What's your favourite short par 4?

[Captainron]

I'll kick us off with the 12th at St Andrews which, in the right wind, can be hit. And you still might make 5 or 6.

Played The Old Course 5 times

I have driven the green that green 4 times and never had a birdie!

Driven the 9th 4 times too and had 2 birdies. Putting is fun.....

 

[srixon 1]

I don’t have a favourite, but I do like the 18th at Woodlake Park. A good risk and reward hole.

 

[sunshine]

Probably the 14th at Haste Hill for me - since it's the only one I've ever driven. ?

Surely you must have driven 13 too?

 

[IanM]

I don’t have a favourite, but I do like the 18th at Woodlake Park. A good risk and reward hole.

That's an interesting call... good knowledge, unless you live near me! I've always laid up there!

Funny course. Looks like you're driving into a farm yard, but great greens, super views and the hood holes are very good. Smashing gang of lads play there and very welcoming.

 

[Orikoru]

Surely you must have driven 13 too?

Nah, the tees were never short enough on the 13th. Managed the 14th once or twice off the yellows when they were at the forwardmost point, in summer when the fairway was bone dry. ?

 

[srixon 1]

That's an interesting call... good knowledge, unless you live near me! I've always laid up there!

Funny course. Looks like you're driving into a farm yard, but great greens, super views and the hood holes are very good. Smashing gang of lads play there and very welcoming.

Have played there lots on golf holidays. We have five days and always play there, Newport and at Rolls. The other two days we play different courses each year. As you say, the good holes at Woodlake are good but there are a couple of holes that are a bit meh. The 2nd being one of them. I always go for the green on 18 as the card is usually wrecked by then anyway. ?

 

[IanM]

I can sign you in at Newport next time you're over! Our green fees are getting daft now we have full membership again.

 

[CliveW]

As of today, the first at Monifeith Ashludie. 275 yard par 4, SI 10. Drove the green leaving a fifteen foot putt which I sank for a two nett 1! ?

 

[sunshine]

12 is also one of my favourite holes but thinking about this further. The only two times I can recall driving the green on 12 is when the par3 11th is playing as a par5 nightmare in the opposing wind.

What about driving 18 on The Old, surely the most heroic finish to a round we can dream of? That would be nice but it is beyond me even in the wind. Maybe one day the weather gods will align with a bone dry and breezy July and I’ll chance a big bounce off Granny Clark’s or parked car…

I've not played the Old Course yet (I won't reopen the pricing conversation), but from watching the Opens it feels like 12 is the best of the four short par fours which are drivable in the right conditions, because of the risk/reward element.

- For 9 and 10, I can't see a reason why a player would not go for the green, it's the obvious strategy.
- 18 is clearly more atmospheric with the iconic clubhouse and other buildings, and players need to aim further right and be more aggressive with their line off the tee. But again, hitting driver seems to be a no brainer for the tour pros.
- But with 12, there is clearly a lot that can go wrong, which increases the interest for me.

 

[KenL]

Probably the 16th at Carnoustie. Always stand on the tee thinking must make birdie but not easy to hit (and hold) the green and generally not easy to get up and down as there are some gnarly spots around that green! Have probably had as many bogeys as birdies there.

Is that not a par 3? Rubbish par 3 imo.

 

[Whereditgo]

The other types of short par 4 I don’t find as interesting - ones that you can’t quite reach I tend to play conservatively off the tee and ones that are just about in range the decision always comes down to how much trouble a wayward drive would put you in.

I'm with you on this, our 4th is a shortish, slightly downhill par 4, driver brings the red stakes into play down the right, a bit of a pull puts you in the trees on the left. You can tell the visitors as they always pull out driver on the tee. Two irons for me every time.

 

[Jimaroid]

- For 9 and 10, I can't see a reason why a player would not go for the green, it's the obvious strategy.
- 18 is clearly more atmospheric with the iconic clubhouse and other buildings, and players need to aim further right and be more aggressive with their line off the tee. But again, hitting driver seems to be a no brainer for the tour pros.
- But with 12, there is clearly a lot that can go wrong, which increases the interest for me.

Obviously it all depends on the wind, some of The Open yardages are not within reach of many on the same day. The prevailing south westerly wind blows diagonally across all the holes except 7. I recall in 2015 that the pros who drove 9 had a lot of trouble at 10 and vice versa.

9 (352 yards off the Open tees) is nearly always into and across the wind. 10 (386) is usually the one the pros go for as the wind is generally more favourable but rules out driving all the other short holes.

9 and 12 (348 yards) both favour a north or north westerly wind and that causes trouble on 10 and 11 (174 yards) as they're opposing direction. So although a south easterly brings 10 in range it takes away 9 and 12 and causes havoc on 11. Mind you there isn't any direction of wind that's good for 11..

18 (357) is weird. Even with the rarer north north westerly wind behind you, the amphitheatre seems to suck balls out of the air. There's a 15 yard channel on the right edge of the fairway right next to railings, if you land it in there the ball feeds into and down the slope of the green right to left to settle beautifully around middle left of the green. I've witnessed it done by an amateur once. It is much more difficult than it sounds, especially if you draw the ball, as there is a lot of risk due to the swirl of the wind around the buildings on the right.

I do love the 12th hole but there is one reliable way to target the green and that's long right. There is a channel downsloping on the left for shorter hitters but it's tiny and pure chance where you end up. 12 is a lot of risk and the reward is usually a really really horrible putt over or across the ridge. The ridge through the 12th green is stunning in the flesh, I do love that hole so much.