Advice on Playing St Andrews Valley

[Feherty Fan]

I'm playing St Andrews for the 1st time on Sunday. Anyone have any good advice on playing this course... I hear it is quite tight and there is alot of water. Any suggestions would be appreciated...

[Big Shooter]

Don't worry about "The Tree" ;) :p

[dks_34]

I'm playing tomorrow morning, I'll let you know the conditions!

[corchard]

Don't worry about "The Tree" ;) :p

Nice.

I'm playing St Andrews for the 1st time on Sunday. Anyone have any good advice on playing this course... I hear it is quite tight and there is alot of water. Any suggestions would be appreciated...

Play the tees appropriate to your handicap. This course can be very painfull if you take on more than you can handle. Pay for the yardage book and use it for your approach yardages. The GPS gives good numbers but it can be confusing when it says "203 yards to clear the river". Right side? left side?

[Weirfan]

it really is not that tough a course outside of the yardage so yes play the correct tees for your game....

fyi, they almost always have the colour up a deck there to fool people into playimng the correct yardage...........most mid cap folks play blues, 10 and less can move back a set to the golds , seniors and short hitters play whites....my wife typically plays the whites which runs at about 5900- 6000 where they put the tees)

It has has a few holes that can really jump on you and result in a high score.

#1 all you need is a 3 wood here to have a mid-short iron in. Long hitters can get close to this green, especially if down wind , but it typically plays into the wind

#2 lay up to the creek....it is a good 260+ carry to clear the water....from the blues hit a 190 - 200 yard shot....with the firm conditions alot of balls will bounce into the hazard. 2 tierd green, long is usually death

#3 straight forward par 4....hit the fairway and dont be long or left on your second.

#4 easy down hill par 3, long is again death ( plays into the wind typically)

#5 stay left......a long tee shot right will likley either cath the bunker or if it clears the bunker get into the water....LEFT, LEFT LEFT....

#6 long par 3 with a huge green, take enough club, most folks dont and it is 2 club difference from the front to back

#7...what you see is what you get....pretty easy par 4

#8 long uphill then downhill par 4 but again straightforward...right center of fw is best

#9 worst hole on the course...several ways to play it but best is to hit at the bunkers in the distance ( 220 - 230 yard shot) lay up to 150 then 3rd to green.

#10 long par 5 and tight on second shot , stay left off the tee, lay up with an accurate shot, 3rd shot is easy if you make a good second.

#11 short downhill par 3, most folks come up short...into wind again.

#12....easy tee shot, but you want to favour the right where there is trouble, tough second shot to a green surrounded by water so the shorter club in the better.

#13...lay up to the creek...6 iron, 6 iron from the blues.

#14...driver is too much for some, not a tough one but definitely a 3 shot par 5 , stay left on second....2 tiered green.

#15 tough green, a miss right is better than left and short better than long

#16...another 3 shot par 5...aim to what you can see, dont try and cut the drive over the left side, stay left on second and 3rd

#17 easy and short par 3

#18....great hole, 2 good and long shots needed.

[corchard]

it really is not that tough...

#2 ....death
#4 ...death
#5 ...stay left......LEFT, LEFT LEFT
#12....tough second shot to a green surrounded by water
#15 ...tough green
#18....2 good and long shots needed.

I think Weirfan is a little confused, he's not sure if it is easy or tough :D .

[Big Shooter]

I think Weirfan is a little confused, he's not sure if it is easy or tough :D .

I was told it was very 'tough', and I've never found it really 'tough', except when the wind is up, or I'm not playing well ;)

[corchard]

I was told it was very 'tough', and I've never found it really 'tough', except when the wind is up, or I'm not playing well ;)

Three simple rules:
1) Don't miss.
2) If you miss, miss in a good spot.
3) if neither 1) or 2) apply accept "other" and move on.

[Weirfan]

I think Weirfan is a little confused, he's not sure if it is easy or tough :D .

LOL !

I guess the way I wrote it makes me sound confused doesn't it...my point was that there are spots that if you miss that you can get in real trouble.

Despite it's length , it is not a course that you can try and overpower...really only a few holes for that...shot placement is key there.

I am 7 capper and from the blues most often the golds typically shoot 80 plus or minus 3 strokes. I have shot a 75 and a 99 there ( 99 was from the white tees and I drove it into trouble all day)

I play St. Andrews the second most of any course with Ballantrae being my home course.......by my scores they play similarly difficulty wise, however very opposite........the trouble at Ballantrae is all at and around the greens while at St. Andrew's it is all about the tee shot.
( although Ballantrae has just narrowed all their fairways by 10-20 yards so it is playing tougher)

[Snipes5150]

it really is not that tough a course outside of the yardage so yes play the correct tees for your game....

fyi, they almost always have the colour up a deck there to fool people into playimng the correct yardage...........most mid cap folks play blues, 10 and less can move back a set to the golds , seniors and short hitters play whites....my wife typically plays the whites which runs at about 5900- 6000 where they put the tees)

It has has a few holes that can really jump on you and result in a high score.

#1 all you need is a 3 wood here to have a mid-short iron in. Long hitters can get close to this green, especially if down wind , but it typically plays into the wind

#2 lay up to the creek....it is a good 260+ carry to clear the water....from the blues hit a 190 - 200 yard shot....with the firm conditions alot of balls will bounce into the hazard. 2 tierd green, long is usually death

#3 straight forward par 4....hit the fairway and dont be long or left on your second.

#4 easy down hill par 3, long is again death ( plays into the wind typically)

#5 stay left......a long tee shot right will likley either cath the bunker or if it clears the bunker get into the water....LEFT, LEFT LEFT....

#6 long par 3 with a huge green, take enough club, most folks dont and it is 2 club difference from the front to back

#7...what you see is what you get....pretty easy par 4

#8 long uphill then downhill par 4 but again straightforward...right center of fw is best

#9 worst hole on the course...several ways to play it but best is to hit at the bunkers in the distance ( 220 - 230 yard shot) lay up to 150 then 3rd to green.

#10 long par 5 and tight on second shot , stay left off the tee, lay up with an accurate shot, 3rd shot is easy if you make a good second.

#11 short downhill par 3, most folks come up short...into wind again.

#12....easy tee shot, but you want to favour the right where there is trouble, tough second shot to a green surrounded by water so the shorter club in the better.

#13...lay up to the creek...6 iron, 6 iron from the blues.

#14...driver is too much for some, not a tough one but definitely a 3 shot par 5 , stay left on second....2 tiered green.

#15 tough green, a miss right is better than left and short better than long

#16...another 3 shot par 5...aim to what you can see, dont try and cut the drive over the left side, stay left on second and 3rd

#17 easy and short par 3

#18....great hole, 2 good and long shots needed.



This is a pretty good summary. I work here teaching at the learning center (don't hit over the hitting shelter on 9 :D ) I would just recommend to use the GPS and know your yardages, because there is a large amount of trouble around the landing areas and greens, and you could end up shooting a very high score if you don't hit fairways or short side yourself around the greens. Enjoy!

[Snipes5150]

Speaking of the Valley... I eagled #9 today :D

[Grass Roots Tour]

I'm playing St Andrews for the 1st time on Sunday. Anyone have any good advice on playing this course.


Make lotsa birdies after placing heavy bets you couldnt possibly afford to pay out. :D

[dks_34]

I played yesterday and the conditions are pretty good. A few of the fairways were slightly over watered (at least where I was...). The greens on the front nine seemed much faster than the back nine.

Follow Weirfan's advice and you'll do ok!

Have fun!

[Feherty Fan]

Thanks for advice everyone, I'm sure it saved me a couple of shots... Overall, the course was in good condition, but there were a few things that I did not like:

I found there was alot of blind shots where you can't see the landing area. Just found it a little un-nerving not knowing where your ball will end up. I'm sure this is not a big deal if you know the course well, but I guess I'm not a big fan of it.

I also found it difficult to hit driver most of the time. I'm not a long hitter (250-260 yds) but it just seemed hitting from the blues the end of the fairway or front of a creek always seemed to be in range for me. I don't think I've ever hit so many 3 woods in one round before in my life.

I guess for a course usually rated as one of the best courses in the GTA, I expected a something more traditional. I want to say I didn't like the design, but I think its more like I wasn't prepared for it.

Now that I've played it once I'll have to give it another try, before making a final decision. Has anyone else had this experience here, or is it just me?

[Weirfan]

Thanks for advice everyone, I'm sure it saved me a couple of shots... Overall, the course was in good condition, but there were a few things that I did not like:

I found there was alot of blind shots where you can't see the landing area. Just found it a little un-nerving not knowing where your ball will end up. I'm sure this is not a big deal if you know the course well, but I guess I'm not a big fan of it.

I also found it difficult to hit driver most of the time. I'm not a long hitter (250-260 yds) but it just seemed hitting from the blues the end of the fairway or front of a creek always seemed to be in range for me. I don't think I've ever hit so many 3 woods in one round before in my life.

I guess for a course usually rated as one of the best courses in the GTA, I expected a something more traditional. I want to say I didn't like the design, but I think its more like I wasn't prepared for it.

Now that I've played it once I'll have to give it another try, before making a final decision. Has anyone else had this experience here, or is it just me?

yep, several blind shots that if you are playing the first time can be unsettling but in reality for most of them (outside 4 and 14) no trouble waiting.

yes from the blues there are several layup holes where you don't want to hit the big dog.....

St Andrews is a love hate course for most, I play there alot just becasue its 5 min from my house and it is a good challenge due to the fact that it is target golf and you have to be disciplined and lay up ( good for a banger like me :) .....

but it is not my fav course and I would say that half the folks I bring like it and half hate it.

9th hole has been a big complaint forever and they they have tried to make it more open and it is alot better than it was.