The Crucible - Hole #1
Par 3, 485 feet

Hole #1 plays sharply downhill to a basket protected by a tree before it on its left and a line of trees on the right. Almost all of the danger is to the right, with some nasty bushes and trees. If you miss to the left you are in the open with the hill your only obstacle to a par. The hyzer (righty backhand) is the easier shot to throw due to a tree 75 feet or so from the tee which is offset to the left, but it also brings the danger more into play.

  Overall
Open Men
Pro Masters Men
Advanced Men
Open Women
Average
3.6 (7)
3.2 (7)
3.3 (8)
3.8 (7)
3.8 (5)
Birdies
6
4
1
1
0
Pars
85
31
13
41
1
Bogeys
83
11
5
64
3
Doubles
9
0
1
8
0
Other
5
0
0
5
0

 

 

 

 



Peter Wilkin drives on hole #1. If you're throwing the anhyzer, you need to get it low and tight to the tree, as he does in the picture. Peter was one of only 6 players to birdie this hole.

This hole played harder than I thought it would, 7th hardest on the course and only 6 birdies for the weekend? I'm amazed at the low number, but pretty happy overall with the average score for the open men being where it is. I want most of the par 3's to play around 3.0. I'm not unhappy with this hole as long as people are still playing it for the 2, which I think pretty much everyone was, at least to some extent.

I think this is a hole that will get birdied more often as people learn to play it. It's 485 feet but plays much shorter. If I anhyzer a roc correctly I can reach it and I can only throw a roc about 330. I can also reach it pretty consistently throwing a driver on a flat hyzer. Like most downhill holes, it's all in the angle.

I saw a couple of wild shots on this one, including the normally accurate Phil Arthur yank one and throw it over the barn to the right of the trees and land it in hole 5's fairway. He ended up with a bogey on that one...


Woody Blackwell throws his drive, which ends up being one of only 6 birdies all weekend...

... when he hits this 25 foot put coming back uphill.



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