make a relatively easy par or birdie, but one which, if you're not careful you can make a big number ?
The 1st at Westhampton, a par 4, is SHORT, requiring a tee shot with a driver or low iron, followed by a short iron, usually a wedge or less.
The green, medium to small, has several tiers, which rise toward the back.
Behind the green, a bunker. Behind the bunker, a water hazard.
In front of the green, a moat.
Left of the green, bunkers
The green is sloped from back to front, but, not a simple grade, but rather, with multiple tiers, multiple plateaus which make for varied hole locations.
The green is mostly surrounded by hazards, water and bunkers.
When the hole location is to the rear of the green, despite the approach being rather short, it's still a frightening shot because the elevated nature of the back of the green hides the large rear bunker that wraps around the back and right side of the green.
The fairway is fairly wide, with OB right (you have to hit a pretty bad shot), to the left of the fairway are a series of dolomites in the DZ.
I've seen golfers hit anything from a mid-iron to a driver off the tee.
The green is within the sights a long ball hitters if they want to risk the abundance of hazards.
Well placed tee shots leave wedges to sand to lob wedges.
Yet, the hole ruins many a round before it's barely started.
The first time you play there, looking at the scorecard, you say, "birdie". Standing on the 1st tee, you begin to think, "par"
With a second play, you think, if I hit a good tee shot I can position myself for a birdie.
With repeat play, you think, "let's be smart about this, a birdie would be nice, same for a par, but, don't make a big number and ruin your round.
Is this the ideal starting hole, one where distance/brute strength is not a factor, one where birdie/par can be easily achieved, one where bogie/double bogie and worse can easily be achieved ?
"Google Earth" provides a nice glimpse of the hole.