Trees forming dog-legs

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I was talking yesterday with the professional at a local course. It has a number of strong dog-leg par 4s of the 400+yards kind. He described these as being much better in the winter (off the back tees) when you couldn't drive long enough to get past the trees in the inside angle of the dog-leg. But he said that in summer it is now possible for the big, high hitter to drive over the trees, taking them out of the equation and rendering the holes relatively defenceless.

What do you do? Plant further trees farther out from the tee, insert bunkers, tighten the entrance to the green? But what about those of us who cannot hit the ball so far?

[Matt MacIver]

We have a simliar problem, though it's a par 5.  One concept suggested was to eliminate most of the trees and widen a bunker....this new rewarding short-cut would be guarded by the bunker and the few remaining trees, a potential side hill lie of off-line and would bring OB more into play (the trees actually save many balls from going OB). 

The thinking was this would provide more options; of course you could still play it the same way as before if you wanted (straight drive, straight 3 wood, wedge).  But it would give short players the option of going for the green in two if they flirted on the first.  However the low 'cappers said it would make the hole too easy, as they could thread the needle every time and the par 5 just became a par 4.