Risk and Reward at Sedge Valley

Sedge Valley – No. 6 – par 4 – 300ish yards

Sedge Valley, Tom Doak’s latest creation at Sand Valley is set to open in 2024. The par 68 should delight golfers with its smattering of half-par holes laid out across rollicking terrain. Having taken a quick spin around the course, the short par-4 6th hole was a standout.

This is a classic Tom Doak short par 4. He gives you all the reason in the world to lay up, knowing the temptation of going for it will still be difficult to overcome. On the 6th, players have plenty of space to lay up safely to the left. That play leaves you with a perfect angle for a flip wedge into a long and narrow green. Attacking this green from the tee, meanwhile, is a tempting proposition. It’s doable, but very difficult to do, requiring players to thread a tee shot between bunkers into the narrow green approach. If you can pull it off, the green’s slope aids in funneling a running shot safely back to the middle of the putting surface. The bail out spot is to the right and it’s not inviting, albeit far better than a miss wide left. From the right you will either find a penal greenside bunker or a tight lie from well below the narrow green, making for a daunting pitch from a poor angle.

It’s a hole that encapsulates much of the golf at Sedge Valley: every type of player has a good option off the tee, with plenty of intriguing risk/reward calculus to consider as well.

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This piece originally appeared in The Fried Egg newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.