How Can I Best Play A Cape Golf Hole? (Video) - by Pete Styles
How Can I Best Play A Cape Golf Hole? (Video) - by Pete Styles

So how can you best play a Cape Golf Hole? I think the first thing to understand is exactly what we mean by a Cape Golf Hole. Cape Golf Hole is the hole that’s probably going to curve around a stretch of water. So let’s look at some famous example. The 18th at Pebble Beach famous example; drive down the right side, water comes in all down the left side, curves around the back of the water to a green. So there is no direct line of sight or direct line of golf shots from straight from the tee to the green. You’d have to travel over 400 yards of water. But if you drive down the right side and curve around the water, you can stay over, you can stay off the grass. You don’t have to cover the water but it’s a longer route. So do you play safe down the right side and then back to the green, quite a big dogleg or do you try and be a bit brave and play down the center of the left side or do you cut it over the water, fly over all the water, try and land up towards the green on the fairway but it’s a riskier strategy.

I think one of the first things you’ve got to consider is, which way the hole bends and which way your golf ball normally bends. So if I’m playing the right to left doglegging Cape Hole so the 18th at Pebble Beach perfect example. If I hit out to the right-hand side with a draw, that ball is travelling over land the whole way and the drawer is helping it run around the corner; quite a safe way of playing it. So if that’s my shot, I’d aim down the right half of the fairway, let my natural drill bring the ball back to the center and it’s running round the corner, it’s going to get quite close to the green. However, if I’m normally a slicer of the golf ball, where I hit the ball from left to right and fade it back into the fairway, this is quite a risky shot now because as I hit out down the left-hand side, it’s going to go over water for most of its journey. It’s slicing back in over the water but I’ll hit it well enough or hard enough or with enough fade it might actually never get back to the land. It lands ashore, lands in the water and I’m re-teeing I’m dropping up there with a one shot penalty. So depending on the shape of the shot and depending on the shape of the hole, could depend on your club selection. If I’m being a bit more defensive, I might actually just hit a long iron or even a fairway wood and just keep it in play. Generally those clubs are straightened to hit. Most golfers are happier hitting a three wood and a straight line than they are driving a straight line. So if you and being too aggressive, use a more lofted club, play sensible, don’t hit over the water. If you’re being nice and aggressive and you’ve got the right shape of shot for the right shape of hole, take it on with confidence. Aim nice and safe down the right side and draw it back into the center. Don’t be put off by the water and particularly don’t try and steer it away from the water because that would actually upset your natural rhythm. So take on the shot, be nice and assertive with it and play it with confidence and if you don’t fancy the look or the shape of the hole, drop down to something more lofted and just keep it and play with that. And that’s the best way for you to play a cape golf hole. 2014-05-09

So how can you best play a Cape Golf Hole? I think the first thing to understand is exactly what we mean by a Cape Golf Hole. Cape Golf Hole is the hole that’s probably going to curve around a stretch of water. So let’s look at some famous example. The 18th at Pebble Beach famous example; drive down the right side, water comes in all down the left side, curves around the back of the water to a green. So there is no direct line of sight or direct line of golf shots from straight from the tee to the green. You’d have to travel over 400 yards of water. But if you drive down the right side and curve around the water, you can stay over, you can stay off the grass. You don’t have to cover the water but it’s a longer route. So do you play safe down the right side and then back to the green, quite a big dogleg or do you try and be a bit brave and play down the center of the left side or do you cut it over the water, fly over all the water, try and land up towards the green on the fairway but it’s a riskier strategy.

I think one of the first things you’ve got to consider is, which way the hole bends and which way your golf ball normally bends. So if I’m playing the right to left doglegging Cape Hole so the 18th at Pebble Beach perfect example. If I hit out to the right-hand side with a draw, that ball is travelling over land the whole way and the drawer is helping it run around the corner; quite a safe way of playing it. So if that’s my shot, I’d aim down the right half of the fairway, let my natural drill bring the ball back to the center and it’s running round the corner, it’s going to get quite close to the green.

However, if I’m normally a slicer of the golf ball, where I hit the ball from left to right and fade it back into the fairway, this is quite a risky shot now because as I hit out down the left-hand side, it’s going to go over water for most of its journey. It’s slicing back in over the water but I’ll hit it well enough or hard enough or with enough fade it might actually never get back to the land. It lands ashore, lands in the water and I’m re-teeing I’m dropping up there with a one shot penalty. So depending on the shape of the shot and depending on the shape of the hole, could depend on your club selection. If I’m being a bit more defensive, I might actually just hit a long iron or even a fairway wood and just keep it in play. Generally those clubs are straightened to hit. Most golfers are happier hitting a three wood and a straight line than they are driving a straight line.

So if you and being too aggressive, use a more lofted club, play sensible, don’t hit over the water. If you’re being nice and aggressive and you’ve got the right shape of shot for the right shape of hole, take it on with confidence. Aim nice and safe down the right side and draw it back into the center. Don’t be put off by the water and particularly don’t try and steer it away from the water because that would actually upset your natural rhythm. So take on the shot, be nice and assertive with it and play it with confidence and if you don’t fancy the look or the shape of the hole, drop down to something more lofted and just keep it and play with that. And that’s the best way for you to play a cape golf hole.