After a short walk back through the grove of trees to the left of the third hole, players are faced with another tricky hole that belies its short distance.
Like many holes at Olympic Club’s famous Lake course, this hole plays on a reverse camber, doglegging to the left against a hill that pushes balls strongly from left to right. The same left-to-right wind from the third hole comes into play here, making it even harder to hold the fairway.
Unlike the Olympic Club, however, where players rarely lose a ball, Lincoln Park’s fourth hole has a large penalty area that will gobble up shots that drift too far to the right. Players taking driver will need to hit a draw against the wind, landing on the left side of the fairway while avoiding the trees on the left in order to avoid the red stakes.
A more prudent tee shot is an iron layup that stays short of the penalty area, leaving an approach of about 150 yards into a two-leveled green that slopes steeply from left to right. Approach shots from the deep valley in the fairway are no bargain but at least give the player a decent chance at avoiding a big number.