Every Hole at Shinnecock Hills - No. 13, Road Side

No. 13 - Road Side

Par 4 | 371 yards

No. 13 is the shortest par 4 at Shinnecock Hills, but when playing into the usual summer wind, it’s no pushover. The tee sits atop one of the highest dunes on the property, offering no shelter from the elements.

Like the eighth hole, the 13th is a strategic fakeout. It bends right around a series of bunkers, but the favored position is actually left, on the outside of the dogleg, where players can take advantage of the full length and back-to-front slope of the green.

The entry to the putting surface tilts from left to right, toward a hollow short of the front-right bunker. Weak second shots, battered by the wind, often come to rest there. But over-aggressive approaches turn out no better, as a large short-grass fall-off protects the far side of the green.

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Strategy Notes

• A long iron suffices off this tee. Per the USGA, players averaged less than 240 yards off the tee in 2018. Competitors who can hit a low driving iron, like Koepka in 2018, should have no problem with this tee shot that tends to play back into the breeze.
• Without wind, it is a fairly non-descript wedge into the green and a potential scoring opportunity. Poor second shots, however, can find trouble if they come up a little short and run off the false front guarding the green.
• When windy, the 13th is no bargain, but overall, this hole is a temporary reprieve from an otherwise taxing stretch. –Joseph LaMagna

Historical Tidbits

• In case you need more evidence that championship golf is better with short grass around the greens, watch Payne Stewart’s airmailed approach on the 13th in 1986 getting saved by a buffer of rough.
• On a dry, gusty Saturday at the 2018 U.S. Open, Phil Mickelson, who had contended at the two previous Shinnecock Opens and come up empty, lost his mind on the 13th green, chasing after a badly missed putt and whacking the ball back toward the hole before it tumbled off the front of the green. He took a two-stroke penalty and a quadruple bogey on the hole but somehow dodged disqualification.
• Better times: in 2004, Mickelson jarred a long birdie putt to get within two of Retief Goosen’s lead.

Our Take

On a calm day, the tee shot on the 13th can be a little dull, especially given that the preferred side of the fairway is undefended. But the treacherousness of the green — not to mention the beauty of its shaping — makes the hole memorable.

Course Routing

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Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

Southampton, NYWilliam Flynn1891

A Golden Age architect’s magnum opus thanks to a sublime setting and stellar design, Shinnecock Hills is deep-rooted in American golf history.

Hole 1 - Westward Ho

Par 4399 yds

Hole 2 - Plateau

Par 3220 yds

Hole 3 - Peconic

Par 4469 yds

Hole 4 - Pump House

Par 4409 yds

Hole 5 - Montauk

Par 5537 yds

Hole 6 - Pond

Par 4453 yds

Hole 7 - Redan

Par 3189 yds

Hole 8 - Lowlands

Par 4394 yds

Hole 9 - Ben Nevis

Par 4435 yds

Hole 10 - Eastward Ho

Par 4415 yds

Hole 11 - Hill Head

Par 3159 yds

Hole 12 - Tuckahoe

Par 4469 yds

Hole 13 - Road Slide

Par 4374 yds

Hole 14 - Thom's Elbow

Par 4463 yds

Hole 15 - Sebonac

Par 4409 yds

Hole 16 - Shinnecock

Par 5540 yds

Hole 17 - Eden

Par 3180 yds

Hole 18 - Home

Par 4426 yds

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