Executive Golf Magazine

Wentworth hosts one of the game’s most recognisable holes which has been beefed up by a modern day champion

Back in the days when woods were made of wood and the ball pocket in our bags was brimming with Dunlop 65s or Penfold Aces, the 17th hole on the Burma Road pretty much defined what a par five on an inland track should be – a dogleg played down an avenue of trees demanding two lusty blows plus a bit more.

Like most things, though, the passing of time had, until recently, rather blunted the challenge. Young strapping fellows armed with titanium-headed drivers and sporting physiques honed in the weights room had, with the additional benefit of the new millennium’s bionic balls, reduced the hole to little more than two full shots making it effectively a par-4-and-a-half.

Even the hole’s great landmark, that monstrous flat-roofed creation which once stood off to the left of the green, has fallen foul of the wrecker’s ball. In just about every respect, whether from an aesthetic or playing perspective, the 17th on Wentworth’s West Course is a different beast to that which tormented the likes of Palmer, Nicklaus and Player in those early years of what was then the Piccadilly World Match Play.

The course was constructed in 1926 by the legendary designer Harry Colt. Back then the 17th measured a little more than 500 yards and, unlike all other holes on the course, boasted not a single bunker. Despite the fact much work has been done on the course over the years - most significantly with the refinements of 2005 and ’07 - it remains the case today.

The course’s “modernisation” was pioneered by Ernie Els. He’s not only the club’s touring professional but also the six-time winner of the World Match Play title.

“No denying this is a dangerous hole, but new technology had made it play a lot shorter than I think it should do,” Els says.

“So, first things first, we moved the tee back 44 yards which makes the tee shot even more intimidating. Like the 13th, this hole doglegs from right to left, but the fairway slopes from left to right. That makes it a difficult fairway to hit, so accuracy is at a premium. But you’ll now also need plenty of distance to put yourself in range of the green.

“If I’m swinging well and feeling confident, I tend to aim straight down the middle and hit a draw, so the ball fights the camber of the fairway and stays out of the rough. Even at 610 yards some players are going to be able to get home in two shots, because the drive is from an elevated tee, but the difference is now it’ll take two great hits to do it, which is just as it should be.

“That’s it as far as changes go on this par-5. It was never Harry Colt’s intention to have bunkers on this hole, so that’s the way we’ll keep it. I agree with him; there’s enough trouble already.”

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