My Favourite HoleNumber 25: 10th, Mount Juliet, Par five, 562 yards
10th, Mount Juliet, Par five, 562 yards
You really do have to map your way down this hole, and that's one of the reasons I like it so much. If I were playing a competitive match I would drive in the Thomastown gate rather than the main one so I could see the pin position on the 10th green. If you can't reach it in two then it is easier to come at it from the right.
If you go left of the tree that stands sentinel in the middle of the fairway then you'll probably have a downhill lie. I'd normally hit a drive, eight-iron and wedge, and unless you hit a bad shot there shouldn't be too much trouble.
If you hit a great drive then the temptation is to go for the green, and that's how many get into trouble. I was playing a "friendly" fourball one day, hit a great drive but my second clipped the tree. I hacked it into the bunker and, much to the chagrin, of our opponents, holed out for a birdie.
Kate McCann is a former international, playing for Ireland from 1984-86, as well as at provincial level for Leinster. She plays off a three handicap out of Douglas GC, beaten finalists in this year's Senior Cup, and is the director of marketing for Mount Juliet and Fota Island Golf Clubs.