Interesting Layups

[Phil McDade]

Kyle:

I've always thought the par 5 13th at Lawsonia is one of the great "hard" layup holes I've encountered, because there are a variety of choices, for varying levels of golfers, and because it does something that few par 5s do -- a bolder layup can be more penal than one in which the golfer lays back a bit with the layup.

I'll crib from Dan Moore's summer thread on Lawsonia for photos, than provide my own explanation:

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13th Hole  568/556  (560)

The 13th,   the longest hole on the course, calls for well considered tactics combined with bold, accurate shotmaking.  The need for a strong drive is tested by a series of bunkers aligned en echelon along the left edge of the fairway creating a slight cape effect for those who challenge the bunkers in an effort to gain distance.  The second shot requires a well played well placed shot past the tree located 180 yards from the green.  The fairway drops off significantly inside 120 yards and one needs to be careful to avoid a down hill lie for the third to the green located high on a bluff surrounded by pines. 

13th From Tee


13th  Bunkers en echelon  “ Thus to open up two or more avenues of play on a hole we must build our cross bunkers en echelon (step formation or diagonally across the course, and must allow bunkers built at right angles to the line of play to extend only partially across the course, leaving room to play around them at one or both ends.”  Langford 1914   

Langford’s 1914 drawing showing en echelon bunker arrangement


13th From the landing zone showing the original tree 185 yards from Green


13th From the landing zone right

13th  A Look Back.  Note the ideal lay-up location on a plateau between 150 marker and about 120 yards.  Unless you can get all the way to the bottom of the gully anything farther risks a downhill lie to the uphill green location. 


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It's hard to depict in photos how deep that ravine is that fronts the latter portion of the hole, leading up to the green. Ran's GCA profile depicts it pretty well:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/lawsonia000256.html

I'd note that for the average golfer, the best layup is short of the ravine/gully, just past the lone tree (the old one has now been replaced). For the bolder golfer, there is actually a small plateau some 50 yards short of the green to take aim it. Making the choice on the layup even more thought-provoking is that the green sits in one of the few truly wooded areas of the course, and the woods sort of envelope the approach area leading up from the ravine to the green, giving the golfer the sense there's less margin for error with a wayward approach.

I've yet to encounter another par 5 that provokes as much thought with the layup as the 13th at Lawsonia.

[JNC Lyon]

13 at Oak Hill East.  While the tee shot is also a bit of a layup for some players, the second shot presents a few interesting dilemmas.  Two deep bunkers are cut into the right hillside between 150 and 100 yards from the green.  This means after a good drive, a golfer will have about a 215 uphill carry to fly the bunkers and find the safety of the bowl short of the green.  This is Option A.  Greg Norman was able to carry the bunkers with his second in final round of the Senior PGA this year.  He was left with a short, straightforward pitch that resulted in a birdie.  However, only the tiger golfer has the opportunity to pursue this option.

Option B is lay back with an iron.  This is initially unappealing because it will leave the golfer with a long, semi-blind third, something that is particularly uncomfortable on a three shot hole.  However, the landing area for B is flat, meaning that the golfer will have an easier time finding the fairway and he will have a rare level stance for his approach.

Option C for the mid-length player is to challenge the neck of the fairway beside the bunkers with a fairway wood.  The golfer will ultimately be tempted to blast away to leave a wedge approach.  However, the fairway in this region slopes hard from right to left.  This means the golfer must challenge the bunkers to have any chance of holding the fairway and having a clear shot to the green.  Anything left of a straight ball up the right will find its away to the left edge of the fairway or rough.  This area is obstructed by the towering trees of the Hill of Fame.  Admittedly, these trees should be trimmed back, but their strategic influence is undeniable. 

Ultimately, the bunkering (part Ross and part RTJ), the slope of the land (right to left in the first landing area and in an inviting bowl in the second--part of Ross' truly genius routing at the OHCC property), and the trees (John R. Williams) combine to create a fascinating second shot at the epic 13th.

[Anthony Gray]

  How about Sawgrass 11. The question is where do you lay up? Right which leaves a shot over the water. Left which requires you to take on the water and control your distance to a narrow fairway. Or lay up in the greenside bunker. Options,options,options. Great design.


  Anthony

[Jim Tang]

How about the 16th at Sawgrass?  I know it isn't a true 3 shot par 5, but that is one difficult layup.  That tree on the left makes for a very difficult angle on the 3rd shot.

I also think the layup at Ballyneal's 4th provides options.  You certainly can just blast a hybrid or wood down the fairway on your second shot, but that typically leaves you with something like 60 to 80 yards in for the third.  I quickly found out that having to hit a half wedge off that tight turf to an elevated green is not a lot of fun.  You just can't get the third to stop and that back bunker comes into play.  I think the wiser option it to lay the second back to a 100 - 110 yards to give yourself a full swing for the third.  You also need to be in the left center of the fairway to avoid the large bunker fronting the green on the right.  This is a very subtle and great design.

[Scott Szabo]

I don't have any pictures, but there are plenty that have been posted here.  Ballyneal's #16 presents such a layup if either played into the wind or if the drive isn't struck solidly.  The pinch in at the turn of the dogleg usually requires a shot to be played short of the pinch, but will leave a touch 3rd.  This hole has been discussed a bit here, but I think it meets the definition of what we're discussing perfectly.