WOODMONT PAR THREE

SHORT CIRCUIT

CIRCA: APRIL 2017

SURE TO GET A CHARGE OUT OF THIS ONE

Par: 54 Yardage: 1828 yards UL Rating: Scoring resistant! Design Team: D & D & W & F Associates

(Note: Yardages were done by a minimum wage operative-trust them at your own peril) Hole 1 90 yds “Ben Franklin” (White tee 5 to 1 green)

Like it’s namesake you have to kite a short approach high over the raised edge of the putting surface and feed it softly down slope that works away from you. There is some run out room provided in that the pin is not as close to the edge as its seems.

Hole 2 89 yds “Jump Start” (Blue tee 3 to 2 green)

Depending if you make proper connection on the first, you may need to get a helpful charge on this one. From the elevated tee this short down hill pitch replicates the slope into the Sunday pin on the 16th at Augusta. Clever use of the slope can slow the shot and move it closer to the target. Don’t overleap because there is a nasty bunker lurking if you are too long.

Hole 3 160 yds “Megawatt” (Gold tee 3 to 4 green)

The original signature hole takes a full force carry across the oblivion to a green complex above that is framed by trees. Land it gently on the front of this green that steeply falls away toward today’s pin. It may take all your skill to contain your power and keep this shot on the putting surface.

Hole 4 105 yds “Blind Resistance” (Gold tee 4 to 3 green)

A trained service dog could be useful here in that you got to sneak up on this one and trust your visualization to a pin that is not quite in plain view. The pin is on a small flat shelf in the back center of the green with a roll off to the left, so the best approach is a high soft one using the slope right of the flag to dampen the roll out and feed it onto the shelf.

Hole 5 80 yds “Alternative Energy” (Blue tee 9 to 5 green)

You are starting to get the idea that it often takes an alternative route to get where you want to go around here. This may be one of the truly dicey shots you will hit all day. Blinded from your view by the brow of the hill between you and the putting surface, a diversionary approach is called for. Landing area is steeply banked left above the hole and turns swiftly down hill as your ball approaches the hole. Hit this one with dentures.

Hole 6 87 yds “Lightening Rod” (Blue tee 7 to 6 green)

Much like the one on the stone shelter to your right, this flag stick down in the low area in the back corner of the green will attract collected energy. A down hill pitch must land on the upper shelf and crawl over the edge of the transition to feed dexterously to the low area that holds the flag. Something just beyond the hole and to the left will give the best attack angle for a birdie putt.

Hole 7 120 yds “Out of Phase” (7 fairway to 8 green)

This will take a planned two-phase approach to get close. Pull enough club to carry the right side of the fronting bunker and let the ground move your Srixon left and towards the flag. Taking aiming directly on the flag with spin will likely result in the false front tugging you off the front of the green. Don’t say you were not warned!

Hole 8 115 yds “LaZer Beam” (Blue tee 8 to 9 green)

Good news and bad news. We moved the pin to the right to make the approach line more accessible…but we put the flag on a small precipice in the back right corner of the green where, if you are too strong, you have a short side Mickelson flop shot back onto the green. If you can gauge the roll out properly, you can use the ramped length of the green to feed a laser straight approach up to the hole. It’s just physics!

Hole 9 88 yds “Static Electricity” (Practice green to 7 green)

Much like walking on carpet in your sox and touching something metallic this one can give you an unexpected ZOTZ. This is a full carry short pitch to a coffee table green that will sneak your ball away from you once it is on the ground. Too strong and you are off the back edge of the table with an up-and-down pitch to save your par.

Hole 10 90 yds “AC/DC” (Green tee 12 to 11 green)

As the name implies there are two ways to get at this one. AC: you can flight a spinner over the mound into the side bumper left of the flag and let the ground swerve shove it to the flag. DC: you can take a more aggressive approach and drive your pitch into the face of the mound just behind the flag and let it tumble back down onto the putting surface. Could be a club and a half extra for the elevation change. Misplay this one and the team scorecard could experience a “Highway to Hell” (released on Atlantic Records 1979).

Hole 11 105 yds “Lightening Strike” (Green tee 11 to 10 green)

It took divine intervention and some maintenance clean up to give us this new approach to the beginning of Oy-Vey Corner, the technical part of the course. Full carry over a single gaping bunker to a pin wedged into the hill back right of the green. Once again clever use of the side slope may be the only way to get it to an attack putting position below the hole.

Hole 12 90 yds “High Tension” (Old White tee 13 to 12 green) Forced carry across the rippling pond to a long, long green that falls away from you will cause Maximum Teeing

Anxiety (MTA). Use the provided right side banking to slow your approach as it feeds down the fall line in the middle of the green. Pretty likely you are putting back up towards this pin unless your ball has velcro hooks on it.

Hole 13 134 yds “Sparks A Flyin’” (Black tee 11 to 13 green)

Once again the course set up guys were in a kinder and gentler mode this year. The pin is more accessible than in the past and should handle a low running shot working up the hill to the pin in the back right corner. In spite of what your eye says, this is just as long of a shot as the card says. This is a shot where the right-to-left curve can be your friend.

Hole 14 82 yds “Shock Therapy” (Black tee 18 to 14 green)

Was provided to Craig Goodman by his memorable approach and no putt in 2016. Some of the fire of this slope has been removed with the green renovation, but it still takes a combination of bold and creative execution to find a line to get it close to this front right pin.

Hole 15 86 yds “Hydroelectric” (White tee 15 to 17 green)

Channel the energy of the water element and hit a low skipping pitch into the transition ramp on your approach to a pin perched on the top shelf. Everything turns right on the ground but it should leave you with an uphill birdie putt you can master.

Hole 16 65 yds “Shock Wave” (Green Tee 16 to 15 green) Totally redesigned this year and half as long this will still

present a challenge to get it close for the best birdie opportunity in the closing stretch. This is a short pitch over the flower bed and the crest of the wave to a blind hole position in a collection bowl just short of the closely mown pitching area. The side slope to the left should help dampen the roll out and feed it into the mixing bowl.

Hole 17 115 yds “Lava Lamp” (Gold tee 17 to 16 green)

If you could see the putting surface it would remind you of one of these dorm room appliances from the Hippie Era. It will take a soft landing pitch on to the top level that takes the slow molten flow over the transition edge to ease it’s way down to the front pin location. More often than not the second will be played as a return pitch from the bunker or the frog hair in front of the green. This has been the pivotal hole in the championship every year.

Hole18 105yds “Ohm Hole” (Black tee 10 to 18 green)

Thomas Edison would have approved of the figuring required to solve the mystery of this hole. It is an on level pitch into a green tightly protected by hidden bunkers. Once it touches down your ball will skid right and away from you….. so plan accordingly.