Par 5s

[Wknd_Warrior]

The bain of my game.

They go on too long, you just have to hit too many good shots in a row. I can't seem to keep the needle in the groove for the whole hole. My chances of having a good hole are better with 8i on a par 3 than sitting 100 yards out on a par 5.

If you compared my stats to probably most golfers in my cap range, there's be a huge hump for me when there's a dip for everyone else lol. Par 5s are supposed to be easy...

Just venting

[BC MIST]

The bain of my game.

They go on too long, you just have to hit too many good shots in a row. I can't seem to keep the needle in the groove for the whole hole. My chances of having a good hole are better with 8i on a par 3 than sitting 100 yards out on a par 5.

If you compared my stats to probably most golfers in my cap range, there's be a huge hump for me when there's a dip for everyone else lol. Par 5s are supposed to be easy...

Par 5's are easy for low handicap players for obvious reasons. However, for mid to high handicap players, just the opposite is true. The longer the hole, regardless of the relatively meaningless term "par," the greater is the probability of the higher handicap player hitting at least one shot, poor enough to cause a big score.

A few years ago I did a "study" of Men's Night scores to determine on which hole(s) the higher handicap players were in need of a handicap stroke. ironically, on the hole where the low single digit players averaged under par, the higher handicap players averaged 2 over par, making it the #1 handicap hole. It was a 495 yard par 5.

When looking a scorecards and finding the long par 5's as the lower handicap holes, we know the Committee has used the correct method of handicapping. When you see the hardest holes as the low handicap holes, they probably have not.

[jeffc]

The bain of my game.

They go on too long, you just have to hit too many good shots in a row. I can't seem to keep the needle in the groove for the whole hole. My chances of having a good hole are better with 8i on a par 3 than sitting 100 yards out on a par 5.

If you compared my stats to probably most golfers in my cap range, there's be a huge hump for me when there's a dip for everyone else lol. Par 5s are supposed to be easy...

Just venting

I struggled last year with par 5s and have been better this year. One of the reasons is to take a more conservative approach to them where I need to, especially the 3 shot par 5s. Hitting the fairway off the tee might mean hitting 3 wood to keep it in play and taking as much trouble out of play rather than being aggressive and hitting driver or going for it when I should just lay up.

[WallStPete]

A lot of people feel that way about par 5s because the guys on tour birdie them so often. Truth is, even as a six handicap, I rarely birdie par 5s. I'm long off the tee by most standards and have won longest drive at tournaments... Still rarely putt for eagle. One shot at a time...

[adam]

A lot of amateur golfers can hit it long off the tee but that second shot from 200-250 yards is a very demanding shot for us regular folks. When you miss it by 30 yards you often get left in awkward spots and will need an excellent short game to make birdie.
Our first hole has a pond in front of the green and I almost never go for it (540 yards).
I usually just hit a 5 wood then layup to the hundred, makes for a lot less errors.

[Grabster]

Yup. That second shot was/is the killer for me too.
When I am 200-250, my temptation was always to take out that 3W and hope for a miracle connection. I figured it might roll on or get so close I can pitch it close for a birdie. No idea why I would think that since my driver would be lucky to get to 250 on a good day.

Now I approach it as "How far to the 100 marker?"

Since then.....
+7% for GIR
+5% for FIR as no longer try to hit it a mile off the tee
-0.4 decrease in score on PAR5. No much but that can be 1.6-2.0 strokes per round. (although I have given those back somewhere else).

Not sure how much those numbers mean to others. I shoot about a 88-92 most of the time.

[orangeTANG]

I look at par 5s the opposite way. I get 4 additional shots to recover from a bad shot, instead of 2 or 3 on par 3 and 4s. You hit a poor shot on a par 3 and you're taking a big number in most cases, in a par 5, you can skull your 2nd shot, or miss the green on your 3rd shot and you still have a chance to recover.

I think the problem I see most times is that people automatically grab a club on their 2nd shot trying to make the green not thinking about their surroundings, or where to miss. When I'm not playing my greatest golf (which is most of the time) I'll hit 3 wood, 6i, and PW or 9i depending what I have left into the green, and normally walk away with a better score than if I had hit driver, 3w trying to make it on in 2.

Consider a par 5 for exactly what it is - a par 5. If you're good with an 8i (like you said on Par 3s) then hit that club on your 3rd shot. Subtract that yardage from the overall length of the hole and figure out what you need to hit the first 2 shots - safely! You'd be surprised the clubs you actually need to use to get to that 8i distance for your third.

Take Greensmere's Legacy Par 5 #2 for example. I can't for the life of me play well on that hole. I've even resorted to hitting 6i off the tee (blacks), followed by a 2nd 6i (175x2) giving me no more than 120 yard PW for my third shot. Its not always what I do, but I've done it enough to know I can get to the green safely. I get ridiculed on the tee, but payback is when you're helping others in your group look for their balls in the bush.

[imozzie]

jterpstr - could not agree with you more. I FINALLY figured out that you have to play to your strengths - not expose your obvious weaknesses. I suck from 50 yds in - just a fact....I suck in that slot. However, I LOVE wedges. I feel like I'm throwing darts when I hit 'em into a green. Confidence +++++.

I have now learned on Par 5s and 4s to play to my wedges (70-120 range). I carry 4 in the bag and use every one of them in just about every round I play. I'd much rather throw a dart at the green on my 3rd shot, then hit a poor chip/pitch short or worse - through the green - elevating not only my score but my frustration level. Doing so has substantially improved my game and my scoring over the last few years.

(....and I continue to practice my chips and pitches on the side....lol!)

[orangeTANG]

I developed a case of the s** a few weeks ago, and that's exactly how I moved passed it. I stopped hitting longer irons to distances that left me with 1/2 shots. I built up a bit of confidence, stopped thinking about it, and eventually went back to normal.

And no, the s* was not something Imodium could help with.

[golfisforfun]

I find it amazing how many golfers immediately reach for a fairway wood for their 2nd shots on a par 5... I only hit fairway woods if I can get close to the green with a COMFORTABLE swing, otherwise I am laying up to a specific yardage.

My view is the par 5s offer you an extra shot to make up for a bad one. You can hit a bad 1st, then an ok 2nd, an iffy 3rd, a poor chip and a good putt and still make par!

If you have any doubt about your driver accuracy on a par 5, you MUST hit something else that will keep you in play. Maybe hit 5 wood, 6 iron, 9 iron or whatever it takes to stay in the fairway.

My layup distance varies from round to round. If fairways are wet, I avoid the 110 yards and in because I hate those big fat sloppy divots! Nice dry conditions I am for 95 yards which is a smooth 54* for me.

If I am 230 yards away I will hit 3 wood because a good swing can get me 230-240 but if I am 240+ that means swinging a bit too hard and I avoid that!!!

I am about a 4 capper and birdie about 3.3 holes per round this year, many of them par 5s.

[sharkshooter]

As others have said, on a par 3, your tee shot needs to be perfect (well - for me perfect is defined as "in the fairway" or "on or really close to the green") - so 100%. On a par 4, one perfect shot and one missed shot probably means bogey - so you need 2 perfect shots - 100%. Whereas on a par 5, you can miss one shot but with 2 perfect shots you can usually be on the green - 66.7% ("2 out of 3 ain't bad").

So, yes, most of my birdies are on par 5s.

Disclaimer: As someone who plays a handful of times a year and shoots low 90s, I am not as good as most of you here - most rounds have 0 or 1 birdies.

[Bodey]

Yeah... As an 20+ capper I make the strokes up on par 5's. I usually play the par5s at slightly under bogey and the par 3s at about double. Par 4s are a wash. I can make up those bad shots on Par5s pretty easily. It helps a lot that I can easily hit a 3w or 5w with a pretty good accuracy.

I birdie one or two holes a round, and probably par 5 or 6. So yeah, I blow up on a lot of holes and post a doubles and triples a lot.

Par 5s are easier for me, and relieve stress far better...

[golfisforfun]

I love par 5s and courses like the Marshes with 6 of them is a treat!!!

[Wknd_Warrior]

Well I certainly can fall into the category where it's just more time to make a mistake, and I definately earn some trouble trying to hit long. But I've been in pretty good position lately on the 5s but just can't get it done. Even if I play them well through most of the fairway I can still have a putt to make for bogey.

On the other hand I definately have that thought that you can make up ground, I'm almost better off making a mistake early in the hole cause then I'm the underdog. I'm not sitting at 60 yards out (I can play in betweem shots as well as anything else) feeling like I should have a chance at birdie or a tap in par.

It's a mental thing, I think I just need to step up and take them down. They should be easy par 3s most of the time. It's become the glaring hole compared to the rest of my game.

[Wknd_Warrior]

...My layup distance varies from round to round. If fairways are wet, I avoid the 110 yards and in because I hate those big fat sloppy divots! Nice dry conditions I am for 95 yards which is a smooth 54* for me....

...I am about a 4 capper and birdie about 3.3 holes per round this year, many of them par 5s.

I actually have been strategizing, a lot of time I've got a decent shot coming in. I've had reasonable success laying up to this or that side of the fairway to take the "bunker out of play", laying back for a full swing if I don't like where the pin is for a pitch, etc...

I won't be making 3.3 birdies a round, but 1 or 2 isn't out of the question if I could capatalize on the 5s.

[cheezemaster]

par 5s are way too long. hate them.

[savosean]

Par 5's are the best and I love them, I always take them as a free birdie and a par if something goes wrong. Driver off the tee 3 wood towards the green, either making it and going for a eagle or 10-15 yards away for a chip and a putt for birdie.

If something goes wrong, I pull my drive or I push it. Then I am punching out of the trees, and doing everything I said above 1 stroke back.

There not that long, if you play smart on them. Driver off the tee 270-280, 3 wood off the fairway if its clear way to the green 230 + roll.

There was this 650 yard par 5 at nationview, was pretty rediculous. Went driver, 3 wood Gap wedge, putt for par. Does not matter how long the hole is, as long as you are using any iron higher then a 8 into the green you are fine.

[golfisforfun]

They may not seem long to you if you are driving the ball 270-280 off the tee. BUT you are in the minority for driving distance.
I hit it about 250 off the tee but I am very consistent. And 250 off the tee means any par 5 that is 500+ is 3 shot hole for me.

I would agree that they are not long at all if played as 3 shot holes.

Par 5's are the best and I love them, I always take them as a free birdie and a par if something goes wrong. Driver off the tee 3 wood towards the green, either making it and going for a eagle or 10-15 yards away for a chip and a putt for birdie.

If something goes wrong, I pull my drive or I push it. Then I am punching out of the trees, and doing everything I said above 1 stroke back.

There not that long, if you play smart on them. Driver off the tee 270-280, 3 wood off the fairway if its clear way to the green 230 + roll.

There was this 650 yard par 5 at nationview, was pretty rediculous. Went driver, 3 wood Gap wedge, putt for par. Does not matter how long the hole is, as long as you are using any iron higher then a 8 into the green you are fine.

[savosean]

They may not seem long to you if you are driving the ball 270-280 off the tee. BUT you are in the minority for driving distance.
I hit it about 250 off the tee but I am very consistent. And 250 off the tee means any par 5 that is 500+ is 3 shot hole for me.

I would agree that they are not long at all if played as 3 shot holes.

I agree not many people hit the ball as far as me off the tee, but everyone has the ability to make a birdie on a par 5. Maybe not as consistent as others but most certainly easier to do then what many believe.

This goes for OP if you are struggling on par 5's you most certainly need to work on something here. Either you are trying to do more then you can handle. Maybe you are not a long hitter and you always try to kill it off the tee because you want to gain that extra distance. If so you end up in the trees, and have to punch and you lose so much doing that. If you have okay drives and then you always try to kill it on your second shot and make that green even though you don't have a club in your bag to make that distance. So you once again try and kill it and end up in another scenario were you will lose a stroke and cost your self that birdie or last par save.

You need to take the hole on and not be taken by the hole per say, you can take it on as a par 4 to the 150 mark drive to were you do then you use approach shot club to the 150 mark. Now, you just have a PW or w.e club you use into the green. You will have a good chance at attacking the pin, cause you will get a lot of spin on a wedge.

Gl, but in all honesty Par 5's are what brings back most peoples rounds because of the huge possibility to make birdie and even better an eagle.

[Wknd_Warrior]

I need to work on getting it done lol. I certainly have the skills and have been putting myself in decent position much of the time.

It's true though, the 5s do encourage "hero shots". So between a bit of that, and then just not stepping up and finishing it off when I am in good position...

[BC MIST]

Gl, but in all honesty Par 5's are what brings back most peoples rounds because of the huge possibility to make birdie and even better an eagle.

So true. Made an eagle on #18, Premiere to score 78. The problem, however, is that it did not make up for a record 6 three putts. Gerry laughed.

[Weazl]

This year I decided to go 4 hybrid, 4 hybrid, low iron into par 5's to keep the ball in play. Hopefully with a chip and a putt, or 2 putt after that I make par and it has worked out quite well. Because I'm a very short hitter off the tee, this has helped keep the ball in play but where I lose strokes is on the 400+ yard par 4's. Until I can learn to get some distance off the tee I fear I will remain a 90's golfer.

[Wknd_Warrior]

yikes, terrible round today, but here's a short illustration

1st par 5.
Drive OB, retee, two good shots, a little short after 5, chip up and 3 putt for a 9.

2nd par 3
clunk a semi decent 9i, make short par putt.

3rd par 5
setup right, aim left with cut, over do it, ball on road OB, retee play well untill short iron in, scuff it into hazard blah blah, 9

4th par 3 over water
hit decent shot on green, a little pulled. Make short putt for par.

5th par 5, short
nice drive (finally), try to play it safe, trying to syay away from left side, slice to edge of fairway 25y short, unlucky lie under bush, make disapointing bogey

6th par 4
pull drive, chunk out of rough, make short bogey putt

7th par 3
chunk iron, chip up, easy bogey ( I think )

...lot's of really bad golf...

10th long par 5
went driver driver to 100 yard marker. thinned SW, almost made 100 foot 2 putt, easy bogey.

.. more bad golf...


That's 10 shots dropped on par 5s, 6 shots dropped for the cap. Thise was a bad day, but even so the 5s ended up being disproportionally bad as well.



At least I can see the road forward.

[justsomeguy]

I'm guessing you played Champlain - and you played it totally wrong.

The 1st, 3rd and 10th holes are not reachable in 2 so don't bother trying - just put the ball in play. It sounds like you tried to hit the ball a long way when you really have no reason to do so. Although all these holes have OB on one side, they also have wide fairways and lots of room on the other side to miss - and its no big deal if you're on the 14th fairway on #1 or on the 5th fairway on #3 or the 9th fairway on #10. You should just aim to the opposite side of OB and try to hit the ball straight - and then take what you get. I'm not saying that you still can't go OB, but you should try to make it as difficult as possible.

The 5th hole at Champlain is a birdie hole. Play driver and aim left, and if you have a good drive then go for the green. If you make it then you will have a chance at making a score to remember and boost your confidence on par 5s forever - if you don't make it then at worst you will make bogey (which is no big deal) because there is not really a lot of big trouble you can get into on that hole.

Basically, its all in your head. Long par 4s are waaaaaaay tougher than most par 5s, but because the sign says 500+ yards you probably think you have nuke every shot to make par. Just relax and take what the course gives you.

[Wknd_Warrior]

Ya it was Champlain, but no I wasn't going for them in 2, not even the 5th. Just a really horrible day off the tee box. I had to reetee 4 times.

I usually do more or less what you say and use the safe side of the fairway. The 3rd I even tee up on the right side and take it down the left with a small cut, just a freak accident I put it on the road with a fanned open slice. It came down right on the fence.

What strikes me is that even after reeteeing it I played the holes well up to the 3rd shot but couldn't score. Basically I feel like doubled the first 3 par 5s, even forgetting about 3 off the tee.

[Wknd_Warrior]

Basically, its all in your head. Long par 4s are waaaaaaay tougher than most par 5s

That's what I think too!

[Wknd_Warrior]

oh, you are right on the money about the 10th though, I did try to nuke that one, and ironically hit a great shot lol. Still make a darned bogey after 2 impressive swings.

[adam]

I find every par 5 at Champlain reachable if the course is playing dry (ok maybe not #10 . .). If it is soggy then they are 3 shot holes for almost anyone.

[Sunny D]

That's what I think too!

I can add a third to that - long par 4`s kill me. I think the toughest hole at EQ for instance is 17. It shouldn`t be but it has my number. Rarely par that thing.

[savosean]

I can add a third to that - long par 4`s kill me. I think the toughest hole at EQ for instance is 17. It shouldn`t be but it has my number. Rarely par that thing.

long par 4's are always the hardest type on any course.