Old Mac · Hole 7
Blue
582
White
507
Gold
442
Red
342
A long, demanding par 5 with penal rough framing both sides of a routing that turns slightly on each shot. The golden-age bunker philosophy is fully on display — massive waste areas and deep bunkers punish the inaccurate player at multiple points. Three solid shots are required; attempting to shortcut the strategic routing leads to disaster.
Shot-by-Shot Strategy
Tee Shot
Driver aimed at the left-center of the wide fairway. The penal rough on both sides of this hole is the most severe on the front nine — a miss of even 10 yards left or right finds vegetation that makes a clean second shot nearly impossible. Land the ball in the fairway at all costs, even if it means a shorter, more controlled swing.
Approach
Second-shot layup to the ideal position: right-center of the fairway at 100 yards from the green. The massive left-side bunker complex is the most dangerous feature on this hole — anything pulled or drawn on the second shot risks finding the bunker. Aim right and accept the longer approach from the right side.
Putting
The long par-5 green has a pronounced left-to-right lean that affects all putts on the right portion. From the left side, putts break from right-to-left toward the low side. Most birdie putts come from the left side after a precise third shot — aim for the center-left of the green on approach.
⚠Gotchas — What Kills Your Score
- •The penal rough on this hole is the deepest at Old Macdonald — a ball in the rough here is often unplayable. Staying in the fairway is worth sacrificing 20 yards of distance.
- •The massive left bunker complex catches pushed first shots and pulled second-shot layups alike. Always prefer the right side of the fairway on this hole.
- •The green's left-to-right lean creates deceptive break on right-side putts — most first-timers push their birdie putts past the hole.
Wind Intelligence
The 7th runs at an angle that creates a consistent southwest crosswind from left to right. On every shot — tee shot, layup, and approach — the wind pushes the ball right toward the right rough. Aim aggressively left on all three shots and let the wind bring the ball back to the ideal landing zones. In a headwind, the hole plays extremely long.
Hazard Map
- ▲Penal rough both sides — deepest on the front nine
- ▲Massive left bunker complex
- ▲Right rough with difficult recovery stances