Hole #5: GolfScout's Take
You'll pass by the 17th tee box on your way to the 5th tee, getting a sneak preview of what's to come. That diabolical par 5 will have to wait, as the 5th should be the only thing on your mind. At 338 yards from the black tees, it's not a long hole by any stretch. But hole 5's primary defense is comprised of 5 bunkers jealously guarding the landscape, desperately wanting to keep you from scoring well. In my case, they often achieve their objective.
Due to the modest length of the 5th, using a fairway wood is not a bad play here if you can gain some accuracy and keep the fairway bunkers at bay.
The green runs uphill and has some nuances to navigate. Wilmette's greens are relatively fast and fair. No idea what they run on the stimp, but they're faster than the muni's in Chicago, but slower than the private north shore clubs up here (thankfully). The private clubs seem to wear quick green speeds as a badge of honor. I suspect there's some invisible competition going on behind the scenes, where the greenskeeper that can simulate putting on glass gets a hearty handshake from the membership.
