Hi all...
Good Luck to everyone TRYING to Qualify. I count myself in that same group having shot a best of +4 so far - but now having gained some consistency in completing at least the FRONT 9 at either EVEN or +1. For me, I think it is a matter of time before I put a round completely together to qualify. That remains to be seen.
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POST-SCRIPT - This section added Sunday AFTERNOON - June 7th - after the original post. Something must have happened to me as I wrote this original post. I have just gone around BPB and managed to bang out a QUALIFYING 71 (+1). At least as things stand right now - I am right at the CUT LINE of 71. There are 104 players currently at PAR / 70 or Better. There are 64 of us at +1 / 71. If TODAY were the end of Qualifying, 168 of us would be "In". To look at it another way, there will need to be 52 scores of 70 or better from players who ARE NOT IN THE TOP 104 ALREADY in order to move the Cut Line down to 70. Undoubtedly these numbers will change.
Will 52 more (who have not already) be able to score a 70 on BPB ? It remains to be seen - but I know that my own play has steadily improved with practice and it might not surprise me - then again 52 more on this very tough course is quite alot. We will all stay tuned.
I may be "vacationing" the next couple of days at Kiawah, Bali Hai and Wolf Creek before resuming practice etc on BPB.
Good luck to all in qualifying - NOW - read the rest of my post - there are some decent tips in it. - Atlanta Coaster
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I thought I would put together a summary of each hole's Deadliest Places - I should not be giving away the store here -most all of you should have discovered them - probably many times - by now. These are my experiences playing in the PRO Tier from the Championship Tees.
IF YOU CAN TAKE THESE LOCATIONS OUT OF PLAY and adjust your game accordingly, YOUR SCORES WILL IMPROVE.
In most cases - if you end up in any of these locations - PAR will not be attainable. You will be HAPPY with your Bogey if you can salvage it. In most cases you will Double Bogey. I will note the few exceptions that do not necessarily destroy chances for a PAR.
Hole 1: Tee shot hit to the right rough / Trees. In most cases, this is complete jail. CAVEAT: Depending on where you end up in relation to the trees and how your second shot has lined up, there is occasionally a "corridor" either through or OVER the trees. This possibility is also heavily reliant on the LIE you have (anything over 25%, forget the green and just chip your second shot back out to the Fairway). I HAVE LANDED THE GREEN IN TWO from this location and even pulled out a Birdie on 2 occasions - those are exceptionally RARE.
Hole 2: Left Side Rough. If that towering tree staring you in the face on the left off the tee does not knock you down, you may STILL have significant problems. Land beyond that first tree but still to the left and it brings trees into play you never knew existed. Your LIE in the rough COMBINED with those trees COMBINED with the uphill climb to the Green will make getting anywhere near the green (forget the Pin) on the 2nd shot impossible. I did not even mention the wind.
Hole 3: Front Third of the Green. 80 Foot Putt for Birdie, anyone? This is an exception that will still allow a par with a very good - but LONG Putt on your second shot. Landing on the front third of this green significantly increases your chances for a 3 putt. I find this to be a greater risk than even landing in the rough or traps at the Front Right. I have easily landed in those and then "up and down for Par" fairly consistently. Same thing with the most common scenario - landing and over rolling off the back of the green for a 2nd shot chip of anywhere from 8-15 yards - I routinely attain par in this manner with the occasional chip-in for Birdie.
Hole 4: 2nd Shot - Mid-Fairway Bunkers and Deep Rough. When aiming your second shot, that aiming cursor BETTER indicate that you will land significantly UP the hill on that upper shelf of fairway. Any headwind will SIGNIFICANTLY decrease your actual landing distance. STAY OUT OF this mid-fairway mess altogether. If you need to lay up your second shot to the extreme END of the lower-tier fairway, then DO IT. You can STILL land the green on the 3rd shot from the furthest reaches of the lower-tier fairway with a 3W or 3H (Depends on wind).
Hole 5: Tee Shot - Deep Rough and Weeds on the right - This is no secret. The message here is AIM LEFT and land in the Rough Short of the fairway - if lucky trickling onto the Fairway. If you do this you can get your second shot out onto the fairway for the 3rd-shot approach to the green. If you are in the Deep Rough or Weeds that I am identifying, it almost gurantees a trapped / flubbed / weed-ensnared 2nd shot that IF LUCKY travels 30 yards - and leaves the green UNREACHABLE on the 3rd shot. Therein comes your Bogey or Double. I am noting the right-side Sand/Bunkers themselves as an EXCEPTION to this. If sitting in/on the sand you can still escape to the Fairway with your second shot in most cases as it is MUCH more playable than the Weeds/Deep Rough that it is intermingled with - and a second shot from the sand is often not alot different than a second shot out of the REGULAR rough. . Unfortunately you don't get to pick where in the right-side mess you end up - it is all chance whether you sit cleanly ON the sand OR entangled in weeds. JUST LAND YOUR TEE SHOT TO THE LEFT IN THE ROUGH - PERIOD.
Hole 6: Tee shot - Fairway Bunkers Right and Left - This relatively easy hole has a less fearsome danger than most of the others. These bunkers/sand are significant because of the difficulty it creates for the second shot to the green/pin. Off the fairway, it is relatively easy to land your second shot within range of an attainable birdie putt. Fron these fairway bunkers, however, it introduces a greater level of complexity when considering how to get near the hole with your second. This is another exception - you can still save a par if your drive ends up in these bunkers.
Hole 7: Tee Shot - Right Side Bunker/Sand/Trees - Don't even think about cutting this corner - you won't be able to carry the sand. Even if you avoid the sand and you are in the right side rough, you are facing a significant hazard from encroaching trees on your second shot. You can't afford this given the hole is ALREADY a Par 4 that is unreachable in 2. AIM LEFT off the tee - longer hitters might want to take a little off the driver (consider the wind) to avoid over-rolling THROUGH the fairway into the left-side rough. (This, however is a minimal danger AND recoverable - unlike landing in the RIGHT rough or sand off the tee).
Hole 8: Tee shot into Back left Bunker - It is relatively rare to end up in here but if you do - forget it. AT BEST you are even with or slightly above the hole with a very tricky pitch that once it starts to ROLL - is a sideways left-to right slider threatening to roll past or slide right downhill towards the front of the green. It only gets worse the further back you are in this bunker because you are then left with an UNSTOPPABLE pitch towards the hole that will want to roll and roll and roll - possibly even off the FRONT of the green.
Hole 9: Second shot - trees on the left - So you have landed your drive in the extreme left edge of the fairway - most likely it has rolled there and you are nesteled up against that Bunker? You are seduced by the siren song that says 194 yards to the hole? Pull out a 3W and go for it? NOT SO FAST. Look at your aiming cursor and notice your trajectory THROUGH the trees that stick out on the left side. Go for it and you hit the trees and may STILL contend with the trees OUT OF THE ROUGH for your 3rd shot! Move your aiming cursor to avoid the trees and discover that the 3W NOW puts you significantly to the RIGHT of the green or in the rough or trap. Pick your poison: A) take the length and play the 3rd shot out of the trap or rough? OR B) lay up to the end of the fairway? I often choose A and I am able to up and down for a par. I have no fear of that front sandtrap - finding it to actually be a desirable option.
Hole 10: Deep Rough on Tee shot - Fairway is unreachable on the Drive EXCEPT with a tailwind. Landing in the REGULAR rough is fine - you can play out the rest of the hole and attain a par assuming you land your 3rd shot close. Landing SHORT of the fairway off the tee AND in the Deep Rough virtually guarantees you cannot even reach the green in THREE. Miscalculating the wind, Aim, OR mis-hitting your drive off the sweet spot can result in the Deep Rough experience I described here.
Hole 11: Second shot - Apron / Fringe / First 4 or 5 yards at extreme front of green - The EXTREME slope of this "putting surface" as well as how it interferes with any type of pitch or approach from just off-green will play havoc with ANY putt, chip, pitch or other shot where you have to bounce and / or roll. What appears to be a perfectly executed shot in terms of striking the sweet spot and calculated distance will immediately careen wildly left or right (depending on where you are coming from) at point of first contact. NEVER land a shot in this location. The green slopes UP towards the back so aim your second shot pin-high - or if daring just shy of the pin BUT NOT MUCH MORE. Or else.
Hole 12: Tee shot - Left-side "jutting" Bunker - Just aim right and AVOID this thing. You can't reach the green in 2 anyway. Why complicate matters?
Hole 13: Tee shot - Right side FAIRWAY and Rough - Somewhat similar to Hole 7. The difference is that if you are in the right-side FAIRWAY too far to the right, there is still that ONE HORRIBLE TREE. You have ALL seen it - or hit it. Due to the way that this narrow fairway somewhat snakes along with a tricky left-to right "jog" impacting how you line up your second shot, being to the right with your drive will cause significant heartache on your second shot due to the LIE in the rough AND THE TREE. AIM ALL TEE SHOTS TO END UP IN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY to take the right rough and tree OUT OF PLAY.
Hole 14: Back 2/3 of the green - Just pretend it does not exist. With some practice you should never need it. Due to the potential for VERY long putts and the associated possibility of 3-putting, I find that PAR is at much greater risk from back there than it is even from the trap or rough in the front. This one is another exception that does not necessarily DESTROY chances for PAR.
Hole 15: THE ENTIRE GREEN - Just get used to a Bogey here. The RARE PAR (I have had a couple) will be cause for celebration. I have come into this hole with a +1 or +2 through 14 Holes and left the green at +4 or +5 for the round. :-( Where shall I start? NEVER end up on the back half / upper "shelf" of this green at any cost. Just look at what the putting grid is showing you in the immediate vicinity of the hole itself! It is complete chaos with the indicators darting wildly every which way left right uphill downhill - if you are on the back half of the green, you have no prayer for a 2-putt - in fact your first putt may not even stay ON THE GREEN - it will roll off the front! MAJOR TIP: Your approach shot onto the green (for most of us this is the 3rd shot) - Play around with landing the shot significantly to the LEFT of the hole no further back than 1/4 distance from the front of the green. Play FULL backspin on your ball. Watch what happens. Play around with this. My 3rd shot has REGULARLY ENDED UP anywhere from 3-9 feet from the Pin ITSELF doing this. Just be bold and watch what happens. This is the closest I can get my 3rd shot with any consistency. IF YOU ACCOMPLISH THAT - then GUESS WHAT? your 3-9 foot 4th Shot for Par is NO GIMME. (See Putting Grid comments above). Good Luck to All with this Hole - The Destroyer of Rounds.
Hole 16: A FREEBIE - After the experience on 15, the gods smile only briefly as I find NO SIGNIFICANT DANGER on this hole. The only hole on the course that is not fraught with some sort of potentially catstrophic hazard. Yes it is LONG - but keep it in the fairway, land your 3rd close and take your Par.
Hole 17: Rough on steep slope at front of green immediately adjacent to the Pin placement. This is where you end up if you have a significant tailwind and you THOUGHT that it was a good idea to play the 3H club. This is where you end up if you try to get tricky "landing it close". What happens is your 2nd shot ends up flubbing into the rough AGAIN - you were afraid to hit it too hard for fear of flying over the hole. I have had (and seen in Group Play) many disasters due to landing in this rough at the front. CURIOUSLY ENOUGH - move 10 feet to the left or right into the SAND and the 2nd shot is MUCH easier, somehow. Moral of the story: Never use the 3H and ALWAYS be happier for the 12-15 yard chip from the BACK rough than if you landed short in this STEEP front rough. I've still never figured out how to hold a Tee shot "close" with any consistency. You can still manage a Par quite easily with a closely landing chip-on from the BACK rough, however.
Hole 18: Deep Rough - Fingers of the Front Right Trap at the Green: The Sand does not instill fear and the Regular Rough does not instill fear. These grassy / weedy / fingery "peninsulas" that stick into this Sand Bunker are fraught with sorrow, however. You tried to land your second shot close - and you were not given merciful treatment by landing in the plain old sand. You had to end up on the peninsula in this stuff. Guess what? You WILL be in the sand after hitting out of this gnarled mess - as your ball will be airborne for a mere split second and then dive down into the sand. Now you may proceed with your 4th shot. You will be grateful for a Bogey. I don't have any real remedy for this OTHER THAN aim your second shot LEFT of the pin and focus on getting on the GREEN. You will have a VERY LONG 3rd shot / putt for Birdie - but it is better than no chance at all - right? This is probably the best solution as attempting to "go for the pin" on the 2nd shot and having anything resembling success is exceptionally rare. The risk will outwiegh tht likelihood of reward every time.
So that is my summary - and I will reiterate what I said at the start: IF YOU CAN TAKE THESE LOCATIONS OUT OF PLAY and adjust your game accordingly, YOUR SCORES WILL IMPROVE.
Good Luck in Qualifying and most of all ENJOY!
See You on the links, AtlantaCoaster :-)