Gleneagles GC at McLaren Park
Hole
7
Hole 8
Par: 3
Blue/Yellow:
151 yards
HCP: 17
Hole
9
Sand in play
Hole 8 Discussion

Hole #8 is a short, downhill par 3. The layout, however, makes the hole anything but simple. The downhill nature and prevailing winds behind will make it difficult to get a shot to stop on the green itself. The strongly sloping area in front of the area will kick rightward onto the green, but the green moves everything left to right, so you may still end up rolling through.

When the wind is up, it can add a bit to your shot as well, and the bunker behind the hole is positioned to catch anything that is even a bit too strong. Anything that flies the green is disaster, so short of the green is better than long, but there is a bunker front right that anything short will kick towards.

Ironically, the shot may be easiest in high winds. In that case, a short wedge can be used to stop the ball, letting the wind simply push the ball over the green. This can be difficult to judge however, as the wind is mostly above the trees behind the tee box.