Picture a 498-yard dogleg par-5 that turns hard to the left at almost a 90-degree angle only 200 yards from the tee. Now imagine a small pond jutting into the fairway's left flank just before the turn. Then add three tall trees swaying in the breeze directly over the hazard.
Until this year, that was what golfers saw when they looked out from the 15th tee at the Pine Hills Country Club in Manorville. Players had three options off the tee: clear the hazard and its guardian trees with a high-trajectory drive anywhere from 200 to 250 yards (depending on tee location) to the far fairway, lay up with a sub-200-yard tee shot on a par-5, or try to squeeze around the right side of the hazard without getting lost in the woods. For confident drivers, there was little debate. Others, though, found themselves on the defensive from the very start.
Today, more players have the advantage on #15 now that Pine Hills has filled in half of the pond and removed one of the three trees. The change "makes it easier for players to lay up," says a Pine Hills staffer.
The remaining portion of the hazard and its two tall trees still serve as a deterrent but moreso for those looking to cut the corner of the dogleg. Play straight out or along the outside of the turn and the hazard will not come into play.
[Pictured: As of September 2011, the filled-in portion of the hazard is in the seeding process, while the trees and hazard guard against shortcuts to the far fairway.]
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