RISK vs. REWARD

By Simon Dubiel

Foster Golf Links

Hole No. 15 Par 4 224 yards (Blue Tees)

Setup

Foster Golf Links, sometimes referred to in the local golf community as TPC Foster, is a fun loop filled with risk, yet even more reward. If your golf confidence has taken a hit, head to Foster; confidence awaits around every corner. Speaking of corner, No. 15 is only 224 yards, but wrapping your tee shot around the bend is what defines your decision on the tee. Most everyone can get there, but you have to move your ball significantly left to right to avoid the large cottonwood tree on the right and the three bunkers that protect the green. A straight ball will run through the fairway into the fir trees.

Risk

This dogleg right (the tee box sits 40 yards right of the angle of the photo above) forces you to either layup or be willing to gamble. Anything pushed too far right will be caught in the tree 100 yards out and won’t make it around the corner. Hit one pure but straight … well, you’ll need to try to bump something on the ground back towards the green. The three bunkers in front of the green aren't going to destroy you, but don't expect to add any chips to your stack from there either. Sometimes nine iron and then 56 degree is the way to win a hand.

Reward

On a course with several short par fours, No. 15 is the shortest. If fact, you might not find a shorter par four in the state. It allows almost all golfers the chance to take a go at it, and we love that. Although you need some serious action on your ball flight, anything that ends up near the green gives you a real shot to put another circle on your scorecard. The peanut-shaped green is not too diabolical but does slope away from you and towards the river. This hole has been giving Seattle golfers risk-reward fits for decades and is common fodder at the course's 19th hole Billy Baroo’s.

Final Call

“Maybe I will just hit nine iron?” ... “What?! Just wrap your 3 hybrid/wood around the corner.” That conversation occurs daily on this hole, with results ranging from going broke to hitting the jackpot. Like many holes at Foster, we love the aggressive approach. It is fun to make birdies. Now’s the time to open up the stance and splash the pot. As the great American philosopher Cosmo Kramer once said, “Giddy-up!"