Great wedge shot par 4's and par 5's

[SPDB]

Rich -

...and sanity?

[Rich Goodale (Guest)]

SPBD

Lost that many, many years before.

Rich

[ChipOat]

HOW COULD I HAVE LEFT THIS OUT?

#1 at National fits the bill, perfectly - what a stupid I am (DeVincenzo, Augusta USA, 1968).

Length of approach = 60-100 yards
Need for precision = very high
Possibility of double bogey = miss long/left and you'll find out!

It's not my favorite green in the world but that's not the point of this thread.

[Bob_Huntley]

The full sand wedge from the ice plant, ten yards short of the 4th green at Spyglass

[Scott_Burroughs]

Tom Paul,
     First question:  I'm surprised that you can even get close enough in two at Pebble Beach #14 to hit a short wedge shot, since you're supposedly not terribly long.  Even for long hitters, gettng close enough in 2 to hit a short wedge shot takes two big (and precise) hits.
     Also, where did you get the Rustic Canyon routing to know it's a short par 4?  Gil or Bill?  I've only seen the recent pics on his web site.

[THuckaby2]

Scott beat me to this question - I was damn curious also how individual holes are known at Rustic Canyon since last we heard it was just grassed in...

Tom Paul, you are OMNISCIENT!

 

TH

ps - there's a great wedge shot to #14 at Barona Creek, for us mortals anyway for whom driving the green is impossible.  The green is very severely sloped, so that any miss is very severely punished... damn fun shot on a damn fun course.

[TEPaul]

Scott;

It wasn't me that said anything about #14 Pebble Beach--I don't remember saying anything at all about Pebble Beach on this thread. I've only played Pebble a couple of times in a tournament and that's been over twelve years ago at least now. Don't remember what I hit in there but probably not wedge.

That is the hole that had that unfortunate pin position where about ten putting was the minimum--created about a seven hour round that day--a pro-am too!

As for Rustic, I know the hole because I spent about two days out there with Geoff Shackelford last March. It was exciting for him and for me because just as we got there a tractor was basically mowing out his routing!! So the course was beginning to come to life for him for the first time.

Geoff had already put in countless hours on site identifying anything and everything that could be used for golf and perfecting the routing. He'd done elaborate hole drawings and had almost everything including most all the strategies very clear in his mind. Jim Wagner was there the next day and we talked over a lot of strategic concept detail and how the construction could work to get it so they could get everything more set in their minds!

But #12 was my favorite and the one Geoff and I spent the most time on, looking at and thinking how to make it work really well! And then he sent me some very detailed photos of it not so long ago as it was grassing!!

I can't wait to get out to see all of Rustic again sometime, particularly #12 and #13 that we spent the most time and thought on. And very much #14 and #16 too!

But it's really #12 that I think might be so unusual as a whole hole because I believe it will just be this big wide totally undictating fairway and this green over on the left that will be doing about all the strategic talking for the hole!! I love that kind of thing because most golfers are probably going to wonder what the hell is going on--what the deal is about when they stand on the tee! I'm hoping the big deal is all about how you position your tee shot for the day's pin although there is nothing much about the fairway to indicate that! I really like holes sometimes where a particular shot doesn't tell you anything and you have to look past that shot for all the meaning! I know this hole will be one of those and I'm just hoping that green has tons of meaning--it may be a bit subtle but I think it will have that meaning!

[THuckaby2]

My apologies Mr. Paul - I didn't know you had made visit to the site.

To say I am eagerly awaiting the opening of this course is the understatement of the year.

Thanks for the description!

TH

[Scott_Burroughs]

I really suck, don't I?  It was chipoat who said Pebble #14.  I need to get to bed earlier, but gathering and putting together all of the aerials has kept me up late  .

Sorry to assign the wrong person to the info.  Anyways, thanks for the Rustic info.  If I had discovered GCA two months earlier last year, I, too, would have taken the Rustic tour on my L.A. trip last year.

[ChipOat]

Scott Burroughs:

Pebble #14 was probably downwind the last time I played it.
I'm not long (at all), but I remember feeling like Cypress #8 - this shot's too hard for being this short!.

Loved your Fishers aerial.

CO

[George Pazin]

chipoat -

I don't think Augusta #1 qualifies any more, not after the recent changes.

[ChipOat]

George Pazin:

Did I not say/type National #1??  If I said ANGC, I apologize for the mistake.

CO

[TEPaul]

If Chip Oat hit a wedge into Pebble's #14 it was probably just one of those rare times he figured he didn't need an eagle so why go for it!

[JSlonis]

To echo a choice from an above post...

Ridgewood CC. #6 Center, "Five & Dime" hole. A great short par 4, that requires an uphill wedge shot that not only must be very straight but also hit the proper distance.

Two other favorites...Merion GC, #7 & #8

[Robert_Walker]

No 6 and No 16 at the Johnson City Country Club are also excellent examples of short par 4's that require wedge approaches.

[wsmorrison]

Some wedge par 4s in the Philly area:

Merion #7 & #8 for certain, as stated previously
Rolling Green #12 (with some of the best bunkering I have ever seen!) & #15 (9 iron, though)
Philadelphia CC #1 and #16 (what a great green complex)
Huntingdon Valley #4 (ditto)

[Patrick_Mucci]

Chipoat,

I was going to take you to task for not immediately naming
# 1 at NGLA, but then you redeemed yourself with # 6 at Winged Foot west.

Missed wedges at #1 at NGLA usually result in three or four putts, or an ugly bogey or double bogey, but....
Missed wedges at # 6 at Winged Foot west usually result in Missed wedges at # 6 at Winged Foot west.

It can be a rather terrifying shot.  I was told that some if not many pros layed way back such that full shots into the green followed.  I can understand that logic.

I am glad you redeemed yourself, especially since you're so familiar with NGLA.  Let's play a practice round on Thursday with TEPaul at this year's Singles.

[ChipOat]

Pat Mucci

Go up about 15 posts - you missed my NGLA #1 diatribe.

Chip

[ChipOat]

Not to gloat too much guys, but did you hear all the praises for the 3rd shot at Pebble #14 over the weekend and how important the second shot was for setting up a short approach?

No stupid trees in the way, either.