Gold 528 Yards, Blue 470 Yards, Silver 431 Yards, White 389 Yards, Red 359 Yards
This Par 5 is one of the signature holes of the Palmer course. It has an endless buffet of troubles spread out for you, and you are invited to pick whatever you fancy that you can handle.
It is a duplicitous layout. The drive is plain straight down. Then water about 200 yards from the tees. The fairway bends a bit left here and then right towards the green with water and bunkers on the right all the way around the green.
The drive is inviting, it is a super wide fairway that baits plenty of players to whale away with their tee shots to get as close to the water for a shorter shot across the water to the continuation of the fairway on the left.
A long row of eucalyptus trees right beside a creek and thick bushes lines the left of your tee shot. A huge bunker and OB fence to the right, both of which are really unnecessary hazards because balls hit to the right face forced lay-ups to the left, unless one can carry 230 yards of water from the right.
Second shot over water to get to the fairway again. Or, second shot over more water and a bunker to get your ball closer to the green for your third shot. Or, second shot over water, water, more water, and two more bunkers right beside more water to make the green in two.
You cannot over-club to the left to cross the water, because they put more bunkers on the left there and again, around the green to catch players with a phobia for water.
Oh, and the green is not a final resting place either. They made it huge, to trick you into thinking thank good ness you can finally be putting…..as much as 60 feet to the hole, downhill, and super fast.
All in all, a diabolical hole. Bring plenty of golf balls. Plenty of patience. And plenty of humility or sense of humor.
