Rock Creek Revisited

[Craig Sweet]

The snow is falling in the high country, no golf here until spring. Sp, one more time...Rock Creek...the drivable par 4 15th....

Hopefully this photo will open...

IMG]http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h259/crazyacres/Hole15RCCC7-31-08.jpg[/IMG]

[Ryan Farrow]

Little help  *you forgot the  [   in front of the first "img"



Rock Creek is alright. I still remember the day I first saw that hole. Didn't quite look like that.

[Craig Sweet]

Thanks Ryan....it is a fine hole.

[Jim Nugent]

Looks quite cool.  Can someone tell us more about how the hole plays? 

[Matt_Ward]

Jim:

The tee area is slightly elevated and when looking at the photo you need to avoid the left side at all costs. Getting stuck in that area is a sure fire way to add a bogey or more to the card.

The "chute" area leading into the green is a great alleyway to get to the green but it's not thaaat wide.

What many people don't see is the rear bunker on the left side hidden from view. It's very easy for a relatively strong player to land near the green and for the ball to propel through the target - this is especially so on the right side.

The 15th works so well because it's placed in the middle of a trio of par-4's with the 14th (about 545 yards) and the 16th (about 480 yards). The player comes to the 15th believing the course 'owns him one' and it's very easy to be lulled into a false sense of opportunity. Without the execution that's a sure fire recipe for error.

One last thing -- the green has a number of specific mini green features in which the pin can be placed and anything that lands outside those areas will be hard pressed to avoid the sudden case of three-jack.

[Tom_Doak]

The hole plays 360 yards from the back tee, 300 from the regular tee, and 240 from the front.  And it's at 4700 feet, so it plays shorter than those distances, and players are tempted to overswing.

Just for fun, at the Renaissance Cup this fall, I put the tee up front one day with the pin on the left, so EVERYONE could try for the green if they wanted to.  There were no 2's ... there were a few 6's, mostly from overclubbing and going through the back left, even beyond the bunker Matt was talking about.  It's hard to get the next shot to stay on the green from there.

[George Freeman]

That's a great looking hole! 

[John Kirk]

Playing from 240 yards on the last day, I hit a solid 9-iron into good position.  For the second consecutive day I chunked a sand wedge into the front left bunker.  I then blasted out to 5 feet and made the putt for a par.

[Sean Leary]

Playing from 240 yards on the last day, I hit a solid 9-iron into good position.  For the second consecutive day I chunked a sand wedge into the front left bunker.  I then blasted out to 5 feet and made the putt for a par.

C'mon John....You must have been protecting a score...

[John Kirk]

I was about 15 over at the time.  The night before I declared to the architect that I would never again try to drive the green.  I'm all about keeping my word.

[John Kirk]

I'm bumping this for selfish reasons, to see whether "the architect" has a witty rejoinder.

[Tom_Doak]

You did better laying up than I did by going for the green ... I overclubbed.   

[John Kirk]

If I had to do it over again, a 4 or 5 wood would work, as I felt a 215 yard shot was about right.  I think if you can hit a high floater over the left hand 3-bunker complex, you'll be putting, though it may end up of the extreme right hand side of the green.  I actually think a gentle draw would be best.

What did you hit?  Driver?

[Matt_Ward]

I see the 15th as a hole where going for the green is likely the better choice than laying up. No doubt there's a real possibility in pushing or pulling the tee shot -- or if too strong going off the back.

But the lay-up is no real bargain and the shot control you need to get to a tight pin on either side of the green needs a very sure execution.

What makes the 15th so special for me is its placement between holes #14 and #16. A superb change of pace hole and one where utter frustration can happen because players will routinely believe they must make a three at all costs -- often times that results in a fast five or sickly six on the card.

[RJ_Daley]

What is the distance playing from the 300 tee to just clear the 3plex bunkers on left?  It looks like a perfectly judged distance and right over the bunkers would feed nicely.  It reminds me just slightly of the opening to 13 green at Crystal Downs where you can place it right on high left side and watch it feed.

[Tom_Doak]

John:

I can't remember if I hit my trusty 3-wood or my trusty 1-iron.  Whichever it was, I flushed it, and decided that I should have hit 3-iron instead with the altitude and all.

Earlier that week, I was playing with Jeff Lewis' partner from NY and he hit a perfect 3-wood from the middle tee and knocked it on the left side and it just hung up on the upper tier ... but by the time we got to the green it had rolled down to the middle ... and he 3-putted from there.  Just another way to make four.

I think Matt is right to go for the green if the pin is to the right, but if you're a good wedge player I think you're right to lay up if the pin is left.  Best part about the hole is that you can EASILY leave yourself the dreaded 40- to 50-yard bunker shot ... Pete Dye would love that.