Our
Caddybytes.com 'Featured Hole of the Week' at this weeks Bob Hope
Chrysler Classic, is the signature 535 yard par five 18th hole at the
host -Arnold Palmer PGA West Golf Course.
The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic is a 90 hole affair beginning on Wednesday thru
Sunday and played on four golf courses with one professional and three
amateur playing partners. Everyone plays the rotation of the PGA
West, Bermuda Dunes, La Quinta, and Indian Wells golf courses at least
one time.
The host PGA West is the television golf course on Saturday and Sunday with the celebrity amateurs playing Saturday with their
professional playing partners, and the low professional scores at 70 and
ties, playing in the final round here on Sunday. The pix left is
of the tee shot landing area of the par five 18th hole from the tee
box.
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This
'signature' 18th hole was eagled by David Duval for a closing round of 59 and a
victory here in 1999 at the Bob Hope. In 2001 Phil Mickelson birdied
the last three holes on Sunday and this hole as well with one of those 'Classic
Phil' flop shot, up and downs!
This picture (right) is of the left side fairway landing area with the left
fairway bunker in the foreground. It's 265 from the back cut of the tee
to carry this 'finger' of the bunker, with the golf bag in the distance
being the ideal spot for a second shot of about 230 yards over the lake into
the center of the green.
(The green is located left of the grandstands in the upper left center of the
pix just under the green t.v. tower over the water in the distance)
Should you not have a good enough lie or yardage to go for the green in two
then you must 'layup' to the right and short of the fairway bunkers in the
distance.
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Here
is a 'run up' area to the right of the water and between some
bunkers right of and not in this pix. This is to show you the
entry way into the green and the second shot carry over the rocks to
the front of the green.
You wouldn't ordinarily 'chase' a ball up into this area and take
the chance of bringing the water left into play. But it is an
option if you couldn't go for the green in two, say with a 'cuppy'
lie in the fairway or rough, and you wanted to have a short-ish up
and down for your third shot.
The prescribed lay up area for the third shot is from this angle and
behind our camera from about 85 to 100 yards with a sand wedge.
Mike Weir emerged as champion in 2003 as Bob Hope Champion with a
precise wedge shot from this angle into the green. With Phil
Mickelson winning last year. Both followed those wins with
Master's victories.
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This
final shot of the green (pix left) should give you an idea of the
contouring and sloping of this long (43 yards front to back) green, as well as
the troubling 'Agua' should you miss it left.
It's important for the caddies in the pix to walk the greens each week in
practice to get the distances to the slopes and corners, anticipating where
the pin placements will be in the tournament. A golf professional
can hit a sand wedge within a couple of yards, so it's necessary to know the
carry to the slopes and then to the pin. And a longer shot will vary by
roughly 10 yards per club change (and more than that as the clubs get longer)
And as well, it's important to know the yardage beyond or over the flag to
where it runs out from the angle that you approach it.
So it's essential that you know where you want to miss a shot coming into a
green. You never want your player to 'short side', and miss the 'fat side'
(widest area) thereby making it more difficult to get the golf ball up and
down, should he miss the green!
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Hope Chrysler Classic Tournament's Page!
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Caddy Stories'
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Click back to our Bob
Hope Chrysler Classic Tournament's Page!
Click Here to our
new 2007 Slide
Show of holes 14 -18
of the PGA West Palmer Private tournament golf course!
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