COURSE CADDIES :: Turtle Island :: Hole 5 :: PAR 4


Welcome to the Course Caddy, a look at each and every hole in Golden Tee 2014. Over the next few months, we will spend each day looking at a different design, starting with Hole 1 on the first course and ending with the final hole on the final design.

We want—no, NEED—your help in this process!

How do you play a particular design? Share your thoughts on strategy and YouTube uploads in the comment section. Your feedback is integral in the complete understanding of the design.

All holes will then be available for reference on the Course Caddy page—a bookmark must for the entire encyclopedia! Enjoy.

 

Turtle Island Hole No. 5


Don’t do it. Don’t fall asleep at the Golden Tee wheel and give away a stroke on this straight forward par-4.

Hole 5 on Turtle Island is that hole. A two-shot par-4 without any real in-play hazards to worry about, and yet, it can be the sleepy setups that provide the most bite.

There’s lava here, but it should be no concern of yours. Put your tee shot in the fairway—hitting past or staying back from the trees tucked along the right side—and you’re halfway there.

Easy, right? Well, yeah.

The approach isn’t tricky, either, although this can typically be where the hole unravels. Because there is a natural right-five break in the green along with an elevation change, managing distance on this shot can be tricky. Unlike most elevation changes, however, the ball doesn’t carry as well as you might imagine.

How you approach this hole is dependent on, you guessed it, pin placement. If the pin is tucked near the front of the green, Backspin and Bite are your likely options. You don’t want to spin off the green—the most likely scenario to give away the birdie putt—but instead club up and spin it back.

If the pin is in the middle or back part of the green, you have options. You can still club up or use Bite for a safe approach. Or you can approach with no spin at all, being conscious of distance.

Like spinning of the front of the green, going long here is not in the cards.

 

This is not the hole to be overly aggressive, but you also don’t want to be left with a long putt with a lot of break. Get as close as you can without risking a chip and maybe better things will happen.

How do you play?