I recently played the 18th at Carnegie Abbey by Donald Steel in Portsmouth, RI. I have always been fascinated by this hole as a closer since seeing it on Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, and as a lover of short 4's, I was very excited to play it.
From the club website:
The Lark
280 Yards - Par 4
Playing Strategy
This unique closing hole will tempt and tease and should prove to be an exciting match play hole, with the potential for dramatic swings of fortune. At 274 yards, most players will fancy having a go with their driver, especially if the wind is assisting. That said, more will make par by laying up from the tee with a long iron or three wood, so every player should consider the options carefully every time they stand on the tee. A different club may be needed every day for a week.
As befits a short par four, the green is tiny and severe, with four distinct areas. Birdie chances will be few and far between, unless the approach shot finishes on the same section of green as the flag. The green is more receptive to shots played from close to the shore, so the bold tee shot, whether with driver or five iron must flirt with the beach to enjoy the best line of attack for second.
From the tee it is a very visually intimidating tee shot. It is possible to play a shot off the beach if it is close to the cliff, but the deeper you go into the water, the bigger the rocks.
For the rules mavens, there is recent discussion of how, where and if the hazard (Narragansett Bay and the beach) should be marked.
Looking back from in front of the green, you can see it is tight.
The green is small will lots of undulation and four areas as mentioned above.
Finally a Google overhead:
It is a great match play hole, but as a stroke play hole, there is not much reward to go for it as that small undulating green will not yield many birdies. I went for it into the wind hit the beach, took a drop from an unplayable and then hit my blind approach shot long and got up and down.
It needs to be played a few times before the correct strategy is picked and obviously wind will change by the minute up there. My next play would be a hybrid and wedge. Opinions?