Par 5s
Augusta National Golf Club; Augusta, Ga.
13th hole, 510 yards
A classic dogleg around Rae’s Creek that continues to
confound the
best players in the world because they know that
a cautious, sound
play
will rarely make worse than par (and
often lead to birdie). Yet, the allure
of an eagle three is often too
good to pass up, no matter what it
introduces
into the
equation.
Bethpage State Park (Black); Farmingdale, N.Y.
4th hole, 517
yards
A.W. Tillinghast loved a mid-hole forced carry designed
to
put pressure on the tee shot, especially in match-play situations
that
were
often prevalent in his thinking. He created the
midway “Sahara”
swarm of bunkers
on most of his courses, but
none is more dramatic and
strategic as the set here.
Pulling
off the carry and positioning the
second shot properly make birdie
possible on the flattish green.
Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship); Carnoustie,
Scotland
6th hole, 520 yards
A boundary fence runs
the
length of the hole to catch hooked
drives while two
center-line bunkers
force a tee-shot decision: Play left and
open up the best approach
angle to a well bunkered green, or
play right, bring
“Jockie’s Burn”
into play, and eliminate
eagle chances. Hogan played this hole
cautiously during his
1953 British Open win, but in match play he might
have
approached it differently.
Pebble Beach Golf Links; Pebble Beach, Calif.
18th hole, 543
yards
A hole that has improved with technology advancements
because
it is now a reachable par 5 in the vein of Augusta National’s
13th. As
with any
standout match-play arena, anything can
happen here, with the
Pacific Ocean
looming left, out of
bounds right, and a deep fronting
bunker that makes even a
wedge approach tricky.