Greensmere Survivor Challenge

[GarthM]

Playing on Friday and have never played the new 9. Anyone care to give an overview of how it plays? (Don't worry I won't be a threat to anyone on Friday (if you could have seen my putting for the last 4 weeks you'd understand why).

Thanks

[rezadue]

I have played the gold 9 a couple of times and this is what I can tell you:

#1 - If you are trying to get a look at the green on your second shot you will need to play along the left center of the fairway. Make sure you put the ball in play off the tee. There is dense trees and shrubs right, Water short left and trees long left. Huge green.

#2 - OB right. keep aim on the left side of the fairway to have a good look at the pin. Green is kidney shaped and is narrow. The back portion is guarded by water. Club selection is important as it is easy to misjudge the center of the green. Half way down the kideny shaped green, the green slopes away from you.

#3 - Slight dog leg left. If you can draw a drive down the fairway you are gold. Otherwise a straight drive is going to land on the right side and if the pin is front right, the second shot will have to be good and land soft. 3W is not a bad choice.

#4- Dog leg left. Green on top of a mound. Water guarding the dog leg. Water comes in more than appears off the tee. You only need about 200 yards on the tee shot and aim the tee shot at the last bit of mounds on the right, before the white sticks. Big hitter can be enticed to try to drive the green. Very hard and unreceptive green.

#5- What you see is what you get. Try not to go right the trees are dense. Large green.

#6 - Cool par 4. Split fairway. The left fairway ends at water. There is some water along the right side. The second fairway(Right side) runs parallel to the first but it starts where the first fairway end. Long ballers can be enticed to try to drive the second fairway, but have to fly a whole bunch of water. I think there is no point there becasue you can't drive the green. So play a shot smartly down the middle of the first fairway and you will have a mid to short iron onto the green.

#7 - Off the tee only the left side trees are in play. Play center right of the fairway. If you hit it a mile I suppose the green is accessible on your second shot. But beware as there is a small gorge with water in it guarding the left side of the green. Also the fairway narrows before the green. I would play this as a 3 shot hole with the 3rd shot about 100 yards from the green.

#8 - Short Dog leg left. You coud fly the trees with you driver and be on the mound where the green is situated. But try that if you hit it a mile. Otherwise hit something 200 yards on the fairway and the seond shot is a low iron. Tee box is pointing right towards water running along side fairway. If you draw the ball over the trees and are not long you can hit into a mini pond on the left behind the rees.

#9- Long par 3. If you miss the green, miss it right. Not much room on the left or long. Huge slope leading toward the 6th green on the left side.

In general, the greens on this 9 are totally unlike the other 9s. Thera are all firm and hard and unreceptive. Don't go for pins tucked back as you can hit and roll of the greens. They are also somewhat faster than the other 9s.

Hope this helps. Keep in mind this is a 19 handicapper's thoughts.
BTW, I am also playing on Friday. weather should be good. Good luck.

[jeffc]

a few more comments...

I have played the gold 9 a couple of times and this is what I can tell you:

#1 - If you are trying to get a look at the green on your second shot you will need to play along the left center of the fairway. Make sure you put the ball in play off the tee. There is dense trees and shrubs right, Water short left and trres long left. Huge green.

definitely keep it to the left side of the fairway. The green is indeed massive (and hard, at least it was a month ago).

#2 - OB right. keep aim for the left side of the fairwy to have a good look at the pin. Green is kidney shaped and is narrow. The back portion is guarded by water. Cliub selection is important as it is easy to misjudge the center of the green. Half way down the kideny shaped green, the green slopes away from you.

Crazy green. you can't even see the back of the green from the fairway. If the pin is back there, it's an incredibly difficult shot and laying up to the middle leaves a crazy downhill putt through the narrow part of the green.

#3 - Slight dog leg left. If you can draw a drive down the fairway you are gold. Otherwise a straight drive is going to land on the right side and if the pin is front right, the second shot will have to be good. 3W is not a bad choice.

#4- Dog leg left. Green on top of a mound. Water guarding the dog leg. Water comes in more than appears off the tee. You only need about 200 yards on the tee shot and aim the tee shot at the last bit of mounds on the right, before the white sticks. Big hitter can be enticed to try to drive the green. Very hard and unreceptive green.

I would say hit to the 150 marker and don't flirt with the water. Take at least 1 extra club to the green, two if the pin is at the back. I believe the green slopes to the left.

#5- What you see is what you get. Try not to go right the trees are dense

#6 - Cool par 4. The fairway end at water. There is some water long right. The second fairway runs parallel to the first but it starts where the first fairway end. Long ballers can be enticed to drive to fly a whole lot of water to hit the second fairway. But I think there is no point there becasue you can't drive the green. So play a shot smartly down the middle of the first fairway and you will have a mid to short iron onto the green.

#7 - Off the tee only the left side trees are in play. Play center right of the fairway. If you hit it a mile I suppose the green is accessible on your second shot. But beware as there is a small gorge with water in to guarding the right side of the green. Also the fairway narrows before the green. I would play this as a 3 shot hole with the 3rd shot about 100 yards from the green.

Reachable in 2 for long hitters but you bring the water into play on the right and trees on the left.

#8 - Short Dog leg left. You coud fly the trees with you driver and be on the mound where the green is situated. But try that if you hit it a mile. Otherwise hit something 200 yards on the fairway and the seond shot is a low iron. Tee box is pointing left towards water running along side fairway. If you draw the ball over the trees and are not long you can hit into a mini pond on the left behind the rees.

Put it in play over both ponds on either side (3 wood perhaps). Short SW or something like that to the green. Have a look at the green as it as at the top of a large hill and the pin position is deceiving. Pond to back right of green.

#9- Long par 3. If you miss the4 green, miss it right. Not much room left or long. Huge slope leading toward the 6th green there.

Left is dead. Green is Massive but its hard to tell that from the tee. If pin is back, it's at least an extra club.

In general, the greens on this 9 are totally unlike the other 9s. Thera are all firm and hard and unreceptive. Don't go for pins tucked back as you can hit and roll of the greens. They are also somewhat faster than the other 9s.

Agreed. Greens are hard so you usually have to play to the front of the green a lot, especially if you are hitting out of the rough. In general, a solid 9 that will get better with time.

Hope this helps. Keep in mind this is a 19 handicapper's thoughts.
BTW, I am also playing on Friday. weather should be good. Good luck.