Abel retest

Hello all

I made this post on the PRV forum to help out some of the guys with some tips for Abel retest. I know we have alot of experienced folk in GITH, but thought I would post in our forum too as it may be of some use to some people. Its not a difinitive guide, but it may be of use to somebody. Any1 wanting to have a round just holler.

TRUFF




Hi guys

Ive played a lot of Abel in my time, so thought I may be able to offer some advice on this one. If anything doesn’t make sense, then please feel free to contact me in game, always willing to help or run a round with ya to talk things through or clear things up. Now Ive got my 100, Im looking for things to do! lol

Hole 1

Big hitters have the opportunity to hit it between the two trees on left half of fairway playing with 9 o’clock spin. Remember to put your aiming circle right of the gap as the trajectory will need to find its way through on a left to right arc. You will always get some contact with the branches but don’t worry too much. Even if you get through without contact and you think you may be snookered behind the right hand pillar, the ball gets moved back to a more central position.

You can also choose to drive around the left hand tree on far left. This leaves you behind the left hand pillar, but you can bend it around. Obviously as this means you are playing in with side spin, it’s a tougher job to be accurate on the approach.

For less big hitters, or those that are less brave, you can bail right, this leaves you with a shot either str8 thru the gap between the pillars (but hard to get the distance with a str8 approach from there) or again swing it around the pillar with 3 oclock spin, but again tough to be accurate.

Another option is to drive up to between trees about 380 yrds or so. This leaves a nice shot under branches but is risky because a couple yards short or long sees you either in a weedy clump or unable to shoot it under trees.

Hole 2

Par 3, not a lot to say other than watch that front left pin. Easy to come up short and plop in the water, seen it many times. On that pin give it an extra couple of yards

Hole 3

I think most people can drive past all the rocks now. This leaves you with a slight uphill approach. You want to play that with a dab of topspin and aim your circle about 4 yrds past the pin. Obviously that’s not an exact science but will see you in the right area.

For those of you that are big hitters you may choose to smash the drive as far as poss. This will leave you about 60-80 yrds (maybe less, maybe more depending on weather and pin) off a slight uphill lie. Those that have their aw/pw charted with spin or % etc may prefer that option.

Personally I usually aim to leave myself a full aw with a dot of topsin for consistency purposes.

Hole 4
Big hitters aim a 3w 9 o’clock spin around the tree and far skeleton. Keep it far left or the tree may come into play on your approach. It’s a slight uphill approach, so give it an extra 3 yrds or so with a PW with dot topspin or something similar.

Shorter hitters may wish to aim short right fairway to the right of the 1st skeleton tusk. Leaves longer approach but is still pretty safe. If you do find yourself in the rough, you are better off aiming 25 yards past pin on your approach, the worst mistake you can make is come up short, hit wall then watch the bogey become a double etc etc, trust me, a par wont hurt ya so go long!

Hole 5

Central pin you will be unlikely to get any tree contact with a straight shot, so play that as normal with a chunk of backspin.

For left/right pins, some people try and use a lot of back/side spin to get close but I prefer to use what’s there. Aim to play your shot with a dab of topspin so that it is going to PITCH on the hole. Adjust for wind/weather etc, but remember you are trying to pitch ON the hole.

You will see that once it has got through the foliage, it will land a little short of pin, take a nice hop forward and stop pretty dead.

It sounds chancy, but I assure you I get great results playing those pins that way and get 9/10 birds on those left right pins.

If the worst happens and you do come up short of green, it’s a pretty good return rate for slams too.

Hole 6

Reachable for many, beware normally comes up 2 yards short of rings, so give it an extra 1% on the swing. If coming in with 9 o’clock spin, beware an overhanging branch at front left of green. Worth going an extra 3 yards to ensure you don’t get snagged. Also if chipping from that left edge of green, it looks quite severely uphill, but it lies, it plays as very slight uphill in my experience. If you come at it with 3 o’clock spin and fall short you will receive probably one of the worse drops in game. So avoid that at all costs, try it and you will see at your cost! So don’t be shy, at worst, if you go through you have good chance of stopping short of water behind, even if you do plop it behind, then you still have a chip and putt to save par, its no disaster.

For those that cant reach, I used to lay up short of first rocks on fairway to enable me to play a full shot in.

Hole 7

Choice off tee, drive short and leave yourself a full wedge or smash it and leave shorter pitch shot. Similar to your options on Hole 3, big hitters who have solid wedge charts may want to go long.

But regardless of where you are hitting from, you will want to be putting at least (if not more) than a dot of topspin on approach. The green pretty much has a ridge running across the centre from right to left. Any wedge hit without topspin landing on front half will be heading back off the front of green.

But don’t be too bold, you do not want to be hitting back half with topspin! Always check your lie on approach shot, fairway undulates a lot.

Don’t be too aggressive on your putts either, seen many a 4 putt on this dance-floor.

Par is not the end of the world here, double/triple bogey could be.

Hole 8

Not a lot to say on this, other than the far fairway tends to lie a lot when it comes to reading the slope that you hit from. For those of you that are brave you can attack, but sometimes its best to play a conservative shot as you can easily find it flying 5 yards too short or too long for no apparent reason!.

For those that do not know, you can, if you need, usually get a 3w with 3 oclock spin over the rocks on right when you drive. Test it out, maybe 5w will be better for ya. I usually play the shot with 4i

Beware far left and back left pins, green falls away quite steeply behind them.

Hole 9

Tough hole with an approach that almost always needs to be hit a couple of yards further than your circle shows. Be careful with any element of spin on your approach as the severe slopes of the green will certainly get things spinning all over the place.

For back pin, I like to play short drive just over fallen pillar, that then leaves a plain 7i (or so) in, which can pitch on relatively flat centre of green and end up in the dip at back where the pin is. Watch it though because that drive will leave you a downhill lie for 2nd shot

For front pin left or right, again I find easiest success is a short drive then an approach which bounces on fringe/fairway and releases into the dip where the pins are.

Its tough guys and I guarantee you will leave more than a few approaches short!! Remember to add some yardage on your approach!

Hole 10

Drive up to end of 1st fairway. Big hitter may choose to hit an iron into green with 9 o’clock (or similar – only talking direction more than exact science) and actually fly it all way and pitch into the rather vicious right to left slope.

Shorter hitter will have to, and some others may prefer to (my choice), hit a 3w/5w with a faint dot of left to right spin to pitch on fringe then release onto the green.

Watch the lie on your second shot, will be a right to left slope you need to adjust for

Hole 11

I play a 6i with backspin. It’s a nasty green that can prove really tough on 3 or 4 yrd putts etc.

Trust me when I say, If you have a 3 or 4 yarder, it may be wise to take your punishment and go for a deadweight putt and hope it drops. I’ve seen numerous multiple putts as a result of power putting on that green

I know a lot of people play to miss on purposes and leave a slam. Slam is pretty safe from all angles, pretty much guaranteed to at least hit pin and leave tap in – that’s if you don’t hole it which you have a great chance of doing.

Hole 12

Tough hole if you aren’t running high skill. For those that are, a 5w/4i/5i etc with 9oclock will see you ok. Aim to pitch on fringe and release down to hole.

For big hitter playing that shot or shorter hitters (there is a ridge about 3 yards wide running all along that 1st fw which you may be looking to hit) I cannot emphasise how important it is to err on the side of being long rather than short on your approach!

Anything short will see you hitting trees and coming down in rocks, weed, or at best a nasty downhill rough lie onto a downhill sloping short green. It spells trouble people.

If in doubt go 5 yards long and leave yourself a trouble free chip back up the green.

Hole 13

SHIT, that’s all I have to say about this one. It’s harsh, unfair and can be heavy on the scorecard, particularly if the weather gods are angry.

Personally, if weather allows, I try and play towards 1 o’clock spin, not necessarily full though and pitch on the very front right of green.

For charters it can be worth chocking down on an 8i or 9i and bouncing up, it’s quite flat in front of green. Slamming is also very risky as a hit pin can still; result in the ball rolling down a vicious slope after.

THERE IS NO SHAME IN PAR HERE!

Hole 14

For people not running excessive high skill the “gap” shot could well be on. Now I know this will sound wrong but trust me. A 5I hit at 9 oclock….yes 9 oclock through gap can reap rewards. Aim to put your circle about 5 yards through gap in far wall and your shot will probable go through a hole on the cavern roof and end up near the far skeleton, you will see what I mean. But this does risk being trapped or blocked by the ribcage!

The other alternative which is safe sometimes (although that may sound strange when you read on) is to aim a plain 3i up towards the first hole in the left hand wall. Aim to leave your ball near the wall. Then take a 3w/3i/4i and hit tab….out in the wilderness on right you will see a couple of trees, aim at them and hit 100%. When lining up your shot you should see you are aiming about 5 yrds to the right of the hole in the wall over on right side. This will bounce off wall and head in the general direction of green, chip and putt for par. Playing that way for a non-big hitter will prob get you par 80% of time. There are some ridges on that wall that you will find out about and learn to adjust accordingly.

For big hitters, this means the “gap” shot is not available. Either play the “bounce” shot as mentioned above or alternatively take 5 wood full 9 oclock spin, aim you circle out past 2nd gap in left wall and hit about 95%. This will get you around the corner and prob leave you about 130 yrds to pin. Tough to fly a wedge in as you will hit hanging vines or the roof, so charters will want to choke down on a 9i etc, not easy. If there is a charter out there, posting here the % for a 9i at 130-140 yards would be helpful please. (I see FJ said about 70% 9i, very handy!)

Don’t get pushy on your putts, there are some evil breaks on the green, particulary on front left pin.

Again, no disgrace in par here folks.

Hole 15

With driver, no spin, aim your marker through the narrow gap in wall. Then depending on whether you are big hitter or not, apply spin to get you to fairway or up by green

DO NOT MOVE YOUR AIM, ONLY APPLY SPIN. The ball will go through the gap

The rest is in your hands

Hole 16

Green is probably makable for a lot of players. Beware of the sloping tee, you will need to adjust your aim accordingly.

Hole 17

Not much to say again. Driver or 3w with some right hand spin, bounce in front of green and roll up.

Hole 18

Just general advice for the non-big hitters, keep it on fairway tee and 2nd shot.

For the REALLY big hitters – I aim a full driver 9 o’clock spin and aim as far left as I can. There is a nice flat bit of rough out there. This will then leave you a 3w shot max 9 o’clock spin again around the tower. You may have to aim slightly more left if you have concerns about the tower. Alternatively, from out there you can also hit with 3 o’clock spin, slightly shorter path in, but trees and OB out there if you get really bad contact etc. I prefer first option.

So there are some quick tips, and as I said, feel free to shout me if you want to play a round and try some stuff out of clarify anything

CYA soon

TRUFF

(BIGTRUFFLE)

good job truff m8 sure this will come in very helpfull

cool

nice one

nice one truff must have taken u some time, time well spent cheers

Awesome Truff, nice one

I'll have a good read through after double XP day and I'd like to take you up on playing a round on Abel, really don't know the course at all to be honest and I can use all the help I can get