After a thrilling edition last summer, JCB Golf & Country Club Head Professional, Dan Bourne, is expecting more fireworks at this year’s LIV Golf UK at the end of July.
The teaching pro watched on in awe as Jon Rahm opened up with a stunning 63, a round that laid the foundations for a first title since the Spaniard’s 2023 Masters victory.
If the players ask for his advice this week, he’ll tell them to keep out of the fescue. And despite its length, JCB Golf & Country Club is more of a “thinkers course”.
In other words, it can’t simply be overpowered.
“This is not a paradise for the big hitters such as Bryson DeChambeau and Joaquin Niemann,” says Bourne. “It requires a lot of creativity and thought, and it will reward those players who are able to cleverly navigate their way around the course.”
Rahm’s 63 last year was just one shot off the course record (which belongs to James Kingston, who shot a 62 during The JCB Championship in 2022). It’s evidence that low scores are possible and that some holes are very getable.
So, starting with the ‘easy’ holes, where is Bourne expecting to see plenty of birdies?
THE GETABLE HOLES
The drivable par-4 12th hole at JCB Golf & Country Club also has its risks
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Hole 12 is the obvious one. A short par 4, the main danger is the brook short right, although a slope to the left feeds into the green and will offer up chances of an eagle, even for those players hitting fairway woods off the tee.
Hole 11, meanwhile, is another good birdie opportunity, one that has “a bit of Augusta about it” with a creek that skirts around the green.
“The 11th is gorgeous,” adds Bourne, who says it’s generally a hole where players will be looking to make a three, despite having a lot of bunkers.
“There’s a bowl on the green and if the pin is in there, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a hole out. The best play is a hybrid or long iron off the tee and then a wedge into a fairly accessible green.”
In terms of getable holes, “that’s about it,” laughs Bourne.
Having played the course four years ago, I can confirm that he’s not joking – there are few opportunities to relax, not when the fescue is blowing away in the wind, which serves as a constant reminder that it’s unwise to stray off line.
THE SIGNATURE HOLE
The stunning par-3 17th, which is widely…
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