A Question for the 200-220 Yard Drivers, About Low Scores

[YoungTad]

Hey guys. 

 

Im just wondering, for us amateurs who can’t hit distance, how do you handle 450 yard par 4’s?

say I hit a good 210 driver, followed by my 4 iron which is 180, that still leaves me 2 shots for par, but still 60 yards out from the pin. At best that’s 3 shots for me.

do you guys just practice your short game too help improve on this? 

My 2 clubs for close range is Pitcher and a 56, maybe I should consider more wedges for more control in short shots?

[onthehunt526]

I'm not a 200-220 yard driver. I hit 265 or so. 60 yards is a tough distance. The more wedges the better for anyone. 

I'd say don't worry about it. Just try to make the lowest score you can. 5 is a good score for anyone on a 450-yard hole. Even low handicaps make a lot of 5s on 450-yard par 4s. They're usually between 1 and 8 on the stroke index so you can expect a lot of 5s.

[Piz]

If you can't reach a par 4 in two...play it as a par 5.  Give yourself three to get there and two putts once you do.  There is no shame in being realistic.  

[shanksalot]

If you have a bunch of holes that you can not reach in regulation I  would suggest move up to the next tee box. About ten years ago I was playing on a course that I could not reach four par fours with my best two shots. I also had trouble reaching two of the par 5's with my third shot unless I hit a mid iron or hybrid. I finally swallowed my pride and move up to the senior tees. A difference of 400 total yards. 6100 vs 6500 yards. What a difference this made. I was enjoying playing again instead of struggling to make par on the six holes I could not reach in regulation. 

Later I joined two other guys my age and they were struggling at the 6500 yard tees. After a couple rounds with them I got them to move up with me and they thanked me when they finally moved up. Golf should be fun not work. Most of us play for enjoyment as we get enough frustration at work so lets play at a distance we can have a good chance to succeed and not get upset.  

Edited May 4, 2019 by shanksalot

[YoungTad]

22 minutes ago, Piz said:

If you can't reach a par 4 in two...play it as a par 5.  Give yourself three to get there and two putts once you do.  There is no shame in being realistic.  

Thanks. Sometimes you just have too hear it from someone. 

[shanksalot]

I forgot to add that several years later the club had added a rating for the men's tees playing those 6 holes at the senior tees and the other 12 at the men's tees. Now anyone can play those 6/12 combo holes and get a handicap (USGA)

[chicub15]

Hitting a good drive on a par 4 and then not being able to reach the green with your second shot sounds to me as if you should move up a tee box. It would give you a better chance of shooting a good score and you'd be driving the ball into the areas of the fairways the course designer intended (rather than being so far back you can't reach the fairway bunkers, doglegs, etc.).

[GolfLug]

1 hour ago, YoungTad said:

Hey guys. 

 

Im just wondering, for us amateurs who can’t hit distance, how do you handle 450 yard par 4’s?

say I hit a good 210 driver, followed by my 4 iron which is 180, that still leaves me 2 shots for par, but still 60 yards out from the pin. At best that’s 3 shots for me.

do you guys just practice your short game too help improve on this? 

My 2 clubs for close range is Pitcher and a 56, maybe I should consider more wedges for more control in short shots?

How often do you play 450 yard par 4s? 

I consider myself about 8-10 yards longer than the 200-220 group and if I came across a 450 yard par 4, my first thought would be that I am playing the wrong tees.

Other than that leave yourself as short a wedge as possible for your 3rd. You might even get to putt it on every now and then.

 

 

 

 

[benharris]

I'll echo the sentiment that if you hit a good drive you should always have a realistic chance to get on the green with your approach. Sounds like moving forward a set of tees is your best bet. 

Just for reference, the 27 hole facility I work at has only 2 par fours that are over 450 from the tips. From the blue tees (one tee forward from the tips), our longest par 4 is 424. 

[chazza]

My home course is 6500 yards. The longest par 4 on the course is 440 yards.

I'm getting old, a good drive for me is around 240. More often I hit it 220 - 230. So a decent tee shot and a good three (20 degree) hybrid will get me home. But if I don't hit my best drive I'm looking to hit my second shot to a number, say 80 yards out where I can hit a full shot with a lob wedge. Sometimes I'll get close enough to have a single putt. More often I'll make five. But that's what handicaps are for. If I was making par everywhere I'd be a scratch golfer.

[Patch]

I play from the tee box (whites) our senior league uses for our 6500 yard course. 

We have a 445 yard par 4, where I use driver, 3w, and what ever 3rd shot lie I have to play from to get on the green.

That 3rd shot is usually 25-35 yards, and will be either a flop, pitch, or bump, and run. 

I par this hole with a one putt about 40% of the time.

[DrvFrShow]

I assume you're playing with a club that plays from the blues and that puts you in a position where you have to play a 460 par 4. I'd say do the best you can on it. Try to keep the ball in play and not make it turn into a blow up hole. Driver + Hybrid + Wedge shot as close as possible for an up and down. That's how I'd play it.

I have a 454 par 5 that I play this way except that first putt is for birdie. Could I hit a 5W and make it? Yes, but there are two bunkers and if I don't hit a perfect shot, I'm hitting out of one of them.

If you're not playing in a league, move forward a set of tees so you're not playing 460 par 4s. A man I know at the driving range who is a low capper has about 225 yd carry with his driver and plays a combination of white and blue tees on the course.

[dennyjones]

2 hours ago, Piz said:

If you can't reach a par 4 in two...play it as a par 5.  Give yourself three to get there and two putts once you do.  There is no shame in being realistic.  

+1

[David in FL]

I drive the ball a bit longer than you, and if I’m playing 450 yard par-4’s, I’m playing from the wrong tees...

[Piz]

Here's a thought.  Would the hole in question play any different as a par 5?  On one hand it's the same hole.  On the other it has gone from a very long par 4 to a relatively short par 5.  If I'm on in 3, and 20 feet from the cup, I'd prefer to imagine I've an outside chance at a birdie rather than a difficult par save.  

[NJpatbee]

My current course has a 425 yard par 4 that I cannot reach in 2 but bogey is fine.  One long par 5 I struggle with and a 195 yard par 3 across a hazard if you go right at it (I am talking about the white or middle tees).  But the remaining par 4’s range from 310 to 390 yards which I have chance at reaching.  I just accept that a few holes are good bogies for me.  The gold tees are about 300 yards shorter and do not make a significant difference for my game except on the par 3’s.

[HJJ003]

I strongly encourage you to move a set of tees or so. With an average driver distance of around 230 you are probably best playing tees around 6000 yards. If you still encounter those monster Par 4s just implement “The rule” from the book LSW. Hit the ball as far off the tee as you can safely and then try and get as close as you can safely to the green on your second shot. From there if you can get down on three that’s probably a good score on that hole. Occasionally you may save par. Avoid the big number!

 

[Zippo]

Like you, it would take me 3 to reach that green. But, I'd try to make that 3rd shot close to the pin for an up and down. Obviously, with my handicap, I'm not successful very often. But there's always the next time...