18 January 2006

Throw 'em a Bone

"Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered."
-As related by Jim Cramer

I've always been a fan of throwing the conservative, pedantic and plodding golfer a bone here and there and let them earn an uninspired par. It especially works on a shortish-mid length par 5 (in the neighborhood of 500 yards). I like the idea that just executing three simple shots and nailing two putts will give someone a par, but making the hole just wide enough and just short enough to lead to temptation.

The hole design below would be best suited for rolling terrain (even dunescape) since there are some rolling features around the green (including dunes over the back and a bunker cut in one of them to cover the approach from the right).

The green has a deep swale running through the middle along the minor axis and is more accepting of a shot from the left side. I am also a fan of bunkers gaurding a chipping area that lies along the ideal approach to the green. Any golfer going for the green in two is subject to the terrain around the green, whereas a more conservative golfer is given room to pluck easier shots from the landscape - earning a fairly benign par.

I give you all the Jim Cramer Hole: