Bay Hill Club stresses patience early

As the saying goes, “You can’t win the tournament in the first round, but you sure can lose it.” Well, the Bay Hill Club takes it one step further with three tough opening holes. No player likes to start the round behind the eight ball, but there is nothing about the first three holes that says “fast start” either. Last year, the Bay Hill Club ranked second behind Pebble Beach (site of the US Open) in the category of “toughest opening 3 holes on Tour.”  Here’s a closer look at the holes thanks to pgatour.com and bayhill.com.

1

Par 4 461 

 The first hole grabs the player's attention from the start, as Bay Hill flexes it muscles, beginning with a 461-yard par 4. During Palmer's 2009 renovation, bunkers 180 yds off the tee to the right were eliminated and converted to rough. Bunkers outside of dogleg were enlarged to provide visibility from the tee. Greenside bunkers were moved closer, deepened, and flashed higher to frame the green. Interior of the old green surface was replicated and the edges softened to provide better hole locations closer to the bunkers. 

2

Par 3 231 

The second hole is a long par 3 at 231 yards and is typical of all the par 3s on the course. This is the second-longest par 3 on the course, but plays slightly downhill. One of the few "major" changes during the 2009 renovation, this green was rotated 30 degrees clockwise to enable players to hold long iron and woods into green. With the green now rotated and back tee expanded, this hole can play as long as 245 yards.

3

Par 4 434 

The third hole is a 434-yard par 4 that makes a dogleg left around the largest lake on the course, requiring a careful tee shot. Players must know where to place their drives in order to set up the approach to a green that sits at water's edge over a natural rock wall. Players who misread the wind at No. 2 and didn't take note will be playing into a crosswind that will force the ball left and into the lake.

Holes	Course	Total RTP
1,2,3	Pebble Beach (US Open)	0.567
1,2,3	Bay Hill Club & Lodge	0.470
1,2,3	Waialae CC	0.426
1,2,3	TPC Four Seasons Resort	0.378
1,2,3	TPC San Antonio	0.267