When is right usually wrong and setbacks are a good thing?
Only if you
want to make a golf hole your backyard. Architect John Fought, who
has
designed many real-estate courses including Crosswater at Sunriver in Oregon
and Seattle's Washington National, provides some tips about how to
avoid making
your home a target for errant drives.
Greenside risk
"The danger depends on the length of the
hole.
The longer the approach, the more likely players will hang it to
the right."
Beware the right
"Most misses are to the right, so the
right
side of a hole is more dangerous, especially starting 500 feet
from the back
tee."
Cutting corners
"Doglegs to the right need more room on
the
right than any other type of hole. People trying to cut the corner
or play left
to right usually hit it short or in the trees, then try to
make up for that,
bringing more misses into play."
Wide choice
"The Urban Land Institute recommends moving
175
feet in each direction from the centerline to determine the safety
corridor for
real estate. I try to go 200 feet, especially to the
right. Elevation and trees
can change that slightly. If houses are
60-70 feet above the fairway, you could
creep in a bit.
"Some build
houses 150 feet off the centerline—I don't know
how they afford the liability insurance."
Altitude adjustment
"In places like Colorado, the balls
travel farther
offline, so the corridor needs to be even wider."
Worst-case scenario
"An elevated tee on a downhill,
dogleg
right. The tee shot stays airborne longer and that can be scary
if your home is
down there."
Left behind
"That doesn't mean the left side is not
dangerous—not quite as much."
Best-case scenario
"An elevated site on the left side of
the
hole, ideally behind a green and the next tee."
