Ballyneal Hole #2

[Tom Huckaby]

Interesting, we all have different experiences there.  That in and of itself is very cool!

So it all turns on that.

I'd just be very interested what the members say.  I sure don't recall any mentioning 2 among the greatest/best/most fun holes there, but then again I am not involved in all conversations.

Jerry, yes it is I...

[Kalen Braley]

Scott,

I don't see nearly as much strategy in #2 as you do.  Its a stand on the tee and bash it as far as you can to a semi-blind and very wide fairway to hopefully find the power slot to have a short iron in.  I agree the approach is more interesting because you can very much use the kickers on the right side to feed it on the green with a longer approach.

As for more interesting holes, I would say #3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, and 17 all have more interest overall in terms of strategy, green size/pin placement, wow factor, interesting shots, etc, etc over #2.  And as Huck says, its not taking anything away from #2, because it really is a good hole....its just that it has so much competition from other superb holes on that course.

P.S.  IIRC from previous Ballyneal threads, #2 was a transition hole of sorts to get quickly down to the spectacular green site for #3/tee box for #4 and to make the rest of the routing for the front 9 work.

[Kalen Braley]

This pic gives somewhat of an idea of how much the drop is from the upper fairway to the bottom fairway.  This is looking back up the hill and is probably at least 20 feet lower from the upper portion.



Another view from the tee..

[Tom_Doak]

I would not rank #2 among the top half of the holes at Ballyneal, myself, although I thought it turned out well considering what we had to work with.  There are 10-12 foot cuts and fills in that fairway ... along with #9 and #17, it's the hole which required the most work of any of them.  The 17th would be my choice for one of the best on the course.

[Adam Clayman]

No one has even mentioned the green. To me the green is very cool and difficult to sink putts. It's basically a subtle tilted plate with a couple of interior contours that need to be respected. Although the right side, right of the green, about mid green, stops kicking the ball left which adds frustration when trying to play the kick mound short right. This delicate shot if hit too far will not go left the way the tilt would have you believe.
 
Scott, One of the secrets to the tee shot that I've figured out is that the stair casing exists on both sides. Initially, one would think playing up the left side to try and catch a stair for a turbo boost, would be the play. But after seeing long ball hitters hit through the fairway on that left side, I realized the right side is the better choice if one is really long, or if it's down wind.
 
The approach for a guy like me is one of the shots that gives the most satisfaction when executed. Especially from a downhill lie. I just love to hit a cut 3 iron from 210, with a hanging lie, having it land 40 yards short and run through the gap between the bunker and the right kick mound.

If #2 were at Pebble Beach I suppose it would be classified as a weak hole, because it's inland. 

Someone mentioned how it's early placement in the round could make it forgettable. Because of the way Tom and team made Ballyneal flow, I think that's a highly probable analysis of why it may get over looked. IMO that speaks volumes about the quality of holes on the back nine.

[Thomas Patterson]

I enjoyed #2 very much on my visit to BN.  I played it 4 times and had a different strategy for each approach in, which in my mind makes for a very fun hole.  I enjoyed the semi blindness to the tee shot from the main teeing ground to the right of #1 green.  I was quite amazed when venturing around to the more "straight" ahead and slightly elevated tee shot...the hole took on a completely different perspective for me.
It's really hard for me to find a fault in any of the holes out there....

Here are a couple more pictures looking back up the fairway





I'm not sure what my favorite hole is, but I think #8's green is my favorite. 

[Tom Huckaby]

Adam:  2 has an exceedingly cool green.  But again, we're relating this to a course that has to have clearly among the top 10 overall coolest sets of greens on this planet.  And the question remains how great #2 is a golf hole relative to the rest at Ballyneal, not relative to the rest of the golf world.  So I am sticking with bottom half; and I'd say that about the green also.

The fact Tom Doak chimed in and agreed with this has no bearing on my posting today, I assure you.

 

BTW not to be a butt-boy, but I too think 17 is an FANTASTIC golf hole and if I had to pick a "best" would be right there at the top of consideration... and I am generally a sucker for short par 4s and hate long ones... but 17 is just so freakin spectacular in so many ways... I could never tire of playing it.  I just want to play it downwind someday... never have faced that... into or cross each time for me.

TH

[Scott Szabo]

Adam:  2 has an exceedingly cool green.  But again, we're relating this to a course that has to have clearly among the top 10 overall coolest sets of greens on this planet.  And the question remains how great #2 is a golf hole relative to the rest at Ballyneal, not relative to the rest of the golf world.  So I am sticking with bottom half; and I'd say that about the green also.

The fact Tom Doak chimed in and agreed with this has no bearing on my posting today, I assure you.

 

BTW not to be a butt-boy, but I too think 17 is an FANTASTIC golf hole and if I had to pick a "best" would be right there at the top of consideration... and I am generally a sucker for short par 4s and hate long ones... but 17 is just so freakin spectacular in so many ways... I could never tire of playing it.  I just want to play it downwind someday... never have faced that... into or cross each time for me.

TH

Butt boy

I'll remove myself from this fight.  But I still think it's a cool hole and one of my favorites at Ballyneal.

[Tom Huckaby]

Bowing out in the face of overwhelming evidence... I'd call that an honorable retreat.

 

[Scott Szabo]

Honorable is what I'm all about

[Mike Policano]

Scott, to give you a little support as you retreat.  I went to BN with several people last year and one of them was playing BN for the first time.  And, believe it or not, I always wonder will this first timer "get it" or will he wonder "who stole the trees?" 

We climbed to the back tee so he could get a view of the hole on his tee shot.  We walked out to our drives.  He hit his second shot while I was helping someone hunt for their ball.  He walked down the hole and waiting halfway for me to hit my second.  I was 210 away and it a low 4 iron which carried about 100-110 yards in the air and then it rolled, and rolled, and rolled, and rolled all the way to the back of the green.  It stopped not too far from the back left pin.

The first timer was pointing to the spot the ball carried to in the air and kept saying, "it rolled all the way in from here, it rolled all the way in from here."  I smiled knowing the next four days would be easy since he "got it". 

And to think, you have to retreat on the merits of this hole.

Cheers

[Matt_Ward]

Have to add this -- many long par-4's are often valued less by a range of players who aren't really enamored with the length element that they must overcome. As a result you get the lovefest for the shorter type holes because of the playability dimension. I like where Doak situated #2 -- it provides the perfect counterpoint to the 1st and to what you get with the 3rd.