Hole 2White 2
War of Attrition
The second on the White may be a lot of things, but one thing it is not is easy - just about the earliest punch in the mouth of any top course I know. One knock on it is when walking, the climb from the first green to the tee is really uphill. Same for the walk from the tee to the fairway.
2 is 445 yards from the square tees and plays longer than that, most definitely as a half par on the high side where a four just about always wins the hole in match play. I like the hole, as 99% of the time I am playing in a match anyway, but I do think it could be made better by extending the fairway out to the left, thereby increasing the bail out area off of the tee. I remember Sam Morrow once saying something along the lines of if there was an ocean down the right side it would be considered one of the world's best. I'm not sure that's the case, but a beach or island view might do nicely to calm the nerves before making a swing! The carry off the tee - though only 175 yards - does appear to be more daunting than one would like this early in the round..
..while the uphill and blind nature of the second shot, with certain death extending all the way down the right hand side of the fairway, does little to assuage such fears.
But...upon playing the hole a time or two, the benefits of taking a riskier line off the tee become more apparent.
The green is sunken below the fairway where the slope will funnel the ball onto the putting surface.
It is a cool hole, but also a tough hole and it is completely understandable why it is not a favorite for many.
Red 2 coming up..