A golf hole does not have to be long to be challenging and that is 100% true of Hole No.22 on the Bear Nine.  On this edition of Tee It Up Grand Strand we take a look at how tough this little par 3 can be for golfers to navigate as they make their way around the Bear Nine here at River Oaks Golf Club.

This par 3 plays as short at 80 yards from the front tees and only goes back to 156 yards from the back tee box.  Most golfers will play the white tees and that is only a 120 yard tee shot, but do not be fooled by the yardage.  Players look at what basically is an island green on this little par 3.  The putting surface is surrounded by water out on the peninsula in the middle of the water.  This provides a somewhat intimidating view as golfers have no place to bail out on the tee shot.  There aren’t even any green side bunkers to catch wayward tee balls and keep them from the water.  There is not much chance of staying dry for any ball that misses the green.

Pin placement should not be a concern of players as they stand of the tee.  The center of the green is the aiming point no matter where the flag is.  The green is not so large that hitting the opposite side of the surface leaves a too difficult putt.  With the water looming, the safe play is to hit the tee shot to the center of the green.  Most golfers are going to be using wedges or short irons to hit into the green so control should not be a huge factor and players can stand over the ball with some confidence.  After all, a solid confident swing is what is going to keep the ball dry.

Now that the hard part is over and golfers have landed on the green walking a way with at least a par is highly likely.  A good tee shot should provide a solid shot at birdie but players should be able to write no worse than a 3 on the score card as they head off to the next hole.  This little par 3 can be really fun to play, provide golfers do not end up in the water off the tee.

To make a tee time click on the “Tee Times” tab at the top of the page or call the golf shop at 843.236.2222 and any of the golf shop staff will be happy to help.