Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/366073
52 INSIDE GOLF This is a lot more forgiving with your putts.You can hit them a little harder, get a little closer—but it is definitely no easier getting to the holes. They're the size of small dinner plates and for a poor putter like myself the Hole-y Moley event at the Eagle Rock Golf Course in Edmonton seemed the answer to my prayers. I mean, could there be anything better than a hole measuring eight inches in diameter? While they are great fun and make put- ting seem a whole lot easier, the word 'seem' is the key here. The only problem with this idea is, at least to me, when you miss that much-needed left-to-right breaker from about 10 feet out with a bogey at stake, you feel twice as bad as you do when you miss a similar putt at a standard-sized 4 1 / 4 inch hole. While the bigger hole being toyed with by a few courses (including a two-day test drive at Eagle Rock) is seen by many as making the game 'too easy, ' you still have to get to the green in regulation and then get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible, and that at times can still be a real challenge no matter the size of hole you're aiming at. I took a quick nine-hole tour of The Rock and found that I quite enjoyed the larger holes and yes, it helped my putting, to a degree—a very small degree. While I readily admit I'm a horrible put- ter, much of that comes more from poor green-reading skills than my actual put- ting stroke. That fact was proven true with the larger holes in play, as I went 2-1-1-3 (yes, a three-whack at an eight-inch hole is embarrassing) -1-2-2-2-2 for a grand total of 16 whacks with the short stick. For me, that's actually good; I usually am quite happy if a round of 18 holes ends with 36 to 40 putts, so my goals weren't especially high on this day. The big thing you have to realize about the larger holes is this: Getting to the green is still a battle unto itself. Getting the ball into the hole is another but a somewhat easier journey with a monster-sized hole staring back at you. What I did find on this day is that you become more aggressive with your put- ting, not fearing a miss where the ball rolls four or five feet past the hole. "You should be aggressive," Eagle Rock's head pro Chad Rumpel told me. "You want the ball to end up four or five feet past, at least, because you should be able to make those putts coming back with that size of hole." That, as it turned out for the most part, was true. I missed only once from within five feet or so (see that three-putt state- ment above). When I two-putted my first stroke was always from well out—my short game is also rather shabby—and the one birdie putt I made was from 30 feet. I also left two other lengthy birdie putts on the lip as well as the odd par putt, so a big- ger hole isn't necessarily making the game easier or scores lower. That was the reaction from three differ- ent players who were interested in seeing how the size change affected their games. Justin Beyer and Mike Farrell, both of whom have played the game for five years, agreed they liked the traditional hole size better but at the same time agreed this was an experience they wouldn't mind repeat- ing, especially Beyer, who twice chipped in for birdie during his 18-hole round. "This is a lot more forgiving with your putts. You can hit them a little harder, get a little closer—but it is definitely no easier get- ting to the holes," he noted. "I pretty much two-putted and had a few one-putts." Farrell said, "I was very skeptical at first but once I got out and played I was im- pressed. With the confidence it gave me from outside, the putts were fewer and I think it's a go, for sure. Your confidence is there, you have a bigger spot to aim for." As for Don Scheer, who came out to the course specifically because of the larger holes, he said he loved them. "I think it's great. It may not be sav- ing me any strokes but it's fun trying," he joked. "And, it's a bit of a psychological advantage when you hit it closer with your second shot, your third shot." BOTH JUSTIN MEYER (LEFT, WITH THE WEDGE HE USED TO CHIP IN FOR BIRD ON NO. 18) AND MIKE FARRELL SAID THEY DIDN'T MIND THE BIGGER HOLES USED AT EAGLE ROCK GOLF COURSE, BUT THEY ALSO SAID THEY'RE MORE OLD-SCHOOL AND PREFERRED THE REGULATION-SIZED CUP. WHILE THE SIZE OF AN 8-INCH HOLE DWARFS A GOLF BALL, THE LARGER HOLE DOESN'T APPEAR TO MAKE MUCH OF A CHANGE SCORING-WISE TO ONE'S GAME. Hole-y Moley! BY GORD MONTGOMERY BIGGER GOLF HOLES, A WHOLE LOT OF FUN! 04(.,:*9,+0;.69+465;.64,9@