Golf Tip: What is a “Cape” Hole, and How Do You Play It? (Video) - by Pete Styles
Golf Tip: What is a “Cape” Hole, and How Do You Play It? (Video) - by Pete Styles

Think if you're asking the tour players on the PGA Tour to name the most difficult closing stretch on the golf course. A lot of them would come back with the last few holes of the TPC Sawgrass obviously the famous 17th of the Island hole there. Nobody likes to play that hole even though it's only a 9-9 into the green. And then the last hole, the 18th of the TPC Sawgrass. So it classes a cape hole. It’s the dogleg from right to left, but the whole left hand side is out [Indiscernible] [0:00:39] outplay really is water the hallway down to the left hand side, and there is a tee box that sits out into the water, and the green sits out into the water, and the dogleg is really enforced the water how that we have to play back out to the fairway and then back out to the green.

And it’s a real risk and reward kind of hole. It's quite a long hall as it is, but if you play away from the water and down the right hand side that makes that hole even longer and it actually means the second shot he's played more back towards the water. So it’s a great risk and reward strategy hole. Do we take it tied down the left hand side to shot in the hole, but play nearer to the water or do we play wide out to the right hand side avoiding the water, but making the second short longer and also more difficult, and really this can come down to confidence. Confidence in your own ability to hit the shot you know you can hit. Would it be nice to do would be able to stand back on the tee and laser out or measure out using your course planner your average length of tee shot? So if you know your average tee shot goes les a 220 we could look at where is 220 on the line of the water hazard, and I absolutely know, I then can't go left off that spot, so I would laser out 220, and so right it's that red stake. That red stake is 220. If I go left of that, I categorically know I can't carry anymore of that water. I'm going to knock in that water, so I have to aim right off that stake and play to the safer side, then also lays it down to right hand side, the safe side where would 220 run out of fairway, where would 220 run into the trees? And effectively we haven't got the stake on the left, the trees on the right that's my new fairway 220 down there I'm in the trees, 220 there I'm in the water, so that's the fairway I've got aim for. You then aim at the middle of that section of fairway and then you got to trust yourself and hit it with confidence. You got to stand over the ball knowing your yard, and just knowing your average shot is 220. Drive the ball straight down in the middle of your new fairway and plump it right in the middle. Don’t be tempted to get to the top of the back swing. Get scared of the water and steer it out sideways because you know you're going to be in the trees likewise don’t be tempted to get to the top of the back swing. See the flag around the corner and try and drag it around the corner because you know that 220 on that line you got to run out of room, you got to knock it in the water, so is lasering or using a yardage chart to work out way your average tee shot goes, pick a tree in the background I think that's my new target and then drill it straight down the hole with confidence, and that's how you play cape holes or risk and reward holes with the maximum efficiency. 2013-09-16

Think if you're asking the tour players on the PGA Tour to name the most difficult closing stretch on the golf course. A lot of them would come back with the last few holes of the TPC Sawgrass obviously the famous 17th of the Island hole there. Nobody likes to play that hole even though it's only a 9-9 into the green. And then the last hole, the 18th of the TPC Sawgrass. So it classes a cape hole. It’s the dogleg from right to left, but the whole left hand side is out [Indiscernible] [0:00:39] outplay really is water the hallway down to the left hand side, and there is a tee box that sits out into the water, and the green sits out into the water, and the dogleg is really enforced the water how that we have to play back out to the fairway and then back out to the green.

And it’s a real risk and reward kind of hole. It's quite a long hall as it is, but if you play away from the water and down the right hand side that makes that hole even longer and it actually means the second shot he's played more back towards the water. So it’s a great risk and reward strategy hole. Do we take it tied down the left hand side to shot in the hole, but play nearer to the water or do we play wide out to the right hand side avoiding the water, but making the second short longer and also more difficult, and really this can come down to confidence. Confidence in your own ability to hit the shot you know you can hit. Would it be nice to do would be able to stand back on the tee and laser out or measure out using your course planner your average length of tee shot?

So if you know your average tee shot goes les a 220 we could look at where is 220 on the line of the water hazard, and I absolutely know, I then can't go left off that spot, so I would laser out 220, and so right it's that red stake. That red stake is 220. If I go left of that, I categorically know I can't carry anymore of that water. I'm going to knock in that water, so I have to aim right off that stake and play to the safer side, then also lays it down to right hand side, the safe side where would 220 run out of fairway, where would 220 run into the trees? And effectively we haven't got the stake on the left, the trees on the right that's my new fairway 220 down there I'm in the trees, 220 there I'm in the water, so that's the fairway I've got aim for. You then aim at the middle of that section of fairway and then you got to trust yourself and hit it with confidence.

You got to stand over the ball knowing your yard, and just knowing your average shot is 220. Drive the ball straight down in the middle of your new fairway and plump it right in the middle. Don’t be tempted to get to the top of the back swing. Get scared of the water and steer it out sideways because you know you're going to be in the trees likewise don’t be tempted to get to the top of the back swing. See the flag around the corner and try and drag it around the corner because you know that 220 on that line you got to run out of room, you got to knock it in the water, so is lasering or using a yardage chart to work out way your average tee shot goes, pick a tree in the background I think that's my new target and then drill it straight down the hole with confidence, and that's how you play cape holes or risk and reward holes with the maximum efficiency.