9th Hole - 402 Yards Par 4As Ran has mentioned in his own writeup of SH, the 9th doesn't get much press compared to the other holes on the course but it is a strong hole in its own right.
The tee shot is played uphill and the ideal line is to go up the blind right hand side to not only take the more direct line at the green but also to take advantage of the kicker slopes beyond the hillside. There is a centerline bunker slightly left of center that must be avoided and one of the defining features of the hole is the rather large spine that runs pretty much from the approach area all the way to the putting surface. Shots that go left will fall well below the grade of the putting surface and leave a more difficult approach.
Even from the middle of the fairway, you have to trust your yardage, with some of the natural undulations of the rippling fairway causing some blindness to front pin positions.
The green is very wide and falls off severely on the left side. While the green contouring is among the more subtle on the course, don't be fooled - even putts from the middle of the green hit toward the right side are treacherously fast and I'm sure many have seen a bold effort roll off the green into the collection area.
There may not be a more beautiful site than sitting on Ben's Porch at sunset and looking at how gorgeous the fairway undulations are on the 9th hole at Sand Hills.
Tee Shot
Approach from Middle of Fairway
Approach from Left Side of Fairway, showing how much lower when you fall down the spine
View of the fairway undulations at sunset from Ben's Porch
View from Behind Green, looking back up Fairway
View from Ben's Porch of 9th Green at Sunset
Glorious Sand Hills at Sunset
