Sorry for the delay...I was out playing golf this weekend freezing my butt off. Unfortunately not too many rounds left for this Indiana native.
Hole #14 is another difficult match, one that are two distinctly different holes. If I'm not mistaken the longest hole on the course against the shortest hole on the course.
Kingsley Club #14 - 615 Yards - Par 5This is the only hole on the course that I did not play from the tips. For me, I'd have to imagine it would make it a REALLY interesting decision, whether or not I could actually make the carry. As such, all discussion will be based off of the blue tees.
Off the tee, you are faced with another confounding drive. "What's behind the bunkers?" "How far to carry?" "How far to the trees on the left?" I really feel bad for everyone that has played this hole without the help of a member. The ideal line from the blue tees is almost the tree line right with a slight draw, or just over the right bunker, straight. Anything hit on that line will hit a HUGE turbo boost in the fairway, careening down, making this par 5 very reachable. Anything pushed will be a challenge to find and anything pulled runs the danger of running through the fairway and into the rough on the right . In my opinion, it was actually one of the more penal drives on the course, because a missed fairway results in an almost automatic lost ball. From the middle of the fairway, I approached this green anywhere from 210 to about 160 (we played on a very blustery down wind day) and it is a great green complex that neutralizes any wayward attempt to reach the green, evening the playing field for the shorter hitters. Right is a group of nasty bunkers, and left is a really cool fairway depression that makes an up-and-down very iffy. The green is almost three-tiered, sloping pretty significantly from back to front. I found shorter putts fairly straight on this green, but if you find yourself on the wrong shelf...good luck getting it close. As Bill S. has stated, one of the problems with a match play comparison is it doesn't take into account the hole with flow of the course, as the birdie-able 14th is in perfect balance with the brutal 15th. But the 14th is a great hole on it's own and can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them. One of my favorites on the course.
The view from the tee - it doesn't give up many of it's secret's here. Directly over the right bunker on the hillside in the distance is the lineBehind and right (from the tee) of the green - you can almost see the ski-slope like speed slot in the distance Crystal Downs - 147 Yards - Par 3 For fans of the short par 3, this guy is one of the best. On a course full of beautiful holes and vistas, this hole may have been the best looking of them all. From the back tees, the green is a semi-infinity green, with no trees behind, only on both sides. After being on a "walk through the woods" for a few holes, it is an awesome and very noticed difference to have a view like the one on the tee provides.
Faced with a back pin, and a green that, from the tee, visibly slopes significantly from back to front, my only thought was "don't go long!" and it is surely one of the most heavily bunkered on the course, and man are the bunkers deep. On the tee, this appears to be a hit the green or else hole. However, there are a couple things that make that not the case. From the bunkers, the green does slope significantly from back to front overall with a fairly large back tier, which allows the player to at least keep a ball on the green. But what was not noted from the tee and one of the subtleties that makes this hole great - on the back tier, the green actually slopes away from tee. Making an up-and-down from the bunker a difficult task, but from the back, if still not very easy, at least possible. If I were playing this hole again, I would certainly go after a back pin. Just a great short par 3, that while very difficult for only have a 8 or 9 iron in your hands provides a player that misses an option for an up and down (as proven by my playing partner who had an excellent up and down from the front bunker).
From left and in front of the back tees, the open-ness and beauty of this hole is both immediately noticed and greatly appreciatedThis is a difficult decision for me...because I absolutely love the 14th at Kingsley. The tee shot is both incredibly demanding and incredibly fun. However, I feel like 1) it provides far too much of an advantage for the long hitter and 2) if you aren't going for the green in two (which almost everyone will be) there isn't much to think about - just knock it anywhere out in the fairway. Don't get me wrong, I think it's one of the top holes on the course, but it just can't match the 14th at the Downs for me. For whatever reason I really, really loved this hole. I think it's a combination of a short par 3 that looks far more difficult than it plays (IMO) and the feeling you get on the tee. It was at that moment I felt both a sense of joy because I was playing one of the best courses in the world, and a bit of sadness that I only had 4 holes left. The view is truly one to be savored. Crystal Downs 3 UP
Running Score#1 (Crystal Downs) - Crystal Downs - 1 UP
#2 (Crystal Downs) - Crystal Downs - 2 UP
#3 (Kingsley Club) - Crystal Downs - 1 UP
#4 (Kingsley Club) - ALL SQUARE
#5 (Crystal Downs) - Crystal Downs - 1 UP
#6 (Crystal Downs) - Crystal Downs - 2 UP
#7 (Crystal Downs) - Crystal Downs - 3 UP
#8 (Crystal Downs) - Crystal Downs - 4 UP
#9 (Kingsley Club) - Crystal Downs - 3 UP
#10 (Crystal Downs) - Crystal Downs - 4 UP
#11 (Kingsley Club) - Crystal Downs - 3 UP
#12 (Kingsley Club) - Crystal Downs - 2 UP
#13 (DRAW) - Crystal Downs - 2 UP
#14 (Crystal Downs) - Crystal Downs 3 UP