Shorter Odds From The Short Side

[Jim_Kennedy]

We have several greens here at Hotchkiss where you do not want to leave yourself a long putt or have a lot of green to work with if you miss your approach, it's actually preferable to miss the green on the short side. For instance, our relatively new 4th green (built by George Bahto) is bisected by a spine that runs front to back. The section to the left of this ridge is all on the same level and tilts a bit towards the fairway, with some very subtle breaks. The section to the right is tiered, higher in the back and lower in the front. If you find yourself back-right and the cup is front-left you're in trouble, and vice-versa. Front right-ball and back-left cup is also a prescription for three-putting.
Last night we were playing a 9-man scramble, 3 teams of 3, and the cup was back-right on this hole. After we all made our approach shots to this par 4, the other two teams chose balls that left them with long putts from the front of the green, just left of the spine. I 'urged' my team to use one of our balls that was 5 yards over the back-right, even though we had one in the same vicinity as the other two teams. Short story, they listened and we made 4 from about 3', after a nice chip. They made 5s from about 8' and 10'.

Now, I know this may sound like little more than an example of what Tom Paul calls 'greens within greens' but I think it has an added twist. How many times do you find yourself in situations where it's better to be off a green and chipping than to be on with a long putt, and off on the short side, to boot?

I find greens that cause situations like this to be very interesting.

[Mike McGuire]

Jim -

This is an interesting question.  A high level Am told me he didnt like a particular course because it was better to be on the short side on a number of holes.

He was correct about it being better on the short side, but.....I thought once you figured it out it was an advantage you could use.

[Jason Topp]

This picture does not show the severe slopes on all sides of the green well, but the 17th green at my course fits this description.  The green is tilted back to front with a big spine through the middle.  The slopes are severe on the green and falling away from the green.  Nonetheless, you are usually much better off short sided than with a 30 foot putt from the wrong direction.

I find it the most interesting iron shot on the course because the smart play is to fire it at the pin, even if the pin is tucked.  That knowledge might make the hole harder the more you play it.