The Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club – Hole-by-Hole Preview #1-9

Hole #1 – Par 4, 445 yards

There’s nothing subtle about the 445-yard uphill par 4 that begins the round at Marco Simone. No friendly handshake. No gentle warm-up. Players must fit a confident drive between a bunker on the left and two more further up on the right which are 300 yards from the tee. The 1st features a deep green angled over a bunker and a prominent ridge that creases the front third.

Hole #2 – Par 4, 476 yards

The first bunker in the left middle of the fairway will be easy for most to carry at 275 yards from the tee. The two bunkers beyond it, however, will force players to aim for either the 30-yard stretch in between the sand traps or to a short slither of fairway to the right of the far bunkers. On approach, golfers will face another uphill shot to a crowned green where a miss long will force players into an uphill chip from some of the thickest rough on the course.

Hole #3 – Par 4, 453 yards

The third presents players with the option of being bold off the tee by cutting the right corner of the fairway. The real danger on this hole (and in many places throughout Marco Simone) are the deep native grasses that border the fairways and swallow errant tee shots. Hole locations in the front of the wide green will allow for birdie opportunities. But when they are shifted to the tiered back sections, par will be a quality score.

Hole #4 – Par 3, 183 yards

Playing downhill, the first par 3 is a short iron to the green for most players. The two bunkers to the right of the green especially impact shots when the flag is placed in the back right corner. The two-tier putting surface is the hole’s secondary defense. Swirling winds can also come into play in this low cove where the hole is located.

Hole #5 – Par 4, 376 yards

The water hazard that is in play on the left will undoubtedly cause many golfers to club down and lay up off the tee on this short par 4. To maximize match play excitement, the tee can be moved up to entice players to try and drive the green. The green itself slopes from back to front with two bunkers behind the playing surface.

Hole #6 – Par 4, 383 yards

The sixth is another short par 4 that is the only hole from the original routing that remains in the same place. It run between an out-of-bounds area on the right and a grove of stone pine trees near the green on the left. The main decision off the tee is whether to lay back of the fairway bunker on the right or try to fit a drive past the bunker to a 25-yard wide fairway section for a blind wedge up to a green that has a series of quadrants separated by distinct ridges.

Hole #7 – Par 3, 219 yards

With flexible tee boxes, the seventh can range from 145-220 yards. The multi-tiered green is nearly 50 yards deep. The safe miss is to the right. Any errant shot to the left may bounce down an embankment into a penalty area.

Hole #8 – Par 5, 503 yards

Though listed as a par 5, at only 503 yards, the eighth is essentially a long par 4. The green is easily reachable in two shots by any player. To do so, however, requires an accurate 200+ yard shot directly over the water to a raised putting surface that increasingly narrows towards the back left. With the water hazard directly in play on the left throughout the entirety of the hole, laying up is a safer option with a spacious fairway area just beyond the double stone pines on the right.

Hole #9 – Par 5, 587 yards

Running in the opposite direction of the 8th, this second consecutive par 5 is much tougher to reach in two shots. A bunker at 275 yards squeezes the landing area and forces a decision on whether to lay up to the 40-yard wide fairway short of it or to bomb away and carry it to set up a chance to reach the green in two. The water on the left is only in play for extremely errant shots. The three bunkers bracketing the elevated green require precise approaches. A miss long is the worst scenario as beyond the green lie some of the thickest native grasses on the entire course.