RISK vs. REWARD

BY SIMON DUBIEL

Lake Chelan Golf Course

Hole No. 12    Par 4    270 yards (Blue Tees)

Setup

At only 270 off the tee, No. 12 at Lake Chelan Golf Course is indeed very tempting. A fairly forgiving tree lined fairway spills right to left as it leads up to the challenging green. A grouping of pine and fir trees will help you make a mess of a miss left but right is even worse — stay on target. The green is tricky, so even with a good drive, don’t start counting your chickens just yet. Staying below the hole is paramount to a good score. 

Risk 

Peel one off poorly to the right and you likely will be reloading. If you are fortunate to find it, expect to be in jail with tree trouble — similar circumstance to anything pulled or hooked left. With the challenging green awaiting, a poor tee shot can quickly turn a circle into a square on this hole. Sure, knocking a seven iron into the fairway and a wedge onto the green might sound boring — we prefer to say relaxing. Ain’t nothing wrong with that. 

Reward

Number 12 is the first of a three-hole stretch that features two short par 4’s followed by a short par 5. If you are going to ‘get’ Lake Chelan GC, now is the time to start pushing some chips in the pot — come on, you’re a player. Anything landing near or on the green should give you the best hand after the flop — let’s see if your short game can fade the turn and the river. You don’t go low by laying up on drivable par fours. 

Final Call

Before you even look down at your cards check the pin position and ask yourself, “where do I want to play my second shot from?” Sure, if you can knock it to 20 feet with the big stick, let’s get the betting started. However, if you’re not straight off the tee, the goal is to leave it in a spot to get up and down. Laying up is on the table and sometimes the best way to build a stack is playing small pots. Hit hybrid or 3 wood and stuff a wedge tight.  Giddyup!