Split fairways on the second shot

[Tommy Williamsen]

From the perspective of "fun factor," I really enjoy a split fairway on the second shot of a par 5 that provides additional options for angles and approaches.  Lots of folks up in Door County (wisconsin) dislike the 13th at Horseshoe Bay, but I've always been a fan.

Diagram is in this link:  https://horseshoebaygolfclub.net/Golf/Scorecards_Course_Tour


Couldn't figure out how to post a snapshot.

I haven't played it but it looks interesting.

[Dan_Callahan]

I doubt many on here have played it, but Atkinson Country Club in NH has one of the few split fairways (on the second shot) I've played where I feel like there is a real decision to be made. It occurs on the 16th hole ... a par 5 with a very awkward tee shot that doglegs right while the fairway cants left, and trees hug both right and left sides. Unless you can hit a huge slice with driver, you're probably only hitting hybrid off the tee.


Because it is a <500-yard par 5, a decent tee shot will give you a chance to get to the green in two. It is uphill to the green. The direct line has a more severe ascent, with thick rough and a deep bunker in play. You can also play out to the right side of the split fairway, which puts you at eye level with the green, is an easy layup, and leaves you with a flip wedge to the green. I don't like the hole because the tee shot is awful. But in terms of split fairway options, the way the second shot is set up is intriguing. Here's a flyover:


https://www.youtube.com/embed/eiv9Xp6-_98?rel=0

[Jon Claydon]

From the perspective of "fun factor," I really enjoy a split fairway on the second shot of a par 5 that provides additional options for angles and approaches.  Lots of folks up in Door County (wisconsin) dislike the 13th at Horseshoe Bay, but I've always been a fan.

Diagram is in this link:  https://horseshoebaygolfclub.net/Golf/Scorecards_Course_Tour


Couldn't figure out how to post a snapshot.

I haven't played it but it looks interesting.

Thank you for that Tommy!


It doesn't really show up in this depiction, but the right upper fairway is about 20-30 feet higher than the lower left fairway.  The green site is then about 15-20 feet higher than the lower left fairway.  So you can get closer to the green by taking the "low road" down the left side, but then you have to deal with an uphill shot that can be difficult to a false front. 

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

The 16th at Deal is a par 5 where you have a choice to go low (right side) or high (left side) on the second shot. I have not played it, so I don't know which option is preferable.
https://www.royalcinqueports.com/course/16th/

[Thomas Dai]

Tommy's original post asked if a split fairway on a second shot had more merit (than presumably on a tee shot).
To place a second shot correctly it is surely best to place the tee shot correctly? An incorrectly placed tee shot being likely to result in a less well placed second shot in relation to the fairway split.
So a split second shot fairway effects at least two shots, the tee shot and the second shot.
And then we come to the further question of where's the pin on the green or where's the best section of the green to hit to from whichever portion of the fairway the player has chosen to use.
Snooker or pool on grass.
As per Tommy Armours book ... "play the shot that makes the next shot easiest."
atb

[Mike_Trenham]

One thing I will say about these holes is they can be a logistical nightmare if you are sharing a caddie or a cart and your partner opts for the other route.

[Sean_A]

Tommy's original post asked if a split fairway on a second shot had more merit (than presumably on a tee shot).
To place a second shot correctly it is surely best to place the tee shot correctly? An incorrectly placed tee shot being likely to result in a less well placed second shot in relation to the fairway split.
So a split second shot fairway effects at least two shots, the tee shot and the second shot.
And then we come to the further question of where's the pin on the green or where's the best section of the green to hit to from whichever portion of the fairway the player has chosen to use.
Snooker or pool on grass.
As per Tommy Armours book ... "play the shot that makes the next shot easiest."
atb

I agree. Usually when I play split fairways the choice on the second shot depends on the quality of the tee shot. It's not often the case where both ways are fairly equal. Bottom line, for the likes of me, the alternate fairway is really a bailout option after a poor drive.

Ciao

[Peter Sayegh]

The par 5 2nd at Legends-Moorland has a split fairway option on one's second shot. However, the left side is largely blind (somewhat elevated) after a good or mediocre tee shot and it is not assured you'll find short grass because it's narrower than you think. The advantage of this high side leaves a lot of options on the third shot if the pin is anywhere short or on the 2/3 right side of the green. I've putted and bumped anything from a 7 wood to a 5 iron if I get lucky.
Going for it for the second is tough with a longer club. The back side of the green runs away to a bunker and a lake. Laying up on the right side still leaves a required carry over a fronting bunker with trouble long, short, and right staring at you.
The Legends website offers the best picture of the hole.

[Michael Felton]

The 16th at Deal is a par 5 where you have a choice to go low (right side) or high (left side) on the second shot. I have not played it, so I don't know which option is preferable.
https://www.royalcinqueports.com/course/16th/

The split fairway there is new. I had forgotten about it. The left side is slightly longer route, but leaves you on the same level as the green. The right side is slightly shorter (very slightly), but leaves you with a green above you. Neither side is a picnic if it's downwind and into it I don't think it matters hugely. To be honest, the split is so narrow it makes the most sense to aim at the middle and hope you miss one side or t'other. If you aim right and miss right you're in heavy rough with a bunker and a big hump to go over. If you aim left and miss left you're in a big waste area with some pretty awful spots in it. The middle is a better miss unless you wind up in the bunker and that's tiny, so would be pretty unlucky.

[jeffwarne]

Sometimes it can all be mown, and still virtually be split. The 17th fairway at Portsalon is divided in the middle by a steep slope that i believe a ball wouldn't stay on. The lower portion on the left is on the inside of the dogleg with no or low visibility. The higher portion on the right gives you visibility.

I played it once in a gale where driver reached a 140 yard green, and 9 iron reached a 190 yard green. So, I can't say much about normal play of the 17th. Jeff Warne would be the best source for that.

I'm not  good enough to make choices like that on 17, especially given that many of my rounds there have been played in conditions you describe. I usually try to hit a draw starting it down the right center. I can't remember a distinct advantage of being on the upper or lower fairway, and there is a nice bail on the right so it's a comfortable drive for me.

[Garland Bayley]

I know Jeff, you were there the same day I was. 

[jeffwarne]

I know Jeff, you were there the same day I was. 

LOL-that must've been the day I hit it OB on 17(while playing off #2 tee)
Was also the day I hit 6 iron over 17, which I'd previously never come close to reaching