The first hole is a fun starting hole at Prestwick Country Club. It is not too long, it’s not too tough, but it is not a pushover hole either. This short par 4 can jump up and bite golfers if they are not paying attention to the details of the hole. That is where the fun and the challenge lies. We want to help our golfers get off to a good start on their round because the next few holes are some of the toughest on the golf course so golfers need to start with at worst a par on No.1 because it gets much tougher after this.
Ranging from 235 yards at the forward tees back to 383 from the tips the teeth of No.1 is obviously not in its length. Trees line the left side of the hole all the way through the green and the first half of the right side is protected by a waste bunker. This makes the landing area seem much more narrow that it actually is. Many golfers will hit less than driver off the tee to make sure to get into the fairway. The middle-right side is the optimum spot to be off the tee. The tree line cuts in on the left side about 80-100 yards from the green and will block out the angle to any tee shot hit down the left side.
The green is protected by bunkers short left and on the right making for a narrow target. It doesn’t help that the putting surface itself is also smallish presenting a small target to hit into. The good news is the green is flat and not tricky to putt. Also golfers should have wedges to short irons in hand as they take aim at the flag. Unless the pin is tucked in behind the front left bunker players should feel free to aim right for the flag on the approach.
As mentioned above, the green is small but puttable. Golfers should feel confident that once on the surface, a two putt should be the worst thing that happens. So take a good look at the putt and make a run at birdie. Golfers should expect par on No.1. Smart placement of the drive and a solid iron shot should afford players the opportunity to write a 4 or better on the scorecard and get the round off to a great start!