course but this particular green is one of the toughest. It would have been a fairer test being more level, but some of the pin positions on it are a piss take and you know when the greenkeeping staff are bored

pin positioning is an art, often i think it is treated as a chore (occasionally even with a degree of recklessness)