Good "Bad" Memories - Part 1

DarinBunch — 01/03/2008 17:56:46

They’re out there, and you’re probably thinking about them right now—the holes that take a bite out of your butt each time you tee it up at your favorite places to play. They’re your own, personal golf demons.
We’ve all got ‘em. It might be the tight tee shot that requires a draw, the short-iron approach to a green as thin as an Olsen twin or a putting surface that gives Six Flags’ roller-coasters a run for their money.
But if you’re a “real” player who doesn’t mind a flesh wound or two, the kind of guy or gal who stands in the face of challenge and pronounces, in your best Monty Python accent: “I putt in your general direction,” you want to play those holes again and again. You want to conquer them.
Here are nine of the holes (in reverse order) in California and Las Vegas (we’ll have our Northern Nevada, Pacific Northwest and Arizona experts plunge into the discussion in the coming weeks) that have slapped me around for years. But I’ll get the best of them yet. Tell us your favorite “trouble spots” and why for a chance to be our first FG Lucky Winner in 2008.
9) 14th at Oak Quarry — “Spinel Slide,” as it is called, is the Mother of All Signature Holes, and I’ve yet to make par here. At 214 yards from the tips, it’s like tossing a marble onto a postage stamp … from across the room. My tip: Pick a club, trust it and pray. And repeat as needed.
8) 1st at Trump National — One of The Donald’s truly inspired improvements of Pete Dye’s somewhat muddled Ocean Trails, this waterfall-backed opener is still relatively short (300 yards from the blues, 370 from the blacks, although it plays uphill). But the real trick is on the wedge-shot approach to a rolly-polly sliver of green — too little and your ball takes a bath, too much and your ball takes a shower. It sets the tone for the enjoyable seaside spanking that is ahead.
7) 3rd at Rhodes Ranch — I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff on this hole. In fact, my golf buddy, Little Danny McDonald, has made par out of the water on this somewhat-island-green par 3, plus he’s had a hole in one from the 167-yard tee box. But when played from the full 227 yards, it’s as touch a one-shotter as you’ll find. Over water. OB long. Into a waterfall left. Into the community’s guard shack right. And Ted Robinson Jr.’s trademark three-tiered green makes birdie on the back pin placement nearly impossible. I’ve carded a 2 here, but I’ve also carded a 9.
Continued in Good “Bad” Memories – Part 2

Good "Bad" Memories - Part 2

DarinBunch — 01/03/2008 17:55:24

continued from Good “Bad” Memories – Part 1
6) 18th at Bali Hai — Just finishing a round at Bali Hai is a testament to your stamina and love of the game. Simply putt, this Polynesian paradise tucked into the most unlikely of places is long. Very long. By the time you reach the finishing hole (a 486-yard par 4 from the tips), your driver is probably already sore from a hard day’s work. And one final great drive here rewards you with … a long iron or hybrid (or 3-wood?) to a green shaped like a sideways zucchini. At least there’s sand to stave off a water-bound penalty. I’ll take 5 here every day I can play it.
5) 15th at Rancho San Marcos — The redesign of this beautiful RTJ Jr. track in the hills above Santa Barbara has softened this beast, called Bear’s Back, but it remains a great dogleg-left par 4 that can determine whether you coast home with a good score or stagger back to the clubhouse with memories of what might have been. My tip: Stay short of the green on your approach, no matter what.
4) 17th at Barona Creek — Read the website and this 566-yard par 5 is simple to play. Hit it here, hit it there, be patient, it says. But all it takes is one big drive to put you in a quandary, which usually results in a second shot that finds the creek bisecting the fairway, which in turn results in double-bogey, which further results in cries of “Man, I let that one get away” while having a cold one in the clubhouse.
3) 8th at Pebble Beach — This one has to be on the list, no? Perfect tee shot to blind fairway. The most intimidating approach on the planet over ocean to a green where downhill putts never stop. It’s a beauty I’d play every day if I had the money.
2) 17th at Stevinson Ranch — I used to call Stevinson my home course, and this par 4, the middle child in one of the better three-hole closing stretches in California, can get more than my goat. A hooked tee shot finds the water running along the left side of the fairway. Short tee shots lead to long irons, again with water left and rough mounds to the right. I once played 16-17-18 at Stevinson in even par, and I’ve never forgotten it. At least I know it’s possible.
1) 4th at Spyglass Hill — True golfers see iceplant in their nightmares. Cut too much corner on this, the best hole on the Monterey Peninsula, and your inner child will be screaming in horror. Keep the ball in play off the tee, and you only need to hit the narrow green and hope you stay on the right level, otherwise, you’ll get a glimpse of the kind of putts PGA Tour players read on a regular basis. Not only have I never one-putted this green; I’ve never seen anybody I’ve played with one-putt it. My tip: Talk you friends into an 8-foot gimme and move on.

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Good "Bad" Memories - Part 1

Good "Bad" Memories - Part 2