he 14th hole on the Outlaw course
at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale
(illustrated), a course I designed in
2003, is a downhill par 4 with a big green
that measures just 233 metres from the mid-
dle tees and 309 metres at the tips. It’s what I
call a relief hole, or one that’s easy to par and
fun to play. I bet your course has one or two
holes likes this.
If you’re serious about scoring, a par here
should feel almost like a disappointment.This
hole is set up to make birdie. If you’ve got the
fi repower to get on or near the green with
the tee shot, don’t just bash away. Study the
hole location to figure out the best way foryou to attack on that day. This is why
we’ve cut away the tee boxes and the
fairway from the drawing above.Your
focus should be squarely on the green
complex.
The hole’s main protectors are four
bunkers and a swale – or the large de-
pression in the green. Especially in fast
conditions, it can be tricky to judge the
pace of a putt or chip across the swale,
but this feature is also there to help. Like
a catcher’s mitt, it collects shots coming
in hot from long range, so you can try
for that eagle with a putter in your hand.
–with max adlerT
ATTACK MODE
Makinghayonadrivablepar
Play Your Best
|
JACK NICKLAUS
Darren Carroll“When a birdie hole comes along,
you’ve got to take advantage.”
▶ The most famous swale in the game is the
Valley of Sin, which is a deep depression
that occupies the fairway and the front-left
portion of the 18th green at the Old Course
in St Andrews, Scotland. In the 2005 Open
Championship, playing the last hole of my
last major, my drive settled there. The turf
was fi rm and fast, and the cup was cut just
over the swale. I sure wasn’t going to leave it
short, so I putted my ball about 15 feet past
the cup and made the one coming back for
birdie and an even-par round of 72. I got a
round of applause I’ll never forget.my final major momentPLAY IT YOUR WAY
A front hole location
makes this par 4
play even shorter,
inviting more players
to have a go. With this
green opening on the
left, the ideal shot is
a fade for righties. But
don’t feel pressure to
go against your natural
shot shape. If you like
to draw it, aim at the
middle of the green
and work it in. Most
important is to hit
your drive solid to give
yourself a chance.KEEP ON THE CORRECT SIDE OF THE SWALE
The bottom of the swale is two metres lower than the rest of
thegreen. From there it’s a challenging two-putt to any cup
above, but doable if you focus on distance control. If you lay
up off the tee, you’ll have a short approach, so you should
have enough control to hit the correct tier. The worst mistake
is to be in a bunker that leaves the swale between you and the
hole. Then it’s an exacting shot to get the next one close.DON’T BACK DOWN
With the flag tucked in this back-right
corner, time to lay up, right? Not so
fast. This actually is a very gettable hole
location. You can attempt to carry the
bunker in front, or aim for the left half of
the green and use the pitch of the swale
to feed the ball all the way back. Finish
almost anywhere on this green and you’re
guaranteed an uphill putt to a cup in a flat
area. Even a mediocre first putt from long
range should get you to at least 15 feet –
about the same length of a stellar wedge
had you conservatively laid up.16 / JANUARY 2018 / GOLFDIGEST.CO.ZA ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS O’RILEY