CONTENTS
“The ideal tee shot on the first hole is to get it down level with the bunkers down the left hand side. I would play something like a low running draw. That’s the way the two bunkers are aligned down the right. Then it will be a shortish second shot into a pretty big green. It’s a good opportunity to start your day well.” – Sir Nick Faldo
“The second hole has a narrow fairway, so you’ll be looking to lay up before hitting it into a long skinny green. You’ve just got to be careful that you are not missing the fairway on the wrong side and the green cuts in down the left hand side, so getting the right depth to your second shot is very important.” – Sir Nick Faldo
“The third is a two shot par five, with the most important shot off the tee. Get that down the fairway and you can get onto the green in two, but water will come into play if you overhook your second shot. Obviously, if you have to lay up, there is plenty of room to give you a good angle for a wedge shot into the green.” – Sir Nick Faldo
“The fourth is narrow and needs a good tee shot – you cannot miss the fairway left or right, especially if the flag is down the left, you’ve got water and a bunker to carry. Same if you were to miss down the right, with a tough pin in the back, right hand corner.” – Sir Nick Faldo
“Fifth hole has got a narrow green, so it’s very important that you obviously find the fairway, although you don’t necessarily need to get it a long way down there. I remember back in the day, I made sure I got the right short iron, like a 9 iron, to get a really good spin to get the ball to stop as it can easily go long, especially if the green gets firm. So getting the right spin on the second shot is important there.” – Sir Nick Faldo
“The sixth hole has changed dramatically over the years. It’s an important tee shot as water will come into play especially if they put a front left hole location, so you cannot afford to miss that fairway to the right.” – Sir Nick Faldo
“Seven is a short par three, with a kind of a cupcake green that is raised up. Hitting the middle of the green will do you very well, just get it in the middle and putt into the corners.” – Sir Nick Faldo
“The eighth is one of the toughest part fours on the front nine. Needs a really good tee shot as you’ve got a bunker down the right and you’ve got trees and water to the left. And then, if into the wind, you will need decent length off the second shot.” – Sir Nick Faldo
“Nine is pretty challenging. Narrow tee shot and then quite a sloping green from left to right. So, if you’re coming with a long shot, the ideal shot will be to fade it in there and use the slope. If you’ve got a shorter iron, you could turn a draw against a slope and get it to sit down nice and quickly for you.” – Sir Nick Faldo
