Does Alaska even have golf courses? + Up & Down % from the Fairway vs. Rough vs. Bunker

TIPS & DRILLS
High Flying Greenside Wedges from Hardpan Lies
One of the most difficult shots in golf, simplified by Carlo Ciullo

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To Recap…

When you’re playing from a hardpan lie around the green, the bump and run is more than likely your safest play… except when it’s not. If you have to get the ball up high to carry a bunker and land softly to a tight pin, it’s a whole different shot, and not one you’re often excited to try. But with PGA Fellow coach Carlo Ciullo on your side, you’ll know exactly how to play it:

-STEP 1: Start by grabbing a higher lofted wedge (56 - 60 degrees) and set-up to the ball with the shaft very vertical, To do so, you’ll need to stand a good bit closer to the ball.
-STEP 2: Open your hips a bit, and ensure your weight is “fixed on your lead side,” as Carlo states.
-STEP 3: Open the clubface as well, and focus on the toe of the club gliding right under the ball. This shot requires confidence and touch, both qualities that you’ll only build through practice.

PRO TIP: To be extra sure the club won’t get gobbled up by the turf monster, grip the club loosely! This will help you use the bounce to your advantage. You don’t need a ton of speed, just turn your hips smoothly back and through.

COURSES
Golf in Alaska? Sure, why not?!!
Believe it or not, the Last Frontier state has some great golf

Moose Run Golf Course - Creek
Fort Richardson, AK

It may be hard to imagine, but Alaska actually has some awesome golf, albeit their season only runs from mid-April through mid-October (on a good year). And playing anytime before June arrives means you’ll likely be braving the elements. You’ll have ice cold temps, high winds and rock hard turf to contend with, and possibly a chance of snow. Bears, wolves, foxes and moose are common “natural hazards” you’ll have to play around in Alaska, so it’s not for the faint of heart. But on the bright side- if it’s the middle of summer, you can literally tee off at midnight and get 18 holes in, because the sun never truly sets.

The Creek Course at Moose Run is widely regarded as the best course in the state. Along with the less challenging Hill Course, the two 18s make up America’s Northernmost 36-hole Golf Facility, sitting just outside Anchorage at the base of the Chugach Mountains. Moose Run’s Hill Course was originally created as a military-run 9-hole track to serve those stationed at nearby Fort Richardson, but it expanded to 18 holes three years later. The whole facility is, in fact, open to the public as it sits just outside the gates of the military base. The Creek Course opened in 2000 and offers a mammoth challenge even for the best players. It is largely tree-lined with some water in play. At 7,324 yards from the tips, it was deemed the 49th toughest course in America by Golf Digest (albeit in 2007), with a slope of 141 and a 75.7 rating. It also has the longest hole in the state- the par-five 11th hole that measures 640 yards.

You might think that maintaining a top-tier course in the Last Frontier would be challenging, and quite frankly, you’d be right. Greenskeepers have to deal wildlife like bear and moose ruining greens and with frozen tundra conditions as they prep the course in the spring, often while snow is still falling. But golfers are a passionate group of people where "a will finds a way,” and Moose Run is a prime example of what can come from that passion. If you ever have an opportunity to play the Creek at Moose Run, do not pass it up. As one reviewer wrote, “I’m used to Florida courses, but this course was something special… Never played a course this beautiful, and it truly was one of my favorite rounds of golf ever.” The greens might not come in until July, but once they do, you can literally play golf all day and never get tired of the the sights.

Rates: $51-54 peak rates + cart fees for civilians ($20-27 for military)

Check out this overview from @holefore

@holefore

The Best Golf Course ⛳️ in Every State: Alaska #golf #golfcourse #alaska

STATISTICS
Stat of the Day: Average Golfers - Up & Down Percentage by Type of Lie
presented by…

The Stat: When a typical ~14 Handicap golfer misses the green, they will get up and down for par 39% of the time from the fairway, 31% of the time from the rough, and 20% of the time from the bunker.

The Takeaway: The bunker will always confound the average golfer, but regardless of the discrepancy between bunker and fairway conversion percentages, this graphic only tells part of the story. The missing component is just how bad it can get when the average golfer does NOT give him or herself a putt for par. For example, it’s incredibly easy for an average golfer to leave a bunker shot in the bunker or air-mail it over the green, which naturally can lead to double bogeys or worse. This is of course much less likely when playing from the fairway or rough.

So if you are an average golfer and your stats align with the numbers above, don’t worry so about getting it close when you’re playing from the sand. Just get it out of the bunker and anywhere on the putting surface.

Adopt the mantra: “Bogeys or better”

TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a Club Glove College Traveler Protective Travel Bag
(1 winner chosen on 10/31/24 across all October trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)

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