Examples of Short Par 4s Where Pin Position Affects Tee Strategy

[Jud_T]

13 at Kingsley.  If the pin is front left you want to be on the right side of the fairway and probably lay back to a full wedge distance to get some spin on the ball to hold it on the upper ledge.  If the pin in on the right side in the bowl or up front you're better off coming in from the left side of the fairway.  If you're long enough you can try to drive it up left of the green and chip it on.  If the pin is back left I don't know what the hell you do.  Maybe try to knock it into the front greenside bunker, splash out to the upper level and hope for a miracle 2-putt. 

[Neil White]

How about the 18th, St Andrews?

Neil.

Who ever aims at anything other than the R&A clubhouse clock?   

Bill,

Not the best line in to a pin tucked just over the valley of sin though........?

Neil.

[D_Malley]

At Paxon Hollow we have several holes that would be good examples.

#16 being the best IMO. (320 yrds) from back tee

On #16, it is very important to get a look at the pin placement in advance. last chance to look is when leaving #15 green because you cannot see 16 green from the tee. If hole is located up front, the smart play is to leave a little longer shot in which you can fly past the hole with some spin.  If hole is middle or back you can attempt to drive much closer to the green with a strong fade tee shot.

Tee view
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34384781@N08/6983074872/


Fairway
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34384781@N08/8029662120/


Green
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34384781@N08/8029662940/

[D_Malley]

sorry, i am inept at posting pictures

[Jason Baran]

Number 10 at Creek is a great example.

310 yards, part-Cape, part-Leven.  hole moves to the right, water up the right, beach (actual beach to LI Sound, not bunkers) up the left.  Large mound with bunker behind it on front left side of green, short and right open to the fairway and accommodates a running shot when firm.  If flag is on right side (and up front, even better), longer hitters give it a go.  If flag is on left side behind bunker, only a fool (or someone who can carry it 310 and make it stop on a dime) would hit driver.  Putt from short right to a short-left flag is actually impossible - best result would be a 15 footer - would have to execute a Tiger-flop to get it any closer.

[Matthew Petersen]

C&C have a sort of "template" hole/green. The most famous version is 8 at Sand Hills. I am most familiar with #10 at WeKoPa Saguaro. There is also a similar green on a back nine (13?, maybe?) at Colorado GC.

The green wraps around a deep pot bunker in the front middle, with a large tier behind.

Pin position on any of these holes is key. If on the front, left or right of the bunker, you certainly want to be on that side of the fairway. A shot of any length over that nasty pot bunker is something no player wants. A pin on the elevated back half of the green brings in a whole other set of concerns.

These three examples at least are all short enough that it is generally very possible to see where the flag is from the tee, and plan accordingly.

[Sven Nilsen]

From the course website description of a Chicagoland public:

"The shallow green is tightly guarded by deep bunkers and stately hardwoods as a backdrop. Pin position will determine the smart tee shot landing area. With the pin right, take the high left side of the split fairway. With the pin left, aim for the lower right fairway. Long hitters can blast away, right at the green. But avoid the fairway bunker at all costs."

Here's another example from the area.  What do you do here?

[Tim Gavrich]

How silly of me to neglect to mention the best single strategic hole in all of Myrtle beach, courtesy of our own Jeff Brauer: #14 at Wild Wing's Avocet Course. There is a main left fairway and a small right-hand fairway that requires a bit of a carry over water if you're looking to have a pitch in for your second shot. But because there's a pronounced spine running front-to-back across the middle of the square-shaped green, you want to play to the same fairway as the side of the green on which the pin is situated, which is counter-intuitively brilliant.

[John Kirk]

C&C have a sort of "template" hole/green. The most famous version is 8 at Sand Hills. I am most familiar with #10 at WeKoPa Saguaro. There is also a similar green on a back nine (13?, maybe?) at Colorado GC.

The green wraps around a deep pot bunker in the front middle, with a large tier behind.

Pin position on any of these holes is key. If on the front, left or right of the bunker, you certainly want to be on that side of the fairway. A shot of any length over that nasty pot bunker is something no player wants. A pin on the elevated back half of the green brings in a whole other set of concerns.

These three examples at least are all short enough that it is generally very possible to see where the flag is from the tee, and plan accordingly.

The "Lion's Mouth" bunker.  It is more rare for a design to require a shot to the same side, for example left fairway for left pins, and right fairway for right pins.  The #8 green at Sand Hills, courtesy of Ran Morrissett:

[John Kirk]

A third example of a green complex that encourages an approach from the same side is one that has two tiers, but they are left and right, not front and back.  Although not a short par 4, The par 5 17th at Stone Eagle compels me to play to one side on my second shot.

The best picture I could find on short notice, courtesy of Kyle Henderson:

[Keith OHalloran]

The Short par 4, 5th hole at Southampton Golf CLub. This is a cell phone image, so it is not high quality, but it is what I have!  The hole is 280. The bunker you see  starts about 220 off the tee and takes about 230 or so to carry in the air. Getting in the bunker is an awful mistake. There is enough fairway to the left of it, to aim there if the pin is on the right. The green has an almost saucer shape especially around the edges, so having more green to work with and not having to fly the ball all the way to the hole is a help. If the pin is on the left, you really want to hit short of the bunker on the right, and give yourself ample room to hit the green short of the pin and let the ball release.

[Howard Riefs]

Ryan describes the short #15 at Medinah #3.

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/ryder-cup-2012-medinah-par-4-15th-hole

I've played the hole 40+ times....I've hit driver every time....I've hit it in the water twice.

These guys will and should hit driver..especially if the pin is in the front or in the back right...as if it's in the back right, the approach shot is harder than the drive.

[Sam Morrow]

C&C have a sort of "template" hole/green. The most famous version is 8 at Sand Hills. I am most familiar with #10 at WeKoPa Saguaro. There is also a similar green on a back nine (13?, maybe?) at Colorado GC.

The green wraps around a deep pot bunker in the front middle, with a large tier behind.

Pin position on any of these holes is key. If on the front, left or right of the bunker, you certainly want to be on that side of the fairway. A shot of any length over that nasty pot bunker is something no player wants. A pin on the elevated back half of the green brings in a whole other set of concerns.

These three examples at least are all short enough that it is generally very possible to see where the flag is from the tee, and plan accordingly.

The "Lion's Mouth" bunker.  It is more rare for a design to require a shot to the same side, for example left fairway for left pins, and right fairway for right pins.  The #8 green at Sand Hills, courtesy of Ran Morrissett:

I was 2 under coming into that hole, spent some time in the bunkers and made 7.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Number 10 at Creek is a great example.

310 yards, part-Cape, part-Leven.  hole moves to the right, water up the right, beach (actual beach to LI Sound, not bunkers) up the left.  Large mound with bunker behind it on front left side of green, short and right open to the fairway and accommodates a running shot when firm.  If flag is on right side (and up front, even better), longer hitters give it a go.  If flag is on left side behind bunker, only a fool (or someone who can carry it 310 and make it stop on a dime) would hit driver.  Putt from short right to a short-left flag is actually impossible - best result would be a 15 footer - would have to execute a Tiger-flop to get it any closer.

Jason,

In all the times I've played that great hole, I've never hit anything but driver..

I tend to drive it relatively straight and can't see why I wouldn't use driver on the assumption that I'm going to hit the fairway.

I've also hit driver on the next hole 

[Alex Lagowitz]

14th at essex county cc NJ.
The green is so wide and separated by a huge mound (lions-mouth esque).
If the pin is on the right I will hit hybrid short of right bunker or if downwind attempt to carry bunker.
If pin is on the left, i will hit three wood up the left side.

[David Cronheim]

Our 10th and 11th holes at Deal (NJ) are both in the 350 yard range.

#10 is guarded by a deep front bunker. If the pin is up front, I hit iron off the tee because I want to lay the ball back (and make sure I'm in the fairway) so I can play a spinning shot that carries the front bunker and comes back at the hole. If I'm too close or in the rough, I can't get it within 20 ft.

#11 has a two tiered green where the tiers are perfectly split down the middle of the green. The high tier is on the right, the low tier is on the left and the ridge runs from front center to back center. When the pin is on the left, you can get it close from either side of the fairway. However, when the pin is on top, I take a more aggressive line to try to make sure I end up in the right side of the fairway so I won't have to carry the ridge on my approach shot, increasing the odds I can keep the ball on the top shelf.