Junior Amateur will have its challenges

      When the players descend Monday on Colleton River Plantation’s Pete Dye course for the start of U.S. Junior Amateur, they will be confronted with a layout that has a split personality. 

      The first eight holes are classic “parkland” style, holes weaving between pine and magnolia trees and oaks draped with Spanish moss and usually bordered on one side by beautiful homes. That translates to trouble for those who are not accurate off the tee, because there is out of bounds on seven of the first eight holes. There also are mounds sprinkled around the course, and those can tax players who cannot think creatively about the next shot. Mr. Dye also put in many bunkers, a few of which are only one stride across.

      That’s the first eight holes.

      But starting on the ninth the players switch to a links-style course, hard by Port Royal Sound and subject to the winds coming off the sound and the nearby Atlantic Ocean. And the ninth hole can smack you in the face. I was playing it back in April and was walking from the 8^th green to the 9^th tee. As I came up to the tee box, I noticed the white tees and the blue tees, but I didn’t see the championship tees. “Where are they?” I thought. I looked to the right, back toward the woods and saw a platform about 15 above the ground. I realized that it was the back tee … nearly 90 yards away from the blues. If the players have to hit into a head wind (more likely in the afternoon than the morning), that 481-yard, par-4 can turn into a monster.

      The longer hitters may be able to negotiate it, but with mounding down the right, and whispy rough to the left, an errant tee shot could put players in a tough situation.

      Holes 10 through 15 are next to Port Royal sound and its marshes. Holes 16 through 18 are still links style, but they wander back toward some of the grand houses. The par 4, dogleg left 18^th is all someone could want at 491 yards. In the afternoon, players may be facing a headwind with their second shot.

      In all, the course stretches 7,365 yards if the United States Golf Association decides to put all the tees back. Normally, however, the USGA will vary the length of holes round-to-round. One day, you may play the 18^th at its full, beastly length. The next, it may be a 440-yard setup.

      At any rate, my day starts early Monday. I have to be at the course by 7:10 with my shift as a walking scorer starting at 8. After my shift, I turn right around and accompany the No. 1 player on my high school team in his qualifying round. He starts on No. 10 around 1 p.m. I’ll refer to my player as “Radar” during the week, since he likes to stay under the radar preferring anonymity or the closest thing to it.

      The forecast Monday calls for sunny skies with a high of 92. The real feel, however, is supposed to be 109 thanks to the usual Lowcountry humidity. My strategy, and everyone else’s, should be hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more. Water, Gatorade and/or Powerade will be my close friends.

      I can’t believe the tournament is finally here.