By Sam Johnson and Davis Love III
Davis Love III Out With Kidney Stones. You probably already know that defending champion Davis Love III has withdrawn from the Wyndham Championship because he's having kidney stones removed. However, we've still got his tips on how to play the Forest Oaks course.
Like most of North Carolina, the area around Forest Oaks Country Club and golf course is beautiful and perfect for a golf course. The course was originally carved from North Carolina hardwoods in 1962 by noted architect Ellis Maples, a protégé of Donald Ross. You may remember Forest Oaks as the host course of the Greater Greensboro Open, which started back in 1977. As the golf course matured, it was clear that a redesign of the course was necessary, so in 2002, the job of restoring the course to all its glory was assigned to Davis Love III.
Most would agree that Davis Love III was the obvious choice for the job; after all he played the course many, many times as a member of the University of North Carolina's golf team, and later as a member of the PGA TOUR. However, Davis also had the advantage of a historical perspective in working on the course redesign. As you might expect, he listens to the opinions, suggestions and comments from dozens of touring professionals; however, at the end of the day, he relied most heavily on his own instincts.
At more than 7,000 yards the home of this week's $5,000,000 Wyndham Championship is a long golf course, but what's new about that. And, just in case you get a call to play as an alternate in the Wyndham Championship, here is how Davis says you should play the course:
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At only 370 yards, the tee shot can be played with anything from a driver to a long-iron, the goal being to favor the left side of the fairway which sets up the best angle of approach into the green. A well-placed tee shot, which avoids the fairway bunkers, should leave a short-iron second shot into a fairly large green which slopes slightly from right to left. A gentle starting hole that puts a premium on accuracy. |
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At 553 yards, the tee shot favors a right-to-left ball flight that once in the fairway, should give the option of going for the green in two or laying up to a favorite short-iron distance. The real challenge to this hole is the green, a traditional three-level design called a biarritz. The front and back portions of this green are high and the middle portion is low. Positioning the ball in the right place on this very large green is crucial to being able to get up and down in two. |
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Using the driver is an option from the tee, although a fairway wood or long-iron may be the best choice for setting up a second shot. The medium to short-iron approach shot plays uphill to a large, semi-blind green that is protected both short and long by greenside bunkers. Controlling distance will be the key to scoring on this hole. |
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A demanding one-shotter that will require accuracy with a medium to long-iron, especially to a hole cut back right over the greenside bunker. |
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The second-shortest par 4 at Forest Oaks. The routine play on this dogleg right will be a long-iron off the tee which should avoid the fairway bunkers both left and right of the landing area, setting up a wedge for the second shot. The left side of the fairway offers the best angle of play, avoiding the bunker that guards the front and right side of this, the smallest green on the course. Longer hitters may give this green a go from the tee, but a narrow fairway, bunkers and deep fescue rough await any errant shot. |
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One of the longer par 4s on the course that requires a tee shot of 280 yards to make the fairway at the corner of the dogleg turning left. A good drive will leave a medium-iron second shot into a demanding green which features a false front and run-offs back left and right. The right side of the green is also protected by a large bunker making this one of the most challenging holes on the front nine. |
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A classic short par 4 that is one of the most exciting holes at Forest Oaks. From the tee, the green is an inviting target that is accessible with a good drive. The ideal tee shot needs to be moving from right to left and should avoid the water left and fairways bunkers on the right. A more conservative play can be made with a long-iron off the tee, leaving just a wedge for the second shot. This hole will be fun to play, offer different playing strategies and should produce a lot of birdies and a few eagles, as well as a few "others." |
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The longest par 3 at Forest Oaks that plays even longer due to the fact that it is slightly uphill. A long-iron or possibly a utility wood will be needed to reach this green, which at nearly 9,000 square feet is the largest green on the course. The bold contouring of this green puts a premium on accuracy, as any ball on the wrong side of the green will be a real challenge to get down in two putts. |
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The longest par 3 at Forest Oaks that plays even longer due to the fact that it is slightly uphill. A long-iron or possibly a utility wood will be needed to reach this green, which at nearly 9,000 square feet is the largest green on the course. The bold contouring of this green puts a premium on accuracy, as any ball on the wrong side of the green will be a real challenge to get down in two putts. |
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A solid par 4 to start the back nine. A good drive that avoids the two fairway bunkers on the right leaves a medium to short-iron second shot into a slightly uphill green flanked left and right by bunkers. Any approach that is hit short or with too much spin may wind up back in the fairway due to a false front that stretches across the entire green. |
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A sharp dogleg right, and a small rise in the right side of the fairway leaves the landing area blind and makes the hole look even longer than it is. After a good drive that avoids the trees and the fairway bunker on the inside of the dogleg, all that remains is a medium to short-iron approach into a fairly large, two-level green that slopes gradually from left to right. Bunkers guard the front left and front right portions of the green and anything hit long will test even the best of short games. |
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The downhill par 3 is the shortest hole on the course. Playing a medium to short-iron from the tee, the target should be the front half of the green since anything hit long leaves a very difficult up and down. This fairly large green slopes from back to front and presents a variety of hole locations, the toughest being just over the greenside bunker protecting the front right portion of the green. |
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This reachable par 5 is another of Forest Oaks' most exciting holes. Using anything from a long-iron to a driver, the tee shot should be played down the right side of the fairway to take advantage of the hole's natural right to left slope and also to avoid the trees on the left. The first landing area is receptive from the tee, yet downhill/sidehill lies are possible and add challenge to those going for the green in two. All lay-up shots must negotiate fairway bunkers, leaving a wedge approach into the green. Very large and boldly contoured, the green is this hole's best defense of par. It features a false edge along the front and a deep swale leading to a runoff on the left. Deep bunkers guard the green both left and right. |
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Long and straight is the best way to describe this hole. A good drive on this par 4 will leave a solid medium-iron, uphill approach to a gently contoured green protected by a greenside bunker front left. |
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A great driving hole that starts from an elevated tee box. The tee shot plays across a small valley and into a landing area framed by offsetting fairway bunkers both right and left. Favoring the right side of the fairway can shorten the hole a bit, but the uphill approach to the green will still need to be made with a fairway wood or a long-iron. The lay-up shot will be made with a medium-iron to second landing area guarded on the right by a fairway bunker, leaving a wedge for the third shot. The green sits naturally into the hillside and features a strong false front. A deep bunker on the left front of the green protects any hole location on that side of the green. |
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The challenge here is to drive the ball to the top of the hill in the landing area or face a blind, downhill approach to the green. Playing from the right side of the fairway provides the best angle into this green, which is the smallest green on the back nine. Fairly large bunkers protect the front left and back right portions of the green. |
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This classic, uphill par 3 should be played with a long-iron or utility club. Playing the ball long is definitely better than coming up short at this green, which is guarded in front by a large bunker on the left and a smaller bunker on the right. A big, false front adds to the challenge and creates some very demanding hole locations. |
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This finishing hole has fairway bunkers both left and right, designed to tighten up the landing area and put a premium on accuracy off the tee. A well-executed tee shot should leave only a medium to short-iron approach into what may be the most heavily contoured green on the golf course. The green features false edges front and back as well as bunkers left and right. |
