A dog-leg right, this can be a difficult tee shot for the ladies.
You are tormented by the out-of-bounds on the right and conscious of the bunkers on the left. So you must stay focused as both hazards can be reached from the tee.
A good, long, straight hit is required. If this is achieved you are faced with a nervy second shot around the out-of-bounds whilst trying to avoid the rough on the left of the fairway.
Once the ball is safely on the fairway this leaves an easy third shot with a wedge into the green.
The nature of the third shot depends on the position of the pin. The popular position for the pin, especially in competitions, is behind the bunker that guards the front left of the green. I always take a risk and try to lob my ball over the bunker to attack the flag - "landing like a butterfly with sore feet".
The route for those who do not like to take risks is a chip-and-run onto the green. But a good chip-and-run will rely on the roll of the ball in relation to the slope of the green which runs right to left. Realistically, the safe option leaves you with two putts.
YOUR HOYLAKE EXPERIENCES AND COMMENTS:
I took a couple of colleagues to Hoylake on a freezing cold day in March this year but at least the wind was just a gentle 10mph breeze. I was lucky enough to eagle the 16th (18th for the Open) with a two iron approach over the practise range to 15 feet.
A great memory to take away and I'll be looking to see how many competitors make eagles during the championship.
Simon Benton,
Chippenham, Wiltshire
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