From the tee, #4 at Lundin looks innocent enough, but with ocean on the left, rough on the right, a burn in front and a small, elevated green, it is anything but.
Lundin Golf Club in Fife, Scotland was born of necessity 100 years ago. The original links course was shared with the townspeople of next-door Leven and was played starting at both ends. With 1,400 enthusiastic golfers -- this is Scotland golf we are talking about, after all -- things got a bit congested as townspeople crossed each others' paths. Thus, the towns decided each should have its own links course, and Lundin, designed by five-time Open championship winner James Braid, opened in 1909.
Overall, Lundin is not a difficult course to negotiate, playing to just 6,371
from the tips and offering generous bounces down firm fairways. But, of course, the wind affects play on seaside courses, making some holes play longer than their yardage, and making it tough to control shots launched downwind.
Lundin is no different. The 455-yard par 4 4th, the #1 handicap hole on the course, stands out from all other holes at Lundin, not only for its length but also for what faces the golfer on both the tee shot and the approach. Played along the beach, which is out of bounds, the 4th is a continuing test of courage right until the ball goes in the cup. First challenge is
the tee shot where the temptation is to turn away from the roiling ocean on the left and aim well right. But the fairway is humped in the middle, and a ball even just a smidgen right will bound off into the rough, turning a long approach shot into a likely lay-up shot. Consider that a 255-yard drive, almost certainly into the wind, still leaves another 200 yards, and many players will opt to approach the hole as a par 5, and hope for "birdie." (Note: My son Tim and I each bogeyed the 4th when we played it last June, one of only three bogeys he had all day.)
The long approach shot is just the half of it. A "burn" crosses the fairway 44 yards from the green, and its running water eagerly gobbles any misplayed fairway wood or long iron shot. Those who opt to play short of the burn are still not guaranteed a putt at par, as the 28-yard, perfectly circular green is elevated on all sides. When the green is firm, as it most always is, the only play is to deftly run the pitch shot up the front slope and hope you don't run it down the back.
The Scots love to put names on all golf holes, and this one is tagged with "Mile Dyke." The ocean, the creek and the sheer length of the hole makes it seem to play like a mile long. Toughest holes are those where par seems a major accomplishment. The 4th at Lundin fills the bill.
Thar she blows: The 4th at Lundin Golf Club is long and lean and mean when the wind is up, which it almost always is.