GOLF ACADEMY
BY RYAN WILLIAMS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL
February’s Tip of the Month A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GOOD SCORING AT WOODBRIDGE average tour green. All statistics point to this not being a birdie hole.
Hole: #3 Vineyard
The third hole on the Vineyard is one of the more intimidating par 3’s without a lake, canyon, or penalty area. For the length of the tee shot (180 from Chardonnay or 205 from Zinfandel), it is an unusually small target. When playing a hole this difficult, it is first important to understand that every level of player struggles to hit the green. As a matter of fact, PGA Tour players hit 53 percent of greens from 175-200 yds and our average size of green is much smaller than that of an
So, if a 2 is rare, how do we maximize our chances of making par? The very first thing on any hole one needs to consider when choosing a strategy is where the pin is cut on a given day. On the 3rd hole, I have two clear rules: 1. When the pin is back, the ball under no circumstances can get past pin high. 2. When the pin is front, the ball must fly past the hole. The reason these rules are in place is to give myself green to work with should I miss the green, which every level of player will. Short of a back pin, even in the bunker, leaves a manageable up and down; the same is true of missing long to front pins. Stop trying to be perfect on long shots such as this and you will make more pars!
Hole: #10 River
The 10th on the River is a spectacular hole, a throwback to a time when the ball curved much more, a tee shot that confronts you with a decision immediately. Do I play conservatively out to the right? Or do I attempt perhaps the most difficult shot with modern equipment (a high draw with a long
club)? Some members are excellent at turning the ball from right-to-left; Jason Reich and Mitch Harrison come to mind. Those who can pull that shot off and are longer hitters will have a chance to reach the green in two. Too often though, I see members trying the more difficult option off the tee when they cannot reach the green in two. Golfers, especially on par 5’s, must understand the risks of the decisions they make. If the reward is not worth the risk, then the risk should not be
