The strategy is a fundamental part of preparing for a golf tournament. We’re not reinventing the wheel. There are courses that are trickier than others, offering different options that require you to rack your brains and make decisions. A good part of success lies precisely in the attack plan that is designed in mutual agreement with the caddie. At the Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi, the venue for this week’s Magical Kenya Open, the most important decision is on the tee: to cross or not to cross the corners, that is the question. This can determine whether you succeed or fail in the tournament.
The Kenyan course is not very long. Moreover, the altitude at which it is located, 1,795 metres above sea level, makes it play even shorter. There are several holes with a very pronounced dog leg, so the decision to make is: do I shoot over the dog leg and leave myself a shorter shot to the green, or do I play an iron to place the ball just before the corner and then hit a slightly longer iron?
Obviously, this decision depends on factors beyond each player’s hitting ability. The first is the wind. It’s not the same to have a tailwind as a headwind. More or less risk. The other is how hard the fairways are. More hardness means more chances of crossing the fairway and ending up in a bad position. A softer ground helps hold the ball when hitting the driver to cross. Initially, at least in practice days, Muthaiga is quite soft this week, although everyone bets it will get harder as the week progresses, so the strategy will also vary. The holes at Muthaiga where the corners are more pronounced and this decision will have to be made are 3, 6, 10, 12, 14, 17, and 18.
We consulted some of the Spanish golfers playing in Kenya this week to find out what they are going to do, what the plan is, how they have made their decision. Hamlet playing golf. Well, as in a pharmacy, there’s a bit of everything. Ángel Hidalgo has no doubt. “Go for it… Driver, driver, and driver. If I have a good week with that club, we’ll give ourselves a chance, if not, it won’t go well,” says the Malagueño to Ten Golf. It’s an all-or-nothing option, thinking about victory more than anything else. Ángel Ayora, a player especially good with the driver in hand, one of the best on the DP World Tour, will do something similar. If the course remains soft, he will shoot over. That’s what he did in the practice round, and the sensations and results were very good. If the fairways get harder, he might change the plan for the weekend.
Young Albert Boneta bets on instinct, the latest sensation. “I’ll see how it is there. I’ll do what feels best to me. On some, I’ll hit iron, and on others, I’ll go with the driver if it feels better,” he says. A matter of feeling. Sebas García Rodríguez, a veteran in this setting, thinks similarly. “If you’re hitting the driver very well, it’s true that you can easily pass the dog legs and then have a sand wedge. If not, you hit a lot of iron from the tee and then have an 8 or 9 iron, depending on the wind situation. This year the course is a bit greener because we’re playing a month earlier, and it’s a bit softer. My strategy will depend on the wind. I still don’t have it very clear and will decide a bit on the fly. The truth is, it’s a course where if you hit the driver very, very well, you can score low, but of course, the fairways are very narrow, like the 12th, so I’m still not sure,” he explains meticulously.
Iván Cantero has it clearer from the start. “On hole 3, it will depend on the wind, on 6 I’ll hit the hybrid, on 10 driver, on 12 driver, on 14 probably iron because there’s a tree there that makes me uncomfortable, I don’t know if I can go over it, on 17 I’ll shoot to the green, and on 18 I’ll also hit driver. I’ll play quite aggressively. The driver is my best club, so I’ll take a bit more risk. If we have a good week with that club, we’ll be up there, it’ll go well for us,” points out the Asturian.
Alfredo García Heredia points out an interesting detail. “Most of the dog legs are for the draw (right to left),” which also influences the decision depending on each player’s comfort with each shot shape.
On the other side are the players who will opt to hit iron from the tee. Sometimes it’s mistaken to label the plan of hitting the driver from the tee as aggressive and going with iron as conservative. In reality, this distinction isn’t very fair. It’s simply what suits each player best according to their way of playing golf. Adri Arnaus, for example, a long hitter, assures that he will opt for a lot of iron from the tee. Does that mean he’s not aggressive? Not at all. This is his explanation: “I play 95% of the time respecting the course’s dog leg, as there are many tall trees, and I don’t have guaranteed height. Also, if I make a good iron shot, I don’t usually have too long a club left.”
Nacho Elvira is also a player with a lot of feeling, so he will decide based on the wind conditions and his confidence. In any case, he bets more on iron than driver. “This year the fairways are a bit heavier. They don’t roll as much, although there’s less rough. For me, the corners will depend a bit on the wind. In the morning, when it doesn’t blow much or at all, I imagine I won’t look for much, and in the afternoon, depending on the wind, maybe on a hole like 6 or 14, I might hit the driver. Otherwise, I’ll try to play to be in position (although I don’t always succeed),” notes the Cantabrian.
Perhaps the best way to end this interesting and exhaustive review is to talk to Jorge Campillo, champion of this tournament and on this course. His opinion carries special weight. “The year before the victory, I hit a lot of drivers from the tee (and was close to winning, going into Sunday with chances), but the year I won, I always hit iron and didn’t go over. Honestly, I don’t think it’s worth it,” he concludes.
