1st HOLE par 3 - red tee 198, blue tee 206 SI 13
Prevailing wind WNW
Prevailing wind WNW
The only par 3 opening hole on the current British Open course candidate list and as such it appears relatively straightforward. However, as is often the case at Royal Lytham, this would be a false assumption due to some subtle and not-so-subtle features. The tee is somewhat sheltered on the right where the tree-line runs almost from North-West to South-East directly towards the green. The tree cover thins out after 100 yards or so, revealing the railway track that parallels this boundary of the course all the way to the 9th hole, furthest from the start, and constitutes OB along its entire length. The wind predominantly gusts West-North-West, 'helping over the right shoulder', but can and does change throughout any given day, and with varying speeds. The microcosmic climate on the Fylde Coast is extremely changeable and plays a major part on any round of golf at Royal Lytham regardless of time, trend or season which is why you have to consider the sheltering effect of any tree cover on this first hole. Once your ball is around halfway to the hole, it is fully exposed to the wind, it is typically at its flight apex, and of course it is rotating around the axis of whatever spin you have intentionally (or unintentionally) imparted upon it.
So far then, no mention of optimum shot-making in respect of bunker positions, green conditions, flag placement, or state of mind considering it's the opening hole of your round and psychologically key. There are 4 bunkers guarding the left-hand side of the green, positioned from 7o'clock to 10 o'clock; 3 bunkers on the right, 3 o'clock to 5 o'clock. As with almost all the bunkers on this course, if you miss one, you'll invariably find yourself in one of its neighbours, and the actual size of each trap can be realistically multiplied by another 70% or so due to the fiendish design of the physical catchment area. There are two bunkers at around 160 yards from the tee, directly in front of the green designed for the mis-hit...or the mis-judge. If the wind is not following its usual pattern, you will have to rethink most of your calculations...whether it's your second round on the same day, or simply a different day. All this before you've even had chance to switch to grooved-swing and muscle-memory mode. The green itself is around 36 yards deep and 30 yards wide, but because of the 'usual' prevailing wind, it's very difficult to hit a stereotypical golf shot that pitches on the green and stops relatively quickly. If the wind is gusting in the opposite direction however, (typically a 1-in-fifteen chance), the pitch/stop factor obviously changes. Another variable though: links greens are not manicured and watered like a a lot of American 'target' golf greens. The grass is predominantly fescue but its characteristics alter and adapt to reflect the local climate. Many well struck tee shots with proportionally crafted backspin will pitch at the very front of the green and run on through the back, leaving a tricky shot in the second or third cut, or even in wispy semi-rough that will have you re-living the dreaded fluff shot.
Now it's good news because your caddie tells you, (once you've made the green ) that almost without exception, the borrows, breaks, slopes, and whatever customized jargon he's adopted to suit you, are very subtle. And he would be correct: I have adopted the same credo myself and I would like to think I helped originate it. Putting at Royal Lytham is about pace...which varies immensely on each and every green. Temperature, humidity, time-of-day, and especially wind direction/strength, are fundamental components of your reading. There are only around 4 greens on the course where directional extremes come into play, and I'll cover these where applicable. Your caddie may or may not have advised you on your tee-shot and even at that juncture, a whole tour-bag full of variables will have conspired to disrupt or help you with your decision-making process and shot execution depending on your faith and ability. Unfortunately, those same two attributes apply to your caddie, although not necessarily within the same parameters, thus introducing more margins for error. The same model applies to your putting. He may indeed give you a very good line and perhaps add extra nuggets of information regarding moisture on an early green, stimpmeter-defying speed on a glassy inward green, and even some wind-speed factoring, but he cannot entirely depend on your following the guide to the letter. In fact, it's impossible and thereby lies the get-out for both yourself and your caddie should you miss the putt. Likewise, a satisfying sense of concurrence in judgement and execution triggers the same stimuli should you hole the putt, albeit with an entirely polarised completeness.
My own caddie mantra for this hole is to ensure that the bag does not contain any extra clubs, you have the ball make and number, your cleaning towel is satisfactorily wet, you have the relevant wind data, and that your player is encouraged to make a really good effort from the tee and use it as a positive foundation. Avoid the bunkers because they 'face' each other across a narrow green thus doubling potential hazards. The sand will be inconsistently textured too and as with the majority of holes on this course, it almost pays to be 'big' to the back or through the green in order to miss an unwelcome trip to the beach. Of course, you will need to rake every 'visited' bunker throughout the round ensuring that you make a thorough effort. Golfers and caddies alike will appreciate your following the etiquette.
When the putting process takes place, caddies need to be aware of the putting order, the holing-out sequence depending on the competition format, the rules, and the variations that can take place depending on the golfers' preferences. The caddies will be attending, removing and replacing the pins throughout the round, avoiding damage to the edges of the precisely cut holes, also taking care to prevent the flag rustling in the wind. On the greens and at certain allowed junctures, the golfers will be expecting their caddies to clean their respective golf balls. I personally would advise initiating this action yourself rather than waiting hesitantly for your golfer to decide, thus setting a precedent for the round. And, unless you excelled as a top slip-fielder or baseball catcher, try to discourage your man from nonchalantly tossing the ball your way, expecting a showboat catch...it looks unprofessional when you drop it. If needs be, use your towel as an improvised catcher's mitt to help your percentages....and never mark his ball on the green unless expressly asked. (Avoid this scenario altogether in a tournament). A good caddie should always try to minimise distractions from all sources at all times but on the greens it's worth exercising some extra care: avoid casting any extraneous shadows, do point out obstructions or irregularities on the putting surface if you think your player has overlooked them, and do try to minimize the amount of steps you take, especially close to the hole itself. You also need to be aware of your own position relative to the active putter. You cannot be standing in his eye-line or even remotely visible behind him on a similar axis because it constitutes a definite distraction. Some golfers have variable sensitivity on this one, but it's prudent to adopt a consistent method, namely placing yourself around 90 degrees to the line of the putt, facing your golfer and just far enough away that he can't see your shoes as he hunkers down over his putt. This positioning tactic actually applies to just about every shot on the course where practical. You will also need to re-position yourself on the greens so that your stance is the same for each and every golfer putting out.
Greens are organically changing as a round of golf progresses and are worthy of consideration when you offer your thoughts. Many factors change as the surface alters. A good caddie is aware of his footprint, how his body weight features, and where he walks, and we haven't even recognised the pitch-mark yet...
Footwear guidelines have changed over the years and it's worth checking these out in the pro shop so that you don't incur the wrath of the secretary, the greens committee, or even the R&A. It's human nature to apportion blame when failure occurs and it can be directed inwardly or outwardly depending on the circumstances, but I have seen many caddies take the full brunt of a golfer's anger and frustration when a barely visible spike mark or sole impression has 'caused' a deviation on an otherwise 'good roll'. Some might say that this comes with the job, and to a certain extent, there's truth and merit in that argument. However, a good caddie should always try to reduce the volcano quotient whenever possible. If I'm working and we're all on or about the green, I always over-exaggerate my walking around the lines of each putt. I do not step over the lines, I totally circumvent them....and I always make sure that I have been seen to do so by the maximum number of people where practical. Potential risk and damage limitation in action.
As a consolation on this first hole, it's worth bearing in mind that a thinned shot that carries the two short placed bunkers invariably ends up on the green by virtue of its inherent straightness. Not pretty, but I would take that shot every time over a wild pull-hook left into trouble or a blocky-push or fadey-slice right into the trees or OB. Caddie warning that applies here and everywhere on this course: you can lose a ball from 50 yards out and more despite walking straight to where you think you saw it pitch and stop. Stroke index13 - I would concur 90%.
So far then, no mention of optimum shot-making in respect of bunker positions, green conditions, flag placement, or state of mind considering it's the opening hole of your round and psychologically key. There are 4 bunkers guarding the left-hand side of the green, positioned from 7o'clock to 10 o'clock; 3 bunkers on the right, 3 o'clock to 5 o'clock. As with almost all the bunkers on this course, if you miss one, you'll invariably find yourself in one of its neighbours, and the actual size of each trap can be realistically multiplied by another 70% or so due to the fiendish design of the physical catchment area. There are two bunkers at around 160 yards from the tee, directly in front of the green designed for the mis-hit...or the mis-judge. If the wind is not following its usual pattern, you will have to rethink most of your calculations...whether it's your second round on the same day, or simply a different day. All this before you've even had chance to switch to grooved-swing and muscle-memory mode. The green itself is around 36 yards deep and 30 yards wide, but because of the 'usual' prevailing wind, it's very difficult to hit a stereotypical golf shot that pitches on the green and stops relatively quickly. If the wind is gusting in the opposite direction however, (typically a 1-in-fifteen chance), the pitch/stop factor obviously changes. Another variable though: links greens are not manicured and watered like a a lot of American 'target' golf greens. The grass is predominantly fescue but its characteristics alter and adapt to reflect the local climate. Many well struck tee shots with proportionally crafted backspin will pitch at the very front of the green and run on through the back, leaving a tricky shot in the second or third cut, or even in wispy semi-rough that will have you re-living the dreaded fluff shot.
Now it's good news because your caddie tells you, (once you've made the green ) that almost without exception, the borrows, breaks, slopes, and whatever customized jargon he's adopted to suit you, are very subtle. And he would be correct: I have adopted the same credo myself and I would like to think I helped originate it. Putting at Royal Lytham is about pace...which varies immensely on each and every green. Temperature, humidity, time-of-day, and especially wind direction/strength, are fundamental components of your reading. There are only around 4 greens on the course where directional extremes come into play, and I'll cover these where applicable. Your caddie may or may not have advised you on your tee-shot and even at that juncture, a whole tour-bag full of variables will have conspired to disrupt or help you with your decision-making process and shot execution depending on your faith and ability. Unfortunately, those same two attributes apply to your caddie, although not necessarily within the same parameters, thus introducing more margins for error. The same model applies to your putting. He may indeed give you a very good line and perhaps add extra nuggets of information regarding moisture on an early green, stimpmeter-defying speed on a glassy inward green, and even some wind-speed factoring, but he cannot entirely depend on your following the guide to the letter. In fact, it's impossible and thereby lies the get-out for both yourself and your caddie should you miss the putt. Likewise, a satisfying sense of concurrence in judgement and execution triggers the same stimuli should you hole the putt, albeit with an entirely polarised completeness.
My own caddie mantra for this hole is to ensure that the bag does not contain any extra clubs, you have the ball make and number, your cleaning towel is satisfactorily wet, you have the relevant wind data, and that your player is encouraged to make a really good effort from the tee and use it as a positive foundation. Avoid the bunkers because they 'face' each other across a narrow green thus doubling potential hazards. The sand will be inconsistently textured too and as with the majority of holes on this course, it almost pays to be 'big' to the back or through the green in order to miss an unwelcome trip to the beach. Of course, you will need to rake every 'visited' bunker throughout the round ensuring that you make a thorough effort. Golfers and caddies alike will appreciate your following the etiquette.
When the putting process takes place, caddies need to be aware of the putting order, the holing-out sequence depending on the competition format, the rules, and the variations that can take place depending on the golfers' preferences. The caddies will be attending, removing and replacing the pins throughout the round, avoiding damage to the edges of the precisely cut holes, also taking care to prevent the flag rustling in the wind. On the greens and at certain allowed junctures, the golfers will be expecting their caddies to clean their respective golf balls. I personally would advise initiating this action yourself rather than waiting hesitantly for your golfer to decide, thus setting a precedent for the round. And, unless you excelled as a top slip-fielder or baseball catcher, try to discourage your man from nonchalantly tossing the ball your way, expecting a showboat catch...it looks unprofessional when you drop it. If needs be, use your towel as an improvised catcher's mitt to help your percentages....and never mark his ball on the green unless expressly asked. (Avoid this scenario altogether in a tournament). A good caddie should always try to minimise distractions from all sources at all times but on the greens it's worth exercising some extra care: avoid casting any extraneous shadows, do point out obstructions or irregularities on the putting surface if you think your player has overlooked them, and do try to minimize the amount of steps you take, especially close to the hole itself. You also need to be aware of your own position relative to the active putter. You cannot be standing in his eye-line or even remotely visible behind him on a similar axis because it constitutes a definite distraction. Some golfers have variable sensitivity on this one, but it's prudent to adopt a consistent method, namely placing yourself around 90 degrees to the line of the putt, facing your golfer and just far enough away that he can't see your shoes as he hunkers down over his putt. This positioning tactic actually applies to just about every shot on the course where practical. You will also need to re-position yourself on the greens so that your stance is the same for each and every golfer putting out.
Greens are organically changing as a round of golf progresses and are worthy of consideration when you offer your thoughts. Many factors change as the surface alters. A good caddie is aware of his footprint, how his body weight features, and where he walks, and we haven't even recognised the pitch-mark yet...
Footwear guidelines have changed over the years and it's worth checking these out in the pro shop so that you don't incur the wrath of the secretary, the greens committee, or even the R&A. It's human nature to apportion blame when failure occurs and it can be directed inwardly or outwardly depending on the circumstances, but I have seen many caddies take the full brunt of a golfer's anger and frustration when a barely visible spike mark or sole impression has 'caused' a deviation on an otherwise 'good roll'. Some might say that this comes with the job, and to a certain extent, there's truth and merit in that argument. However, a good caddie should always try to reduce the volcano quotient whenever possible. If I'm working and we're all on or about the green, I always over-exaggerate my walking around the lines of each putt. I do not step over the lines, I totally circumvent them....and I always make sure that I have been seen to do so by the maximum number of people where practical. Potential risk and damage limitation in action.
As a consolation on this first hole, it's worth bearing in mind that a thinned shot that carries the two short placed bunkers invariably ends up on the green by virtue of its inherent straightness. Not pretty, but I would take that shot every time over a wild pull-hook left into trouble or a blocky-push or fadey-slice right into the trees or OB. Caddie warning that applies here and everywhere on this course: you can lose a ball from 50 yards out and more despite walking straight to where you think you saw it pitch and stop. Stroke index13 - I would concur 90%.
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