Offers
Hole Description:
Ray’s Swamp. I could not quite bring myself to name this hole Ray’s Creek as that would be just too great of a sin. However, adding the swamp to the famous title is appropriate. As anyone who has been in the hidden swamp to the right off the tee will quickly tell you, the swamp creature is alive and well on this hole. The hole is both scenic and enjoyable to play. You simply have to respect the hidden monster to the right of the trees as the beast will reach out and grab you if you dare approach to close to the right edge the whole length of this hole. Perhaps Ray from our maintenance team will appreciate this name the most. But, it is not intended to be named after our Ray. But if you enjoy the great shape the course is in, you can be sure Ray had a part in it as did a host of others who daily go about the task of making sure the course is in excellent shape.
Tee Shot Tips:
The left side of the fairway or even the rough is your best line. The choice to use driver, 3-wood, or even an iron is your real decision. The benefits of your selection are not readily apparent until you arrive at your ball in the fairway. Then you realize that there is a severe downward slope that compounds the difficulty of this hole by several fold for those who blast away with the driver. Laying up short left with a utility wood or 4-iron is a conservative option. By laying up short of the down slope, you are rewarded with a flat landing zone, but you have a full 150 to 160 yards coming into the green. This can be a big benefit over blading a short steep downhill chip and watching it sail over the green or into the tough traps in front of this green. Big hitters can reach a more moderate down slope on the far left side of the fairway down near the hole. Tiger woods could drive this green with one enormous slice of some 340 yards. But most mortals prefer to hug the left side of this fairway and take out Ray's swamp on the right.
Landing Zone Tips:
Know that the swap comes with a severe drop off to the right. This ensures that any ball that flirts with the swamp gets eaten by the swamp. Perhaps the best view of the extend of the swamp’s impact on this hole can be seen in the reverse images of the green shown above. The same is true for the down slope you can find yourself on by being left but not being long enough to roll down to the slope.
Approach Shot Tips:
If you find yourself on the down slope, take a bit more time with your practice swings and be sure your putting a controlled swing down the slope of the hill to make good impact. A definite de-lofting of your club will occur, so adjust your club or swing speed accordingly. Finally, know that the front center of the green is a hog and there is another one in the back center to the left. So landing the ball left of center is better than dead center up front in most cases. If the pin is back right or back center you can attack it. The front left is attackable as well. But when the pin is behind the hog in the front, it is a tough target. In which case, a high fade that lands about 5 yards in from the left of the green may be your best approach.
Putting Tips:
This green is very fast coming from the back to the front, and moderate going form front to back. Regardless of what direction you are putting the contours will have a big impact on the break and the speed of putts on green sixteen.
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