2026-11-03 · Pinewood · Round #307

Pine Thicket, November 3, 2026

Pine Thicket was the daily nine for 2026-11-03, played on the Pinewood course: par 40 over 3009 yards. The windiest tee was hole 4 at 16 mph. The crossing came on hole 6. The strongest gust blew across hole 7.

Leaf piles ×23 — Soft leaves smother the strike: 65% carry from inside, a wider spread and almost no roll.

Play this course as practice

Course at a glance

Par mix: 3 × Par 3 · 5 × Par 5 · 1 × Par 6
Longest hole: Hole 9 · 556 yards
Shortest hole: Hole 5 · 115 yards
Windiest tee: Hole 4 · 16 mph
Conditions: Short course: every hole is 12% shorter.

Key holes

Hole 5 · Par 3 · 115 yards · Links

A narrow path running up the side of links and river holes toward the green. A gust also blows across this hole.

Hole 6 · Par 5 · 402 yards · Crossing

A par 5 played over open water from island to island.

Hole 9 · Par 6 · 556 yards · Chute

A narrow fairway between trees. Miss it and the deep rough starts almost at once. A gust also blows across this hole.

Course notes and three practice ideas

Use these three practice ideas to plan your route through the nine holes, then adjust your shots to the wind and your landing position.

Pine Thicket is a short-course day with an unusually high-par mix: five par 5s, three par 3s and a par 6. The total is 3,009 yards at par 40. The opening arm hole measures 424 yards, followed by island greens of 122 and 123 yards, then another arm and a short links hole. This sequence repeatedly changes the scale of the task. The shortened longer holes can make ambitious routes tempting, but the forest still contains 23 leaf piles, 16 trees and stakes on four holes. An inviting yardage is not a substitute for checking the actual path and destination.

Seal Dunes yesterday was 339 yards longer yet one stroke lower in par. Pine Thicket also moves away from gusts on every hole, returning to gusts on odd-numbered holes. The listed winds remain meaningful, reaching 16 mph on the fourth, but the change from coast to forest shifts attention towards the next lie and possible tree interference. Use this date to compare controlled placement with opportunistic distance on the shorter par 5s. The useful measure is the whole route to the green, including recovery shots, rather than whether a particular hole looks reachable in fewer strokes from the tee.

Compare the two arm par 5s by their next positions

The first and fourth holes are 424 and 448 yards. Both feature an arm, but the first has a gust while the fourth carries the highest listed wind of the day. Inspect the arm and decide whether it fits a route that leaves a useful approach. A plan around it can be a valid alternative. Check leaves and trees near the intended finish, and do not assume that a shorter card makes a narrow landing area forgiving. In practice, compare the following lies and final scores of different routes.

Give the almost matching islands separate setups

Holes 2 and 3 measure 122 and 123 yards, making them an excellent reminder that a one-yard difference is not the only distinction between two shots. The third has a gust; the second does not. The shapes of the greens and surrounding water also need individual inspection. Choose a safe arrival area and adjust the line before assuming a different power setting is necessary. If the first attempt succeeds, carry forward the deliberate setup process rather than copying every value without looking at the new destination.

Plan the shortened finishing run around clean lies

The crossing sixth is 402 yards, the links seventh 395, the portal eighth 424 and the chute finale 556. These shorter long holes offer options, but each feature changes what a sensible intermediate position looks like. Use dry destinations on the crossing, inspect useful rollout on the links, evaluate the portal's destination and read the final chute corridor. Trees and any visible boundary stakes add reasons to leave a margin. After each landing, reassess the lie before selecting the next club; a ball in leaves may not support the carry your original plan assumed.

Compare with the previous course

Seal Dunes · 2026-11-02 was par 39 over 3348 yards. This course is par 40 over 3009 yards: +1 par and -339 yards compared with that layout. Length and par describe the course; they do not establish which day was harder for the field.

Hole by hole

Hole	Par	Yards	Feature	Gust
1	5	424	Sweeping arm	✓
2	3	122	Island	—
3	3	123	Island	✓
4	5	448	Sweeping arm	—
5	3	115	Links	✓
6	5	402	Crossing	—
7	5	395	Links	✓
8	5	424	Portal	—
9	6	556	Chute	✓

How it played

Ranked cards: 13
Average score: −6.8 · 33.2
Winning score: -14 · 26
Holes in one: 4

Hole 2 played hardest, averaging +0.5 against par; hole 9 was the kindest at −2.1.

Full ranked score distribution

Completed ranked daily cards only; guest rounds, unfinished rounds and practice are excluded. Counts cover the whole ranked field, not just the top ten.

Against par	Total strokes	Players
-14	26	2
-13	27	1
-11	29	1
-10	30	1
-9	31	1
-8	32	1
-7	33	1
-3	37	1
-2	38	2
+1	41	1
+4	44	1

Final top ten

1strawberries-14 · 26
2Archelaus-14 · 26
3Nic-13 · 27
4Golfer db59a3-11 · 29
5YSL Sean-10 · 30
6Luis G.-9 · 31
7Golfer 8080a2-8 · 32
8Ant-7 · 33
9YerMatty-3 · 37
10Omfpl-2 · 38

How to play this course

Every hazard on this nine, with the first thing to get right. Open a guide for the full plan.

Sweeping arm Either lay up comfortably short of the circle, or carry far enough that rollout takes the ball past it. Full guide →
Island green Choose the club whose carry reaches the front of the green, not the flag, and allow for the wind before you lock the line. Full guide →
Cart path On a long, straight links hole, aim a long club at the start of the path and let it run. Full guide →
The crossing Pick a club that carries to the middle of the next island, not its far edge, because the ball still rolls after landing. Full guide →
Portal Choose the club whose carry lands just short of the pad and let the ball roll on, rather than flying the full distance and relying on the pad to stop it. Full guide →
Chute Off the tee, take the longest club whose spread you trust — often a 5-wood or 4-iron rather than the driver — and aim at the middle of the narrowest part, not at the flag. Full guide →
Leaf piles From the leaves, club up: two or three clubs more than usual is a good start, and prefer a carry that finishes short of trouble to one that must clear it, because the wider spread makes long carries over water risky. Full guide →
Trees Follow the fairway rather than the straight line to the flag when a tree sits on the corner. Full guide →
Out of bounds Look for the white line before you lock the angle, and aim a little away from it, towards the side without stakes. Full guide →
Gust From the tee, a long club that crosses the band mid-flight is usually unaffected. Full guide →
Daily conditions On firm ground, land the ball shorter and let it run, and keep well short of water behind greens. Full guide →