Erica reports on the course at Whispering Pines
Erica reports, “Whispering pines is a course situated in a rural – no cell phone coverage – forested part of Texas. The course is well groomed, wide fairways bordered by really old trees.
“The rough is what they call champions Bermuda grass. This is a lightweight grass that is about three inches high and the ball just drops down – and then catches your club. The second cut is about five inches high so players should not miss the fairway. The bunkers have strategically placed tufts of elephant grass inside many of them – so one can be a bit unlucky.
“However the real challenge is going to be the greens. Most are at least 40 yards long and have slopes from all sides. For the first time I have been able to see nap – the greens are clearly shaded dark and light to show where slow and fast. You can hit a good shot onto the green and if on the wrong side with a slope the ball can run right off. So the challenge will be to hit the ball in the right place on the green or a three putt is a possibility.
“The meanest green is the 11th. There are two par threes in a row – I have never come across this before – the 15th an island green followed by the 16th which also has water.
“The team were hitting the ball well today and I am sure they will score well.”
Format of Play:
The Spirit competition will be 72 holes Four-Ball Stroke Play and will have three concurrent team competitions:
International Team – The Four-Ball score for both the women’s and men’s team will be combined after each 18-Hole round to compute the International Team score. The country with the lowest combined score at the conclusion of the competition will be declared the International Champion.
Women’s Team- Four-Ball Stroke Play
Men’s Team- Four-Ball Stroke Play
Individual Honors- Due to the four ball stroke play format, only the number of birdies and eagles made by each player during the 72 hole competition will be counted to determine individual women and individual men honors.
Commemorative medals (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) will be awarded to the top three places in all competitions.
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