The 4th at Ballyhack...Flawed split fairway?

[Ronald Montesano]

I'm a big fan of the split fairway...I love options and alternatives and for that reason, had a blast at Kinloch during our recent Virginia Golf Junket (name trademarked.)  During said trip, we also played Ballyhack and I was a bit concerned with the narrowness of the right sliver of fairway on number four.

The reason for this inquiry stems from my own experience on the hole.  I faded and ended up in the rough to the right of the right fairway.  If I had made an intentional effort to reach that sliver, I don't believe that I could have done so.  There is ample fairway left of the centerline bunkers, leading me to wonder why one would aim for the right fairway sliver (some will say that the angle in is better, but we're speaking of 20 degrees at most on what is essentially a straight or slight-right dogleg.)

I looked at Pete Dye's generous sliver 300 yards off the tee on 18 at Whistling Straits today and was reminded of the Ballyhack sliver, hence this thread.  Fast forward four holes to the eight and you come to a similar situation.  Should you carry the enormous hill on the right, you will reach a right-side fairway with more than enough room to land and hold a drive (it's a big hit!)  I just don't believe that you can hit and hold driver to the right fairway sliver on #4, rendering it eye candy and nothing more.



Thoughts?

[Scott Weersing]

I asked Lester about that hole and he hopes to finish the fairway all the way to the green. He said that the powers that be would not let them pipe the creek when they were building the course. But he hopes to go back to finish the fairway and make the 4th fairway larger and give options off the tee. I really like the fourth hole, especially the green. I had a hard time hitting a shot from 200 yards off of a down hill lie but that was my fault for not hitting a good drive.

[Ronald Montesano]

Jeez, Scott, everyone has that shot!

Seriously, I'm glad that I'm not nuts...I don't know if piping the creek is what I'd like to see or not on that hole...I'd actually like to see the centerline bunker moved about fifteen yards to the left, giving more right fairway sliver.

Thanks for your insight...I'm glad that someone spoke with Lester George.

[Wade Whitehead]

Ron:

I'm not sure that the right fairway on 4 is at utilitarian as you'd like it to be.  The play is left of centerline or at the mound visible from the tee.

Honestly, I think of the right "half" of the fairway as a way to forgive a mishit drive; a ball that ends up there may have been feared lost after impact, but the player arrives to find it sitting from a very playable spot.  There are a few other spots on the course (like the small sliver of fairway to the right on 9) that can give a break to a player here and there, though they tend to be blind and leave the player uncertain, even to the moment the ball is spotted in play.

There's nothing like picking a line (just right of the dead tree through the fairway) and piping a fade that catches the speed slot and runs to the bottom of the hill.  That leaves an essentially level lie, from which the player can consider attacking the hole.  The shot from the top of the hill is much more difficult, since distance control is so crucial on that approach.

The hole is a wonderful test and I can't imagine it different than it is.  Continuing the fairway across the ravine would really remove risk from the tee shot.  As 4 stands, there's no letup at any point.  And the ravine is deep enough that I can't imagine piping it is even a possibility.

Lester, chime in!

WW

[Randy Thompson]

Poor choice in the word FLAWED imo, few things in golf course archtiecture should be labled flawed, there is no cook book to follow, thank god! A green with a 10 percent slope might be flawed but hardly a split fairway with one generaous option and the other narrow and less inviting and more targeted. Maybe...in my opinion the hole would be better recieved for the majority of the golfing public if it were.....! But Flawed... yuck!