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The
1st hole is a good warm up. It is a tree lined dogleg left, which provides a
generous landing area. The approach shot is downhill to a green that receives
the ball nicely. To avoid the first tee jitters, play a fairway wood off the
tee. A shot of about 190-210 yards will leave you no more than a mid-iron into
the green.
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The honeymoon is over. The 2nd hole is a beast. Even a good drive leaves you
a long iron to a green guarded on the left by a sand bunker and on the right
by both a grass hollow and a grove of pines. Beware; the tee box lines you
up toward out of bounds.
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The
3rd hole has trees to the left and out of bounds to the right. The tee box is in
a tight chute. Play it smart and choose a club you can hit straight, or you may
be hitting your second shot from the same spot as your first. |
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The 4th hole is the #1
ranked handicap hole, and is usually playing into a prevailing wind. The tee
shot also hits into an uphill slope, which kills the roll. There is a lake to
the right of the landing area and a tree line to the left. A strong drive is
crucial. It is important to try and reach the crest of the hill, which makes for
a more manageable second shot. |
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The 5th hole rises 75
feet from the tee to the green. A well-hit drive will carry the first rise and
come to rest in a blind landing area. The approach shot is all uphill to a
two-tiered green. The green is protected on the left side by a grove of trees
and on the right by a naturalized meadow. Pay careful attention to the pin
placement. It is important you stop the ball on the correct tier. Note: You must
stay below the pin, or "it's like putting in a bath tub and trying to stop it
(the ball) before the drain." |
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The 6th hole is an uphill
par 3 over water. The green sits at the highest point of the golf course. It is
protected on the right by a sand bunker and just beyond that is out of bounds.
The left side of the green falls away sharply down hill. The green is a small
target as are most of these old style greens, and if the wind is really blowing
try to bring the ball in from the left because anything that drifts right will
either catch the bunker, or worse go out of bounds. |
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The 7th hole is the first of
the par 5's. From the tee you have a panorama of the entire golf course. The
hole plays downhill back into the heart of the golf course. Because of the
elevation a golfer can get a lot of carry off the tee. Water on the right and
trees on the left protect the green. "Don't leave it in the bag." This is a
green you can reach for in two. |
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The 8th is a comfortable par
4, but you better hit the ball straight because the left is protected by a
hundred year Pin Oak and to the right there is a ravine. Keep your ball in the
fairway, and you have a good chance to walk away with a birdie. |
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The 9th brings many golfers
to their knees. It is a 244-yard par 3 playing to a 3500sq-ft green. If you are
in a tight match take an iron and run it on. Worst-case scenario, a chip and a
putt and you walk away with par. |
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Stop and get a hot dog on
the turn because the 10th hole requires all your strength. The fairway slopes
strongly from right to left, so the ideal tee shot is out toward the Choke
Cherry tree in the right rough then let the topography feed the ball back to the
middle of the fairway. |
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The 11th hole is a
meandering par 4 with a narrow landing area. The green has two tiers and is one
of the largest on the course. Pay close attention to the pin position because
the green's surface is not visible on the approach. |
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The 12th hole is the second
of only two par 5's at Oakland Beach, and it is no slouch. This #2 handicap hole
plays 598 yards uphill. Hit all you can hit for the first two shots then
hopefully you're in a position on your approach to leave the ball below the pin.
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The 13th is a deceiving
hole with out of bounds running up the right hand side and a naturalized meadow
to the left. Leave the ego in the bag and pull out an iron. Placement of the tee
shot is more important than length. The approach shot will also play about 20
yards less than what the yardage reads. |
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The 14th is a fairly
straightforward dogleg right. You can cut the corner and aim between the Hickory
tree and out of bounds, but be aware that if you don't clear the corner you
leave yourself a virtually impossible shot to the green. |
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The 15th hole is beautiful
little par 4. Though playing only 352 yards, it has its perils. Out of bounds
guards the right side and the left is heavily mounded. Favor the right side of
the green on your approach. It will feed the ball back to the middle of the
green. |
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The 16th is a true "hero
hole." The green is easily reachable for the big hitters, but is it worth it?
Bunkers surround the green and O.B. spans the right and behind. The smart play
is to hit an iron off the tee, but it is the 16th hole and you didn't come all
this way to lay up. |
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The 17th is a nice little
par 3 over a valley with a nasty green. A 30-foot putt could have a 10-foot
break. Don't get too greedy; get on and get out. This hole has been the
determining factor between a great round and good round.
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The 18th is a great finish
to the round. The tee is 35 feet below the landing area and if you don't clear
the rise you will have a blind approach to the green. The green has a sand
bunker to the left and grass hollow to the right. If you are going to play
conservatively off the tee you have room to bail out to the left. |
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