Wegoblogger #31

14th Hole - 362 Yards, Par 4
The 14th hole at Ballyneal is a shortish, dogleg par 4 to a bunkerless green. The hole is a relatively straightforward and easy par for those playing safe and conservative, but complex and risky for the aggressive player. It's also the site of the 'Chip-In Heard 'Round the World' -- Jefe's chip-in to swing the anchor match of the inaugural Ballynizzle Cup.

You'll notice in the picture below that the green is tucked between the dunes and behind the large bunker complex at the corner of the dogleg. The tee shot is dominated by that large waste area and the single centerline bunker that just happens to be right where you want your tee shot to be. That center bunker really gets in your head and forces a decision -- do you want to go left, right (lots more room than it looks), stay short or blast over it, or go right at it and hope you get lucky. Plus, the hole is just short enough that cutting the corner will even enter the equation, although the penalty for not making it is severe.






On your second shot (hopefully), you'll be faced with an approach to the smallest green on the course. The green sits on a plateau with a large run-off area if you miss right. The right, middle pin position is a sucker's pin. The back of the green provides a nice backstop (or sideboard if you're Jefe) to get it close. Find the surface and you're rewarded with one of the flattest surfaces on the course (although flat is a relative term).

I had to borrow the following picture from the Ballyneal website because it's just too good to pass up.

13th Hole - Par 4, 510 Yards
The 13th completes an amazing four-hole stretch to start the front nine. The fairway is ~100 yards wide (the widest on the course) with only about 1% of it offering a flat lie.

You'll notice in the picture below that the minefield of bunkers below effectively divide the fairway into thirds. There are many different teeing options on this hole, including a back, back tee that has you hitting over the 12th green. Unless you're a glutton for punishment, I'd save that one for the days when it's really downwind. Besides, the next two sets up, including the 425-yard tee that gets the most play, bring the fairway bunkers more into play.

The line of charm is down the left side, which not only shortens the hole but also provides the best angle to the green. However, the left side also has two deep swales that can leave a blind approach. Although there's plenty of room to miss right off the tee, you'll notice that it leaves a poor angle into that green, especially when the pin is tucked behind that ridge and far right bunker. Probably best to aim for the left side of the green from there and hope for a two-putt.

[Note: You only see the top of it in the picture below, but the middle fairway bunker is as unique as it is treacherous in that it slopes sharply 'the wrong way' towards the green. Very cool.]

The green is defined by the large ridge that runs right across it. Depending on the hole location, you may have a couple ways to get close to the cup. This green sees a lot of three-jacks.

Back to 12th Hole - Go to 14th Hole

12th Hole - Par 4, 375 Yards
The 12th is one of Tom Doak's favorite holes on the course, and it's not hard to see why. Lots of risk/reward; a birdie opportunity if you can execute the shots, but still very easy to make a big number. What more do you want in a short par 4?

The aggressive player will flirt with the left hand bunkers in the picture below. There's fairway beyond that bunker and a flat lie, leaving less than 125 yards in to attack the pin. For mere mortals, the hole requires navigating the natural ridge that runs along the hole lengthwise. There's lot of room to bail out right, but that's going to lead to a blind approach shot.

The green is what makes all those alternatives off the tee so important. This is probably the wildest green on the course, a series of integrated bowls that I believe were just sitting there waiting for somebody ballsy enough to turn it into a greensite. Simply being on this green in regulation is not enough. You want to be in the right quadrant. To do so, you probably need to be in a good position to attack with a view of the green. The front bowl requires flirting with the very deep little bunker short of the green, but provides a backstop beyond the flag to keep the ball there. The back right ridge is the most demanding pin position and requires a well-struck shot from any part of the fairway.

As you can imagine, being in one of the bowls and putting to another may lead to a putt that you've never encountered before in your golfing life. This can lead to disastrous results, such as misjudging the break completely and leaving yourself with an even tougher putt than your first one. Or it may lead to an all-world two putt that you'll tell your buddies about for years to come.

Back to 11th Hole - Go to 13th Hole

11th Hole - Par 3, 200 Yards
The 11th is a solid par 3 to a green perched on a plateau. Many call this hill uphill because of the area leading up to the green, but the green actually sits at the same level as the back tee boxes. Doak & Co. provided a bunch of different starting points, so feel free to mix it up over the course of a weekend. The best tee box is probably the second from the back, which brings the two right bunkers more into play relative to the tips.

It's obvious that the two bunkers on the right need to be avoided. Of course, this is easier said than done and the slopes near the green make them effectively bigger than they actually are. What you don't see in the picture is that missing left is even more costly. Left is really, really bad on this hole. In the pictures, you can see a hint of three bunkers left of the green. No doubt, they are nasty, but they are a significantly better alternative than the 20-foot drop-off even further left.

I believe the safe play is to aim for the back right quadrant of the green. If you're a little long or a little right, it's not going to kill you. You still have a good chance of getting up and down from a relatively flat lie.

Back to 10th Hole - Back to 12th Hole

10th Hole - 509 Yards, Par 4
The 10th is quickly becoming one of my favorite holes on the back nine. I call this hole "the Holyoke Speedway" as the last 100 yards to the green is where this firm and fast layout is at its fastest.

The first thing you'll notice standing on the tee is the large, menacing bunker down the right side. You probably can't tell from the tee, but there's fairway on the other side of that bunker. It's a tough carry from any tee box, so make sure you have enough to clear it. Carry of not, you have to flirt with that bunker off the tee to have a view of the green on your second shot.

Most tee shots that drift left will find the bowl down the left side and will leave a blind or semi-blind second shot. There's nothing blocking a run-up shot, so just figure out the right line and stick to it. Like I said at the outset, the fairway and green is real fast going from front left to back right.

Back to 9th Hole - Go to 11th Hole

9th Hole - 362 Yards, Par 4
The all-world front nine at Ballyneal finishes with a short, uphill par 4. Downwind, it's possible to drive the green or close to it, although the prudent play it to take whatever club you need to get to the fat part of the fairway. The fairway is hourglass-shaped with a narrow neck about 270 yards from the tee.

The 9th is not a difficult par if you find the fairway, but it's easier said than done. It's easy to run one into the yucca, and any number is possible from there. My pet shot is the block 60 yards left up into no man's land. Take it from me, 60 yards left is not Position A.

If you find the left-center of the fairway near the neck, you'll get a nice view of the back-to-front tilted green. There's a ridge that bisects the fairway just in front of the green, making shots to a front pin position difficult. The back of the green provides some nice backstops, so plan accordingly.



The view looking back the 9th fairway from this angle is known as "The Ed Oden". The shadows really show the magnitude of the slopes in front of the green.

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