This week at the Valspar Championship on the Copperhead Course, everyone will be talking about "The Snake Pit" -- holes 16, 17 and 18. In reality, a more critical hole comes a bit earlier, and it's one of the easier ones. How the eventual winner plays the short, 380-yard, par-4 12th on the weekend will set the tone for how they finish.
The reason it's key is because you must be very conscious of club selection for both the tee shot and second shot. Looking at the hole map, you can see most of the field can't hit driver since the fairway runs out at 260 yards at its farthest point.
The smartest players will sting an iron around 240-245 yards trying to get just past the sprinkler head that's 129 yards to the front edge. Remember, wind direction and firmness of the fairway will be a big factor.
What's important next is that little +2 you see by the yardages. That means your second shot is going to play two yards uphill.
Doesn't seem like much ... until you account for the wind! Wind, plus uphill, can be one to two clubs difference at this hole.
Now take a close look at the green. Notice the angle it sits at compared to the fairway. Any misjudged club selection will end up in one of those sand traps, the worst being the back bunker because of the slope of the green (back to front).
Trust me when I tell you that a shot from the front bunker to a front pin is about as easy as third-year trigonometry.
Watch how the leaders play this hole Saturday and Sunday. If any of them make a bogey here, you shouldn't bet on them winning the tournament.
Yardage books provided by Mark Long -- TourSherpa@gmail.com. Copyright 2016 Tour Sherpa, Inc. All rights reserved.