Yes, that is a picture of me negotiating my tee shot on 11 at Bayside at Lake MacConaughy. This hole easily gets my vote for the most difficult par 5 in the state. This is a long way from eastern Nebraska and you have to pass a lot of good par 5s to get there. Why is it so difficult?
First, it is a beautiful hole starting on the top of hill and running along a ridge with a great view of the countryside and Lake MacConaughy. From the back tees it will go 600 yards and usually into a prevailing southwest wind. Depending on the tee you hit from you will have a significant carry on the first shot. A lot of decent looking drives fall off the right in the knee high rough and you might as well accept your
double.
When I hit my “senior” tee shot, I am usually keeping it so far left to be in the fairway, I am still 350 yards out. The fairway for the second shot is tight and crowned in the middle. You have bunkers all down the right side to keep you from going down in the canyon. And all these bunkers are little pits that limit your option for a full shot. Miss it a little left, not so lucky either. For a third shot, you can be anywhere from 120 to 200 into a tiny green that slopes away from you.
It drops off on all three sides of the green to deep waste bunkers that are nearly impossible to get up and down from. If I am playing well, I will usually try to hit my third shot 10-20 yards short of the green and planning on chipping and putting for par. There is no room for margin on any misses and it can turn into a double or more very quickly.
The hole is strait forward, nothing blind, but harder than you think when you are standing on the tee. We usually go around the course 4 times on our annual visit, and with my 6 handicap, I am usually happy with a par and three bogeys. And if you master this par 5, you still have number 15, which is also very difficult after you hit your tee shot.
My second choice for hardest par 5 would be 10 at Iron Horse in Ashland. They didn’t have enough real estate when they designed this hole. You do tee off from a high scenic level, overlooking the lake, with a small target area to hit. Back tee is 575. Most golfers have to lay up on the second shot and if they hit it perfectly, have a 165 yard, up hill, partially blind shot into a green with a lot of slope. I have ruined
some good rounds on this hole and it is easy to get a 10 on 10.
Another par 5 that I struggle with is number 14 at Oakland. I have never heard anyone say they like the hole, with its quirky design and ability to give up a big number. The only thing similar to 11 at Bayside is that it takes two precise shots to get in position for that third shot into the green. They did take a couple trees out last year to make it a little more accessible for the first two shots. This hole gives up
a lot of doubles.
So what do you think is the hardest par 5 in the state and why? I can think of quite
a few others I would nominate.
2 Responses
I agree about #10 at Iron Horse, extremely difficult hole that narrows the closer you get to the green. The 3rd shot (for most of us) looks as though you are hitting uphill thru a tunnel, with trees on both sides.
Also throw in one of the par 5’s at Oakland Golf Course, can’t remember the hole number, but is a double dog leg one that can be quite difficult if you don’t keep your tee shot left of the trees on the right. You drift too far to the right, you are basically chipping out and playing for bogey and hoping for a par