It was an humid Tallahssee morning at Killearn Golf Club , with the thick North Florida humidity hanging in the air. As I stepped onto the 5th tee — the same ground once walked by legends Palmer & Player in Tallahassee Open — there was a quiet sense of history in the atmosphere as we walked up to the 179 yard par 3

The tee box sits nestled in a low enclave, with the green perched nearly 15 feet higher atop a broad ridgeline. From the tee, the putting surface is largely hidden, adding to the challenge and mystique of the hole. A large, deep bunker guards the front left of the green, which angles right to left, while a smaller fore bunker — visible from the tee and sitting some 30 feet short of the green’s front edge — creates the deceptive illusion that the green is closer than it actually is.

I took enough club to account for the uphill carry and the optical trickery of the fore bunker. The green itself is split into two distinct tiers: a lower shelf on the right and an upper tier to the left. Reaching the proper level was essential — a shot to the wrong tier brings the very real risk of a three-putt.

I hit a baby fade off the tee. The ball landed softly on the left side of the green, took one bounce, checked… and then disappeared straight into the cup.