Okay, we’ve completed 8 and we are getting set to make the turn. But first we’ve got to contend with the beastly
beauty that is the 9th hole at Maidstone. In my opinion, this is THE hole at Maidstone. It is a pure links golf hole
that twists and turns between the dunes to finally arrive at the green. It is a fantastic 400ish yard par 4.
As we pull the ball out of the cup, it is time for some much needed refreshments at the turn. Frankly, I don’t like to
waste a lot of time dilly-dallying around at some fancy grill while making the turn. In fact, my favorite transition
from 9 to 10 is at The Piedmont Driving Club. Walkers are picked up by a courtesy cart and whisked across a
very long wooden bridge that cuts across the huge lake that is the centerpiece of the course. Once across, there
is a nice free standing “snack shack” that can whip up a dog or burger, hand you a Gatorade and you are on your
way to the tenth hole.
The tenth hole finds us in Chicago at the Seth Raynor masterpiece, Shoreacres. The golf course itself is
wonderfully routed across a piece of property that has a ravine as its main geographical feature. On this
particular hole the risk is off to the right side of the fairway. In fact, if you are too far right you will fall off into the
mess that leads to a portion of that ravine. HOWEVER, flirting with disaster on the right side leaves you with the
best angle of attack into this shallow green which is model after the Road Hole in St. Andrews.
Walking off the green, we are magically transported to back to Long Island. The 11th hole finds us on the tee box
at Shinnecock Hills. This uphill par 3 has one of the most vexing greens in the world, if you miss the green off the
tee. "What lurks over the green?", you ask. "A double bogey," is the response of our caddy.
The transition for 11 to 12 brings us to Askernish. Now we are faced with a 582 yard par 5 that has two avenues
of approach. The first option is a visible tee shot that leads to a blind approach, while the second option plays
into a fairway which is blind off the tee but the green is visible on the approach. Regardless of which avenue we
choose off the tee on this particular day, we'll have to play in to a plateau green that slopes away from our
approach. We must choose wisely off the tee and strike it crisp on our approach or pay the price!!
Approaching hole #13, we sense the fairway squeeze in on us as the wide open Askernish is long gone and the
tight and narrow fairways at Harbour Town Golf Links now surround us. This 354 yard par 4 requires us to keep
the ball on the right side of the fairway to have a shot at getting to this green in regulation. However, that is not
the only challenge. The green is very small with no depth whatsoever, but more importantly the bunker guarding
the green is immense and very deep. Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus sure seem to enjoy challenging our precision
on this course as a whole and this hole in particular.
Walking to the 14th hole, the ocean breeze blows and we sense salt in the air. This time, we are back in
Scotland. The Old Course to be precise. On this 523 yard par 5, the well known bunker called Hell lurks about
100 yards short of the green. Should we opt to play this hole up the left side and avoid Hell, or do we dare to hit
the ball dead center fairway and challenge the famous bunker. The wisest men generally avoid tempting Hell!!
After putting that ball in hole on 14, we now find ourselves on the resort of Bandon Dunes. The 15th at Old
MacDonald is a thrill ride of a par 5 that seems more like a cross country adventure than a golf hole. And, you
know what, that is just the way I like my golf.
Return to the home page... or Continue to the next hole...
beauty that is the 9th hole at Maidstone. In my opinion, this is THE hole at Maidstone. It is a pure links golf hole
that twists and turns between the dunes to finally arrive at the green. It is a fantastic 400ish yard par 4.
As we pull the ball out of the cup, it is time for some much needed refreshments at the turn. Frankly, I don’t like to
waste a lot of time dilly-dallying around at some fancy grill while making the turn. In fact, my favorite transition
from 9 to 10 is at The Piedmont Driving Club. Walkers are picked up by a courtesy cart and whisked across a
very long wooden bridge that cuts across the huge lake that is the centerpiece of the course. Once across, there
is a nice free standing “snack shack” that can whip up a dog or burger, hand you a Gatorade and you are on your
way to the tenth hole.
The tenth hole finds us in Chicago at the Seth Raynor masterpiece, Shoreacres. The golf course itself is
wonderfully routed across a piece of property that has a ravine as its main geographical feature. On this
particular hole the risk is off to the right side of the fairway. In fact, if you are too far right you will fall off into the
mess that leads to a portion of that ravine. HOWEVER, flirting with disaster on the right side leaves you with the
best angle of attack into this shallow green which is model after the Road Hole in St. Andrews.
Walking off the green, we are magically transported to back to Long Island. The 11th hole finds us on the tee box
at Shinnecock Hills. This uphill par 3 has one of the most vexing greens in the world, if you miss the green off the
tee. "What lurks over the green?", you ask. "A double bogey," is the response of our caddy.
The transition for 11 to 12 brings us to Askernish. Now we are faced with a 582 yard par 5 that has two avenues
of approach. The first option is a visible tee shot that leads to a blind approach, while the second option plays
into a fairway which is blind off the tee but the green is visible on the approach. Regardless of which avenue we
choose off the tee on this particular day, we'll have to play in to a plateau green that slopes away from our
approach. We must choose wisely off the tee and strike it crisp on our approach or pay the price!!
Approaching hole #13, we sense the fairway squeeze in on us as the wide open Askernish is long gone and the
tight and narrow fairways at Harbour Town Golf Links now surround us. This 354 yard par 4 requires us to keep
the ball on the right side of the fairway to have a shot at getting to this green in regulation. However, that is not
the only challenge. The green is very small with no depth whatsoever, but more importantly the bunker guarding
the green is immense and very deep. Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus sure seem to enjoy challenging our precision
on this course as a whole and this hole in particular.
Walking to the 14th hole, the ocean breeze blows and we sense salt in the air. This time, we are back in
Scotland. The Old Course to be precise. On this 523 yard par 5, the well known bunker called Hell lurks about
100 yards short of the green. Should we opt to play this hole up the left side and avoid Hell, or do we dare to hit
the ball dead center fairway and challenge the famous bunker. The wisest men generally avoid tempting Hell!!
After putting that ball in hole on 14, we now find ourselves on the resort of Bandon Dunes. The 15th at Old
MacDonald is a thrill ride of a par 5 that seems more like a cross country adventure than a golf hole. And, you
know what, that is just the way I like my golf.
Return to the home page... or Continue to the next hole...
