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Course Caddy: Highland Links No. 16
Dissecting 2014's Most Challenging Par-3


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.

 

Highland Links Hole No. 16


Let’s get the obscenities out of the way. You and I both know you’ve called this hole some horrendous things, and quite frankly, I can’t blame you. But instead of coming up with the next next awful thing to say about Hole 16—the most difficult par-3 in Golden Tee 2014—let’s solve this trackball conundrum.

If the wind is in your face, this hole can be incredibly difficult. It’s that simple. The green—sloping hard toward the front and, more specifically, the pot bunkers—can be hard to stick under any circumstance.

Par isn’t bad at all here. In fact, given the carnage that can sneak into the picture, par will be just fine.

What can be most difficult (or frustrating) about this hole is the close calls. The shots that are just inches away from perfection can often be the ones that crush scorecards. Like when your ball just barely trickles off the front of the green, ending up nestled against a wall of a front pot bunker. Those are the ones that often end unspeakably bad.

From here, you’ll have to hit your ball backward—which you may be too stubborn to try—and, well, you know the drill. Let’s avoid that, though.

With an out wind, this hole setups somewhat favorably. Finding the appropriate club and allowing your ball to release makes for a simple shot. The landing area still isn’t large—and you’ll want to avoid hitting it too far—but this is, without question, the most manageable situation.

With a strong crosswind or wind directly in your face, the plot thickens. It becomes increasingly difficult with a Highland-ish 15 mph wind directly at you. Even here, however, there’s a way to approach this shot.

Clubbing up (obviously) and using a low tee to avoid the high winds is certainly a start. What you’ll also want to try is cutting the ball in either direction so your shot comes in more horizontal than vertical. If you can land on the green and be moving more toward the side rather than straight down, you have a much better chance to hold the green and putt for birdie.

Low tee, bite, a little more club (and maybe some luck) makes for a rather tasty concoction.

 

This is a doozy, no doubt about it. And don’t feel bad when things turn ugly every now and then (because they will). But if you can have a plan, stick to that plan and execute more times than not, you can head to Hole 17 in surprisingly good shape.

How do you play?

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