Hole #4 - When playing from the green tees, the 3rd and the 4th play from almost the same distance (412 yards and 411 yards). While the holes are very different, and play in opposite directions, the 4th tee selection is maybe one of the few that I’d change for the green tees. The blue tee plays 385 and I think would add a little more variety to the green tees. The gold tee, blue tee, and white tee (376 yards) all have fairly similar angles on this hole, though the white tee will sometimes play up near the red tee. From each of these tee boxes, a good portion of the fairway will be blind. The portion of the fairway that is visible is the left side, and this is the angle that presents the most complicated approach to the green.
 |
| This is the view most golfers will enjoy from the tee on the 4th. The red tee option eliminates the carry and is located just beyond the long grass visible on the far right side of the photo. |
The red tee is another big time fun, short par 4 option. Again similar to the 3rd hole in distance, the 4th hole plays 281 from the red tee. From this tee, most of the fairway is in view and the carry from the tee is removed. Big hitters can have a swing directly at the green, and may even need to scale back from a driver. For me, the red tee gives me the option to hit driver and leave a short pitch to the green or to scale back to a hybrid and play a full wedge to the giant green.
Hole #5 - There are two primary locations for the gold tee. Both have similar distances of 215 to 225 yards. This hole is an extremely demanding one from the back tee. The green is partially blind from every tee on this hole. One gold tee option is located directly behind the primary blue tee box. The other gold option is on a “wing” of the back tee which is further right. This location leaves the 5th green even more blind to the golfer and really makes the golfer uncomfortable.
 |
| The frightful view from the "monster" gold tee box. Just left of the trees, you can see one of the alternating blue tee boxes. |
There are also two different locations for the blue tee on this hole. One is directly in front of the primary gold tee box. The other is a little less elevated and off to the right on an “island”, more in line with the far right gold tee option. The white tee plays from 178 yards, and creates a bit more blindness by being slightly less elevated.
 |
| This is the look from the more elevated blue tee box. You can also see the shorter white tee box to the left in this photo. |
Finally, the red tee is a blast as well. From only 125, it is down in the valley enough that the hump in front of the green completely obscures the view of the green. The player has only a wedge in hand, but must wait until the walk to the green to find out where the shot comes to rest. Given that balls landing left tend to roll right and balls landing short and right tend to roll left, there is plenty of surprise in store for the golfer.
 |
| While not exactly taken from the red tee box, this photo provides a good sense of the view and blindness from the most forward tee box. The result is a surprise that is revealed as you walk up the hill! |
Hidden Gem: Just as the 3rd can be played from the 5th tee, I suppose the 5th could be played from some of the 3rd tees. The white and red tee boxes would be a bit extreme, but the blue and gold tees on the 5th hole would be somewhat realistic options, though I’m not sure most will find the need to make this hole more difficult than the standard teeing options!
Hole #6 - On a course loaded with tee box variety, the 6th really stands out (well, ok, maybe the 9th too but only because there are two completely separate sets of tee boxes for that hole). The gold tee (396 yards) is all the distance I need and then some. This tee really stretches the hole out with some carry, and for someone with not too much distance getting over the first giant hump in the fairway can be a real challenge. If you hit into the front hump, the problem is compounded with about negative 20 yards roll and a blind shot to the green.
 |
| Back it up all the way to the golds on #6 for a real challenge |
The blue tee (373 yards) is just far enough forward to alleviate the above challenges for the average hitter. The blue tee presents a similar angle as the gold tee (offset to the right, making the fairway a bit diagonal from the tee).
 |
| The blue tee provides a similar angle to the gold tee with enough distance reduction to provide substantial relief |
The white and red tees completely transform this hole. The white tee is only 306 yards and the red tee is a mere 270 Both of the tee boxes are looking straight down the 6th fairway. Despite the fact that these distances are short enough to give the longer hitter a shot at the green, the narrow neck just short of the green is more likely to lead the stronger player to take less club. Still, the risk/reward options exists if you want to load up and go for the green. While I absolutely love the blue tee angle, it would be a real mistake not to play the hole from this alternative angle at least once during your visit to Kingsley.
 |
| The white and red tee options at the 6th present different challenges than the longer tee boxes. These tees are equally fun to play over the course of numerous rounds. |
Hidden Gem: The blue or white tee from the 2nd hole is a special treat on the 6th. For those that are intrigued by the alternative angle (from the white / red 6th tee) but don’t want to cut the hole down to 300 yards, these 2nd tee boxes provide the same angle but with more teeth. I’d guess that you are playing the hole around 350 or 360 from these #2 tee boxes.
0 comments:
Post a Comment