How should I play this hole ??

The 9th on my local course. A Par 3, 170 yards.

Green is very narrow about 8 yards across. Left is a bunker that's a card wrecker. I don't think I've seen anybody get out in one shot !

On the right is another bunker and tree's which are basically unplayable.

Today I hit a 5 iron, hooked the ball about 7 yards left of the pin and found the hell bunker. Took two to get out and doubled the hole. Very annoying.

How should I play this hole ?

Sounds like you did the right thing -- except next time hit it straight!

Just kidding.

I guess you have to decide what your normal shot is -- hook or slice, draw or fade and go with it. Doesn't sound like you'd be able to draw it onto the green from the right because of the trees. But fading in from the left might be trouble if it goes a bit straighter than you plan and finds the bunker. So I'd try punching it in nice and straight and simple.

Because the green is so narrow, I'd assume the architect was making that hole a straight shot challenge.

How deep is the green any trouble at the back? Where is the pin positioned?

Play short of the bunkers. Chip between or pitch over them onto the green. 1 putt for par (good short game), 2 putt for bogey (not so good short game). Go to next hole.

On some holes, par is good.

I agree. Take one less club and aim for the green. If you flush it, you're fine. If you sustain lateral movement, you'll be short of the trouble.

The green is about 20 yards long. When the pin is at the back it's a nightmare hole. Today the pin was in the middle, level with the bunkers.

The right bunker is so tough. It doesn't have a steep face but you have about 5 yards of bunker to go over, then you get 7 yards of green (All downhill !) and then another bunkers and trees. Hit the sand shot too hard and your in the other bunker.

My average for the hole last year in Comps was 3.7 which makes it one of my worst holes for scoring. And that includes 460 yard par 4's !

Then play to the front of the green. Lag up, and par out. Or mess one putt up, and two putt for bogey.

Par sounds like a good score on this hole.

Do you have any pics of the hole's layout? Your course's website.

Take the bunker out of play by hitting enough club to go over. take your chances with a chip and a putt ? Sometimes par is a good score.

Strange thing is that it is very hard for most of us to accept that we can't hit green on all par 3's. With long or hard par 4's, we can accept that we might have to play it as a par 5 (and try to make a birdie), but par 3's is a whole other matter.

It's all in the head!

Peter is correct, for me you have to accept that there is such a thing as a good bogie. The great Mr Woods wrote this in his book.

There are no bunkers front of back either lay up just short or carry the green to the back edge if poss, chip and one putt for par two for a 'good' bogie.

My mental approach would be, on a quite summer evening, practice your bunker shots from the "scary" bunker until your are confident that you can get out easy, know exactly what club to play and how to get out.

Once this is achived you may be suprised how many time you hit the green and never go in the dam thing. It mental see.........if only for a split second you think bunker then thats where it heading. Once you don't care about the bunker you on the green every time.


Ian.

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Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

I played today and guess where I finished again !

The way to play the hole is to take a club that can't reach the bunkers and then rely on your short game to chip and putt for par.

Trouble is when I see the pin I go for it. I have the intention to lay up but when I get to the hole I always have the confidence I can hit the green.

If there's no trouble in front I'd play a low punch shot into the green. Less time in the air mean less time to hook or slice. Try landing the ball short or just on the green and run it up to the middle.

Also if there is any rough in front of the bunkers, if you do hook or slice the rough might save you from getting into the bunkers with this shot.

Lay up short of the trouble, chip on, putt. Hopefully you can walk away with par - or at the very least have a putt at par.

Sometimes ya gotta take your medicine.

I had another double today. The pin was at the back so I took another club and finished thru the green in all this heavy rough. Tommorrow I'm going to lay up short and take my chances with my chipping !

With great caution .

Forget where the flag is and play for the centre of the green every time you tee it up.
Taking a club more than you think could also help as you will be able to swing easier which means you won't be forcing the club on an unnatural swing path.

Also ,practice your bunker play.
They're not that hard once you know what you're doing.