But making par on the signature ninth hole at the Chisholm Park golf course should be marginally easier, with the green having undergone a makeover.
Fourteen year one and two sports turf management students from the Cromwell campus of Otago Polytechnic have been kept busy this week digging up the turf from the old green on the 17th hole and re-laying it at the ninth.
Programme manager Gary Smith has been keeping a close eye on his young charges and said the green was badly in need of re-laying.
"It was very diseased and damaged . . . which is caused by high calcium levels," he said.
It is a damp hole and sand blows on to the green, which pushes the acidity level of the soil up, he said.
"That leaves it prone to pests and diseases."
Salt from sea spray burns the turf and wind is also a factor in its deterioration.
"It is exposed to the elements and typical of a links course.
But it is probably one of the most scenic holes in New Zealand."
A hollow in the green was not helping either, so it has been raised to help drainage and "should make it more exciting for putting".
"It will be a lot better. There will be better pin positions and there will be a few more breaks too."
Smith, who got his start in the industry as a trainee groundsman at the course 29 years ago, said the opportunity for the students to put some of their newly-acquired knowledge to practical use was an invaluable experience.
"These guys are passionate and are the next greenkeepers and turf managers of New Zealand."
The green should be ready to play on in a fortnight.
In the meantime, there is a temporary green which will shorten the hole by about 20m.
As for the wind, it will still haunt the hole, leaving it a tricky proposition for the best of players.
