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1st Hole - Par 4 (335 meters/366 yards)
It is always important for players to start off their rounds on a positive note. Lémuria's opening hole is designed to allow them to do just that. The first is a medium length Par 4 hole with a sight dogleg left. The tee shot is open and should be placed to the right side of the fairway to avoid the overhanging trees guarding the left side of the dogleg. The gently undulating green is protected front-left and rear-right by sand bunkers.
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2nd Hole - Par 3 (190 meters/208 yards)
The second is a beautiful and interesting short hole nestled between groves of native trees. This short hole features a unique double green that is shared with hole number 4. A large sand bunker guards the right front of the green. Care should be taken not to over-club or the ball may find one of two bunkers on the green's left rear.
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3rd - Hole Par 4 (332 meters/363 yards)
The level of challenge moves up a notch with this Par 4. The tee shot plays across a stream towards a fairway that is enclosed along both sides by beautiful native forest vegetation. This dogleg right requires accuracy from the tee to avoid both the water hazard and the trees. The ideal tee shot will find the left-centre of the fairway. The green is guarded by sand on the right and by several magnificent Terminalia trees on the left side approach.
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4th Hole - Par 4 (386 meters/422 yards)
When players reach this hole, they had better be warmed-up. This long Par 4 hole demands a combination of power and accuracy.
Playing straight towards the north, the tee shot must find the fairway that is flanked by large forest trees yet avoid the lake on the right. The green approach shot must carry a stream to find its mark on this well protected and undulating "double green".
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5th Hole - Par 3 (125 meters/137 yards)
On the scorecard, this Par 3 may seem a "breather". Standing on the tee, players should be careful not to be fooled by this picturesque golf hole. A large expanse of water surrounds the front of the green which has been set into a mangrove marsh that has been maintained along the edge of a tidal delta. A lone sand bunker guards the front left approach to the green.
There is little room for error on this deceptive little hole, yet it does provide players with an introduction to the diverse and beautiful natural character of the island of Praslin.
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6th Hole - Par 5 (461 meters/504 yards)
The tee shot must carry across a natural, boulder-strewn ravine sloping down into the mangroves on the left side. The first landing area is flanked by the lake on the left and by a grove of coconut Palms and large Casurina trees on the right. From there, the fairway runs due south to the second landing area; then doglegs sharply to the left around the end of the lake. The generous, three tiered green await across the water. A well hit shot will be rewarded, but disaster awaits a poor one. Most players will elect to play it safe around the right side to avoid the big part of the lake.
But the resulting approach will require a very tricky short iron shot over the small end of the lake, not to mention the large sand bunkers guarding the right side approach to the green.
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7th Hole - Par 4 (411 meters/449 yards)
This Par 4, features a wide and inviting fairway, yet slicers beware! A stream runs along the right side rough that separates his hole from the Fourth. Extreme accuracy will be required for the approach shot to the relatively small sized green. There is little room for error around this green protected in front by open water and flanked closely on both sides by marsh.
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8th Hole - Par 3 (183 meters/200 yards)
Considered the most challenging and possibly the most intimidating hole at Lémuria, this Par 4 is memorable for its natural beauty as well as its challenge. Once again, the elevated tees are shelves into the side slopes of Cap Jean-Marie where players assess the hole across foreground outcrops of gigantic boulders. Beautiful ocean views are seen from the Lémuria's toughest golf hole. Tee shots must carry the mangroves to reach fairway. No "ifs" or "buts". And this will be no short order, especially from the Pro tee, which demands a 185-metre carry!
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9th Hole - Par 4 (326 meters/357 yards)
A good finishing hole should dish out its fair share of challenge. The Par 3 does just that. It is not a hole for "wimps". For a Par 3 hole, it is long, somewhat narrow and surrounded by Coconut palms, Takamaka trees and other native vegetation. The backdrop for the green is a beautiful, boulder-laden mountainside. A watercourse runs through the right side rough. The green is platform-style and protected on the front and right by an enormous sand bunker that flows along the entire length of the fairway; then flashes up to lick the edges of the green on the same side. On the left side, a gentle grassy hollow lies beneath a dense stand of coconut palms.
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10th Hole - Par 3 (154 meters/168 yards)
A testy short hole which requires accuracy to avoid the water feature on the right and behind the green. It is a real test when the south east monsoon is blowing.
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11th Hole - Par 5 (505 meters/552 yards)
The longest hole on the golf course and requires your best drive. The generous fairway is bunkered long left and short right to frame the landing area. The fairway is a slight dogleg left, bending around a tall forest area. The approach should not be short as the green is guarded by two front side bunkers.
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12th Hole - Par 4 (400 meters/437 yards)
Regarded as the most difficult hole on the golf course. From the tee, this fairway appears deceptively narrow because of the tall trees lining both sides of the fairway. A large lake stretches along the entire length of the right side approach, all the way to the green. Three sand bunkers form an amphitheatre backdrop to the green.
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13th Hole - Par 4 (308 meters/337 yards)
The thirteenth signals the beginning of the ascent into the most dramatic part of the Lémuria course. The tee is perched high on a rocky knoll and faces the northwest. The fairway plays downhill off the tee, and then rises sharply up to the green that is shelved into a hillside. A giant Albizza tree stands like a sentinel in the right side approach. The tee shot requires placement to a multi-tiered landing zone protected by two sand bunkers and numerous grass hollows. Rule of thumb here is "don't miss right". Players should attack this hole from the left, or with a slight "draw" on the tee shot. The green has two putt able tiers and a wicked "false front" on the right front that falls steeply back towards the fairway. Two ominous grass bunkers guard the left side.
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14th Hole - Par 4 (310 meters/339 yards)
The fourteenth is one of the most challenging and beautiful short Par 4 holes to be found anywhere in the world. Carved onto a high ridgeline, it also provides golfers with breathtaking views of the surrounding hillside and ocean scenery. From the elevated tees, this fairway appears to be wide and inviting, but changing wind conditions can make it a difficult target. The hole plays much longer than the scorecard indicates because it is uphill all the way. Because of the elevation change, the fairway has a series of platform targets stepping up toward the green. A well-placed tee shot will find one of these platforms and will provide a level stance from which to attack the green.
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15th Hole - Par 3 (151 meters/165 yards)
If ever a course has a "signature hole", the fifteenth is it ! Players will be awed by the magnificent scenic views from the tees perched high up to the rocky ridge. From the men's tee the hole plays an astonishing 50-metre drop to the green lying in the valley below. The beautiful white sand of Anse Georgette and the crystal blue waters lie adjacent to the left across a small mangrove marsh. For most players, this deceptively short hole will be no more than a wedge shot or an easy 9-iron. A large sand bunker protects the green on the left.
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16th Hole - Par 5 (436 meters/477 yards)
The sixteenth is a unique and challenging Par 5 . From elevated tees carved amongst the boulders of the valley wall, the tee shot must carry native vegetation to find the narrow fairway that doglegs left up the valley. From the landing zone, players face an approach shot that requires rifle-shot accuracy to negotiate a narrow opening leading to the upper fairway and green. A boulder-strewn stream zigzags its way across the fairway requiring players to hit over the cascading water to reach the upper fairway. The two-tiered green lies tucked at the valley's end that is surrounded by native trees and boulders. The rocky stream channel guards the right side.
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17th Hole - Par 3 (125 meters/137 yards)
It is unusual for a downhill hole to play longer than it shows on the scorecard but for most players, the Par 3 may actually do so. Perhaps it is an optical illusion that plays tricks with depth perception, but players should beware not to under-club on this testy short hole. The multi-level tee complex is formed by a series of native granite boulder retaining walls located on a small knoll. Two huge Takamaka trees and a lone sand bunker guard the right side of the gently undulating green.
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18th Hole - Par 5 (473 meters/517 yards)
The Par 5 eighteenth is destined to become one of the great finishing holes. After being dazzled by the view, players must refocus their attention onto the challenge below. The hole is a dogleg right, wrapped around a large lake. A well struck and properly placed tee shot will be in excellent position for a player to go for the green in two. For those players seeking a safer route home, the option is open to take the long way around the lake and the large stand of Takamaka trees forming the inside of the second dogleg. The green is protected left front by two sand bunkers and on the other three sides by water. The eighteenth will be a pivotal hole in many a golf match at Lémuria.