The two 18birdies shots are suggestions for playing from the tips, but I wasn’t playing from there. I lightly hit my 3-wood for 180 yards to the edge of the fairway, but then I mishit it into a swamp on the right. Luckily, it hit a standpipe, bounced back onto the cart path, and ended up in another part of the fairway. Next, I hit a thin 6-iron shot that landed just inches from the swamp on the left. To avoid going into the water in 46°F weather, I took a penalty for an unplayable lie. After that, I hit a decent pitching wedge onto the green and 2-putted for a triple bogey.
Hadi said:
But did you enjoy it That hole sounds rough but just have a good time and don’t slow down the group behind you
I had a great morning Luckily the two times I played here, I’ve had a solo round with no one behind me. Lots of water hazards and tricky holes, but the scenery is beautiful
I’ve played Stonetree many times and I can say this hole is poorly designed. I usually play fine here, but the distances off the tee make no sense. You either have to hit a 3-4 iron to play left of the penalty area because it’s so far below you, and then you have a blind uphill 175-yard shot to a narrow green. The other option is to try to clear the first penalty area with a driver into a stiff wind which is about a 280-yard carry. It’s just not well thought out and isn’t enjoyable. The sight lines and distances are terrible. It’s at a low point meaning balls plug in the fairway. Truly one of my least favorite holes in the Bay
@Junita
I only started playing golf about 5 months ago so I’m really new to this and I don’t know much about good or bad hole design, so hearing this makes me feel better about performing badly on it both times I’ve played! I knew it was challenging but not if it was fair
@Peter
Don’t worry you’re not alone with this hole. Like you said, it’s not just challenging that makes it badly designed. There are many hard holes that are well designed. It’s that it’s challenging and just not fun to play. There’s no way to play this hole that isn’t frustrating. It doesn’t reward good shots, and your second shot is bound to be tough. I don’t even mind blind shots in general, but I do mind being forced to play a hole only one way, especially when it’s into a muddy fairway with no view of the green. It’s just obvious they didn’t realize how the topography got back to the clubhouse.
@Junita
I’ve never played here, but if the yardages are from the tips, it seems fair for a #1 hole. Lay up on a windy day. Risk/reward to try it if it’s calm. From the whites, if they’re not much farther up, then I agree it’s not really fair. A forced layup for a 10-30 handicap player leaves them 165-170 yards in and that’s not cool
@Ocean
I play the tips, and I usually hit a 3 or 4 iron depending on the wind. The biggest issue with this hole is when you hit it where you should, you still don’t have a clear shot to the green. There are trees blocking your view of the shot from the landing area except for like five yards on the right side. So even if you hit a good tee shot, you’re left with a blind shot over trees with no real idea where the green is, or where the pin is. I play a lot of golf on many courses around the world and this is one of the worst designed holes I’ve seen. I don’t mind tough holes, but I do mind when it feels like the designer had no real idea in mind.
@Junita
I’d have to play the hole to really understand, but it sounds frustrating like you said. With trees and a semi-blind shot, luck seems to play a bigger role. Poor design
Ocean said: @Junita
I’d have to play the hole to really understand, but it sounds frustrating like you said. With trees and a semi-blind shot, luck seems to play a bigger role. Poor design
Yeah it’s just poorly designed. If the green complex was more receptive and if they trimmed the trees so you didn’t have a blind shot over trees, I wouldn’t feel so strongly that it’s a terrible hole. But it’s really a tough second shot if you can find your ball that got plugged
