Jason / Bill / RJ
The pic. is of the 1st at Stonehaven GC on the east coast of Scotland , about 15 miles south of Aberdeen .
To me the hole always seems to act like a lure to golfers who are just passing by . I have posted the pic a few times before and I always end up getting e-mails from lurkers on this site , who tell me stories of how they were on a tour of Scotland and were just passing by on there way to Cruden Bay , Royal Aberdeen etc. , hearing of Stonehaven they decide to make a short detour , see this hole , get sucked in and make changes to their plans .
The tee is to the far right of the pic. , the hole measures 305 yards and plays downhill . So it is very driveable but even to our best golfers in the club , not many are willing to take it on .
Being on such a small piece of land we have no practice facilities to warm up on , so pulling out driver and going for the green can be a bit foolish , and as with all coastal Scottish courses , wind is a major factor .
Anything sliced will very easy go OB on the right , and anything well struck will easily go OB on the left . So its best to play safe and depending on the pin position try and place it on the fairway .
Hitlers is a favourite aiming point and is around 70 yards from the green . Many end up in here but it isnt as hazardous as I would like . Stance can be a problem and a flyer through the back is very possible ( Also OB !).
The one thing the pic. doesnt show is that the green is sunken. So you have a decision to make after finding the fairway of bump and run it in or flying it all the way . If you decide to throw it up to the pin , then you must make sure you clear the "slope" at the front of the green or it will kick your ball out the back OB , which is not a nice start to your round or to the next group watching on the tee .
The photo was taken from the clubhouse so all this is played out in front of spectators , and along with the 18th makes great viewing (albeit a little sadistic) .
If you were sitting in the clubhouse and looked right of the above pic. this is what you would see . The 18th is a par three of 211 yards , and always seem to play into the wind , so it can be quite a knock . As I said this makes great viewing for the clubhouse and every medal someone will end up against the wall of , or OB in the graveyard .
I have been asked by a few people to do a "My Home Course" , and it is a work in progress , that I will hopefully finish next year
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Best Regards
Brian