It is good to know that there is only one anti-venom required for any snake bite in Tasmania. I feel so much more reassured now. Better, any ball in the marram grass is a lost ball. Take your stroke and distance and play on. Let's leave it to those adventurous archies to tramp through the stuff.
Now, for any future adventurers who risk the snakey fairways of Tasmania, let's slither on over to the 11th tee, only a few yards to the right of the 10th green.
Hole #11 Par 5 475 meters (525 yards)The first par 5 since the first hole and downwind and a reasonable length - this is going to be fun. The hole is a bit blind off the tee but turns right and there appears to be a risk/reward drive opportunity.
As a tangential thought, standing on the tee, I'm noticing that a lot of the tees have random strands of grass that are perhaps a foot high scattered about. You can see some in the picture below. Is this wire grass? Do they go long intervals between mowings of the tees? Or, does this wire grass (
) just not cut?
Focusing now on the tee shot, everything seems to tilt to the right although the LZ is fairly level. You can't actually see the LZ or where the farway falls away to or what the proper line is. Despite the apparently wide expanse of fairway to aim at, some doubt creeps in. Should you hit a power fade off the left bunker. Or, fly the centre bunker? Or is there a tiger line over the right bunker that significantly shortens the hole?
The left bunker is about 250 yards out so it is definitely in play if you don't cut the ball. Just left of the centre bunker is a good line and carrying the bunker only requires about a 230 yard down wind carry. But don't lose it anywhere right of there. The large bunker on the right will collect anything over there. If you think you can fly the right bunker, think again. It's a 300 yard carry, there's another bunker behind it, and losing it even a bit right of there is snake country.
Having successfully executed the drive you're faced with a second shot across a broad shallow valley to what looks like a large receptive green. Standing over the second shot, I think many players will have the opportunity to get home in two. Like a driveable par 4, a possible two shot par 5 is always welcome on any course I play.
Now, there are some subtleties to the second shot in. Of course, you didn't expect it to be easy did you?
Anything up toward the right side of the green has to deal with the runoff a little short to the right. And on that line too, there is a bump that's just waiting to throw your ball off the the right and in to the bunker.
Short left looks like a better bet with a relatively flat lie if you come up a little short. If you have the length to run it in from that side, there is an annoying little ridge at the front left of the green that might just nudge your ball left away from the green.
And, did I mention that again you're down wind and if you come up safely short left, you are left wit a delicate little pitch over the ridge to a green that runs away. To a front left pin position it's hard to get the ball to sit down anywhere near the flag if you pitching from short left.
But, nobody said that birdie should be easy. At least there is an opportunity to have a go.