The stakes are high

Playing the 17 on The Springs Course at Radium is as sketchy as it is beautiful

Beautifully situated against the bluffs of the Columbia Valley, 149-yard Hole 17 has earned its status as a signature hole at The Springs Course. Brent Taylor, who is the head pro at The Springs and at The Resort courses, described, stroke-by-stroke, how best to play this par three hole. “The approach to the green is all carry,” said Taylor. “You cannot miss-hit the shot or you are down into the Columbia Valley. For an average golfer playing from the back tee it’s about a seven or an eight iron. Because of its location, it is a fun and unique hole to play. The stakes are very high, and there are always some prevailing winds that make it even trickier. Although it is very short, the consequences of a miss-hit shot are that you have to play another ball. There is no place to drop it. You have to hit the shot again over the gully. It’s totally penalizing. “(In approaching the green) a couple challenges would be going over the gully, as well as the large front bunker that helps to protect it. (The green) slopes from back to front where the ball can easily spin back off the green and put you into the gully or in the bunker. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. It is a long, narrow green, quite shallow in design…so if you do carry five or 10 yards too far, you can be punished by hitting over the green. It has a bunker in the back. When you are in that back bunker the trick is that when you hit out of the bunker everything is downhill and away from you. Playing out of that bunker, you are facing the gully as well. The play is nothing but trouble.”