At 172 yards, No. 7 hole a Campus Commons challenge

Six hardy Bee readers volunteered to play the 18 toughest holes in the Sacramento region and have their scores and experiences documented. The holes and recaps are being revealed one per week.

The particulars

• Par: 3

• Yardage: 172 for men; 115 for women

What makes the hole hard

Out-of-bounds stakes along the river's edge to the left and overhanging cottonwoods to the right give players a chute effect and a 30-foot-wide landing area – the left 20 feet of the 60-foot-wide green and the 10 feet between the green's left edge and OB.

A 100-foot-tall cottonwood about 10 yards to the front-right of the green makes going over impossible, at least if you're trying to end up anywhere near the green. The hole is as visually intimidating as it is unforgiving.

Our sixsome's summary

In one of the greatest displays of score- being-kept golf, our group played the hole in a cumulative 2 over par – to a far-right pin location that not only couldn't be seen or gotten to from the tee, but was on the deceptively sloped portion of the green.

A lot of money could be made betting that any six players of your choosing couldn't equal or better that.

Our sixsome's (mixed) assessment

• Matt Corsaut: "I think it's a great hole. It's a fun hole. It's the only dogleg-right par 3 I've ever played."

• Allan Owen: "Having a par 3 that you have to 'dog' is tough but not good. Not my favorite."

• Kathi McCoy: "Even though it looks short, seeing and hearing the river rushing by, the overhanging limbs … pick your poison."

Some strategy

From the back tee, the ideal tee shot would be started at the left edge of the green and faded (for a right-hander) 10 feet. A 20-foot fade and it's ricochet city with OB a possibility. A 1-degree pull and you're hitting your third shot from the tee. Your fifth and seventh shots, too, if you're not careful.

A punch shot under the tree limbs might be a marginally safer option, but no route to the green is without peril. As such, no lead at Campus Commons is safe until No. 7 has been negotiated.

Some history

The tee used to be about 20 yards farther left until erosion washed it away in the mid-1970s. The hole played a little longer then, but the angle was much easier, said Ray Arinno, one of the area's best players for decades, a former owner of Campus Commons and the course record-holder.

The riverbank has always been out of bounds as opposed to a lateral hazard to keep players from tromping down, Arinno said. If the hazard were lateral, the hole would be hard but not cheek-squeezing tough.

Does No. 7, despite being part of a nine-hole, par-29 course, belong among the 18 toughest in the area, Arinno was asked.

"When I saw (the project's concept), that's the first hole I thought of," he said.

– Steve Pajak

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/13/3765700/at-172-yards-no-7-hole-a-campus.html#ixzz1ZCJb9OMn