Video Golf Tip | Par Three Strategy
By
John Elliott
For some of you really serious golfers you may recognize this hole as Augusta number twelve. Here at my home course, which is Ocala Golf and Equestrian club, this is our eleventh hole and we have eight copy holes on the golf course, three of which are from Augusta. Let me show you how to play the twelfth hole at Augusta or the eleventh hole at Ocala. The first thing we are going to do after leaving the cart is come over here and look at the yardage marker. As we walk up here and we look down, from where I am standing this shot is playing 100 and 60 yards, but the tee marker is out in front of the shot so let me pace of two, four, six steps. This means we are now playing this shot a 100 and 50 four yards. The reason that is really important is that this is what we call a one club green. That means from front to rear there is only room enough for one club to fit. That is really the big challenge at Ray's Creek or here at Golden Ocala because you have no room for error at all, either short or long. You either pick the right club, and speaking of clubs, as I left the cart I did not bring one, I brought three. I brought the club I thought I would be using, my 7-iron, and I covered it on each side, I brought my six and eight. If the wind changes and it is with me I go to eight, if the wind changes and it as against me I go to six. Or if I miscalculated the yardage I am covered no matter which way you cut it. From here it is a matter of picking the side of the tee that fits the shot with respect to your curvature and where the pin is on the green. The pin Is on the left center, that is my favorite spot, so I am going to go to the right center of the tee, aim directly at the pin and then pick my appropriate club. Let's do that. When teeing an iron shot you are teeing the ball down. What that means is that the ball is above the grass but it is not high above the grass, it is where the bottom of the golf ball is adjacent to the top edge of the grass itself. So that is the tee height we are looking for so that we can hit the ball in the middle of the clubface. Now I come back up, look the entire shot over and let my knowledge and instinct lead me in the right direction club selection wise. If it was early in the morning I would lay the clubs here on our turtle tee market for one reason, I do not want my clubs or grips to get wet. Well it is not early in the morning it is middle of the day, but anyhow, now I am going to play to the middle of the green with my 7-iron. That was a well struck seven that was a little long and we are now going to show you what a one club green looks like in depth and we will also talk about a couple of other things, so let's go up there.
