Par 4 or 5?

[TonyN]

Long game is the worst part of my game. If I know I cannot reach a par 4 in reg I won't play it as a 5 I will look to leave my gave distance and then try get as close as possible with the 3rd for a safe par.

I play all par 5s the same, drive and to mid irons to get on or mid an wedge if it's short. If I end up close to the pin after my 3rd then I have a birdie putt. If not 2 putts gives me a par.

I need to work on my long game though to help me drop some shots. I have a pretty good short gave that often helps me get up and down but to be able to go for the 5s in two would help.

madandra, our 17th is a 230 yard par 3. I have come short with a driver and gone through the back with a 3 wood I hate it!

 

[wackygolfer]

It depends on the stroke index. If the par 4 is a low index then I am quite happy to play it. If I get a par that is great if I get bogey it just means picking up a shot somewhere else. With the par 5 I am always looking for birdies especially if the stroke index is fairly high.

In matchplay there is more likelyhood that my opponent will get a 5 so par 4 is the best for me in matchplay.

 

[Imurg]

Regardless of par I would play it the same. Concentrate on getting a good drive away and then assess after that. If its reachable in 2 I'd go for it. If not, then a lay up to 110 yards or so.

Its an old saying but you can only play each shot as it comes. If I don't get a good drive away and its a par 4, then I've got to take my medecine and try to get close with the 3rd shot and hopefully 1 putt. But if it takes 5 then it takes 5. I know I'm going to lose shots around the course to par but I can also pick them back up later.

 

[Basher]

Some cracking advice from Bobmac & Alchemy, thanks a million fellas.
Really pleased you're onboard with us!

I'm as guilty as the next man for trying too hard to make par. I'm a high handicapper and play with a guy just above single figures most of the time. I pick up some damned good tips from him but often get into the mindset of trying to perform like him. I've no chance, he's a lower handicap because he's a better golfer than me, I need to get over it!
A round of bogeys would be a decent result to be honest, I have more shots than him. Must remember that next time instead of flogging it to try and get on the green in two.

 

[Marko77]

Marko, how would you play the hole if you didn't what the par was?

If I didn't know and faced a hole of that length - would play to get on in 3. Any par 4 of that length would be bound to be within SI 1-5 so would also influence what I do.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It depends on a number of factors. If it is a tight hole into the wind etc or I'm not driving well I'd view any par 4 over 400 yards as a par 5 as I'd probably get shots anyway. I always play par 5's as three shotters as I'm not long off the tee and don't see any merit in hitting 3 woods into the green and risking a bogey or worse when a hybrid/5 wood will leave a simple pitch hopefully close enough for birdie but certainly into 2 putt range.

The thing that annoys me more is standing on the tee and not having any idea where to drive the ball. Several holes at Lydd weren't blind in the links sense of the word but you had no idea exactly where the hole went and where the trouble was. That made club selection difficult as well as picking a reference point to focus on from behind the ball.

 

[CarpeDiem]

Definatly a par 5 because if you nail a drive on the par 4 you still have around 200 in, if it was a par 5 it gives you a margin for error if you miss the green with your second shot. At my club all the par 4's are over 410 yds with par 5's over 490 yds, so I would like to play that 470 yd par 5

 

[Herbie]

I play every hole as it comes, dont care which, my objective is to play the least number of shots possible.

 

[theeaglehunter]

Very interesting reading bobmac as before reading your explanatory post I was thinking I would definitely prefer the 470 yard par 5 as I would probably only play for the 5 meaning I could be less aggressive which for me gives less chance of a poor shot. I would probably take 5 wood off the tee which goes about 210 yards on average and is usually very consistent, followed by a 6 iron 160 yards and then an easy wedge 100 yards into the green hopefully allowing me two putts for par.

If it was a 465 par 4 I would be forced into trying to hit a 99% driver which if struck well would travel about 265 yards (most likely it would be fairly wayward and end up in the semi rough or something) but presuming it hit the fairway I wold then be looking at a 5 wood off the deck to reach the middle of the green but I would only take this on if there was limited danger in front of the green. So unless I was being pressured into this shot through having to catch up an opponent in match play or something I would probably hit a smooth 5 iron 170 leaving me a 30 yard up and down for par which I would probably make once in 10 shots so this would definitely be a much harder hole than the par 5 as it has a greater element of doubt.

 

[bobmac]

Its been interesting to read all the replies to this post, and I'm not really surprised that most, not all, would prefer to play the par 5 and play them differently.
In match play, I agree it's important to play to your shots and stroke index.
In medal however, I think its a different ball game.
I think they should both be played the same.
If you are a long hitter go for it, if not, play to your strengths.
Its how you react to your score that differs.
If you get a 4 at the par 5...brilliant
If you get a 4 at the par 4...okay
If you get a 5 at the par 4...nightmare
If you get a 5 at the par 5...okay
Surely a 4 is good and a 5 is not so good irrespective of what the scorecard says the par is.
I would be interested in hearing your views if the concept of 'PAR' was done away with in medal play and you just knew the length of the hole.
I know if I can reach a par 4 in 1 and make 4, I dont walk off thinking, well, it was a par.

 

[USER1999]

I never think of par in medal, I just keep tabs of how much over par I am in my head. I don't look at stroke index, or anything else. In theory, I have parred every hole on the golf course, so why worry what index it is, as I would worry if I bogeyed an easy hole, and would feel I needed to par a harder one to make up for it.

To me, par 3, 4, 5, so what, I have no preference.

The only thing which varies in the way I would play it would be the quality of the tee shot, and the hazards in front of the green.

It does annoy me watching pro golf though, when they mumble on about how such and such a hole is too long for a par 4, or too easy for a par 5. Par should be done away with for pro tournaments, as if it is a par 5, and 90% of the field get a 4, it is a par 4. All that matters is the lowest score wins. Wentworth the other year was shortened, as some of the pars were playing too long. It don't get what the problem was, it was the same for every one.

At the WGC matchplay at the weekend, some of the holes were refered to as 'drivable par 4s'. This is nonsense. A driveable par 4 is a par 3, whatever the length.

 

[Cernunnos]

What would you rather play, a 465 yrd par 4 or 470 yrd par 5 and why?
Would you approach each hole in a different way?
I have my reasons for asking this question, Bob Rotella fans will find this interesting I hope.

Depends if I notice whether or not its a parr 4 or parr 5. As often as not I just see the yardage & decide what clubs I want to use to reach the green in as few shots as I can.

I suppose I'd rather play the parr 5, assuming I'd realized it was a parr5 though will still treat as a parr 4... I'm probably aproaching it wrong, but there you go, that's me.

I only ever feel a parr5 is a parr5 when its over 500 yards.

Been known to finish a hole think I only made 5 & been disapointed, or made 4 & felt good, then been informed or realized it was a parr5 & realised how well I've actually done...

Though worse & probably better example is being deeply disapointed in a 6 on a parr4, or simply shrugging the shoulders at a 6 on a parr5

 

[viscount17]

Logic says that I ought to play them the same in the not unreasonable expectation of a bogey on the 4, which should offer a par on the 5. <u>But</u>, logic rarely plays a part and just seeing that 5 has a tendency to induce more swing than is good for me with the consequence that I'm looking in the cabbage and chasing a 6.

 

[vig]

Long par 4 for me everytime. I enjoy the challenge

 

[RGuk]

What would you rather play, a 465 yrd par 4 or 470 yrd par 5 and why?
Would you approach each hole in a different way?
I have my reasons for asking this question, Bob Rotella fans will find this interesting I hope.

Hmmm??????

I'd rather play the par 5. Yes, I'd play them differently.
My game is all about saving bogeys when a par is out of the question. As I wouldn't be able to get on either in two, I'd be playing for a 5 at both.

Am I going to be patronised now for admitting this?

Truth is this; I'd have more chance of hitting the green with my 3rd shot on the par 5. On the par 4's I get anxious about the 3rd shot, because I don't want to miss the green and face a possible double bogey.....

9/10 I'd make a 5 on both.....am I in need of head-shrinking? No......

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think its a common problem especially with higher handicappers. They get out of position off the tee and do the right thing by playing back onto the fairway but then panic about hitting their 3rd and already facing a bogey and so tense up. Inevitably they miss the green and a chip and 2 putts later have a double bogey 6 on the card.

Its all about the current shot. You can't change whats gone before and you can only influence the shot you are playing. Its about trusting your swing and having the confidence to wing through and believe. If it doesn't come off then so be it but at least you'll have given yourself more of an opportunity.

 

[Herbie]

I fully agree with murphs comments there, it doesnt really matter.
If its stroke play you just want to get least number of strokes, if its match play just win the most holes, Par whatever? it matters not.
The talk of holes too long or too short regarding par is daft to me.

 

[TonyN]

Long par 4 for me everytime. I enjoy the challenge

Hardly a challenge for someone who enjoys creaming 4 irons for biscuits!

 

[vig]

Long par 4 for me everytime. I enjoy the challenge

Hardly a challenge for someone who enjoys creaming 4 irons for biscuits!

That's where i'm going wrong T, if I gave myself a biscuit, every time I made par or better, I would be scratch...... AND Obese! What an incentive

 

[Cernunnos]

Long par 4 for me everytime. I enjoy the challenge

Hardly a challenge for someone who enjoys creaming 4 irons for biscuits!

That's where i'm going wrong T, if I gave myself a biscuit, every time I made par or better, I would be scratch...... AND Obese! What an incentive

Ahhh, so that's where I'm going wrong, too many insentives without the performance first...