Going for the Green on Par 5's = Not Smart

[smgoldstein]

I'm not a big knocker, but have a good short game so unless there is a forced carry, water hazard or some cross bunkers to navigate for the second shot I almost always bang away for my second shot.

On a related note, most golf courses have the par 5's as the tougher handicap holes. So if you are the average 15 handicapper I am guessing hitting a fairway wood second shot will generally get you the same results, percentage wise, as laying up with an hybrid or long to medium iron as well as the third shot. So why lay up to 100-120 yards as opposed to getting closer to the green?

 

[Popeye]

If you play from the proper tees for your game you should be able to threaten most par 5s you encounter.
For me if I am inside 250 i will hit everything I've got and get the ball as close as possible. My ability to knock a 15 yard chip to 6 feet or so is pretty high.
If the green is protected then I will lay up to 100 yards.
I find very few par 5s that I'm not going for with the pedal to the floor.

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[millsan1]

If you play from the proper tees for your game you should be able to threaten most par 5s you encounter.
For me if I am inside 250 i will hit everything I've got and get the ball as close as possible. My ability to knock a 15 yard chip to 6 feet or so is pretty high.
If the green is protected then I will lay up to 100 yards.
I find very few par 5s that I'm not going for with the pedal to the floor.

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I like the cut of your jib.

 

[Chef23]

If you play from the proper tees for your game you should be able to threaten most par 5s you encounter.
For me if I am inside 250 i will hit everything I've got and get the ball as close as possible. My ability to knock a 15 yard chip to 6 feet or so is pretty high.
If the green is protected then I will lay up to 100 yards.
I find very few par 5s that I'm not going for with the pedal to the floor.

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I feel I am a bit of an aberration regarding playing from the right tees. I have about a 3 index but don't hit the ball far. 220 yard carry on the driver and 235-240 all in. I generally like to play longer courses because frankly it raises my handicap a bit. At 6200 yards I generally shoot low scores. When I play with other players with similar handicaps they usually want to play longer tees. As a result I wind up back there and my handicap doesn't always translate. For me if a par 5 is 500 yards and I hit my drive 240 I can't get there. Frankly some of the courses I play I wind up hitting 3 wood in on the second shot.

It doesn't change my attitude though. I generally try to get as close as possible in 2 on a par 5 unless there is water or some other strategic issue. I would include a bunker at 40 yards as a strategic issue to avoid. 40 yards from grass is no problem 40 yards from a bunker is no bueno and I would rather be 80 or 100 yards out.

 

[Tenputt]

...most of the time.

I don't care what TOUR data suggests. All I know is when me and my playing partners try to go for a green in two on par-5's, we hit that green once in 15 tries. It's not worth it.

Lay up.

Listen, Johny Unhappy Pro, I beg to differ and we need to see a smile. Your paint brush is too broad. I would agree if you said there is a forced carry into the green or the green is very small with something very penal around it. It also depends upon how far out you are. If it’s 250 yards or less and fairly open with no water hazard guarding the green, I am almost certainly going for it, because the risk/reward is definitely in my favor. If I am on the green in two, I am very likely to birdie and will do no less than par. If I am around the green or anywhere between green side and 80 yards, I have shots in my arsenal that certainly will leave me a two putt and give me a real good chance at a birdie putt. So, why lay up?

 

[Just_Brad]

90% of the time on a long par 5, I won't be in a decent range to go for it anyways.
2nd shot, get as close to the green as I can, and then chip/pitch it close with the 3rd shot.

Less ball marks you need to repair that way if you do hit the green.

 

[Tevenor]

You hit driver 323 and play par 5s that are 440 yards? Someone save this post the next time there’s a thread about people only playing from the back tees

I was wondering how long it would take before someone noticed that.

In reality, I go for Par 5's in 2 probably 50-60% of the time. And it's not all about distance. There's a Par 5 that I played yesterday that's a 3 iron shot hole all the time. The driver landing zone is to tight from a risk reward perspective to make it worth it. But, why have the ability to hit long if you aren't going to try to maximize the benefit.

I take into acount where my miss is before going for it though. If I have tons of risk, I'll lay up. DId it yesterday on the longer par 5 that I was only 220 out after my drive ( longer Par 5 at 510 yards ). Instead of hitting 3h and going for it, 7i to 50 yards with a light pitch shot was teh right call.

 

[OGputtnfool]

I was wondering how long it would take before someone noticed that.

In reality, I go for Par 5's in 2 probably 50-60% of the time. And it's not all about distance. There's a Par 5 that I played yesterday that's a 3 iron shot hole all the time. The driver landing zone is to tight from a risk reward perspective to make it worth it. But, why have the ability to hit long if you aren't going to try to maximize the benefit.

I take into acount where my miss is before going for it though. If I have tons of risk, I'll lay up. DId it yesterday on the longer par 5 that I was only 220 out after my drive ( longer Par 5 at 510 yards ). Instead of hitting 3h and going for it, 7i to 50 yards with a light pitch shot was teh right call.

At 440y, should it even be considered a par 5? Were you playing forward for some reason?

 

[rallo]

I'm going for it... memorable round vs playing it safe all day... I play for the thrill

 

[OGputtnfool]

I'm going for it... memorable round vs playing it safe all day... I play for the thrill

I hear ya, but I get as much, maybe more, thrill out of a great (for me) score as I do out of any one shot in a less than stellar round. The only caveat I can think of to that, off the top of my head, is when I holed out my 9i from ~135y. That was a memorable shot and the round was a disaster.

 

[Tevenor]

At 440y, should it even be considered a par 5? Were you playing forward for some reason?

The tee's were up due to work on the back set of tees I normally play from. I was able to sneak a hard drive up through a gap in the trees ( not easy to see on that image ). Usually this hole is either a hard draw drive to turn the corner or a 5w/3h out to the flat with a lay up before the creek that protects the green.

 

[Canadan]

Listen, Johny Unhappy Pro, I beg to differ and we need to see a smile. Your paint brush is too broad. I would agree if you said there is a forced carry into the green or the green is very small with something very penal around it. It also depends upon how far out you are. If it’s 250 yards or less and fairly open with no water hazard guarding the green, I am almost certainly going for it, because the risk/reward is definitely in my favor. If I am on the green in two, I am very likely to birdie and will do no less than par. If I am around the green or anywhere between green side and 80 yards, I have shots in my arsenal that certainly will leave me a two putt and give me a real good chance at a birdie putt. So, why lay up?

lmao, I am so glad johnny unhappy pro has staying power!

 

[Raiderboost]

I learned a few years ago at my old course to lay up. I was young and dumb and tried to hit the 3w or 3h to the green. I quickly learned that a forced carry and not a lot of room to miss usually spelled out disaster. I learned to just punch a 7-8i to around a 100 yards and play from there. I have improved a lot since then but I still don't go for them with a wood or hybrid unless there is plenty of room to miss. In that case I will go for it because even if I miss I'm much more likely to put it close with a chip or pitch from around the green than something 80 plus yards out. Now if it is a difficult raised green with brutal bunkers or trouble then I will lay back to around 100. Only way I would go for something like that is if I'm 200 or less and hitting a 7i or shorter.

 

[Hamfist]

My going for it shot looks a lot like other peoples layup shot, so....

 

[Popeye]

I feel I am a bit of an aberration regarding playing from the right tees. I have about a 3 index but don't hit the ball far. 220 yard carry on the driver and 235-240 all in. I generally like to play longer courses because frankly it raises my handicap a bit. At 6200 yards I generally shoot low scores. When I play with other players with similar handicaps they usually want to play longer tees. As a result I wind up back there and my handicap doesn't always translate. For me if a par 5 is 500 yards and I hit my drive 240 I can't get there. Frankly some of the courses I play I wind up hitting 3 wood in on the second shot.

It doesn't change my attitude though. I generally try to get as close as possible in 2 on a par 5 unless there is water or some other strategic issue. I would include a bunker at 40 yards as a strategic issue to avoid. 40 yards from grass is no problem 40 yards from a bunker is no bueno and I would rather be 80 or 100 yards out.

But it does prove my point about proper tees. Yes, you can be more than competitive from the back tees. But with your length that falls outside of the course setup for you.

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[kevin81002]

Life is too short to lay up.

 

[OGputtnfool]

The tee's were up due to work on the back set of tees I normally play from. I was able to sneak a hard drive up through a gap in the trees ( not easy to see on that image ). Usually this hole is either a hard draw drive to turn the corner or a 5w/3h out to the flat with a lay up before the creek that protects the green.

That makes sense.

 

[MWard]

...most of the time.

I don't care what TOUR data suggests. All I know is when me and my playing partners try to go for a green in two on par-5's, we hit that green once in 15 tries. It's not worth it.

Lay up.

Friend, it sounds like you might want to work on your longer clubs or look into clubs that you can utilize on longer par 4's and 5's. Lay up if you aren't capable of hitting the shot. If it's 255 to the front of the green and it involves carrying it 250 to do it, like maybe lay up then if you have to flush a 3w and hit it high. That's acceptable. Having inside 230 and a clean lie and you're laying up? .......

Come on Adam.

Spoiler

 

[Duffer Waldorf]

If I just piped a drive down the center, there better be some serious danger around the green for me to even consider laying up with an 8- or 9-iron. Talk about a letdown.

 

[OGputtnfool]

If I just piped a drive down the center, there better be some serious danger around the green for me to even consider laying up with an 8- or 9-iron. Talk about a letdown.

That's what I'm saying. If I'm laying up, it better be with a 7 iron at the bare minimum. That would give me 150ish and at least 100 in. If I'm inside 250, then unless there is serious trouble, I'm hitting 3wd (or less depending on distance).

 

[DaBuckBoys]

My home course really only has one par 5 accessible by regular golfers in 2. Not that the others are extremely long. One is short & downhill but the green is guarded by large sycamore trees and a creek. You really have to layup to the edge of the creek or out wider and have a half wedge or whatever to the green. Twenty years ago you could get over the trees and drop an 8 iron on the back of the green. Even that would leave you with a downhill 60 footer. And if you went long it was in the creek that wraps around the right and rear of the green.

Another par 5 is 525 but it climbs 60 feet in elevation from tee to green. I've been close but it took a great drive and best 3 wood of my life to get there. The green is guarded by a bunker so you really have to thread it in the left side or over the bunker. I just dont have that shot.

The other par 5 is the longest of the four. I hit a 320 yard drive on it last year and still had no chance at the green. Had a decent tailwind and rode a ridge down the center right of the fairway that rolled out forever. But I was on the right side and the hole doglegs left with the green tucked behind a large pond. So it would have required a 220 yard carry uphill...

 

[arydolphin]

I guess my thought is if I'm (roughly) greenside, and there aren't any real bad hazards/etc. around the green, I'm going to feel better than hitting even a full wedge. But I do tend to agree with you if there's trouble around the green. For instance, there's a hole at the course I'm playing tomorrow that's short enough to reach in two, but there are woods that you can lose a ball in on the right, and a big hazard running along the left of the fairway up to the green. I'll just take a mid-iron and move the ball up there, leaving a full swing in to that hole.

I know the hole that you are talking about and I will go for it in 2 if I hit a good drive. Even with the hazard up the left, there is room to play out to the right before the trees come in and have 20-30 yards left to the green. I would much rather have that shot than a full wedge. On average shots, the proximity to the hole will be closer on a 30 yard shot than a 100 yard shot.

As others have said, it's not a simple go for it vs lay up decision. But on a par 5 where there is very little trouble around the greens, I am going to try to get as close to the green as possible. Any par 5 with a hazard in front of the green or surrounding more than one side of the green is going to make me question that strategy though as I can't hit a fairway wood very high off of the deck.

 

[InTheRough]

Even on a par 5 with a water hazard in front of the green, if you're under 210 from the green the play it to go for it. Even if you screw it up, you can pitch over the water for an up and down. Practice your wedge shots. If you make it, you're on for eagle. Birdie at worst. That's a risk/reward. The ONLY time you lay up is if you're in a tournament and leading by 1 or if there's a headwind.

 

[Daddio]

"Going for the Green on Par 5's = Not Smart" True statement on some par 5's
"Laying back on Par 5's = Not Smart" True statement on many other par 5's

 

[GenErr]

I don't have this issue right now, as there is probably NO par in the world that I could reach in two! That being said, back in the day when I hit the ball longer, going for par 5's was fun, regardless of the outcome. My success rate in hitting a par 5 in two was far surpassed by my enjoyment when I did get the ball on in two!