Par 5 strategery

[azgreg]

So, I had a little experiment yesterday on the par 5's. The par 4's at Papago were playing 530, 464, 491, and 508 from the whites. I played 2 balls. On the first ball I played it regular like: driver, fairway, then whatever it needed. The second ball I played it safe: 4H, 4H, then wedge (I hit my 4h about 200). I pared all eight balls but I had better birdie chances on the 4H balls. Makes you wonder.

 

[TheTrueReview]

Exactly. I remember winning a tourney a few years back on a renowned difficult course that required precision off the tee. After my first tee drive trickled off the fairway and under a bush, I teed off on every par 4 & 5 with my 2 hybrid. Didn't miss a fairway and won by two clear Stableford points.

 

[limpalong]

"Never belittle a ball in the middle!" We have hundreds of trees on our course. If you have a day you aren't hitting the driver well or a day when you are trying to muscle up and take the cover off the ball, you will have big numbers. It's lots better to use something off the tee that will put the ball in play. My cart partner hits driver from almost every tee box, including some of the par 3's. He loves that club and can hit it 160 or 230, which ever he needs. When one of us other players gets on a long par 4 or par 5 box, he is apt to say, "This IS a TEE box! That means you HAVE to hit driver!" We've learned to ignore him......

 

[ualtim]

The driver usually just gets you deeper into trouble, smart strategy using the 4h. If I had used that strategy 6 years ago, I probably would not have needed a six year sabbatical. Nothing quite like hitting 3 from the tee after your first drive goes OB, into the water, or off planet on a regular basis.

Stick with the new strategy.

 

[Anders_H]

Hitting a good drive is almost better than sex. And happens almost as often..

 

[eclark53520]

As I have said before, most amateurs would be better off leaving the driver in the bag on 99% of holes.

Won't stop me from trying to impress the beer cart chick with it.

 

[J.P.C.]

Won't stop me from trying to impress the beer cart chick with it.

see, at least you are honest!!

 

[PaPaD]

All of the par 5's I normally play are 3-shot holes for me, so why bother with driver? I play position golf - it lowers my scores. I'm too old to dominate a course, so I choose to try to manage them, besides, most of my 5-wood shots are only about 10 yards shorter than most of my drives.

 

[Splunge]

I can hit my driver pretty well, and I hit it much farther than my five, so it is useful, especially when we have a par 5 on my home course that can play over 600+ with a wide fairway that narrows severely in the layup zone. I like to go driver 5i then PW

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

It depends on the hole. If I can hit a good drive and have an iron in my hand for my 2nd shot on a par 5, I'll go that route more times than not. If the hole is long, I'm better off laying up. I know that logic seems backwards but that's how I roll, lol. If the fairway is tight, I will lay-up nearly every time.

 

[eclark53520]

All of the par 5's I normally play are 3-shot holes for me, so why bother with driver? I play position golf - it lowers my scores. I'm too old to dominate a course, so I choose to try to manage them, besides, most of my 5-wood shots are only about 10 yards shorter than most of my drives.

Well...when your longest club is 160yds....gaps are going to be pretty small...

 

[Splunge]

I hit driver on the long ones, because the one long one I play frequently, has a tight layup zone for the second shot, so I like to get as close as I can to that zone, because I would rather lay up an iron than a wood into that tight little area, plus the fairway is really wide at the tee shot landing area.

 

[warbirdlover]

I've been hitting my driver extremely well this summer (for me). Usually always in the fairway and as long as I've been in the last few years. I did an experiment on par 5's using driver and then driver off the fairway (if I've got a good lie). I'm usually on the green in 3 putting for birdie. I'm not as afraid of the long distance holes anymore as long as I can continue to get the driver into the air on the second shot. Even if I hit one thin it goes as far as I can hit my fairway wood that I always used to hit.

 

[limpalong]

I hit driver on the long ones, because the one long one I play frequently, has a tight layup zone for the second shot, so I like to get as close as I can to that zone, because I would rather lay up an iron than a wood into that tight little area, plus the fairway is really wide at the tee shot landing area.

That's called "course management"!

 

[TEA Time]

The par 4's at Papago were playing 530, 464, 491, and 508 from the whites...

Jesus! What do they play from the blacks?