chrisd
Major Champion
Hit the driver off a shortened run up?
Tough par 4 what do you do
- Thread starter MrC
- Start date
Hit the driver off a shortened run up?
Driver..... then play 3 off the tee.
Region3
Ryder Cup Winner
We have a couple of holes a bit over 400yds that are dangerous from the tee. If I'm not feeling good with my driver I'll happily hit a 3 iron knowing that it might well leave another one or even 3 wood for my next.
Karl102
Journeyman Pro
If it's driver 6/7 iron, I would probably hit driver. Our SI 1 is up hill, over 2 lots of water and off the tips is a driver and 3/4 iron at its easiest. More often it's driver, 3 or 5 wood if the wind is up. Safe play is driver, 8 iron in between the hazards and wedge up close. Play it like a par 5 all day!
Jates12
Challenge Tour Pro
Driver 6 iron, or 3 wood 4/5 iron. Play your play.
richart
Major Champion
Two easy seven irons for you. You might want to rope off your divot so no one falls down it.
Dan2501
Tour Winner
Drive the green. 3 putt. Par.
Seriously, these questions are impossible to answer. So many variables.
Seriously, these questions are impossible to answer. So many variables.
Slice a driver into the woods, then rip a provisional down the middle (provisionals always go long and straight). Tell my playing partners to leave the one in the woods and hope they do what I ask... nothing worse than one of them sneaking off and finding the original :angry: Then 6 iron onto the green, single putt for a bogie... Simples 
ne:
ne:Val
Ryder Cup Winner
I'd never deliberately start a Par 4 playing for bogey so it's driver then decide and it doesn't matter if its a medal, stableford, matchplay, or bounce game.
The aim is to make the best score at every hole, if you lay up off the tee and leave no second shot to the green then you are extremely unlikely to make birdie. If you don't hit driver then you will never know if you have left your best drive in the bag after this hole.
The aim is to make the best score at every hole, if you lay up off the tee and leave no second shot to the green then you are extremely unlikely to make birdie. If you don't hit driver then you will never know if you have left your best drive in the bag after this hole.
r0wly86
Head Pro
Exactly, make the best score. But you have to ask your self how good/confident you are with the driver. If 1 of every 3 drives is good then really you will better your "lay up" score 1 in 3 times and get worse 2/3 times, so percentage golf would say lay up. If you hit the driver well 2/3 times then go for driver.
My driver is really a confidence club for me, if it's going well and I'm happy over the ball then I will take it, if not then it would be 2 iron for me and leave 4/5 iron onto the green
Val
Ryder Cup Winner
You are assuming that hitting a bad drive = a worse score than bogey.
The safe play as highlighted by the OP is 5 iron -> 6 iron -> wedge, what happens if you hit a 5 iron in the same direction as the bad driver but miles behind it? Bogey is then potentially out of the question.
Canary_Yellow
Journeyman Pro
This for me.
Based on how my round has gone so far, I will know whether there is a good chance of a straight drive or little chance (I tend to be one or the other), and I'll make my choice accordingly.
If I'm generally not driving well, the incremental risk from taking driver is significantly greater than the potential reward. Given even if I hit a good drive 250 yards I'll still have a 170 yard approach, there's every chance i won't be on the green in regulation anyway.
Depending on the distance from tee to dog leg, I would probably go for hybrid, hybrid, wedge.
If having a good day with the big dog, driver and have a crack with a 6 iron or a 5 iron depending on distance and where the danger lies (front or back of green).
r0wly86
Head Pro
Yes but in general a bad driver goes further wrong than a bad iron. Mine can really go 50 yards hook or slice if I'm having a very bad day. Whereas irons can go very wrong they are generally easier to hit than drivers which is why they are seen as the safe option.
Also if you are on in 3, potentially hitting a pitch in you may get close and be looking at a 4. Whereas if you are 3 off the tee a bogey is the best you can realistically do without hitting it in from miles away
Val
Ryder Cup Winner
Id rather have a bad drive 100 yards further up the hole than a bad iron, if you are in the trees then you are in the trees.
Anyone who thinks taking a 5 iron off the tee on a 400+ par 4 is a good idea is crackers IMO. There is no guarantee of bogey playing irons this way in the same way there is no guarantee of Par using the driver.
Just my opinion im afraid, you'll never have me deliberately playing a Par 4 as a Par 5 off the tee.
r0wly86
Head Pro
But put simply, a bad drive = lost ball then 3 off the tee. Bad iron = 100 yards shorter than where your driver would be, you're in the rough but playable.
So ask yourself would you rather be hitting your third shot from the tee or your second from the rough 250 yards away. So if you are not confident with your driver or there's a good chance it could go wrong, go for the iron or whatever your safe option is 3-wood, 5-wood, hybrid whatever for me it's my 2 iron.
If you hit your driver well or for the most part you think it will be in play, then sure it's the right call. But socring well is often about playing the percentages. Boring yes, but in hindsight it's nearly always the best way to play.
D
Deleted member 1147
Guest
If it's that tight that a missed fairway automatically means a lost ball I'd probably get in touch with the greens committee and suggest they make some amendments to the hole, as it clearly isn't suitable for the average club golfer.
Other than that, I'd probably hit 4 wood to 240-250 followed by 6 iron. Weather dependent of course.
Other than that, I'd probably hit 4 wood to 240-250 followed by 6 iron. Weather dependent of course.
Spear-Chucker
Tour Rookie
Without trying to state the obvious unnecessarily, whatever gives you the best chance for the lowest score - there's massive variety there though given how well you're playing on the day, wind etc etc. All things being equal, for a decent length par 4 I'm thinking 3 wood/driver and then a 5-8 iron depending on the result of the tee shot. Should be looking to give it a good whack though, we do play this game for fun after all. Taming a tough par 4 is tremendous fun.
