NC Golfer: 2020

Thursday, December 17, 2020

LPGC Survey: Upon further review, the 18th hole doesn't fit!

One of my four uncles was a PGA Golf Professional. He competed in several "local, regional" tournaments; he may have had a round or two in the Great Greensboro Open in the 1950s. For the most part, he was a club professional, using his skills as an excellent teacher on the practice range and, better yet, while giving playing lessons.

He was always careful and thoughtful to end the session with a positive experience. Maybe just a good swing or a solid ball strike on the range. Possibly a well hit drive on the last hole or a good approach shot or a close-up chip to the green. He knew when to end the lesson. "That's what brings 'em back to the course," he said to me one day. "End the lesson on a positive experience. You want golfers to enjoy the game, to enjoy the lesson, and to have a good feeling once we're done. Don't let them leave with negative thoughts."

Which brings me to Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University and the results of a recent survey: Raleigh skyline makes Lonnie Poole GC's 11th hole the favorite. The 12th and 18th holes tied as the top two least favorite holes, primarily for the drives. The 12th with a relatively narrow fairway requires accuracy off the tee or the second shot may be from the rough on the right or a sand bunker on the left. The 18th, the longest by far of all the par 4 holes from any of the six sets of tees, requires considerable distance if hitting green in two is going to be possible.

The 18th, designated as the No. 4 handicap hole, is without hesitation the toughest hole on the course. The 3rd, 11th and 9th holes, ahead of the 18th in handicap ranking, don't hold a candle to the finishing hole as the toughest hole. Birdies are possible, but so are triple bogeys. Aspiring to make par is a nice goal, but if you get a handicap stroke on the 18th, you should make bogey your goal, celebrate making a par, and figure out what to do next time to avoid double or triple bogey.

The 18th No. 4 handicap designation is systematic because, as is the case with most courses, odd numbered handicap holes are on the front side and even numbered are on the back side. LPGC's 3rd hole is the No. 1 handicap hole but shouldn't be. For most players the par 5 is a three shot hole. The 9th hole is the No. 3 handicap hole primarily for the large green with difficult sloping that turns a good approach into a disappointment. For my money, the 5th hole is tougher than the 9th. The 11th hole, the fan favorite, is the No. 3 handicap hole because of it's length and shallow green, but it's also a three shot hole. Again, for my money, the 12th and 18th holes are tougher than the 11th.

The survey asked players to rate the holes on each nine from most difficult to easiest. Go to that story to see those results. It may be of interest that when the two nines are combined, when the two nines ratings of toughest to easiest are put together, the 18th hole comes out on top as the most difficult, by the long shot. Based on points, this is how all 18 holes would be listed as handicap holes from the No. 1 handicap hole through the No. 18 handicap hole if the two nines are combined:

18th hole — par 4, would be No. 1 handicap hole, currently No. 4
5th hole — par 4, would be No. 2 handicap hole, currently No. 5
3rd hole — par 5, would be No. 3 handicap hole, currently No. 1
12th hole — par 4, would be No. 4 handicap hole, currently No. 8
9th hole — par 4, would be No. 5 handicap hole, currently No. 3
11th hole — par 5, would be No. 6 handicap hole, currently No. 2
13th hole — par 4, would be No. 7 handicap hole, currently No. 10
2nd hole — par 3, would be No. 8 handicap hole, currently No. 9
16th hole — par 4, would be No. 9 handicap hole, currently No. 12
7th hole — par 5, would be No. 10 handicap hole, currently No. 7
15th hole — par 5, would be No. 11 handicap hole, currently No. 6
1st hole — par 5, would be No. 12 handicap hole, currently No. 11
4th hole — par 4, would be No. 13 handicap hole, currently No. 13
10th hole — par 4, would be No. 14 handicap hole, currently No. 16
14th hole — par 3, would be No. 15 handicap hole, currently No. 14
8th hole — par 3, would be No. 16 handicap hole, currently No. 15
6th hole — par 3, would be No. 17 handicap hole, currently No. 17
17th hole — par 3, would be No. 18 handicap hole, currently No. 18

If you take a closer look at all tee boxes on the 18th hole, the most inequitable driving area is the Wolfpack tees at 425 yards. From that tee, the average length of LPGC's eight par fours is 356 yards. There's only one hole over 400 yards, the 18th, at 425. Only two others surpass the average: the 385 yard 5th hole and the 358 yard 9th. The 18th tee is an after thought to the course design. It was added and stuck in a bottom area, probably 10-15 yards in elevation below the next lowest tee boxes, the Gray (379 yards) and Red (441 yards) tees. Despite little hazard to a relatively wide fairway, this may be the toughest tee shot on the entire layout if you expect to make the green in two shots. From the Wolfpack tees, the 18th is nearly 70 yards longer than the average of all par four holes and the biggest differential between the average length of all the par fours and the different sets of tees on the 18th hole.

At Lonnie Poole Golf Course, to have a short game, length off the tees in necessary, and playing up a set of tees is not always the solution. Those who play the Wolfpack tees are rewarded with good drives throughout the course, but when you get to the 18th, a good tee shot might mean a 5-iron or more, usually more, to the green. For some who play the Wolfpack tees and enjoy 17 holes, the 18th is misery, just not approachable in two. To move up to the Gray tees is not a solution for those players. From the Gray tees on the 18th, the drive may require a layup from the second cut that crosses the fairway about 200+ yards off the tee. Laying up a tee shot on the last hole of a round takes the fun out of the game.

It's easy to point out an issue and even easier to make suggestions for change, especially those changes that require substantial investment with no source of funding, but here goes:

On the 18th, ditch the current Wolfpack tees and extend backwards the Gray tee box about 20 yards, making the hole 399 yards. The 26 yard difference and the tee box elevation would make a huge difference in the hole. Also make the large area of boulders and thorny undergrowth right of the green into a "No Play" penalty area, requiring a one shot penalty and dropping the ball in a drop area about 50 yards from the green, no matter where the ball entered. A "no play" area is exactly what it says: You cannot play the ball from that area.

Set up the rest of the course as shown on the scorecard with tee markers combined when yardage is the same. Currently, there are 11 sets of tee markers with same yardage that should be combined:

Competition & Black: 4th—373 yds; 15th—549 yds;

Black & Red: 7th—554 yds; 10th—369 yds; 14th— 159 yds; 17th—379 yds;
Red & Wolfpack: 1st—507 yds; 2nd—181 yds; 8th—138 yds; 17th—110 yds;
Wolfpack & Gray: 13th—337 yds.

Combining tee markers when the yardage is the same would bring all sets of tees into the correct Course Rating and Slope and it would help with course maintenance.

Switch the nines: current 1-9 would be 10-18 and current 10-18 would be 1-9. It would allow the 18th hole to become the No. 1 handicap hole. Switching the nines could help with pace of play, especially eliminating the three-group log jam on the current par 3, 2nd hole. And it would give the golf shop staff a better visual of the starting tee,

There's no doubt in my mind the 18th hole at Lonnie Poole Golf Course is the toughest from all sets of tees. Actually it's a really good hole that requires a long and accurate drive and second shots that require avoidance of out of bounds on the left, and the boulder/thorny area and two deep bunkers on the right. The 18th can be a disaster waiting to happen.

Today, when a golf round starts on the 1st hole and ends on the 18th, if you play the last hole very well, at least up to your expectations, your round of golf could be just what my uncle wanted you to have. "End the lesson on a positive experience. You want golfers to enjoy the game, to enjoy the lesson, and to have a good feeling once we're done. Don't let them leave with negative thoughts."

On the other hand, with disaster waiting to happen, walking away with the thought of what could have been a good round, what was upset by that 18th hole is not desirable.

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Want to comment? Add you thoughts in the comment section below.

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Raleigh skyline makes Lonnie Poole GC's 11th hole the favorite

View of Raleigh Skyline from the 11th tee
at Lonnie Poole Golf Course

It’s not unusual for golfers to choose a favorite hole on a given course for something other than its design.

In a recent survey of repeat players at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course at N.C. State University, 35 percent of the respondents selected the lengthy par-5 11th hole. With its six sets of tees from the “way-back-there” box of 665 yards to the shortest length of 477 yards, nearly the entire hole, a third of a mile long parallel to highway Interstate-40, and its every nook and cranny can be seen from each tee.

The right side from the fairway is closely guarded by a wooded area. The left side slopes severely away from the fairway, taking good shots into heavy rough. Two well-placed fairway sand bunkers on the left and right can come into play on second shots. Deep sand bunkers from about 100 yards out guard the front of the shallow but wide green. Two sand bunkers guard a bail-out area short and right side of the green.

The 11th is the course's No. 2 handicap hole and can be played various ways. Long drive and second shot and then an uphill blind third or a challenging bunker shot from 70 yards out. Or a decent drive, a layup five iron leaving a 140-yard pitch. There are many other ways, some planned, some mistakenly taken. The 11th has a love hate relationship with most players, or maybe it’s the other way around. It’s challenging and, from tee through the green, the 11th is a great hole for its design.

However, it’s what looms behind and over the green, about three and a half miles away, that serves as the primary reason for it being the favorite of that 35 percent who took the survey: You can see downtown Raleigh from there, the tall, towering buildings that make up the Capital City's skyline. It’s that constant view, a complete distraction for the first 400 yards, that makes it the favorite hole. After that, you may ask yourself: What have I gotten myself in that's so tough?

No other hole comes close as the favorite. Second at 15 percent is the 16th hole, a relatively short (405 yards from the back, elevated tee). “The view, the challenge, and the green quality,” said one respondent about why the 16th is a favorite. Another said, “It’s a short hole that requires accuracy but rewards a good drive.” And another, “View from the tee and a challenging approach shot.”

The 16th is also considered a least favorite by 10 percent of the survey-takers. Said one, “Tight visual driving area with the water hazard to the left and the trees on the right, blocking the view of the right side of the fairway. Middle fairway bunker penalizes a good tee shot. Green side bunkering is a bit too much once you've conquered the tee shot. Only about 50 percent or less of the green can be used for pin placement. I feel fortunate when I walk away with par.”

As we get into favorite and least favorite holes and how the respondents rate the course from toughest holes to easiest holes, here is a link to the scorecard.

Favorite holes — Percent of respondents

Hole 11 — 35.0 percent
Hole 16 — 15.5 percent
Hole 1 — 10.0 percent
Holes 4, 5, 7, 15, 18 — 5.0 percent (each)
Holes 2, 6, 9, 12, 14, 17 — 2.5 percent (each)
Holes 3, 8, 10, 13 — 0.0 percent each)

Comments about the par 4, 18th, 425 yards from the Wolfpack (middle) tees as a favorite. The comments also apply to why it's a least favorite hole:

Various reasons: It's length from the Wolfpack tees, the penalizing area right of the bunkers nearest the green, the out of bounds to the left, and the size of the green make it the most challenging hole on the golf course. I like the challenge. It might take driver, 3-wood one day to reach the green and driver, 7-iron the next day. Birdies are possible but so are triple bogeys.
It’s simply a great hole!

Least favorite holes — Percent of respondents

Hole 12, 18 — 17.5 percent (each)
Holes 3, 13 — 12.5 percent (each)
Hole 16 — 10.0 percent
Hole 2 — 7.5 percent
Holes 5, 15 — 5.0 percent (each)
Holes 4, 6, 9, 11, 17 — 2.5 percent (each)
Hole 1, 7, 8, 10, 14 — 0.0 percent (each)

Comments about least favorite 12th hole, down hill 391 yards (Wolfpack tees), par 4:

Trouble three ways on the approach shot, particularly if your drive isn’t long.
Very little place to hit a tee shot. The fairway is too crowned.
It’s just an awkward hole from the tee.

Comments about least favorite 18th hole:

Hole 18 is unreachable for one who MUST play from Wolfpack tees due to driver length
Too difficult for mid to high handicappers.
To long from white Wolfpack tees. The Wolfpack tees are down in a hole and the Red tees are elevated that makes them easier than the Wolfpack tees.
Wolfpack tees are totally unfair.

Which brings us to ranking holes on each nine from toughest to easiest. This is not the official USGA method for determining the course handicap holes. That process is much more sophisticated and requires at least 200 rounds, comparing how a scratch golfer and an 18+ handicapper compete from the same tees, applying handicaps to make the match come out even.

In this survey, every hole was assigned points based on the toughest to easiest (1-9) multiplied by the number of times a hole was placed in the survey 1-9. For instance, if the 3rd hole was listed 75 times as the toughest, that's 75 points. If it was listed 42 times as the second toughest, that 84 points. The holes are then ranked toughest to easiest using fewest (toughest) to the most (easiest) points. Hey, low score wins in golf.

The front and back nines were not combined to rank them 1-18. Here are the hole ranking from toughest to easiest:

Front Side (Holes 1-9) Shown toughest to easiest:

5th Hole: would be 1st handicap hole; currently 5th
3rd Hole: would be 3rd handicap hole; currently 1st
9th Hole: would be 5th handicap hole; currently 3th
2nd Hole: would be 7th handicap hole; currently 9th
7th Hole: would be 9th handicap hole; currently 7th
1st Hole: would be 11th handicap hole; currently 11th
4th Hole: would be 13th handicap hole; currently 13th
8th Hole: would be 15th handicap hole; currently 15th
6th Hole: would be 17th handicap hole; currently 17th

Back Side (Holes 10-18) Shown toughest to easiest:

18th Hole : would be 2nd handicap hole; currently 4th
12th Hole: would be 4th handicap hole; currently 8th
11th Hole: would be 6th handicap hole; currently 2nd
13th Hole: would be 8th handicap hole; currently 10th
16th Hole: would be 10th handicap hole; currently 12th
15th Hole: would be 12th handicap hole; currently 6th
10th Hole: would be 14th handicap hole; currently 16th
14th Hole: would be 16th handicap hole; currently 14th
17th Hole: would be 18th handicap hole; currently 18th

The survey was conducted in early December 2020. More stats about the respondents:

Rounds played at LPGC during the last 12 months:

101+ rounds: 30.0 percent
1-25:  25.0 percent
26-50:  17.5 percent
51-75:  12.5 percent
76-100:  15.0 percent

Annual greens fee player or Daily greens fee payer:

Package Plan: 92.0 percent
Daily greens fee: 8.0 percent

Ride a cart or walk:

Primarily walk (75 percent of time): 52.5 percent
Primarily ride (75 percent of time): 32.5 percent
Equally walk and ride: 15.0 percent

Tees played most of the time:

Red tees:  35.0 percent
Gray tees:  33.0 percent
Wolfpack tees:  25.0 percent
Gray/Green Combo tees: 5.0 percent
Green tees:  2.0 percent
None of the respondents play the Black or competition tees (most of the time).

Gender and age of participants:

Male 65+:  55.0 percent
Male 55-64:  18.0 percent
Male 35-54:  13.0 percent
Male 18-34 : 10.0 percent
Female 55-64, Female 65+: 2.0 percent each

Do you have a GHIN handicap index?

Yes, and I would like to play in handicap tournaments at LPGC: 75.0 percent
Yes, and I would NOT like to play in handicap tournaments at LPGC: 18.0 percent
No, I don’t have a GHIN index: 7.0 percent

Footnote: The handicap indexes of those who took part in this survey range from a 0.5 to 24.0 with half at 10.0 or less and half above 10.0. The average handicap index was 10.6.

Thanks to all who took the survey. If you would like to comment on the results, please use the comment section below.

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

100 yard approach shots at Lonnie Poole Golf Course

There's a saying in golf: Drive for Show; Putt for dough. It means what you do on the green is most important. Good putting wins dollars and championships, no doubt. But a good drive puts you in good position to hit a good approach shot which makes putting easier.

And, knowing the course makes that approach easier. For instance, many years ago, I was added to a twosome on the first tee. I joined a man and his 21-year old son, who (the son) was playing a practice round in advance of a qualifier for the North Carolina Amateur Championship. I asked the son if he would like any advice along the way. He said, emphatically, "No."

On the first hole, a lengthy (578 yards from the way-back tees), we somehow ended up equal distance to the green for our third shot to a back, right-side pin. He was away. After he used his range-finder to get a distance, I asked his club selection, just for curiosity sake, not advice . "Nine iron, right at the pin," he said, proceeding to strike his ball directly on his intended path. The ball landed next to the pin, bounced high and went over the back of the green, stopping about 30 yards behind and 20 yards below the green.

I also pulled a nine iron. The son asked about my club selection. When I told him he said it would not be enough club for my shorter game. I didn't say anything, hitting the ball shorter as intended and to the left side of the green. My ball landed where I wanted as it worked its way up the green to a slope that went right, sending the ball toward the pin, where it stopped a few feet away. I made birdie; he made bogey.

As we exited the green and started toward the second hole, the son said, "Sir, if you want to give me advise about the course, I'll gladly take it."

This is the second of several looks at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University. In our first installment, we looked at photos of LPGC from the tips, the 7358 yard long competition tees where you'll find the college golfers playing in tournaments or maybe for a low-handicap United States Golf Association qualifiers or Carolinas Golf Association tournament or a Carolinas PGA event.

Seeing the course from the tips offers better views and nicer lines than from any other set of the seven tee courses at LPGC. It shows the layout Arnold Palmer Design intended to showcase. But most rounds at LPGC are played from much shorter tees, usually the Wolfpack tees, a 6032 yard layout with its own set of difficulties, risks and rewards.

Before yardages were labeled on sprinkler heads and before laser rangefinders, measuring distances to the front, middle and back of greens and to the pin, I remember when we had 150-yard bushes to judge the distance remaining after hitting your drive. Those bushes are long-gone, replaced by stone plaques of 200-, 150-, and 100-yards.Not all courses have the stones; LPGC does, thank goodness.

So today we're looking at each green from the 100-yard marker on each of the eight par 4 holes and five par 5 holes and from the Wolfpack tees from the five Par 3 holes. Approaching the greens from 100 yards out is not much different than from 75 yards or 150 yards, depending on your capabilities. The 100-yard distance is just to offer perspective. All photos were taken with an iPhone 7 with a +50% zoom.

There's a little, subtle advise given for each hole, but not much. It would not be helpful to those who play the course once or twice. for those of us who play more often at this wonderful layout and huge NC State University asset, knowing the golf course and those subtleties is important when aiming your approach shot, not hitting for the pin every or, maybe, at any time. Just ask the son with his rangefinder.

LPGC Hole 1, Par 5, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 507; 407 yards to this approach.
Green predominately slopes left to right.
Bunker on front and right guards most of the green.

LPGC Hole 2, Par 3, from 181 yards (Wolfpack tees)
Downhill shot to two tier green (lower back half) with severe left side slope.
Bunker comes into play on shots to the right.

LPGC Hole 3, Par 5, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 468; just 368 yard to this approach.
Up-hill shot that plays more like 120 yards to middle.
Large false front on left and huge, deep bunkers are cause for concern.

LPGC Hole 4, Par 4, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 298; just 198 yards to this approach.
Downhill shot to a large green that slopes front down to back.
A "spine" in green from front left to back right determines approach.

LPGC Hole 5, Par 4, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 385; just 285 yards to this approach.
It's uphill, another shot that plays longer than the yardage.
Deep front bunker catches many second shots.

LPGC Hole 6, Par 3, from 131 yards (Wolfpack tees).
Ball landing on right side false front could end up 60 yards short.
Big, deep left/front bunker catches many tee shots.

LPGC Hole 7, Par 5, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 493; just 393 yards to this approach.
Downhill shot to long green with spine down the middle from front to back.
Bunkers usually catch longer approaches. Don't be long on this shot.

LPGC Hole 8, Par 3, from 138 yards (Wolfpack tees).
Uphill "blind" shot to long/wide green no matter where the pin is located.
Left and right bunkers come into play depending on hole placement.

LPGC Hole 9, Par 4, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 358; just 258 yards to this approach.
Stance is very much below the ball causing approach issues.
Right side of green has big slope, used to direct ball to front pin placement

LPGC Hole 10, Par 4, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 345; just 245 to this approach.
Bunkers guard three-quarters of green. False front guards left side.
High slope in back of green causes issues for putting and long approaches gone long.

LPGC Hole 11, Par 5, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 553; just 453 yards to this approach.
May be the toughest green to approach. Very narrow front to back.
With bunkers, add a club to uphill shots but ball may roll over the green.

LPGC Hole 12, Par 4, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 356; just 256 yards to this approach.
Downhill shot to a green that slopes left to right.
Larger bunker can disappoint a well hit drive.

LPGC Hole 13, Par 4, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 337; just 237 yards to this approach.
Ball (ball below your feet) can roll over green if it lands on sloping left.
Bunker on right prime to penalize players hitting direct to pin on right.

LPGC Hole 14, Par 3, from 138 yards (Wolfpack tees).
Large green all around. Usually plays longer that expected.
Left side tee shots can end up off green. Right bunkers catch many shots.

LPGC Hole 15, Par 5, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 468; just 368 yards to this approach.
Looks easy but green length and fear of water right are mind issues.
Left green-side bunker should not come into play but makes recovery hard.

LPGC Hole 16, Par 4, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 341; just 241 yards to this approach.
Nearly all of front half of green is false front.
Huge right side bunker is intimidating and used often.

LPGC Hole 17, Par 3, from 110 yards (Wolfpack tees).
Downhill shot that fools you. Front bunker comes into play for front pin.
Green mostly slopes left to right and back to front.

LPGC Hole 18, Par 4, from 100 yards.
Wolfpack yardage is 425; just 325 yards to this approach.
There is no 100 yard stone this hole. Ball would be below feet.
Long green with left to right slope, and big right sand bunker.

Saturday, June 06, 2020

Lonnie Poole Golf Course: A view from 7400 yards

View of the Raleigh skyline from the 11th tee
at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University

My guess, my educated guess, is that golf courses are designed from the teeing area to the greens complex and never the other way around.. There may be an exception or two. Come to think of it, tee to green is probably why we are told you can only appreciate the course and the layout when you look at the entire course, from the back of the back tees and through the green.

Most golf course photos are of the greens complexes. And for good reason. It's the most memorable part of a round. It's where championships are won. Greens complexes are where you score, where you are offered various approach shots to various pin locations. This is where golfers make their money. On the greens is where you lower your handicap. The teeing area and what confronts you is where holes are lost but usually never won.

This post is one of a series about Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University. There's a lot more to the course than what you may encounter as you make your way around the layout. In this post, you'll find the view from the Competition tees, the "way-back" tees of a course which measures 7358 yards, no easy feat. At LPGC, the distances on the score card are from yardage stones placed on the various (as many as six) teeing areas.

For the Competition tees, the stones are at or near the back of the teeing areas. It is likely the full yardage of the Competition course has never been played, not in college tournaments, not in USGA events. The stones marking the yardage are placed to give the course it's publicized length. Individual hole yardages and the Competition tees total are measured to the center of the greens. The Competition tees have a course rating of 74.7 and a slope of 142. The photos were taken from the Competition tees stones with an iPhone 7 using about +50 percent zoom, much of what we see from there. Enjoy!

Hole number, par, length, and handicap are underneath each hole photo.