The Tee Shot

The second and final par 5 can be easy if you play it conservative, but it can also be hard if you dont. Off the tee the main hazrads are the trees which run all the way down the left of the hole, the ditch which runs accross the hole just in front of the ladies tees, and the hedge which runs down the right hand side of the fairway. There is a second ditch which is roughly 320 yards from the tee, so this only comes into play for the very good golfer, and even then, only in the summer. The first ditch only comes into play for the higher handicappers, but the hedge and the trees are in play to a golfer of any standard. The fairway is very wide, with the perfect shot being straight down the middle. If you are going to be looking to go for the green in two you are better off being on the left hand side of the fairway as opposed to the right.

The Second Shot

The second shot on 17 sees the trouble reverse itself. The trees now run from the ditch all the way up the right hand side of the hole, while the hedge is not only now on the left, but it is also now a water hazard. If you manage to hit the ball over this ditch on the left there are more trees after a few yards of rough. The trees on the right are never too bad to be in, you will nearly always have shot to the green of some sort. The further up these trees you go the easier the shot becomes, as there are less trees, and they are skinner. Being right is certainly better than being left if you are hitting you second shot over the ditch. Some people will be laying up to the second ditch, and if you do you are looking at roughly 180 yards to the green from the second ditch.

The Approach

For the approach you still need to watch out for some of the previous mentioned hazards, such as the trees and the ditch. You also need to look out for the hedge that is over the back of the green, and a small copse of trees that sits off the left of the green towards the back. There are also two bunkers short of the green, one on the right and one on the left. These bunkers are quite steep, and getting the ball close to the flag is always tricky out of these bunkers.

The Green

This green slopes from the back to the front, and there is a large slope towards the back of the green which can make judging pace difficult if you are on the wrong tier to the flag. There will not be many putts on this green that move a massive amount, but like with some of the other greens, there will not be many dead straight putts. This green can sometimes be tricky to judge the pace on after playing the previous 9 holes in the racecourse, as the greens can be a little different on each side.