Sterling

Sterling is a sword-shaped hole set in Scotland that plays with geometric shapes to create a unique visual in the world of golf course design. A 56-yard-wide fairway is split down the middle by a bunker resembling a “war-time” trench, making two 23-yard-wide fairways.

That’s not the only trench bunker though, as they line the hole to catch any wayward shot. If a player successfully finds the fairway off the tee and goes for the green in two, they’ll need to avoid the burn short of the green to give themself a chance at birdie or even eagle.

Hole Strategy

Hole Designer: Pizá Golf

Agustín Pizá talks through the design of Sterling and discusses how the teams may approach it:

Agustín says: "This hole has a sense of humor because we chose to create a bunker straight down the middle. The irony is going to be that you will land in that bunker if you hit dead straight.

"Teams have to choose the left side or right side of the fairway all along this corridor of bunkering we created.

"Once you hit that 300-yard mark, the ball needs to open either to the right or to the left to be in the safe zone. It becomes a very strategic hole as well, but I also think it's going to be a fun hole."