Daily HolesWater · two routes · up to three a round
Split Fairway — Choosing a Side of the Pond in Daily Holes
A long pond splits the fairway into two lanes. The narrow lane on the inside of the bend is shorter; the wide lane is safer.
By the numbers
- How often
- on most days, up to three a round; any par
- Pond
- long and narrow, a little past halfway
- Narrow lane
- inside of the bend, shorter
- Wide lane
- outside of the bend, safer
- Penalty
- 1 stroke, then play from a drop short of the pond
- Best clubs
- irons for the narrow lane, woods for the wide one
What it is
From 6 October 2026 a daily nine can include split fairways — on four days in five at least one, and up to three in a round. A long, narrow pond runs along the middle of the fairway a little past halfway to the green, and the fairway widens around it so there is a lane on each side. The pond is pushed towards the inside of the bend, so the lane on that side is narrower but shorter, while the outside lane is wider and longer. On a straight hole the two lanes are about the same length.
What it costs
A ball that finishes in the pond costs one penalty stroke and is moved to a drop zone short of the pond, so a splash costs a stroke and most of the distance you gained. A ball that lands beside the pond and rolls into it counts the same as one that pitched in. Bunkers never sit inside the pond; any that would have been there are removed.
Choosing a side
Take the narrow lane when your carry and roll finish comfortably inside it, usually with a mid or short iron that rolls little. Take the wide lane with the driver and woods: their spread and long roll need room, and the extra yards cost less than a penalty and a drop. On a windy day, or when a gust crosses the hole, the wide lane is almost always right.
How to play it
Tap the course on the lane you want rather than at the flag — the aim sector then centres on that lane — and check where the roll would finish, not only the landing spot. The far end of the pond is the danger for long shots that run on; the near end is the danger for short ones.
Worked example
A pure driver carries about 300 yards and rolls about 39 more on the fairway. If the pond starts 280 yards out, the driver either lands in it or runs into it, whichever lane you choose. A pure 5-wood carries about 236 and rolls about 25, finishing near 261 — short of the pond and on either lane, which leaves a mid iron for the second shot.
Common mistakes
Aiming at the flag, which on a dogleg sends the ball straight across the pond. Forgetting the roll: the fairway beside the pond is fast, and a ball that lands safely can still run in. And taking the narrow lane with a long club whose spread is wider than the lane.