FOURTH HOLE

The Fourth Hole starts a set of three holes where that can make or break your round, South Park's version of Amen Corner. The fourth hole seems like an easy par 3 on the card being only 150 yards long from the men's tee and 175 yards from the back tee.

However, as soon as a golfer turns the corner and sets foot upon the tee the fun begins. As the picture of Chuck Griesinger teeing off above shows, while only 150 yards from the men's tee, the first 140 must carry South Park Lake and the thick sawgrass bordering it.

The green is bordered by a 1-2 foot high grass bunker on all sides but the front; however, there is no bail out long as anything 15 feet over the green is out-of-bounds. The right of the green is protected by a large elm tree that partially blocks the tee shot from the shorter 100 yard ladies tee.

Even if you should hit the green a par is not a guaranteed score. As seen in the picture to the right from behind the green looking towards the tee, the green is sharply sloped from front to back, with the first 10 feet of the green being a false front. If the hole is cut on the bottom of the green you must leave your tee shot short, otherwise your approach putt will more than likely roll off the green and a three putt is the usual result.

The fourth hole has decided many a match and plays an integral role in the annual club championship. For the long ball hitters they can be tested by going back to the championship tee, which plays to 175 yards, 165 of which is all over water. The fourth hole is without a doubt the signature hole at South Park.