"The
best hole on "The Rockleigh" and possibly the best in Northern NJ is the par 3,
fourth hole...a downhill 155 yarder, guarded almost completely by a large
pond. The green is not very large...so a precise tee shot is key
here..."
This is probably the toughest hole of "The Rockleigh," in which you carry
water and water is to the right and rear of the green,
is also the
best chance for a hole-in-one.
How
to play it
-
1)
You carry water and water extends to the right and rear of the green. Most
players will use a middle iron, but they better hit it high and on
target. The ideal shot is a slight fade that enables the golfer to take
advantage of the length of the green. By going left to right, you also
avoid the largest part of the pond. But the days of lucky low line
drives that skip across the pond and land on the green are gone. A
newly-constructed retaining wall will reject most skimmers.
2) The
green undulates back toward the pond. A shelf on the back right side
will make the most difficult pin placement.
History of
Red
No.
4
-
Always a
difficult hole, yet so consistent with
Alfred H. Tull's philosophy that
"...a bad shot may indeed earn a dunking, but a decent shot will
usually avoid disaster." Over the years, the green eroded so that many on-target drives would hit
and roll off the right side into the water. Recently, the hole was completely
renovated, adding a new back tee and restoring two others. Under
golf course architect
Robert McNeil, the green complex was completely
redone, raised, and graded to improve drainage as well as esthetics.
What makes it
great -
To the public
course player, this hole is the North Jersey version of the famous
Island hole at Sawgrass.
On June 13,
2002, the hole was reopened for the Bergen County Senior Championship.
Out of 180 rounds played in the tournament, 61 found the pond. Only 42
were safely on the green. But ... if you think you're safe out of the
water ... beware. If you overshoot or skip through the green, another
water hazard - a small creek running through the trees - will gladly
swallow your ball.
Copyright
© 2002 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
