Blinkers could come in handy

The Golf Pass offered by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department is a great deal for value-oriented golfers who savor variety in their course menu. Oldgolfdawg bought a season pass to Columbus' seven municipal layouts in 2005 and came away satisfied much like an overly indulgent eater after a pig-out session in the buffet line.

The majority of Oldgolfdawg's play took place at Champions, Mentel Memorial and Raymond Memorial, but he learned to appreciate the demanding second shots of Turnberry along the way. Of those, the one required at No. 17 proved to be the most elusive. On several occasions a round with a chance of breaking 80 was directed to the off ramp with a poor second shot to No. 17, a 384-yard par 4 from the back tees. For that reason, it is being added to Oldgolfdawg's Elegant Eighteen lineup.

The tee shot on No. 17 requires accuracy into a narrowing fairway with tree trouble off to the left. Tee shots sprayed right also can run into tree trouble or necessitate a punch out shot if blocked. A smooth 3-wood with a slight fade right leaves one with about 150 yards to a narrow green protected to two bunkers on the left and high rough and a creek to the right. The green is slightly crowned and shots hit short of it often kick left, leaving a difficult third shot.

As one sizes up at the green one last time before hitting their second shot with something normally ranging from an 8- to a 6-iron, they can't help but be a little bit twitchy. There's very little margin of error to the narrow green. If you block the shot right or let it get away from you, you'll be lucky to find it in the high rough just off the green. The natural tendency is to play it safe and pull the shot rather than suffer that fate. But the bunkers protecting the left side of the green are no bargain and anything left of them is even tougher. It's simply one of those holes where you must tread lightly. The traffic light never switches to green on No. 17.

Turnberry is best played from its back tees, where it plays 6,757 yards long and has a course rating of 71.8 and a slope of 124. The course, designed by Arthur Hills, opened in 1991. Airport, Walnut Hill and Wilson Road are other courses in the Columbus Golf Pass lineup.

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