Hole #4 (Par 4, 395 yds / 386 yds)
The drive – After (hopefully!) surviving the third, exiting the green to the left and ascending another built-up pad, the player will pause on the fourth tee in search of a head-clearing moment. But such moments are scarce at the Bev.
Set hard against Western Avenue (Is it me, or does “hard against the Firth of Forth” sound much cooler?) and the Dan Ryan Woods on the player’s right, the fourth tee offers a sensory experience unlike any other. Cars whizzing by just behind the treeline. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” blaring from monster speakers in the park. Aromas of slow-cooked meat wafting through the air. The 10am PHL-MDW on Southwest banking into its final approach overhead. Did I mention this is a loud place to play golf? (Insider’s Tip – The smell of BBQ will make you hungry!)
The hole plays back against the direction of the third to the northwest and takes a sharp dogleg left due west around the third tee and past the second green on the left and inside the property boundary on the right. The land is flat. A large, dying tree and a long almost Saraha-like expanse of bunker (Note the obligatory CB Mac reference – this is, after all, the GCA discussion group goddammit!) cover the inner corner of the dogleg. Rough, some trees, a retaining fence and 83rd Street beyond guard the outside edge.
The player again has options: a straight hybrid to the corner leaving around 180 yards on the approach; a 3-wood over the edge of the trap to leave 160 yards; or a high driver over/around the tree to leave a flip wedge. (Insider’s Tip – If you hit driver, be sure that you draw it, as a block brings 83rd Street most definitely into play!)
The more conservative lines offer a generous target around the bend of the dogleg, with a flat lie in a fairly shallow trap posing the only real danger. The more aggressive lines require smartly struck ball flights that can navigate the trap/trees on the left and then, like a yo-yo, stop quickly in the thin fairway – trees on the right will normally partially obscure shots that run through to the rough.
Again, the architect poses several questions with the tee shot: Which shot are you capable of hitting? In which club do you have the most confidence? On a firm day can you judge the roll-out? And how aggressive do you care to be at this point in your match?
The approach – The approach obviously can vary considerably based on what happened off the tee. With a wedge or short iron in hand, the player can take aggressive aim at the pushed-up green. With a longer iron or fairway wood, he must take note of the three deep bunkers that flank the front-left, left side and right side of the green, as well as a confounding fourth concealed over the back edge of the green – perfectly positioned to capture over-cooked running shots and aerial approaches that land too deep and skip beyond the green, and one of only two of its type on the course.
The preceding comment assumes, of course, that the player has found the fairway. Recoveries from the inside corner of the dogleg will require a low, hooking draw; recoveries from the right rough just the opposite. And in both cases, the perched nature of the green and fronting, side and back traps make for a very difficult shot.
The green – The green is typical of Beverly – back to front slope, a bisecting vertical ridge and a few micro-shelves – and not particularly noteworthy other than its relatively small size.
Other commentary – The fourth hole is one of the more readily criticized on the course, along with the ninth. Interestingly, both occupy corners of the front nine property and play as doglegs left.
Many take issue with the tee shot due to the sharp angle of play and paucity of runout space before the rough and retaining fence. Others gripe about the dying tree and trap (double hazard!) guarding the inside corner and how the prudent line both takes driver out of their hands and, even if executed well, leaves a lengthy approach to a small, elevated green.
I initially disliked the hole but have grown to appreciate it more with each play. True, it remains one of the weaker in the set of 18, but the challenge of judging wind, line and strike on the ball is a good one, and the “bite off as much as you can” nature of the tee shot is unique to the course.
I will be curious to see what happens when the dying tree, ahem, actually dies. The challenge of a driver or 3-wood over the corner will be lessened considerably. Perhaps we should consider extending the Sahara-esque bunker out into the fairway on an angled bias? Or install a companion trap on the other side of the fairway? In any case, something surely will need to be done.