PGA Hole by Hole: Sedgefield CC

by PuddinCheeks Last Updated 2016-08-18 14:28:54

The final week for players to make the Fedex Championships has arrived. The players on the bubble will have to give it their best to either hold their position or get into the top 125 to join the field for next week’s tournament. This could lead to some players playing exceptionally well or collapsing in grand fashion trying to make the weekend.

The Donald Ross Course at Sedgefield County Club is a par 70 track and stands as the only Ross course that has a regularly scheduled event on the tour. It has eight holes that have averaged under par over the last five years. Meaning we will get to see some decent chances for fantasy scoring. It will be true test of accuracy though, if players want to take advantage of some of these holes. The tee shots on this course will be pretty crucial to have any chance at gaining strokes and avoid falling backwards. Strokes gained off the tee stands out to me as one possible category to utilize this week. Some of the holes have advantages for longer hitters but they come with some adherent risk. While doing this analysis and measuring the holes it almost appears like they have tried to “Tiger Proof” this course at some point over the last decade. By adding fairway bunkers and bends that draw towards streams that meander through and along the holes, it will certainly take players with an affinity for avoiding bad shots to conquer this beast.

Even though this appears to be a tough course, it is conquerable, as shown by recent winning scores: 2011 (-18); 2012 (-18); 2013 (-14); 2014 (-17); 2015 (-17). This should be an exciting tournament with so much on the line for the players this week.

NOTE: All course images found in this article are from Google Earth.

Sedgefield CC, Greensboro, NC (Par 70 , 7127 yds)

Scorecard

Here are the averages for each hole aggregated over the previous five years. These are four round totals per hole except for DK Avg which is per round played. So an average player should have scored 15.79 DK points for one round of play with no bonuses added for streaks or bogey free rounds. That brings an average team of six players making the cut to 379 fantasy points with no placement bonuses.

Right away you can see Holes 5, 8 and 15 are where a lot of fantasy goodness will come from. Any hole that measures above .5 is also where players can score points. Holes like 18 and 11 are the two holes where a par can actually gain fantasy points on the field since they average below .5.

Hole by Hole Analysis

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.
The displayed shot markers markers on the images are for “Tee Shot 1” for each respective hole.

Hole #1: Par 4, 418 yards, Rank: 9

Right off the start players face a middle of the road hole challenge wise. Scoring just barely over par it still gives players an opportunity for an opening birdie as long as they find this moderately narrow fairway.

Tee Shot 1: 290/158, 30
Tee Shot 2: 330/115, 20
Green: 30/32
Elevation: +10
Direction: South

Hole #2: Par 4, 442 yards, Rank: 7

A very interesting hole with a tee shot that has to avoid trouble to the right and plays downhill almost 30 feet. A player that tries to take a long shot has to be extremely precise with distance and accuracy to avoid the creek in the middle of the fairway and also a bottleneck rough. If a player manages a well-placed tee shot they will have to contend with a green that slopes to the right towards the stream on their approach. A demanding hole from tee to green where a slip up can cost a player strokes as this hole has averages the seventh most bogeys and fifth most double bogeys on the course. This is a hole where players can lose or gain strokes on the field and will be pivotal on your fantasy teams as well. It gives up the eighth most birdies when played correctly from tee to green.

Tee Shot 1: 270/165, 38
Tee Shot 2: 315/112, 22
Green: 19/41
Elevation: -40
Direction: Southeast

Hole #3: Par 3, 174 yards, Rank: 13

A fairly run-of-the-mill par 3 for tour pros with some bunkers guarding the front, this hole will be a par for most players and only will cost strokes on terrible shots averaging only 1 double bogey across all 4 rounds. It plays slightly uphill, but only at medium range so most players will be able to put the ball on the putting surface.

Tee Shot 1: 174
Green: 28/36
Elevation: +14
Direction: West

Hole #4: Par 4, 428 yards, Rank: 10

The main defense for this hole is the trees that will catch a shot that strays to the left or right. It has one small fairway bunker that will make getting to the green a little tougher, but no real hazards around the green to speak of will allow shots from the fairway to have an excellent chance for birdie. The landing of the fairway is one of the skinniest on the course and that makes what appears to be a simple hole a little tougher. It gives up the 10th most birdies and the ninth most bogeys. When a hole has scoring that is split evenly it tends to separate the players more so than some of the scoring holes.

Tee Shot 1: 290/125, 22
Tee Shot 2: 330/87, 16
Green: 31/34
Elevation: +15
Direction: South

Hole #5: Par 5, 529 yards, Rank: 18

The “Fantasy Bonanza” should be the name of this hole because if your players aren’t scoring here they will struggle to keep up. Reachable from all but the shortest hitters this hole gives up the most Eagles at just around 6 per round played. Most of that is dependent upon the flag position each day. This Hole’s only protection is the narrow fairway once again and even an initially bad tee shot can be followed up by a close layup to make birdie unless they are lost in the trees. Anything worse than birdie here will be bad for your fantasy team as it would mean your player lost almost 2 points to the field even if they made par. This hole has the fewest pars (41) and bogeys (4) per round scored on it out of the entire course if that gives you any indication.

Tee Shot 1: 290/225, 26
Tee Shot 2: 330/188, 26
Green: 50/26
Elevation: -15
Direction: East

Hole #6: Par 4, 423 yards, Rank: 8

The shadows of the trees in the image make this hole look more narrow than it actually is. It plays generously downhill and players will have a decision to make if they are going to layup or try to carry the stream in the fairway (295 to carry). It is not an impossible shot for most players but depending upon how accurate they are playing that day will determine which route they may take. It is a great risk reward hole based on the differences of the approach shot. It is fourth highest in pars and 12th in birdies so players that can gain strokes here will help a lot.

Tee Shot 1: 250/162, 29
Tee Shot 2: 330/80, 29
Green: 35/31
Elevation: -35
Direction: East

Hole #7: Par 3, 223 yards, Rank: 5

A long par 3 with a creek on three sides is a recipe for disaster and the scoring shows that. It is seventh highest in bogeys and second most in double bogeys. It only gives up the third fewest in birdies, meaning that par is a fine score to walk away with.

Tee Shot 1: 223
Green: 23/35
Elevation: -30
Direction: North

Hole #8: Par 4, 374 yards, Rank: 16

This is a fairly straight hole but from the tee box would look like a dogleg left. The fairway angles to the side following the stream that, at this point, some players would prefer was non-existent. Any drive in the fairway leaves and excellent chance for birdie. This is a scoring hole that a par would essentially be a bogey on. It only averages five bogeys per round.

Tee Shot 1: 290/80, 27
Tee Shot 2: 318/50, 19
Green: 25/38
Elevation: +5
Direction: North

h3. Hole #9: Par 4, 416 yards, Rank: 11

Heading back uphill to the clubhouse is a manageable hole that in the image looks like it has a stream in the fairway but is only a rain-wash that was present at the time of the picture. There is a large bunker that will catch any misplaced shots to the green and will make getting par a challenge if the ball lands near the steep front. This hole gives up the sixth most birdies and fourth most pars.

Tee Shot 1: 270/140, 25
Tee Shot 2: 330/82, 25
Green: 28/31
Elevation: +35
Direction: NorthWest

Hole #10: Par 4, 440 yards, Rank: 4

Heading out from the clubhouse is a challenging uphill hole that is relatively flat from the tee but gently rises on approach. Another hole with a narrow fairway that if missed will cost players strokes. It averages fourth most bogeys and sixth most doubles even though on paper a 440 par 4 doesn’t sound scary to a tour pro.

Tee Shot 1: 290/150, 24
Tee Shot 2: 330/106, 25
Green: 32/28
Elevation: +20
Direction: East

Hole #11: Par 4, 486 yards, Rank: 2

Following #10 players get to meet this hole, which is another that seemingly looks defenseless except that the green is protected by natural terrain and is almost a plateau. Anything in the rough here makes getting the approach right very difficult. Anything left of the green makes for a very challenging up and down. This holes touts the third most bogeys and ranks first in doubles, oddly enough it succeeds in that without that pesky little stream anywhere around. That is possibly due to if someone hits the ball long on the approach they can go across a small road onto the next tee box or worse yet can kick so hard left it can go OB. Par is a blessing on this hole.

Tee Shot 1: 290/191, 31
Tee Shot 2: 330/148, 30
Green: 25/32
Elevation: -30
Direction: South

Hole #12: Par 3, 235 yards, Rank: 6

Players still aren’t in the clear yet for the third hole in a row they can’t lose focus. They need to put their tee shot on the green, because the bunkers are not friendly here. This hole averages over par most rounds and a birdie here can gain strokes and fantasy points on the field. The green has two tiers and is quite large so we may see some three putts. Side Note: To me this hole looks like a fish from the aerial view. Also, that demonic little stream shoots through this hole in the middle just to say, hey guys don’t forget about me!

Tee Shot 1: 235
Green: 30/31
Elevation: -12
Direction: South

Hole #13: Par 4, 405 yards, Rank: 15

Finally, a player has a legit scoring opportunity on the back nine. But, oh wait, its uphill 50 feet. With some fairway bunkers to avoid, players can lay back a bit and still have a wedge into the green. This hole gives up the fourth most birdies and that is the score of choice to hopefully recover some self-esteem from the last three holes.

Tee Shot 1: 290/100, 30
Tee Shot 2: 320/80, 15
Green: 25/35
Elevation: +50
Direction: South

Hole #14: Par 4, 501 yards, Rank: 3

Well the light breathing was short-lived for players as they face a long par 4 with a bunker guarding any tee shot that tries to ride the left side of the fairway on the dog-leg left hole. There is some scary looking sand from the players perspective on their approach shot and pot bunker to the front right of the green. This hole causes the second most bogeys and fourth most double bogeys for players while giving up only right around 12 birdies per round.

Tee Shot 1: 290/200, 29
Tee Shot 2: 330/150, 25
Green: 30/32
Elevation: -12
Direction: North

Hole #15: Par 5, 545 yards, Rank: 17

Finally, another scoring hole on the back nine! This is the second and last real shot for a player to make an eagle (4) per round. It requires a crafty well placed shot off the tee avoid that little pesky stream that will not seem to go away, even though it is only in play on terribly hit shots. There is a bunker that long players may end up driving to on the right of the fairway that makes for an interesting layup over water for a second shot. The tee shot is downhill about 30 feet and drive around 330 yards will end up just short of that bunker giving players a chance at the green. This is another example of where a par is not a good score. Players will be losing strokes and fantasy points in bunches to the field if they happen to be one of the players that finds the water.

Tee Shot 1: 290/190/55, 32, optional if they go for the green its 290/250.
Tee Shot 2: 330/210, 32
Green: 28/28
Elevation: -30
Direction: North

Hole #16: Par 3, 175 yards, Rank: 14

Starting the home stretch players have a medium length par 3 that plays slightly downhill with a somewhat generous size green. There are bunkers guarding the front of the green that are quite nasty and the green slopes back to the players towards the water. This hole gives up a moderate amount of birdies (fifth most) and isn’t not overly penal at around 12 bogeys per round.

Tee Shot 1: 175
Green: 38/25
Elevation: -15
Direction: East

Hole #17: Par 4, 406 yards, Rank: 12

With the last realistic hole for scoring on the course, players need to battle an uneven stance in the fairway on their approach shot. The fairway slopes down to the right towards a small ditch that wants to call itself a stream. The hole plays uphill to a plateau type green. Most all players will have a wedge into this green but a miss to the right can be costly.

Tee Shot 1: 290/105, 22
Tee Shot 2: 320/75, 27
Green: 24/28
Elevation: +22
Direction: NorthWest

Hole #18: Par 4, 507 yards, Rank: 1

The Home Hole, a members’ par 5, it is played as a par 4 for the Championship. All the drama comes down to the hole that plays the hardest on the course. It has some nasty beaches on both sides of the front of the green that had to the ferocity this hole has to offer. To say this one is tough is an understatement; it gives up the fewest birdies (10), the second most double bogeys (3) and most bogeys (28) per round. The stage is set where players need to hang on to what they have more so than gain an extra stroke back. This hole alone is already making me nervous for Friday afternoon cut. Oh, and don’t forget, the sadistic little stream that makes one final wave at the players on their way home!

Tee Shot 1: 290/210, 25
Tee Shot 2: 330/170, 27
Green: 25/34
Elevation: -30
Direction: West

Summary

This course is kind of a flip-flop of what we have seen lately. When you look at the overall stats Par 70, 7127 yards it doesn’t seem long at all. There are plenty of holes that are equal for all golfers but to win you have to score on the hard ones. There are a few where short hitters are just at disadvantage. In previous weeks we had some long courses like at the PGA championship, but it was only because of a few extremely long holes. This course is more of the strategic variety but length is for sure a plus as long as it has accuracy attached to it. I have also compiled the averages of the top 10 players’ stats for the last five years and this is what they show.

Average Drive: 301.1 yards
Driving Accuracy: 66.5%
GIR: 77.23%
Putts (Per GIR): 1.734
Eagles: (.58)
Birdies: (16.9)
Pars: (42)
Bogeys: (4.94)
Double Bogey and DB+: (.08)
Average Compiled Fantasy Score: 73.8 (no placement or bonuses)

You can see that ball striking is a premium on this course to succeed. There were players that finished top 10 a few years that averaged as low as 285 yards (ZJ-2013) and players like Bill Haas that only hit 50% of fairways in 2014, but he was 83.3% GIR for a second place finish. So you can have different ways to take on this course but fairways and greens are the name of the game this week. Most holes do not have terrible punishment for bad shots by not a very large amount of double bogey or worse, so players dropping off the face of the leaderboard won’t happen as fast as you sometimes see. But if someone is not having a great day on the tee they will certainly start tumbling down one bogey at a time. One key to success this week is find the right guys that can survive that back nine stretch of really hard holes 10 through 13 and that might be the difference in a winning team versus a 4/6 or worse team.

Good luck this week to all and if anyone has some feedback on what you would like to see added or changed to this article, feel free to comment below.