As I said before, I played Dismal River all the way back, on a very pleasant morning with a gentle 5-10 mph S-SE wind. I wanted to be able to see what I could and could not do. The 7th hole plays well uphill, and 442 yards, and when I saw the giant right fairway bunker complex pinching the fairway down to 20 or so yards, I assume I must be able to carry it with a good drive. My good high tee shots still carry about 235-240 yards. I hit my best drive of the day, just what I wanted, and ended up in the middle of that big bunker, with about 210 yards left from an uphill lie. From there I hit a few more shots of various types before moving to the next hole. Another green with wide expanses of short grass around it.
Beautiful golf hole, similar to #6 at Ballyneal - very difficult, uphill, with a big undulating green. Is this the largest green on the course? What is the average size of the greens?
I only remember one other Doak hole where I wasn't strong enough to carry the fairway bunker, the 9th hole at Sebonack. At Sebonack, the fairway bunkers are in generally more diabolical positions (from the second set of tees). Long hitters can handle this hole, guys who carry it 260 yards or more. I should play this hole at about 390-420 yards in the future, unless it is playing downwind, then I'd be tempted to try again.
The two 7th holes are similar in that they both have a large fairway bunker etched into a dune. The fairway bunker at Ballyneal's 7th hole is extremely penal. It must be a 1.25 stroke penalty on average, or something like that. From the back tee, 352 yards, the carry over this bunker is about 240 yards, and not worth it for me. The last thing I want is a 40-70 yard shot off tight turf and an uneven lie. Generally the hole is played around 320-335 yards, so players have a legitimate shot at getting close or reaching the green with a long straight shot.
If the pin is in the back bowl, I usually try to leave a full wedge distance in. About 85-100 yards is ideal. But that's not easy to do; the big bunker and rolling fairway ground make the layup tee shot quite difficult for me. My average score here is higher than the 9th and 14th holes. That reflects on my driving ability; great drivers of the ball should tear this hole up.
The unique "E" green has a huge shoulder left of the green. It makes a great backstop to hit parabolic putts from one portion of the green to the next, but play it too high and you can overcook it into a bunker. I remember when Tom found the greensite in late 2004, which helped complete the routing puzzle for the front nine. Those were heady days, man.
I have never played another hole where players make more positive noise as when they approach Ballyneal's 7th green. Ooohs and ahhhhs and wows and laughter and joy. It's simple, great fun.
Ballyneal battles back, 10-9.