Grip it and rip it. #9 at Hancock was my first birdie. Hit it up to the water (when it still had water in it), chipped over it to the top of the green. The line was downhill left to right in a huge C, I watched it drop in for a 3 as the sun set.
Aim left over the trees and hit the everliving crap out of your ball. It worked for me once... Usually I just hit towards the putting green though.
the one with the green that's like 3 feet from the driveway? It's been #5 for at least 10 years. I just flub around and get an 8 and move on. I had my first eagle putt on #9 maybe the second or third time I played there. I'd been playing less than 6 months and hadn't even got a birdie yet. I hit a 5 wood off to the right, it took a nice bounce off the rocks, up on the cartpath, onto the green and about 10 feet from the hole. Yes, I four-putted and took a 5.
Well, since I have played Hancock about 400 times, I have to continue to comment. For those of you who say "grip it and rip it" and "live dangerously," I would eat you alive. I loved playing against people with that philosophy because they were so easy to beat. Of course, if you don't care about scoring well, that's your business. Anyway ... On #1: since there is no driving range on which to warm up; just hit your 8-iron and try to get out with a par. #2: Blast your drive down the right side so that you have access to the green. That's a birdie hole. #3: Play the center of the fairway off the tee. The green on that hole is a little tough since it slopes left to right and is two-tiered. Just try to make a par there. #4: Par 3; try to hit a good shot. Maybe you'll make a birdie, but of course the objective is always to make a par. #5: Hit it toward the putting green on the right so that you have better access to the pin. You don't want to be in the valley on the left. You can drive this green but it's not worth it; more than likely you will end up in the street or the parking lot if you try it. #6: You can drive this green also but you have to hit your drive down the right side and hope for a favorable bounce. It's best to just blow your tee shot down the left side into what we called "the valley of death." I'm not sure why we called it that since it allowed for a simple pitch shot onto the green. #7: Ok, I'll agree with the grip it and rip it folks. You can drive this green as well. Don't play left because you're going to have to deal with the trees. When you play to the right, just be sure to keep it out of Red River. #8: You can drive this hole as well. But, just knock it out there and take your par. Maybe you'll make a putt for birdie and that's always cool. #9: You can drive this hole too; but it's really better to simply hit a 5-iron off the tee, hit a short wedge, and hope to make a short putt for birdie.
I knew they split the old par 5 into two, I guess I shoulda realized a hole would be missing. I grew up playing there, but have probably played only one round in the last thirty years. <gramps>Used to be 30 cents, 60 cents for 18.</gramps>
I've put a ball inside the clubhouse from the #5 tee. I challenge anyone to match that... A friend hit one off a UT shuttle bus from the tee on #7 and ended up in front of the green.
Can you hit a cut draw? Its only about 265 to the green, aim dead at the practice green and hit it as hard as you can with a slight cut draw on it. A flop shot from anywhere in front of that green is inevidable. I played 9 holes with Cedric Griffin and his little brother thier once. Both of them were +2 after 9.
