Par 5’s

Par 5s are the longest holes on the course. These holes are generally between 400-600 yards depending on the tees that you may play. These holes generally require 3 shots to play from the tee to the green and allow for 2 putts to make par.

Tee box

From the tee box it is important to choose your best, longest club. For the majority of golfers they would choose to hit their drivers or 3 woods. Some players have no confidence with their driver so they choose to hit hybrids or long irons. At first this may be a sensible strategy if you cannot hit the driver but in the long run it’s an important skill to learn to hit a driver. If you don’t hit driver on most tee shots, you give up too much distance off the tee.

Playing from correct side of tee box

When teeing off on a par 5 you should choose the best desired angle you would want to play your next shot. This will allow you to play from the correct side of the tee box. In the beginning you may not hit the ball where you intend to but having a plan is a great start. An example for a right handed player who plays a slice, they want to play from the right side of the tee box to allow them the optimal angle from the tee to the fairway. If they hook the ball they want to play from the left side of the tee box to allow for the best angle for their shot to hit the fairway. A few feet from the tee box can make a huge difference avoiding trouble and optimizing the best playing angle towards the fairway or target.

2nd shot par five

When hitting your second shot on a par 5 you must first identify the lie and what your options are based on the lie of the ball. You may be a long way from the hole but it may not be appropriate to hit the next shot based on distance alone. It may be necessary to hit a mid iron or even a short iron to get the ball back into a more manageable position on the course. After addressing the lie, choose the best angle to leave your ball for your 3rd shot approach to the green. Golf is simply learning to hit one shot that sets up the next shot. Too many people just randomly step up to a shot and simply hit without intention. Having a plan is an important skill to develop and we will emphasize helping you learn to build a solid plan of attack.

Green approach shot

When choosing the proper shot for approaching the greens, you must first identify the lie. This will help determine what shots are available from this distance and situation. Distance is often a major criteria for choosing a shot or club. However, the lie of the ball doesn’t always allow you to hit some shots.

Locate the hole

It is not always necessary to aim directly at the hole. Golf course set up tries tempting players to aim their shots close to bunkers or other extreme areas to get players to chase difficult flag locations. This all too often causes player’s scores to balloon. A helpful hint about putting green depth is that most putting greens are approximately 30 yards deep. Knowing where the hole is located relative to slopes and ridges on the green is important in choosing the correct club.

Yardage

Try to leave the ball below the hole which can help make putting less stressful. For example, if you are standing at the 150 yard marker and the hole is in the front of the green, you may have as little as 135 yards the the hole. That is almost a 2 club difference of distance. As a general rule most courses measure their markers to the middle of the greens. Choosing the proper club relative to correct yardage and hole location is very helpful for a player to succeed and enjoy the game.

Remember our 70% rule

Taking in all this information we’ve provided can feel overwhelming. What we would like to stress is knowing your OWN capabilities. Learning to play the game within your own personal abilities is the key to your own success and enjoyment. Choose the club from every situation that gives you the best chance of 70% success.