TEE TALK 13
Hole # 10 This is a much easier starting hole than Hole # 1 . At 347m from the Blue tees and 305m from the Whites , it ’ s definitely a reachable Par 4 . From the tee box , there is a gradual dog-leg right ( Remember I usually play better on short dog-leg right holes ?). There is a bit of water right in front of the tee boxes , but this should only come into play on the most horrendous of topped tee shots .
On the left of the landing area , are two bunkers with low lips , so landing in them isn ’ t that much of a disaster . What is not ideal is ending up in the thick flowerbed ( look for orange signs ) that guards Hole # 11 ’ s tee box beyond the bunkers . Flowerbeds are deemed Abnormal Course Conditions in NSRCC ( see https :// www . nsrcc . com . sg / golf / local-rules-of-nsrcc ) and relief is allowed under Rule 16.1b if the ball is found . As thick as the foliage is in that flowerbed , it is not always possible to find one ’ s ball , and thus Rule 16.1e requiring virtual certainty that one ’ s ball is inside the flowerbed kicks in , if not it is considered a lost ball .
As a starting hole , most golfers tend to slice the ball rather than hook when the body isn ’ t warmed up yet , so the OB on the far left of the hole usually doesn ’ t come into play . Also , the OB angles away from the dog-leg of the hole , so the further forward one ’ s drive goes , the less likely it is to end up OB .
On the right is the tree line shared with Hole # 18 . The trees are not too densely packed but they are of medium height with wide canopies , so drives that end up in the tree line can either be punched out below or pitched out above . There is a generous opening between the two bunkers guarding the front left and right of the green so it ’ s not uncommon to be able to punch rolling shots onto the green .
The green is pretty wide and deep , so it ’ s quite receptive . Besides the two front bunkers , there is a third bunker at the center back , but the front lip of that bunker is quite low , so it should be easy to get out of . The green does not have major tiering , so once on , two putts should be sufficient .
A much easier starting hole indeed .