Blind shots at LIV Golf UK: ‘Nobody knows what to expect’

Jul 24, 2024 - 2:06 PMWritten by: Mike McAllister

JCB Golf & Country Club will provide plenty of challenges for the field

ROCESTER, England – Sam Horsfield is a member at JCB Golf & Country Club and utilizes the practice facilities whenever he comes home to England. He and his girlfriend live in a house five minutes away. Few of his fellow competitors have even played the course that’s hosting this week’s LIV Golf UK by JCB. Certainly, nobody in the 54-man field knows more about it.

Horsfield’s advice – or perhaps warning? – to his fellow competitors: Get ready to hit some blind shots.

“There’s a good handful,” said the 27-year-old Majesticks GC player. “Probably six or so. More so tee shots.”

Learning the nuances of an unfamiliar course in a limited amount of practice days is a test for any professional golfer. Learning a course that poses multiple blind shots makes it even tougher.

For JCB, which opened less than six years ago, the rolling grounds and mature trees are part of its charm and its challenge.

Consider the 462-yard par-4 18th. From the tee box adjacent to the island green 17th, the preferred landing area is uphill and over water. 

Or the 409-yard par-4 4th. It's a tribute bunker-free hole to Willie Park Jr.'s second hole at Huntercombe; the blind tee shot demands an accurate line.

Or the 632-yard par-5 10th, one of three par-5s over 600 yards. A large tree blocks the view to the pin, and the dogleg left means big hitters must also navigate over trees.

The potentially drivable 303-yard par-4 12th also has trees that encroach on the direct path to the green.

For Horsfield, his familiarity with the course and the confidence of knowing the best line to take on blind shots, could give him an advantage as he chases his first LIV Golf title. He recently had his best LIV Golf result, a solo second at Nashville.

“When you’re blind, you’re just sort of hitting at nothing really,” he said. “So, to have played it a lot, hit it in spots you shouldn’t hit it in around here, obviously those are all in the subconscious memory. You’re always thinking about that.”

His teammate, Majesticks Co-Captain Lee Westwood, thinks the blind shots could help identify this week’s best performers.

“When you’ve had a few practice rounds, blind shots are sometimes an advantage because you kind of pick a spot out and focus on that one spot, rather than hitting down a 30-yard-wide fairway,” he said. “It tends to focus your attention. Once you’ve learnt the golf course, it’s not too much of a problem.

“Probably the greens are a little bit different because they are so undulating. There's runoffs. So, you've really got to know where to land it. I'm thinking of like the 8th where you're only hitting a wedge or 9-iron in, but it's blind, landing on a green with lots of undulations. 

“So, accuracy is important, not only line-wise but distance-wise, as well. It’s really going to pinpoint ball control and distance control and flight, bringing your flight down. It's one of the defenses of the golf course.”

Added fellow co-captain Ian Poulter: “You're going to have a number of tricky shots this week. No fairway is really perfectly flat. Those blind tee shots, as Lee said, you really have to do your homework. Yardage books today are so good that they give us great feedback on exactly where to hit it. You've always got a line in the book where you can take reference from.

“That isn't too challenging. The challenge is going to be putting the ball where you need to put it for your second shot to give yourself a decent opportunity to make birdie. The green surfaces are very large. Pin locations, you're going to have to use some of these ridges in the green to feed it into certain pin locations. If you miss those ridges and you're the wrong side, you're going to be left with a very difficult two-putt.

“I think for me, it will be distance control, second-shot iron play, not being too overaggressive.”

The three Majesticks players were asked for a potential winning score. At that point, Westwood had only played the front nine; Poulter only the back nine. So, it was up to Horsfield to provide the most experienced perspective.

“15 under,” he predicted.

Westwood seemed a bit surprised.

“I went around the front nine yesterday and I thought three 69s might be good scoring, but I haven't seen the other nine,” he said about the par-71 layout. “The volatility is there. There's quite a bit of water involved.

“Nobody knows what to expect. That's the great thing.”