Hole Description.

An amazing finishing hole to an amazing golf course. This modest par 4 will test every area of you game, from the tee, to the approach, to the putting green. The view from the tee gives very few clues as to the lay out of the hole. Thick trees on the left slowly curve to the left as the hole continues. A portion of fairway is visible up to 240 yards until the trees on the right side also snake off to the left side. As the hole turns to the left 240 yards from the tee, the view is spectacular. A large lake spouting water from the fountains appears, a meandering fairway flows left and then sharply to the right, where the large green waits for the final challenge that a player can throw. The shot from 185 yards to the middle of the green will need to bypass the lake and miss the 3 green side bunkers. The putting green slopes heavily from back to front with many subtle breaks to catch a poorly judged putt. This finishing hole will test even the best golfers to play Royal Palm.

The Pro’s Way:-

There are two ways to play this hole. The safe way would be to use a long iron or fairway wood to play down the left side of the fairway. A shot down the left of 240 yards will position the ball with an open view of the green. The approach of 185 yards will need a mid to long iron of quality in strike and accuracy. The risky approach to this hole would be to fire a 3 wood over the corner of the dog leg. The line would need to be over the trees to the left of the tee with a slight touch of draw. If the ball stays too straight then the lake will come into play, if the ball is tweaked slightly to the left then it will be caught up in the trees. If the shot is successful then a wedge shot of 110 yards will be left. This aggressive approach requires absolute precision with severe consequences if mis-judged.

The Amateurs Way:-

A fairway wood has to be the selection form the tee. Due to the double dog leg, a ball hit too far to the right will be blocked out from the green by the overhanging trees. The ideal line is down the left side of the fairway. The second shot can play up to 200 yards to the greens center with danger lurking either side of the fairway. If you are out of range form the green, there is a large area of fairway to help with your lay up. It would be a good idea to play this hole as a 3 shot hole to limit a high number on this very difficult finishing hole.