TEMPOI KEYTO BREAKING 80
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LUKEDONALD'S
SHORT GAME DO,S& DON'TS +
HOWTO PUTTLIKE THE PROS BYDAVE STOCKTON
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WORLDCTASSIC
The par-4 r6th is one ofthe fewholes that requires an approach overwater.
IOUS
LagunaNational's
\\'drld Classic
course is bold, brash,,and everybit as bodacious as it looks from afar. BYJU K. TAN xnv,I'vr selo
rT . THs WonI,o Classtc Counsu.nr LagunaNational Golf and CountryClub is onefun
course to play. Of course, this doesn't come without its share of qualiflcations. It is fun ifyou don't intend to shoot the best round ofyour life, or feel like a golfcourse owes you anyhing, or you expect bounces to go your way a1l the time. Another words, if you go out looking for a game that requires you to think on every shot, have litt1e expectations on how many strokes you take, and want to take in one ofthe most dramatic topographical sceneryyou,ll ever see on reclaimed land, then you ought to be awed by a round here. Go1f, after all, threatens our sense of
we pIay.
Itjust takes
an extra dose
humour no matter where
ofit when you tee it up at the
World Classic. When Laguna National wanted to rebuild its Classic Course some years back, it hired its original designerAndy Dye to take on the task. The mandate was to create a course that would reflect some of the iconic holes on some of the most famous courses in the world. While it would take some stretch of imagination to compare the holes at World Classic with the holes it drew inspiration from, there is litt1e to doubt that the course has no problem matching any hole anyvhere in terms of challenge and demand. The bestwayto go about playing and enjoyinga round at World Classic is to not have any expectation ofwhat you,ll shoot. Teaching professional Dino Kwek, based in Laguna National, professedthat, "I love playingthe course because I don,t have any pressure to playweli here." Sti1l, there are a fewthings you probably need to do well ifyou are to keep allyour senses in one basket after playing the course. You'1l need to hit your driver straight, be able to get out ofdeep bunkers, and possess the abiliry to hit high lob shots with a decent
amount of spin. You've probably surmisedbynowthat there are a vast number ofbunkers on the course - many ofthem very deep fairways that don't look too inviting, and raised greens surrounded by fa1l-away slopes on most sides.
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true, but there are exceptions.
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The par-3 seventeenth reminds us a little ofTPC Sawgrass' famous hole and everybit as threatening.
Hershey-shaped mounds and bunker fl ashings are characteristic ofthe World Classic course.
Like many diffrcult courses, the World Classic is one that takes a hang ofit. On some holes, the fairways are wider than you think or that it iooks. Knowing not to go long or hit short when approaching several ofthe greens can keep you from notching up a high score. You sti11 have to stay on your toes each a
few tries to get
time you address the ba1l, but once on the putting surface, more often than not, you can exhale realising that the breaks are not as drastic as the undulations you had to endure getting there' There is water on the course, but not as much as you'd imagine given that there are hardly any trees around to avoid. Awkward 1ies, greens set up on mounds, and sand hazards (granted, many ofthem waste bunkers) shore up most of the course's formidable defenses. Right on the outset, the first ho1e, a par-4, wakes you up with a
intimidating as it is remarkable. You'l1 never see many Hershey-shaped mounds on a single golfcourse, let alone a single ho1e. In an aesthetic way, the ho1e, and manylike it on the course, canbe viewed as awork ofart. Certainiy, looking at the photographs I took through my round there, many ofthe pictures look computer rendered even iftheywere as real as the double,
tee shot that is as as
and triple bogeys on the scorecard ofmy maiden round. The short, par-4 eighth is a per{ect short hole where risk and reward needs to be considered.
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GOLF DIGEST SINGAPORE ,/ OCTOBER 2OII
couple ofholes that I really 1iked. The par-4 sixth a pond requires you to place a shot strategically with avery high bank so as to offer aview sand bunker behind a ofthe green on the approach. And the eighth, a z93m par-4 (b1ue tees) is the ultimate in risk reward given that all sorts of sandy treachery 1ay in front and to the sides ofthe sma11 green. The l7'h, a long par-3 is one ofthe prettiest holes on the course, and in many ways, it's most conventional. InsplredbyTPC Sawgrass'famed and There are
a
that plays around
notorious 17tr, but very much longer, golfers will need to muster their best shots to keep their ba11s dry. To be honest, and after having spoken to a few people who have played the World Classic, golfers have veryopposingviews ofthe course. But most importantly, they all have something to say about it. Indifference, as we al1know, is the last thing anyone wants for a
golfcourse. Laguna National intends to position the World Classic at the very top end in Singapore, and a unique system has been put in place to help golfers have the best experience possible. "We intend to positionWorld Classic as a premium golf experience on avery unique and challenging 1ayout," said Patrick Bowers, Managing On manyofthe holes, like the fifth here, hitting overthe green is an unfortunate predicament.
The 15th atWorld Classic
The par 4 sixth lets you see all the hazards from the tee
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Director of Laguna National Golf and CountryClub. "We feel this combination will result it in it becoming a "must p1ay" for the region. It occupies a strategic place in our total overall club experience and supports our objective to be the private course of choice for discerning golfers in Singapore." The club is the first and only club to employ female "go1f guides", and it has also tended to the litt1e things that make a round there special. "Our goal is to move the experience from that ofrandom or predictable to superior," adds Bowers. "All players are personally greeted at the bag drop. Ifa Member has elected to accompanyguests to p1ay, theywill have our specially
trained Go1flng Guides assigned to them. Tee times are t5 minutes apart to enhance the exclusive appeal and allow the piavers to enjoytheir game. We have added the Laser Link golf measuring devices for all the caddies, or the Member can elect to take one with them during their round for deadly accurate yardages from every fair"way. Future additions u,i11 include cold and hot towel services, stocked water coolers on course and avery professional and expensive yardage guidebook. We have several more ideas
plannedbutwe can't give them all awayhere! The key
is
to
It maylooklikeyou're nevergoingto get there ontheWorld Classic first hole, butwhenyou eventuallymake itthere, the puttingsurface is quite friendly.
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keep the game real while meeting the expectation of today's
international golfer regardingwhat
a special golf experience should consist of." This special experience doesn't come cheap. Member's guest fee is S$39o, arguablythe highest in Singapore. But this comes with extras like the buggyfee, Golflng Guide (caddie) fee, the initially stocked cooler box, and use ofthe Laser Link range flnders. On top
ofthat, no tip
is required for the Golflng Guides after your round. In the future, golfers playing on the course would also receive a yardage book as part oftheir fees. "It is our philosophy that once your fee is paid, you should not have to dip into your pocket again," Borvers professes. In retrospect, "C1assic" may not be the most accurate choice ofnames for the course. Unique, unconventional, and darlng are adjectives that come to mind. Without reseruations, this is one difficult course and will test your ski11s, patience, and imagination. But it will also awe you with its incredulity and ethereal surrealism.
World Classic, with all its teeth and nal1s, held me in a vice grip, chewed me up and spat me out. It broke me down and humbled me...and I can't wait to go back to play it again.
c
The par
3
seventh's greenhas
a
nastyfalse front
thatyou need to consider onyourtee shot.
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