Hole by Hole: Rio 2016
This week golf will travel to the Olympics for what some are comparing to a WGC event with a less talented field. Even with the lack of a cut, I smell a chance to have a good week. Which, to be fair, is something I say every week, as I am an eternal optimist.
So with boundless enthusiasm and no real record of what this course will play like, let’s get it on!
Olympic Golf Course, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The very first thing that stands out to me about the man in charge of building this course, Gil Hanse, is he is rooted in links-style golf, meaning he placed the preliminary focus on the land it was built around. Encompassing 240 acres, the land gave him quite a bit to work with compared to some PGA courses that squeeze everything into 140 acres or fewer. Hanse, along with his design partner Jim Wagner, were also responsible for Castle Stuart that just recently hosted the Scottish Open. When looking at the Rio course, you can notice some similarities in design, rumble areas in fairways and deep bunkers around greens being just a few.
The underlying earth is mostly sand and the turf that was chosen as the play surface is Zeon zoysia. We won’t see many of those giant beaver pelt divots flying around here, but it should be a manageable playing surface. The other difference to point out is that the greens will be Seashore paspalum, not a normal playing surface for most golfers. It is becoming more popular on coastal golf courses because it can stand up better to salt spray and brackish water that sometimes gets into the irrigation systems. Another interesting point is that Hanse was not allowed to remove or bring in new sand for the course, so the bunkers are more native and use all three of the sands types found on location.
There aren’t many natural structures around this course close enough to protect it from the wind, so keep an eye on conditions that may lead to players who fare better on links courses pulling ahead in this first Olympic competition in 112 years. The prevailing winds are from the south, and initial reports are top reach up to 15mph in early afternoon. Take note of holes that may benefit or play harder based on direction.
Scorecard
As stated earlier, there are no historical scoring records to use for this course to gauge what scoring will be like, but here are the numbers.
Hole by Hole Analysis
NOTE: Images are from Google Earth
Format Notes:
Tee Shots (Drive/Approach) = 290/150, (Landing width)
Green (Width/Depth) = 25/25
Elevation: Distance in (feet) of elevation change uphill(+), downhill(-)
Direction: The Direction that the hole plays towards.
All other Measurements in Yards.
Hole #1: Par 5, 604 yards
Opening with a Long Par 5 seems to be one of the themes that designer Hanse likes. This one doesn’t seem reachable unless players can get lucky and have an easterly tailwind to help propel them past some narrowing bunkers about 320 out. Also, this shows the links roots by having miss-hit golf balls that could land in neighboring fairways that can sometimes lead to better approach shots. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some players purposely play down the 18th fairway (to the players’ right) to try to get to this green in two if the conditions are right.
Tee Shot 1: 290/220/89, 50
Tee Shot 2: 330/260, 35
Green: 32/45
Elevation: -3
Direction: West
Hole #2: Par 4, 486 yards
This hole will require a tee shot that can be placed in the right position to eliminate a very long shot into the green. It is moderately dog-leg to the left, and anything right can still be in the fairway but can add lots of distance to the approach. The tee shot is downhill 14 feet, and I can only imagine this hole looks pleasing to a long hitter. Even if the tee is placed all the way in the back, a 300yd carry can cover the left-side bunkers and can gain a player almost a 50-yard advantage coming into the green.
Tee Shot 1: 290/190, 44
Tee Shot 2: 330/140, 48
Green: 27/36
Elevation: -14
Direction: South
Hole #3: Par 4, 351 yards
With a lake to the left and some bunkering to the right, this is a driver’s hole. Almost all players should be able to put the tee shot in play, though, as the landing area on an average drive is almost 60 yards wide. The bunkering around this green will be its defense, though, and the slender shape of the green may mean the pin positions can be moved to make this hole play quite differently from one day to the next. All players should be well inside 100 yards for their approach, even if they lay back to a certain distance they like.
Tee Shot 1: 290/46, 61
Tee Shot 2: 330/0, 30
Green: 22/46
Elevation: +/- 0
Direction: Southeast
Hole #4: Par 3, 191 yards
A miss short right will put players in a poor position to save par from large bunkering. A shot that is long left will collect to an area approximately five feet below the green surface.
Tee Shot 1: 191
Green: 23/30
Elevation: +2
Direction: Southeast
Hole #5: Par 5, 547 yards
Most players should be able to reach this hole in two shots, but it brings on the risk of some bunkers for anything short. Also, this is a green that is a little small (only 19 yards wide), so some players will just play a layup shot for a good opportunity at birdie.
Tee Shot 1: 290/250, 52
Tee Shot 2: 330/215 44
Green: 19/28
Elevation: +3
Direction: Northwest
Hole #6: Par 3, 196 yards
A pretty straightforward par 3 with only trouble to the long left. This will be another hole where pin position will determine how it scores each day.
Tee Shot 1: 196
Green: 28/42
Elevation: +3
Direction: Northwest
Hole #7: Par 4, 493 yards
On top of being a long par 4, this one has a very oddly shaped green with trouble all around it. This is a hole where a long hitter can gain an advantage by clearing some fairway bunkers and also having a wider landing zone.
Tee Shot 1: 290/207, 42
Tee Shot 2: 330/165, 56
Green: 20/52
Elevation: +3
Direction: East
Hole #8: Par 3, 172 yards
The wind and pin position will be the determining factors for scoring on this hole. It may be playing directly into the wind throughout the contest. Any miss left or right will make it tough to get up and down for par.
Tee Shot 1: 172
Green: 32/33
Elevation: -5
Direction: Southeast
Hole #9: Par 4, 369 yards
Most players will take their drive just to the left to avoid the bunker on the right side of the fairway. This is a hole where a bomber will come out of their shoes if they want to, as the landing area is 75 yards wide at 330 yards out. Also, take into account that this hole will have the tailwind, as it is headed north back to the clubhouse. The green is a tiny little football shaped mound and will make it tricky to get close from the wrong angles.
Tee Shot 1: 290/75, 60
Tee Shot 2: 330/30, 75
Green: 24/17
Elevation: +6
Direction: North
Hole #10: Par 5, 590 yards
A very exciting hole from tee to green, for spectators at least. The landing area for the tee shots is still relatively forgiving at around 50 yards wide. But players will have to decide where they want to approach the green from with their second shot. With such an awkwardly shaped green, players may go with an approach that tries to line up for a parallel approach. Big hitters may have a go at the green, but the risk will be severe if they are off the slightest, as well as this hole will be playing into the prevailing winds.
Tee Shot 1: 290/225/75, 50
Tee Shot 2: 330/250, 54
Green: 20/54
Elevation: -10
Direction: South
Hole #11: Par 4, 488 yards
Turning back to the north, the players have a long par 4 that plays slightly uphill from the tee. This hole almost looks like it may have a slightly helping crosswind coming from the players’ left. The bunkers between these fairways aren’t really in play from this tee, but players need to make sure to avoid the waste areas on both sides of the fairway to have a decent look at the green.
Tee Shot 1: 290/195, 56
Tee Shot 2: 330/150, 46
Green: 28/28
Elevation: +12
Direction: Northwest
Hole #12: Par 4, 514 yards
A beast of a par 4 only made worse because it will most likely play into a headwind. The smartest play off the tee might actually be to hit into the 5th fairway for the straightest approach to the green. If someone tries to go long off the tee, they bring on some trouble and the fairway necks down on them to only 34 yards wide with bunkers everywhere.
Tee Shot 1: 290/215, 120
Tee Shot 2: 330/180, 34
Green: 35/35
Elevation: -6
Direction: South
Hole #13: Par 4, 479 yards
A fairly sharp dogleg right will require another well-placed drive to have an approach for birdie. A miss short or right will lead to significant trouble saving par.
Tee Shot 1: 290/175, 55
Tee Shot 2: 330/125, 32
Green: 27/34
Elevation: +/-0
Direction: West
Hole #14: Par 3, 229 yards
Par may be a good score here. Tons of danger on this very long tee shot directly into the wind.
Tee Shot 1: 229
Green: 27/28
Elevation: +/-0
Direction: South
Hole #15: Par 4, 412 yards
This hole has a unique bunker directly in the center of the fairway. Players that can carry over it at around 290 will have the upper hand on this hole. Players that can’t carry that far will mostly likely layup short of it with a wood or iron. A shot anywhere in the fairway leads to a scoring opportunity for all players, though, as this one is on the shorter side as a whole.
Tee Shot 1: 290/125, 34
Tee Shot 2: 330/85, 49
Green: 27/27
Elevation: +12
Direction: North
Hole #16: Par 4, 303 yards
Risk rewarding for trying to drive this green is pretty high. A deep bunker to the right of the green will give players pause as well as the green only being 11 yards wide. A normal shot should end up right on the front of the green, giving players an easier chip shot up to what could be a tough pin position.
Tee Shot 1: 275/27, 80
Tee Shot 2: 300/0, 11
Green: 11/35
Elevation: -3
Direction: North
Hole #17: Par 3, 133 yards
Even though this is a short par 3, the pin can be placed in difficult positions tucked behind the bunkering along the front. The wind should be coming from the players right as a crosswind, as well making dialing in the wedge just a touch more difficult.
Tee Shot 1: 133
Green: 32/34
Elevation: +1
Direction: East
Hole #18: Par 5, 571 yards
The home hole is another par 5, and the course designer was quoted as saying, “It would be nice to see a birdie, birdie, eagle finish.” This course is definitely set up that way, and the closing hole could very well lead to some gold medal fireworks. Of course, they are going to have to avoid all kinds of nastiness with their tee shots to have those Wheaties-box dreams fulfilled.
Tee Shot 1: 290/160/100, 50
Tee Shot 2: 330/220, 54
Green: 26/25
Elevation: +/-0
Direction: East
Summary
At first glance, most people will see a course that only measures 7128 yards and think this will be a cakewalk par 71 course. After going through the analysis though, it’s clear this one sets up as a give and take. It will give up some short, easier scoring holes but it will take away with some very long ones that I bet weren’t accidentally pointed into the wind. Also, the landing areas for drives is wider than we see at most PGA Tour stops, but is kind of the norm for a links style layout. Players who get creative can be rewarded with more manageable approaches to the greens. I’m not entirely sure which are the best stat categories to use, but this week is like Armageddon for stats, since we only have a few guys in the field with the full repertoire PGA tour shot trac-o-matic details.We all will have to settle for the same stats as everyone else we are playing against this week. So we can make the best of it and don’t overthink it. There isn’t a cut, we want more birdies than bogeys, and does a gold medal give +100 bonus? Wouldn’t that be cool.
Good luck to all this week, and feel free to leave comments here for things you would like to see added/changed in this article.