With swirling winds, deep pot bunkers, and precision-demanding approaches, Dundonald Links is set to challenge the world’s best. Shot Scope data highlights three pivotal holes that will be at the forefront of their minds.
The 11th, 13th, and 16th provide players with both significant challenges and opportunities, making them key holes for those hoping to raise silverware on Sunday.
Dundonald’s Signature Hole
The 11th Hole, a par 3 measuring 120 yards, is widely regarded as the signature hole at Dundonald Links.
A relatively short hole, the 11th, is an opportunity for players to make a birdie, and failing that, an easy par. According to Shot Scope data, 1 in 2 players make par on the hole, 1 in 10 make birdie, and 1 in 10 make double or worse.
Three deep pot bunkers guard the front of the green, and an even more treacherous one lurks at the back. Avoiding the sand and hitting the green, which over 50% of players do, gives players a great opportunity to score. Miss the green, and you are faced with a tricky up and down, which nearly 2/3s of players are unsuccessful at.
According to Shot Scope data, the 11th plays the easiest of any hole on the course, and so those looking to claim the title of Women’s Scottish Open Champion will be looking to capitalize here.
For the professionals, the opportunity here lies in capitalizing on its short yardage for a birdie, but any misjudgment can quickly lead to dropped shots.
Scenic but Strategic
Shortly after the 11th, golfers take on the challenge that is the 410 yard par 4 13th hole.
Running parallel to a train line, the hole requires accuracy off the tee to avoid the railway on the left and the thick rough on the right. A burn, somewhat hidden by the undulating fairway, crosses in front of the two-tiered green, making distance control on approach shots critical.
Shot Scope data ranks the 13th as the 7th hardest hole at Dundonald, with an average score of 4.69 strokes – nearly a full shot over par. Slightly more than 1 in 2 players find the fairway off the tee (54% FIR); however, only 1 in 3 golfers find the green in regulation, suggesting that the second shot is the harder of the two.
Similar to the 11th, 2/3s of golfers attempting to get up and down are unsuccessful, but the main difference between the two is the number of players making double or worse. In comparison to the 11th, nearly twice as many make double or worse on the 13th.
A difficult tee shot followed by an even more challenging second shot makes the 13th a hole to survive rather than score.
Down the Stretch
As players near the end of their round, they must navigate the hardest hole on the course, based on Shot Scope data, the formidable 460 yard par 4, 16th.
Often playing directly into the prevailing wind, this long par 4 plays almost a full stroke over par (4.98). The tee shot is by no means easy, demanding a long and accurate shot, and players find the short stuff more than half of the time, but this is where the real challenge begins.
The second shot is long, particularly into the wind, and the green does not give the player much margin for error. Left of the green is a bunker, and lining the right side of the hole are a series of trees. With such difficulty playing on their minds, players find this green a mere 16% of the time (less than twice in every ten attempts). Finding the green in regulation requires two exceptional shots.
A staggering 68% of players make bogey or worse on the 16th, highlighting the challenge of the hole. Essentially, any player making a par on the 16th is gaining strokes on their fellow competitor.
Each of the 18 holes at Dundonald Links presents its own form of challenge or opportunity, and knowing which holes are which will be key to winning this year’s Women’s Scottish Open.
If you are a Shot Scope performance tracking user and have played Dundonald Links, your data may have contributed to the statistics in this article.
Know your game with Shot Scope.
