Alps - Stevinson Ranch #14

[Mike Benham]

The Alps hole at Stevinson Ranch, # 14 if you are scoring at home, was played by most from the 306 yards marker, into a left to right quartering wind.



The angle of this photo is correct although taken from the front of the teeing ground.  The green is situated behind the bunker/mound complex on the right.  The pole in the fairway represents 150 yards to the green.

The options off the tee were plentiful, a long iron, rescue club or fairway wood could be played, with the target anywhere between the 2 bunkers and short of the middle pot bunker.  Obviously, the farther right you played your tee shot resulted in a completely blind approach.



A more aggressive line was to grab driver and aim at the far left bunkers.  With the prevailing wind, not even Shivas or Matt Ward would likely reach the green, so the use of driver only allowed the golfer the opportunity to have a clear view of the green.  I didn’t have a yardage book but I suspect that it is about 230 yards to carry the pot bunker from this tee box.  In our Sunday morning match, into a quartering 1 or 2 club breeze, all 4 golfers hit solid drivers either carrying the pot bunker or slightly right of it.  



I apologize for not having a picture of the green complex but I would categorize it as being one of the least interesting, as far as slope and contours, on the course.  Perhaps due to the challenge of getting to the putting surface, the golfer receives a fair chance at recovering from a missed approach.  As with many of the green complexes at SR, there are large areas of shaved fringe area that for the first time golfer approaching the green from the fairway, the impression that the putting surface is much larger then they really are.

The only negative for the hole, is that similar to the other short par-4, the 8th hole (Drive It), they play into the prevailing breeze, taking away the risk/reward of going for the green with your tee shot.

[THuckaby2]

Well-assessed, oh great one.

My take is this is a very good golf hole in the wind we played.  You set out the options perfectly and in that wind, it is worth it to hit a driver left and up there, because the pitch in from there is indeed very simple.  I had that once and was happy I got it to the place I did... especially when later I faced shots from farther back, and from behind the Alps.  Those aren't brutal or anything, but they ain't easy.

It is a GREAT golf hole with no wind or a downwind, bringing driving the green into the picture.

Same goes for 8...

Someone told me we got an atypical wind and the prevailing wind goes in the opposite direction, making 8 and 14 each downwind.  That would explain a lot.

TH

[Mike Benham]

Someone told me we got an atypical wind and the prevailing wind goes in the opposite direction, making 8 and 14 each downwind.  That would explain a lot.

If that is true, that also helps rationalize the length of the shortish par-5s, #6 and #11 ...