Here is how to play the par 5 17th, my nemesis. If you don’t hit the first two shots well, you are looking at bogey.
Your tee shot has to challenge this bunker in the middle of the fairway. Most of us can’t carry it but we need to get close…
Because then we have to carry the next bunker that’s also in the middle of the fairway. See it in the background here. Fricken Arthur Hills. It takes a long club to get over the bunker and past the big tree that is guarding the green on the right. If you go right of the bunker, you bounce and roll way right. Either into trouble along the penalty area or stymied by the tree.
Okay I hit a great 7 wood to here. Leaving a significant downhill lie. If you hit onto the right half of the green, the ball rolls sideways to the right edge of the green.
I hit a nice wedge left of the pin as planned.
Annnnddd, the effing pin cost me the birdie. The ball hit inside right, veered into the stick and back up and out. Eff me. EFF ME. This is about the third time in the past several rounds for the exact same type of rejection. Inside lip to pin with a reasonable pace, and rejected.
I guess I’ll start pulling the damn thing.