Hole Breakdowns  ›  The Island Green
Hole breakdown #11

The Island Green: Club for the Carry, Not the Flag

All carry, no bailout. The club that clears the water to the middle is the only one that matters.

Hole type · Island / forced-carry par 3

“The one where the water does all the talking.”

💧 Water wrapping the whole green
⛳ Small target, front pin today
● Smart target: center, enough club to carry
✕ Common aim: the flag on the front edge
The mistake

Clubbing for the flag on a front pin, then catching one thin and watching it splash a yard short of the green.

The math

On a full-carry hole your only job is clearing the water to a safe landing. A ball pin-high in the back fringe still counts; a perfect number that comes up a yard short costs you two.

The correct target

Take enough club to reach the center every time, and commit to it. The back of the green is a free bailout. The water is not.

Strokes saved

≈ 0.4-0.7 strokes per hole where the carry is genuinely in doubt, mostly by erasing the re-tee.

“Club for the carry to the middle, then swing free.”

Strokes-saved figures are approximate, based on expected-value (strokes-gained) course management for a mid-handicap golfer (roughly 8-18). These are real ranges, not guarantees.

More hole breakdowns

The Split Fairway The Blind Tee Shot Crosswind Approach Downhill, Downwind Par 3 OB Right? Aim Left and Give Yourself Room The Tucked Pin
The rest of the picture

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