The Plank

The first hole ever played in TGL presented by SoFi, teams will need to walk "The Plank" as they navigate this uphill hole with tricky diagonal bunkering. For this short par 4, it could be tempting for teams to go for the driver, but three pot bunkers narrow the landing area and add risk to any aggressive play.

If less than a driver is chosen off the tee, a well-placed tee shot still leaves a short approach and great chance at birdie.

The Plank: Best Shots from Season 1

Hole Strategy

Hole Designer: Pizá Golf

Agustín Pizá talks us through his thought process on the design of The Plank and discusses how the teams may approach it:

Agustín says: "For The Plank, we wanted to design something simple but also something that required you to think through your shots. To achieve this, we positioned the bunkers to create several dynamic diagonal lines across the hole.

"When you stand on the tee box, that positioning gives you the sensation of, ‘Oh, it’s full of bunkers, there’s nowhere to land my ball!’ But obviously that’s not the case, you have several landing areas and platforms to access."

"The Plank is designed to be a drivable par-4, depending on the wind, but the strategy will change if it’s a crosswind versus wind at the players’ backs."