[Tim Gavrich]

This is my first attempt at posting pictures on GCA.  Cross your fingers, ladies and germs...

Pawleys Plantation is a Jack Nicklaus "Signature" course, and is where I play the vast majority of my summer golf.  I'm going to try to do a comprehensive "My Home Course" essay on it in the spring or summer, but here are some pics of it anyway.

#1, par 5 (500 from the men's tees)--The view is from about 200 yards out. The long bunker on the right begins at about 145 out, so if you can't get home in two, you have the option of a mid-short iron with a mediocre angle after a pretty easy layup short, or a wedge with a better angle after a more aggressive layup.


#4, par 5 (500 from the men's tees)--The tee shot is to a fairway bisected by three bunkers.  Hit a going right-to-left shot to the left (narrower side) and you have a chance at getting home in two.


Same hole--here's the view from the preferred (left) side of the fairway, about 100 yards out.  Approaches to white (middle) and yellow (back) flags must clear the big, gaping front bunker.  The player can hit to the fat of the green (left-front) if a high soft one isn't viable.


#6, par 4 (400)--This is the approach to a deep, narrow green.  That rear-left pin is the toughest on the green, but you can get near it with a running right-to-left shot because there are useful slopes along the right side of the green that can sling a ball to the left.


Same hole, closer view of said slopes.


#13, par 3 (110-130)--People who need multiple options on every hole to be happy might want to skip this hole.  It is the epitome of a white knuckle shot.  While not necessarily a "2 or 20" hole, it's easily a "2 or 5" sort of hole.


#14, par 5 (510)--A wide fairway with marsh down the right.  If you bust a drive just short of the hazard, there is the possibility for a heroic shot at the green.  Otherwise, the longer the layup, the better the angle for the third shot...


This is the view from about 90 yards.  It's a little bright, but you can see that those who hit a more aggressive layup are rewarded with a green-light wedge shot.


#18, par 4 (410)--A semi-cape tee shot; you can challenge the corner, but at your own peril.


The approach from 170-200 yards to a long, skinny green with sand and pond (gators included) left and bailout right.


Closer view of the green.  As at #6, you can run the ball on and move it around towards a rear-left flag.


I'll take more pictures when I'm there this summer and submit a more detailed and refined MHC piece, I expect.

Cheers.

--Tim

[CJ Carder]

Tim,

Thanks for posting those - I'm down in NMB frequently and have thought about coming down to play Pawleys.  Next time I'm coming down, I'll shoot you a message and maybe we can get out and play as I'm almost always going out as a single.

Are the greens really as small as they look in some of the pictures?  And I see what looks to be Jack's signature tree in the middle of the fairway on 14.

[Tim Gavrich]

The greens are usually small in one direction or another.  They tend to be either wide and shallow (favoring a player with better distance control, e.g. 3, 9, 13, 17) or long and narrow (favoring a player with better left-right control, e.g. 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 18).  There are some that are pretty large, but they tend to be on the more difficult holes, fittingly (e.g. 2, 16).  All in all it's a great test of one's iron game.

[Jason Connor]

Tim, Does Pawley's have memberships or do you just play their often.  And I'm wondering you think Pawley's compares to the nearby Heritage.

I've played both and tend to prefer Heritage. But Pawley's was fun.

[Matt_Ward]

Tim:

Good photos -- I've personally played PP about 4-5 times and have to say the short par-3
13th is an absolute bear of a hole to play when encountering any wind beyond one club. Literally, one's entire round can go right out the window on this hole.

A front left pin placement makes the 17th at TPC Sawgrass look like child's play !

Looks like the conditioning element is in top shape from the pictures provided.

Hope to play there again sometime this spring.

P.S. Jack's portfolio is often talked about on GCA but very little is mentioned on PP.

[Jamey Bryan]

Tim:

Thanks for posting, Pawley's is one of my favorite courses (with the proviso below).

I've always thought Pawley's Plantation was 16 to 17 good to great holes with one that ought to be blown up.  13 is, without any doubt (even next to 9 at Caledonia) the worst hole I've ever played on an otherwise very good course.  To give Jack credit, the green was supposed to be at least twice the size of the "as built" green (the Corp of Eng showed up the day the fill was to go in the marsh and said no-no even though they had approved the plans).

Tim, hope you're having a great first year at W&L.  I was in the area last week showing my nephew around Charlottesville (and Philly for Penn.)

Jamey

[Tim Gavrich]

I'll bite, Jamey.  What makes #13 such an abhorrent hole to you?  It's a controversial hole for sure.  Are you in the camp that sees it as too small a target?

Cheers.

[Jamey Bryan]

Tim:

It's just too shallow a green for the typical wind.  Actually, I don't mind it so much from the back or the next to back tees, but I play the course often with guys that want to play the "3rd up" tees.  An "all or nothing" shot from approx. 90-100 yards to a 10 yard deep target just isn't fun for me (playing into a typical stiff sea breeze).  I guess I'm just not good enough at controlling trajectory on a wedge or 9 iron, but hitting that green is more luck than execution, in my opinion.  That's not the definition of a good hole.  Had the larger green been built, I don't think my objections would stand.

BTW, if you have some time over the summer I'd love for you to come up to Camden and see our course.  Travis and Ross did know what they were doing....

Jamey

[Doug Spets]

Jamey....

Couldn't agree more about #9 at Caledonia.  The 1st time I played there, I thought it was a practice green or some sort of clubhouse front-yard display.

[Michael Whitaker]

Concerning #13 at Pawleys Plantation...

Here is a link to the discussion we had about the hole:

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,15378.35.html

Scan down to "Reply #59" and read to the botton of the page... some very interesting stuff.

[Matt_Ward]

Michael, good link and comments from all involved.

Gents:

I would have an issue with the 13th if the overall length was much longer
than what you see today.

No doubt the wind can blow hard but the hole from the times I have personally
played it is quite fair.

Although, I have to say a front left position is absolutely a very scary proposition.

[Tim Gavrich]

Agreed, Matt.  I think that the small target at #13 at PP fits the length of the hole very well.  And to reiterate what I said in that thread over two years ago, the hole is, as was said of #4 at Baltusrol-Lower, "eminently fair," IMO, *as long as you play the proper tees.*  I will agree to disagree with Jamey Bryan on this stance (and also with those who dislike Caledonia #9; I have spoken ad nauseam about it in the past, so I don't feel the need to re-hash).

[Wade Whitehead]

Just played Pawleys Plantation today (for the first time).  I really enjoyed the place and loved the 13th.  We played it at about 140 with a stiff cross wind (right to left).  The shot is difficult but lots of fun.

Nicklaus' use of trees really stood out as a strength.  Often one or two "extras" we left standing (typically on the inside of the dogleg) and several holes were made more interesting by trees within the playing corridor.

As a secondary point, the price couldn't be beat.  All in all a great day at a well-presented layout.

WW

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