200-210 yard par 3

[Durango]

I hate long par 3s. I think they should be banned if the average player has to use a wood. If I was designing my perfect course my short holes would be between 140 and 180 yards with small well protected greens.
We have one just over 200 yards and I bought a hybrid specifically for it although I can reach with a big 3 iron.

 

[bladeplayer]

What do you use for long par 3's?

My longest iron is a 5 which is generally short unless i get a lucky bounce and roll to the front of the green. I have a 3 hybrid and driver which are too long. Is this the sort of whole you would use a 3/5 wood, or would you lay it up?

Very subjective i know, just interested to see what people use.

you say your 5 iron mite bounce & roll up so i take it the front of the green is not protected ,why not hit a nice 3/4 easy swing with the driver & run it up , will take few attemps to get swing speed right but it would work

 

[Whereditgo]

Just replaced my 3 iron with a 20 deg hybrid, I would say the distance is pretty much the same but the hybrid has a higher flight and softer landing than the 3 iron.

My 5 wood, which is still suspended, gives me another 20 yards or so distance over both.

 

[grumpyjock]

On long par 3's if there is no bunkers in front.
a nice soft driver for me and let it roll onto the green.
If guarded at front look for the soft way in with a 5 wood or 4 hybrid, high in the air and let it drift.
Otherwise duff it 120 and then use a PW or SW depending on where it lands.

 

[USER1999]

If your 3h is a 3i replacement, why buy one that goes further? If it is a 5w replacement, then you still need a 3i?

It is all about getting the correct gaps between clubs, regardless of what number is written on the bottom.

 

[funkyfred]

just wonerdering, does anyone ever purposely lay up on long par 3's. we've got 2 that will need 4 or 5 irons. i play off 14 and am not great with this length of club, got shots on both, haven't yet, but am seriously thinking of hitting 8 or 9 iron to miss trouble at front and taking chances of up and down or at worst getting a 4. going with 4 iron will often lead to 4 or more, but occasionally might yield a birdy ?

Tried this twice last year on our 15th, 195 yard (down hill)island hole, that also has 3 bunkers on it. Cocked it up both times So now I just whack it and hope

 

[GeordieAggro80]

we have a 200 yarder which i use either my 3 or 4 iron on depending on wind. to be honest though i play it to my handicap and im happy to escape with a 4. tee shot plus a chip to get close then 2 putt. i try make it an easy par 4 rather than a hard par 3.

 

[znuffzz]

4iron if dry
3H if wet...

 

[SatchFan]

3 iron for me whenever I can as I find it much more acccurate. I'll use a hybrid or a three wood if I have to depending where the main hazards are.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Our first is 229, OB right, trees 40 yards short and right, pond left, and bunkers greenside left and right. In winter it is a 3 wood, at the moment it is either a 3 or 5 wood depending on any breeze and if it is rolling a tad and in the summer I may get there with a hybrid. With another par 3 also up over 200 yards, three between 170 and 190 it is definitely a course to make sure the long irons and fairway woods/hybrids are behaving. It's usually quite a joy to play away where most of the par 3's are sensible lengths

 

[G_Mulligan]

I like the two long par 3s at my course makes a different kind of test to normal. The 11th is 210 with a long bunker across the front right so you have to fade it in to the back and the 16th is 215 with trouble all round the back so you can run it up from short. I usually use my 2 hybrid on the 11th and my 3 Hybrid or 4 Iron on the 16th depending on the wind.

 

[HRC99]

I hate long par 3s. I think they should be banned if the average player has to use a wood.

You'd love our 235 yard par 3 that's normally into the prevailing wind.

On Captain's Day, they had a nearest the pin and only one person hit the green out of about 160 attempts!

 

[Pete435]

Nothing wroing with a long par 3, as long as the SI is set right. We have 3 out of 4 around 200 yards off the whites. They can be 3W into stiff breeze or 4H on a still day (discovered that 5i down wind wasn't enough last Saturday, pass the bucket & spade!! ) The guys I play with joke about laying up, but we've only done it accidently! One day......

 

[HickoryShaft]

Ninth at ours is along these lines.

242 off the yellows and 246 off the whites. A par 4 for the ladies though!

Tee is elevated for a bit of a helping hand but thats where the assistance finishes

OOB (practice ground if you stray too far right), fairway narrows between a large tree on both sides - not too narrow but enough to catch anything badly wide and the one on the right is in play off the whites so needs a good direction shot to be safe.

Not much in the way of bunkers (one left at about 200 yards) but a nasty dip in front of the green, a bank on both sides and slopes away to the right of the green toward the OOB markers.

Needs a Sunday best drive to be putting on your second shot.

Good viable option is a 3 wood to run it up towards the front and chip on or a smash with the big stick that can be a score maker or a card wrecker.

Also right in front of the 1st tee and close to the clubhouse so no pressure



Welcome to the NE Lincs mini-meet !!

 

[EZprophet]

We have a long par 3 16th 202yds. It is at the high point of the course and very exposed to the wind. Wind is nearly always into you and there is trouble around 80% of the hole including a hedge 5 yds through the back, so going long is not an option. When putting together a decent score a couple of weeks ago I seriously debated laying up as there is a channel between the bunkers at the front of the green. My thinking was if I could put a 7 iron onto the fairway in front I should be able to chip and run my second onto the green and probably walk off with a 4. In the end I took out my 3 wood and tried for the green, pushed it into the woods and ended up with a 7. Next time when the wind is so strong I may well lay up.

To me that sounds like you know how to think your way around a golf course, but just didnt follow through with it. If you think that laying up is the best way to yield yourself the best score on that hole in the long run, then in my opinion, you should lay up.

When the pros talk about the importance of "patience" on the golf course, what they mean is that you have to wait for your opportunities on the golf course to attack, and not try to "force it" by taking on uneccesary risks that can lead to card ruining scores.

For them it might be playing to the middle of the green when the pin is tucked up against the right side surrounded by deep bunkers, and for amateurs, it might be laying up on a long par 3...

 

[Hendy]

we have a tight par 3 about 210 yards you cant go left or right off the tee or your in the trees also if your big youll be OFB!!

Best to lay up on a windy day and with a good chip you have a shout at par

 

[TheJezster]

Homer will testify to this, at Wimbledon Common, we have 3 200 yard+ par 3's!

The first, is the 1st tee, 228 yards, not a pleasant start to the round if you get it wrong! I usually go 4 iron and try to get it as close as possible and then chip on, as whenever Ive gone with my 3 wood ive sliced it onto the 18th fairway. I did once get shoot through the green, only for the bank at the back to save me, so 4i for me

8th is a 229 yard par 3. Same again, 4i and hope it takes me close. Have tried driver and 3w off here but 4i seems to work best for me.

12th is a 242 yard monster. Tight, trees both sides. Nasty hole. Has to be a driver but you simply have to keep it straight or you will lose your ball. Saturday and Sunday, for the 1st and 2nd time ever, i hit the green both times, so maybe, just maybe..... lol