of the 14th. The listed scorecard yardage of 344 yards is merely a suggestion – the Tour typically varies the distance between 300 and 350 yards, and in the 2017 PGA the tees were moved all the way up to 289 yards for the second round. The measure of a good drivable par 4 is if it strikes a balance between temptation and caution, which the 14th does. Each player stands on the tee with the same expectation, to make a three with an outside chance for a two. The question is, what’s the best tactic?
DANCING A large, gentle green awaits mid-and long-irons at the par-3 13th.
Most players in the field can get home with driver or 3-metal, but going for the green isn’t the answer for everyone. For some, the threat of the lake is too ex- treme, so they’ll consistently club down to an iron off the tee for safe positioning. Others will lean into statistics and try to hit it on or near the green each day (err- ing right) and trust they can get up and down if they miss. Hole location can also influence the decision – when flags are set on the front of the 52-yard-deep green, players can be more aggressive because the re- covery options from short and the two greenside bunkers are more routine. Hole locations at the back leave less room to miss and typically play a quarter to a half-stroke more difficult, so more players will opt to lay up and approach with a wedge to control the spin to these tight pins. The 14th has averaged 3.75 strokes in the last five Wells Fargos, so this is a critical, gettable hole where par feels like a bogey. The run continues at the par-5 15th, an even greater scoring opportunity. The fairway continues along the reser- voir that’s not really in play for the pro- fessionals, then proceeds past the water before climbing uphill towards a green set in a grassy amphitheatre. If players can fit their drives somewhere between a cluster of oaks on the left and two fair- way bunkers on the right, they’re in the “go” zone. That leaves them with a semi- blind approach that requires a carry of between 220 and 270 yards to cover the bunker fronting a green that has several accessible hole locations. The bunker arrangement around the
GO FOR IT The drivable par-4 14th will yield threes and even some twos.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 89
MAY 2025
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