A Golf Pictures: Do They Make You Think

/ The Grateful Golfer

Do you enjoy looking at pictures of golf holes? I sure do! I enjoy looking at how beautiful the landscape shapes and accentuates the fun and difficult aspects of a golf hole. Additionally, I enjoy looking at pictures to figure out how to play the hole that matches my capabilities.

The Country Club, at Woodbridge, Ontario,

The Country Club, at Woodbridge, Ontario,

I played this hole at the 31 Veteran’s Day of Golf in June. I enjoy looking at this picture because is beautiful and at the same time extremely challenging! Every once in a while I like to look it over to see if can add to what I believe are aspects of the hole that I might have missed.

At a total length of 404 yards, this hole has many challenges. Here is how I see this great hole:

  • To start, the elevation change is about 75 feet with a carry to the fairway of about 200 yards.
  • The distance to the trees on the right is about 250 yards off the tee that will block your approach to the green if you hit the ball to the right.
  • The best line off the tee is along the left over the middle of the rough. This line does have its challenges as the carry is 225 yards to the fairway.
  • Your approach shot has several challenges. If you have a clear shot, the water is the most obvious on the right.
  • There is a bunker on the left front.
  • The green has raised the left and right sides so all approach shots funnel to bottom left of a long green.
  • The right front of the green along the water is raise considerably, so make sure you use a high approach to stay on the green.
  • The green has a large ridge on the back left that covers at least a third of the green. This ridge makes a flat looking green play a strong slope that is tough to navigate.
  • It is important to stay below the pin on the left side if you want a chance to sink your putt.
  • Lastly, this hole looks like a ‘grip it and rip it’ style hole, but course management is very important to make sure that you make your birdie.

If you are wondering, I double the hole by pulling my tee shot left into the rough. Chipped out on the fairway short of the water (I could not go at the green). I chipped on to the green and my ball rolled down to the front of the green approximately 50 feet from the pin which was located on the top right. A smooth three putt, due to my first putt coming up 15 feet short (misread the slope). I would love to play this hole again; if I had the opportunity, things would be different!

An extension and benefit of looking for golf holes is reading golf course reviews! I am always interested to read how others feel about certain courses and sometimes how they would play a hole.

If you are looking for some great golf course reviews check out Mike at 36aday, Josh at Golf is Mental, Dave at One Bearded Golfer, and Jimmy at Tiger Golf Traveler. I hope you enjoy their take on golf, I know I sure do!

So I ask again! Do you enjoy looking at pictures of golf holes?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

10 thoughts on “A Golf Pictures: Do They Make You Think”

  1. GG

    This works along the line of this :
    You have say a 425 Yard Par 4..Tricky..with or without Hazards can this be made in 2? See you can drive say 250-300 Yards and i can only drive safely around 220-240 so i have to work on the assumption that its a 220 yard drive which leaves me with a 200 yard shot to make the front of the green which is a very low % shot so i HAVE to use my Handicap to play this hole and i rarely drive these as i play a much higher % Rescue wood off the tee and hit that around 190-210 then use the same club off the fairway and hit that 170-190 and then i usually have a very safe 40-50 yard wedge into a green where i can either Net Birdie or Net Par on average with a 2 putt. For me this is simple ABC route golf yet i play with guys smashing DRIVE AND THEN TRYING TO 3 WOOD OR 4 IRON A TOUGH SHOT INTO THE GREEN WHICH THEY STRUGGLE TO MAKE 15-20% OF THE TIME AND I DON’T UNDERSTAND THEIR MINDSET WITH THIS..As a handicapper i always try to use the shots i get as i plot my way round and then look to have my short game good enough to me in a putting position to get those all important birdies and Parr’s.
    For the Pro’s this is not an issue as the likes of Dustin J and Rory can float a lovely 4 or in some cases even a 5 iron over 200 yards so they have a lot more options but 95% of the people playing even some low single figure handicappers simply dont have a 200+ Yard approach shot…and in some ways this frustration stops new players from taking the game up..and lessens enjoyment..

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    • Clint

      I like your view on using your handicap to score well. At 425, I have no problem reaching the green, but my second shot is generally around 175-185 yards. This is a 5 iron or a 4 iron depending on the conditions. I taught myself to use these irons because on the longer courses, I use them quite often. Your approach sounds solid and is good advice for any beginner.

      Cheers
      Jim

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  3. Jim, how does this hole set up to your eye – good way or “bad” way?

    If you were a caddy here, what would you say to your player? Beautiful hole, by the way!

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    • Great question! This hole sets up well for my eye. I am a right-handed player and dog-leg left holes work for me. If I was a caddy and assuming they are a low-single handicap player, I would suggest that the player hit a driver and a set up on the tee so that their final aim point is the left edge of the pond. If the player makes good contact, they will have an open shot to the green between 100-150 yards. The tee shot is the most critical shot on this golf hole! What do you think?

      Cheers
      Jim

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      • Morning GG,
        Can you email me at clint.smith@networkrail.co.uk and i will send those pics with a few lines to discus…
        Also…i think i agree but i also think to many courses certainly where i live go for length over finesse. My personal opinion is unless its a championship course then no par 3’s should exceed 180Yards, No Par 4’s to exceed 390 Yards ( my reasoning for this is a standard semi decent 9-18 handicapper drives between 200-235yards and i think you must have your 2nd shot into the green ” makeable ” and i dont think many mid – high handicappers can float in over 170 yards ) and Par 5’s shouldn’t exceed 580 Yards ( thoughts )?.

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      • Clint

        I will give your question some thought. Initially, I agree. About your course length. I would suggest that length is not a driving factor. I will drop you a line tonight when I get home from work.

        Cheers
        Jim

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