Bogey hole, go for it or use caution?

[MikeB]

If you have a particular hole that usually catches you out and you reach it one day with a good card in hand do you play for the net par or go for glory?

Mine is our par 4 16th where there are fairway bunkers down the left side, the 1st is at my driver carry range & the 2nd is at carry & roll range.
The bunkers only account for perhaps 1/5th total fairway width & I usually hit a fade so in theory if I aim at or just right of them I should fade to the centre/right but of course that's not how golf works & I regularly hit it dead straight or pull it slightly left into one or the other.
So my question is, if I have a good card in hand should I lay up short of the bunkers & accept I'm not hitting the green in 2 or go for it hoping to make a good card better?

 

[Imurg]

What's to stop you laying up then pitch'n'putting for a par..?

We have a similar hole in that respect. Our 1st needs a good drive - plenty of rough/bushes left and right plus a stream to carry between 170 and 200 yards, often into or across the wind.....Most lay up in front of the stream, lay up again then chip/pitch on a try to hole the putt. I do this quite a lot as it's a shot hole so a 5 gets me 2 points and a bogey on it isn't the end of the world.

 

[londonlewis]

I would have to recommend you learn to play better shots with your long irons.
Don't take driver, lay up with a wood or 3/4 iron, then play a fairway wood or 3/4 iron into the green.
There's more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[garyinderry]

if you have more than a handful of shots then I recommend just laying up and trying to make an up and down par.

no need to blow a round on a difficult hole.

 

[JustOne]

Our 10th is OOB on the left, knee high rough on the right - I go for it
Our 14th is OOB on the left and you're dead on the right - I go for it
Our 15th is OOB on the left and knee high rough on the right - I go for it
Our 16th is OOB left and knee high rough on the right - I go for it
Our 17th is OOB left and there's a pond on the right - I go for it
Our 18th is OOB right and knee high rough on the left - I go for it

I was 3 over for the last 12 holes last week but recent back 9 scores scores have been +9 +8 +16 +12 +6 etc etc....

there's nowhere to hide on our back 9 so it doesn't matter what score you're on.

 

[pbrown7582]

play a fairway or hybrid that wont reach the bunkers and take them out of play.

 

[MKDave]

Seeing as it's the 16th hole on your course I'd probably see how I was playing, what score I was protecting or not and assess the weather (wind etc) on that day.

As long as you have 2 ways of playing it then you can make that call on the day. From the way you have described the hole I would be going for it off the tee everytime. If you reach bunker, lay up and up and down for par. If you're not in range, lay up and up and down for par. If you hit a big tee shot and you're in range you can see whether you want a decent lay up, find somewhere to miss, or just go for it.

Fortune favours the brave!

He who dares wins!

Lovely Jubbly

 

[Region3]

Not necessarily a bogey hole, but I find our 18th very difficult.

If my score is shot to pieces already I go for it.
If I've been driving well and feel good I'll go for it.
If I've not been driving well or don't feel confident I'll bunt it down with a hybrid.

 

[One Planer]

There isa couple of holes at my gaff that require a bit of thought on club selection. Our 9th is a prime example.

Conifer lined fairway on both sides, with OOB behind them and a row of conifers jotting out into the fairway narrowing the amount of fairway you have to ain at off the tee.

In most cases I'll pick the club that gives me and agressive play off the tee, with the least risk.

In this case it's my 19° hybrid. Taking this club means I can't reach the trouble on the hole and will still only be left with a 7 or 8 iron in to the green.

 

[MikeB]

Thanks for the replies, trouble is if I'm playing well I always feel confident to go for it in 2, that's usually where it goes pete tong. I'm up there tonight for a bit of practice so if it's quiet I'll try hitting a few different T shots & see how it goes.

 

[Foxholer]

If you have a particular hole that usually catches you out and you reach it one day with a good card in hand do you play for the net par or go for glory?

Mine is our par 4 16th where there are fairway bunkers down the left side, the 1st is at my driver carry range & the 2nd is at carry & roll range.
The bunkers only account for perhaps 1/5th total fairway width & I usually hit a fade so in theory if I aim at or just right of them I should fade to the centre/right but of course that's not how golf works & I regularly hit it dead straight or pull it slightly left into one or the other.
So my question is, if I have a good card in hand should I lay up short of the bunkers & accept I'm not hitting the green in 2 or go for it hoping to make a good card better?

Unless the bunkers are particularly nasty, and they rarely are...Go for it! If you avoid the bunkers, all good. If you go into a bunker, then you'll almost certainly be able to get close enough with a 7 or 8 iron from the bunker to be on in 3 - something that laying up is apparently committing to anyway. So you haven't actually cost yourself anything by 'going for it'. And practice your Fairway bunker technique.

It would be different if it was a Water Hazard though!

Btw. I consider myself a 'conservative' player, but would have no hesitation using this 'aggressive' approach. I don't believe the bunker placement, in this case, actually requires you to make a decision. They might if they were 30 yards or so closer to the green. What they would then do is force you to play a particular distance shot to the green - which is a reasonable test, provide Par 3s aren't testing the same distance.

I often check on courses new to me, about the 16th, whether I've used all my irons - hopefully SW and LW not used! If I have, then that's a tick in 1 'good' box!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My bogey hole is our 6th. Only 178 yards but OB along the right and close left (you only need to over do the draw a tad and the hard ground and slope does the rest). Plays into the wind normally and I don't get a shot. Not really any choice but to go for it. Always happy to take 4 there and get out of town sharpish. Had a spell recently of getting some pars and finding the green but the hole has the wood over me again

 

[Crow]

Unless the bunkers are particularly nasty, and they rarely are...Go for it! If you avoid the bunkers, all good. If you go into a bunker, then you'll almost certainly be able to get close enough with a 7 or 8 iron from the bunker to be on in 3 - something that laying up is apparently committing to anyway. So you haven't actually cost yourself anything by 'going for it'. And practice your Fairway bunker technique.

This.
Our long par 4 8th has a ditch at 220 yards, sometimes I carry it sometimes I dont, if it goes in it's usually possible to knock it out 50 or 100 yards and still go for the green in three. Laying up short of the ditch means at best a chance to hit a 3W at the green, usually missing, or laying up with the second.

 

[Moquillo19]

Our 12th is a card wrecker. People tee off the 1st and they're already worrying about it. It's par 4 oob left, right and behind the green. It's got to be a 5 everyday. The only problem is that going for a 5 on a par 4 and ending up with a 6,7,8. or worse leaves a very bad taste in the mouth.
In the last medal round it was played 97 times and averaged 6.1.