With 2011 out and about, it’s time once again to look at the top 5 toughest holes in GT’s latest update. We debuted this series last year on the GTB, while allowing you to offer up your thoughts on our submissions at the end. For the most part, you found our selections to be pretty sound, although some of you had a few choice words on a couple of the submissions.

BRING IT.

And so we’re back at it again a year later, with a whole new arsenal of designs to pick from. How we select our top 5, however, is one of the most complex items known to man. This makes deciphering the magic ELO formula look relatively simple.

No, not really. Here’s the breakdown.

When I look at what makes a difficult hole in Golden Tee, I look at a variety of things. First, how often than not are you getting a score beyond what you’d like to see. While getting a three on a par-3 isn’t a disaster it does mean something went astray off the tee, unless, of course your putter let you down.

The same can be said about drivable par-4s. When you don’t walk away with an eagle and the green was reachable, you’ve obviously run into first-shot issues or that putting stroke got in the way once again.

I also look at the holes that can make your scorecard go “BOOM.” I’m talking about the tricky par-3s (cough, cough Savannah 17) that can take a good round and snap it in half over its knee.

And so our “Toughest” criteria is formed. Kicking off the festivities in 2011 is none other than the Timber Bay 18th.

The 18^th on TB is one of the most known holes in the game and it’s easy to see why. It’s a classic Jim Z finishing hole that offers up a variety of unique ways to reach the par-4 green in one, plus plenty of risk vs. reward for those looking for the two.

Getting to the green is the first area that needs to be attacked, and with three different tee boxes there are multiple ways to do so. More often than not, players will try and play an A-1-type shot through the opening to get to the green. Like so…

While manageable, some setups will require a much finer shot than others. There’s also ways to get to the green through other means, including testing your luck through a gap in the trees, over the tress or by bouncing off the rock, but none of these are necessarily reliable options. Well, unless you do this…

As is the case with every hole in the top 5, particular setups will make this hole much tougher than others. Wind will always be a factor, but perhaps less so than any finalist going forward. Distance, tee placement and pin placement will be far more influential on the outcome.

While I don’t feel this will be a “blow up” hole, I do think eagles will be tough to come by on a regular basis. This is EXACTLY why the TB 18^th is a fantastic closing hole, and one that warrants a spot in our top 5. But the question remains, do you?

 Loading ...