Hole #5: 480-458-437-431 yards When I transitioned from the 4th green to the 5th tee, the gentle beauty of the flower bed (see image 5-1) lulled me into a sense of
what a beautiful little par 5 this fifth hole is...I then realized that it is a par four hole for all comers, a 4.5 at that, still beautiful, but no longer a proper run at birdie. The hole descends from the tee a bit, into a slightly-upsloped fairway landing area. The green sits a bit higher than the fairway, subtle ascents that add bits of distance to the hole. The landing space is ample and the green is open in the front. The hole bends a bit to the left, and is possessed of some sandy areas that punish wide efforts but don't encroach upon the straight lines toward the targets. Thanks to the suspicious eyes of the players you see in the photos, I didn't get a good look at the green undulations, but I think that the camera lens did a good enough job of revealing that this putting surface is as demanding as any at Fenway and that there is no quarter given for the length-to-par ratio.
Tee Ball (sort of) It's really a beauty shot, the type you put on a member-guest plaque as a thanks-for-coming remembrance.
Tee Ball zoomed in The fairway bunker you see up the right side is shared with the sand field of hole number 3. There are two fairway pits on the inside corner of the dogleg. These force you a bit up the right side, which is fine if you hit a straight or left-to-right approach. Too wide and the trees up the rough line come into play on the right.
Zooming in further we see the left-side fairway bunkers, the two green-framing bunkers and the beginnings of the swale that runs through the middle of the green.
This is a fairway-level shot that gives an idea of the deceptive ascents to landing area and then to green surface. It's not the actual landing area, which is farther up, next to the bunkers.
Right edge of fairway in drive zone. If par weighs on your mind, you eschew the lay-up and get into trouble with anything but a dart. If you're savvy, you recognize the potential of the wedge third from inside 80 yards, if regulation arrival is not in the cards.
Zoomed in toward the left front we see the possibility of the running approach and also the relative depth of the side bunker.
Back out, don't actually know why I included this one :~)
Left rough toward green probably about 110 yards distant. Nearly any hole location can be reached with a lay-up second, so ignorant heroism is not demanded here.
Zoomed in to left side of green we see the bunker and the raised back corner, behind the hole location.
Front right, probably needed less bunker and more green to tell a better tale. False front (not a dangerous one) then ripples of putting surface. Fun hole locations here, to be certain.
