In my last two posts I’ve told you about the mountain paradise where I’ve been living for the past several months and why Medellin, Colombia is no longer the world’s most dangerous city. In fact, just last year it was named the world’s most innovative city.
And I’ve shared some photos and videos of El Rodeo – the golf course I’ve been playing in Medellin. Including the crazy quirk that has the golf course located right next to a small airport where planes fly so low you think you can hit them with a golf ball.
If you missed those posts, you can find them here:
Click here for Golf in a South American Paradise Part 1And here:
Golf in a South American Paradise Part 2Today I’ll share more photos of the course and some tips on playing some of the hole in case you ever get the chance to play here.
I told you about the first hole in my previous message so lets move on to #2 – a 160 yard par 3. This is where I discovered I’m 2 clubs longer at 5,000 feet elevation.
The first time I played this hole I used my 7-iron. That’s my 165-yard club – at least at sea level. The tee shot looked good in the air. However after a search, to my amazement I discovered the golf ball plugged 20-yards over the green!
So the next time I used a 9-iron, stuck it one the green pin-high and two-putted for par. Lesson learned.
Then after playing a few rounds I learned another lesson on the 3rd hole – a 370-yard par 4 with a dogleg right. There’s also water on the right but it’s not really in play if you can hit drive 200 – 225 yards. Here’s the tee box:
And here’s the lesson. This course plays A LOT shorter when the ground is dry. The first two times I hit driver off the tee and left myself in perfect shape. But the ground was wet and I was getting no roll.
The third time I played El Rodeo, the ground was dry and the same tee shot rolled deep into the woods – I mean deep! It was shocking how much roll you get when the ground is dry. So just keep that in mind if you play El Rodeo!
The 4th hole is a 500-yard par 5 (I’m giving distance from the white tees which is one up from the back or blue tees). Here’s the tee box:
I’m not sure you can appreciate this from the photo but this fairway gets a bit narrow. The hole has dogleg left. The tee shot is a bit downhill but the 2nd shot is uphill over a ridge and it’s also blind. You can’t see the green.
The first time I played this hole I hit my drive right down the middle and had about 220-yards to the green. Remember the lesson I learned on #2 – that I can hit the ball farther at an altitude of 5,000 feet – I opted for my trusty 3-hybrid. Here’s a view of the 2nd shot:
The green is over the ridge and a bit downhill. Since this shot is blind (not to mention I had never played the course!), my caddie gave me a spot and I struck quite a nice shot. It actually flew over the green! But just barely I was on the fringe so I used a putter. Here’s a shot of the green as you reach the top of the ridge:
I lagged my putt (technically a chip since I was on the fringe) just past the hole and made the 3-footer for birdie! YES! Only 4 holes into my first round and I already had my first birdie.
Now onto the 5th hole – a 390-yard par 4 with a dogleg right. Another blind tee shot. There’s water on the right so favor the left side. Fortunately, the caddies are there to spot your drive. Here’s the view from the tee box (you can see the caddies in their white shirts):
With a good drive you shouldn’t have more than about 125 yards to the green. Here’s a view of the approach shot:
OK, that’s enough for today. I’ll show you the rest of El Rodeo’s front 9 in my next message.
If you have any questions, just hit reply and ask away.
Until next time…
Dedicated to Lower Scores and More Fun,
Robert “Mr. International Golfer” Phillips
