Holes 4 & 5 - Into the woods

Now lads when you reach the fourth you are as they say "Cookin on gas". This is index 2, the first hole in the trees and an absolute smasher of a golf hole. To the more observant of you this hole is reminiscent of Augusta National (OK without the magnolias) but if you pay attention you'll see what I mean. Par 4 with a right to left dog leg and a severe slope from right to left just where you want to have your tee shot position itself. All along the left runs a stream which continues and becomes a very much in play barrier to your approach to the green.

Your ideal tee shot should favour the right side of the fairway to negate the slope but you will see the odd hero take on the corner with mostly predictable results. However of course if you can cut the corner in anything approaching a controlled manner you do leave not much more than a short iron for most players. The pin position here is key to your approach shot. The fat part of the green is left and has the shortest route over the stream, whilst the right portion is narrower with more carry required to reach the putting surface. Bunkers back left and stream in front I pick the cowardly option every time regardless of pin position. A par here is a great score moving on to a lovely par 3 fifth hole coming up next.

This par 3 has a raised tee box playing to a raised green set back in very tall trees. Bunkers front and right and also back left make front left your best bet each time regardless of pin position. I have to say at this point that I seem to spend a lot of time in the bunker at the back and as often as I've played it I don't seem to be able to change that fascination with the sand. However front left leaves an uphill putt the majority of the time and despite my best efforts birdie attempts are common enough (at least amongst my playing partners).

I like these two holes and I think that if you give them a little thought and respect you can cover yourself in glory as your partners lose more shots and trail in your wake (due in no small part to the excellent advice you are getting from me at no charge.....try that in Ballybunnion or Kinsale).

Onward.

The Third-Good hole this one

Now at the risk of sounding a little bit like I keep robbing the first couple of lines from the other descriptions this hole has a good wide fairway to mess about with. If you are straight but not the longest hitter you will find the short grass without much difficulty. The danger here is racecourse on the left and out of  bounds. On the right are some well placed bunkers that catch a longer but wayward ball. Now when I say well positioned I mean that based on the amount of time that I spend in them which is most of the time. Actually when you get down to the bunkers you will see that in reality there isn't a lot to be gained by going over them as the fairway stays to their left (you'ld think I'd have figured that out by now eh). A very large and indeed very solid tree stands on the left of the fairway as it narrows and will block out any wayward leftish drives.

So what does that tell you? A 3wood will do if you are a strong hitter leaving a 7-9 iron shot to the green off the short stuff as long as you are straight. As for the green I think its one of the harder targets on the course because its a narrow enough green from 120m+ or so. I don't doubt that the overall square metreage (is that a word?) is similar to other par fours but it seems very small with that usual cross wind blowing. Oh and by the way there are a couple of hefty bunkers to the right front and right of the green. Index 6 but can play a lot harder than that. (Did I mention that the green is raised so you have to stay on it with the approach shot. No? Well it is so stay on it!)

What should you hope to do here? A good tee shot staying on the left side of the fairway leaves a straight iron to the narrow green. You can be short or left and still make par or bogey at worst but this hole has seen so many well made birdies that theres no reason that you can't help yourself to one aswell. Unless you are me. Enjoy.

Hole 2............If you're not straight be RIGHT

Now you see the thing is that this hole like the 1st (that you have just had a respectable par at) has a more than generous fairway. At its narrowest its still wide but the fly in the vaseline jar here folks is the expanse of water that runs most of the way up the left side. Also the camber of the fairway will take a tight shot towards the lake so the local knowledge is if you dont hit it straight be right. The right hand side of the second fairway runs along the right side of the third so loads of room out there (just don't forget the players who have hit a wayward one one that hole!)

There is some longer grass and some furze thingys on the right but it isn't wet. The green on the second is a difficult animal with some nice little breaks dependant on pin placement and how good your approach was. There isn't anything in front but a couple of big bunkers to the left and rear make an overcooked approach shot a bit harder to recover from. All in all a nice hole that has seen its fair share of birdies but again don't be disappointed with a par, and move on.

Plan for today

Well I'm off to Charleville , Co Cork to play 18 holes in a charity gig (Charleville Lions Club). Much thanks to Bagenalstown man and Charleville member Jimmy Doyle for the kind invite. I have played there a few times before and it is one of the nicest all round experiences in my golfing calender. Do you know the kind of place where everyone says hello to you from the time you arrive, well its like that. Sort of America without the sugar. Enjoy your day. I will. www.charlevillegolf.com

The First

This is the easiest hole on the course...ahem. I think I have had par here on two occassions in competition since I started playing. Large bunkers on the left and racetrack on the right so the big wide fairway is the simplest solution. You would think so wouldn't you. Thank God for stableford is all I can say. Still if you can get a good drive away then the best approach for the higher handicap is probably a utility club leaving a 100m or so to the big green. Now at this point I must say that I am not best tooled up to advise anyone on putting so do it yourself. It is a great way to start the round if you can get a birdie here but to be honest be happy with the par because it will help you to get a feel for the place before the water appears on the next hole.


Medal on next Sunday and I'm out at 14.15 or there abouts. I will move onto hole 2 next time so if you have anything to add please leave a comment....even a bad one.  FORE