Saturday, March 7, 2009

Trump New #8

The Trump New Nine in West Palm Beach was designed by Jim Fazio in 2006. It is accessed in the vicinity of the 13th hole and north end of the practice area of the 18 hole layout. This course is just as nicely maintained as the other course but the day I played it the only other person I saw on it was an assistant pro practicing. My caddy confirmed that it doesn't get that much play. To date it is the best nine hole course I have played.
http://picasaweb.google.com/InPursuitof1000/TrumpNew8?feat=directlink

Hole #8 is an Island Green hole that plays from 85 to 153 yards. If you are going to build any classic Island Green you are no doubt going to be compared to the world famous #17 at Sawgrass. The first impression is that #8 is just a mirror image of the 17th with the bunker placed on the left side. When walking to the tee you notice that it is much more elevated than #17 which makes the green appear larger, actually it is a larger flatter, green. The front tee is only 85 yards to the pin so even when you are playing it from the same distance as Sawgrass, 135 yards, the green feels much closer due to the lack of distance you need to carry the water. Even though Trump #8 is not nearly as an intimidating hole when you step on the tee as Sawgrass, it still is an exciting hole to play. Looking back at the tee from the green, #8 is very visually stimulating and the landscaping is outstanding.

The day I played this hole there was a strong left to right wind coming out of the south. I decided to play it from 135 yards to get a similar feel and distance as Sawgrass. I hit an 8 iron at the left edge of the bunker and the wind blew it right to about 12-15 feet behind the flag. I had a relatively flat putt that I made for a birdie.

No comments:

Post a Comment