14th Hole - 508 Yards Par 5The 14th hole works as a perfect compliment to the tough and imposing 13th, giving players the opportunity to get a stroke back that they almost certainly lost on the hole previous.
If only it was that easy!
This hole is an absolute masterpiece of strategic design. The ideal drive must hug the left side of the fairway to give the long player a chance at a relatively open look to the green. Anything slightly pulled will be gobbled up by a huge bunker complex that runs down the left side of the landing area and most certainly turn the hole into a three shotter.
The right side of the fairway is very inviting off the tee but the angle it presents to the green is less than ideal due to a perfectly placed bunker right in front of the green.
Layups to the left will again open up the angle to the green but the land drops off severely about 100 yards from the putting surface, meaning a blind third into the smallest green on the golf course. And what a green it is! It is pitched severely from back to front and there is a large bunker left in addition to the one in front. Approach shots that bail out to the right are likely dead, as there is almost no room to land the ball on the green and have it hold. In fact, the best play may be to putt the ball and use the contours around the green to get the ball within two-putt range.
This is undoubtedly the finest short par five I've had the pleasure of playing and must be on a very short list of the best "half-par" three-shotters in the world.
Tee Shot
Bunker Complex Left of Fairway in Landing Area
Second Shot from Middle of Fairway
Third Shot from Lower Left Portion of Fairway, Leaving Blind Shot
Third Shot from Center Portion of Fairway Late in Day
Short Right of the Green...not Ideal! Notice the tremendous back to front slope.
Putting the ball around bunker may actually be the best play here
Perfectly placed front bunker
From Behind 14th Green Looking back up Fairway