closest to pin or greenie on par fives

In our group we had a situation the other day and could use some clarification. we play (greenies or closest to the pin) on the par threes and the par fives. The situation is one of our members reached the par five in two and another member reached the par five in three. Who should haven't gotten the greenie. The member that reached the green made par but the member that reached the green in three was closer. Some feel that the member that reached the green in two did better than three so the rest is mood point. Help

Some are saying that since the player made it in two and he pared the hole he should win because he did better than getting on in three

It should be whoever (whomever?) is closest to the pin when all have taken their third shot.  Or at least that is the way we play it.

So what you are saying is even though the player got there in two he still has to get closest in three? Didn't he get closer in two (greenie) and shouldn't that supersede getting closer in three as long as he pars the hole at worse

They both got a GIR so unless you specified that getting it there in the fewest was a trump, that'd be wholly unclear and contrary to common understanding. The way you describe isn't crazy, but that'd have to be clarified. In other words, barring prior clarification, if I were the second guy and just saw the first guy get home in two, I wouldn't think I were out of the bet as I was hitting my 3rd shot.

so you're saying its harder to hit the green (closest to pin) with the wedge than hitting the green with a fairwood wood over 200 plus yards. Not disagreeing just questioning

The question is: "is it more of an acheivement (harder) to be 5' from the pin after 3 shots on a par 5 than to be 10' away?" The resting place of the first two shots, by themselves is not relevant to answering that question.

Speaking to the original scenario, it is entirely likely that the fellow who reaches the par 5 in two will be able to putt the ball closer than the others who are chipping, pitching, or hitting full shots in to the green so the point is moot (not 'mood', btw). BUT as @iacas said, if someone else stiffs their 3rd and has a tap-in birdie, why would you give the point to the fellow who three-putted for par?

A phrase passed down from my golfing buddies is: "They don't as 'how?' they ask 'how many?' "

Now you want to punish Player B, who did what the wager was for and made the GIR, but got closer to the hole in regulation.  I don't see any logic rewarding Player A just because he reached in two and then 3 putted, over Player B who reached in regulation and hit his third closer to the hole and two putted, as long as both make par.  If Player A two putts for birdie, then he is likely to get something else out of the hole anyway, whether a skin or whatever you guys are playing, so give the greenie to whoever is closest in regulation.  If Player A's first putt is so bad that he three putts, then he didn't really earn the greenie.

Player A just wants a different bet than "greenie." It's a reasonable one, it just needs to be understood and agreed to.

That's a bet that all in the game should consider only if they are long enough to make reaching the par 5's in two shots possible.  I would opt out of such a wager unless I was allowed to play from tees short enough to give me a chance.  These days I need about 430 max to even have a prayer of reaching, and that's at altitude in Colorado.

The 520 yard par 5 16th on my old course used to be reachable for me in two (I've made a few eagles there).  Now I'm sometimes laying up with a full hybrid just to get to about 100 out.  There is an irrigation ditch that angles across the fairway from 60 to 80 yards short of the front of the green.  If you can't carry that, then you really have no choice but to lay up.   There is also a cross bunker that likes to eat balls directly in line with the typical "go for it" shot.  The middle of the bunker is 40 yards from the front of the green.  I never minded being in that bunker in 2, but I never wanted to be there in 3.  Putting your second in the ditch or your third in the bunker pretty much guarantees a bogey or worse.

A group I played with many moons ago, did the closest to the pins on the 3's and 5's.  And for our group it was always the third shot on a par five for the closest to the hole.  If you were on in two and the other person was on in three, you better be able to get closer with your putt then they did with their wedge.

Nobody is saying that. The guy who is on the green in 2 still has a chance to win. He needs to hit is putt (3rd shot) inside of the other players wedge (also 3rd shot).

Absent any prior discussion about a "green in two" trumping all else, you have to give the dot to whoever is closer after 3.

This is how we play it. If two guys get on in two, the closest gets the greenie.