Getting the jitters on long par 3's...help!!!!

[kekoa]

Hi guys. I normally play to an 8 handicap. Recently, I've been getting super nervous on par 3's when i should actually be licking my chops.

I'd say this occurs on any par 3 over 160 yards when I need to use a 7 iron and up. I have the tendency to hit a duck hook or horrible shank.

Any tips here? Sometimes i feel like just pulling out my wedge and laying up to long par 3's. At least then i'm guaranteed a bogey.

[r7 425]

Hi guys. I normally play to an 8 handicap. Recently, I've been getting super nervous on par 3's when i should actually be licking my chops.

I dont know too many PGA TOUR pros that "lick their chops" on long par 3's....I reccomend moving around a lot i mean a lot of waggles with the club--this is what TREVINO used to do on a lot of shots...he was always moving...hence he became less nervous --becuse the stiffer you are the more the nerves set it---Best Wishes

[crawf061]

Just out of curiousity, do you get the jitters when you are 160+ yards out in the fairway of a par 4?

[rusrus]

Just hit it like you know you can - remember to turn-off a brain that's malfunctioning...

When I approach the tee of a long par-3 I set-up, blast it to the green, and walk away. The other three guys in the foursome look at me like they want me to take them to bed. But that's just how I do it... :)

[r7 425]

Just out of curiousity, do you get the jitters when you are 160+ yards out in the fairway of a par 4?

I do sometimes-mostly at the end of a round..when you think about your score--it goes differently for everyone --we are all genetically different--

[kekoa]

Just out of curiousity, do you get the jitters when you are 160+ yards out in the fairway of a par 4?

very good question and the answer is YES. :( i have no confidence with my 7 iron and up. Thank god i have a pretty good short game. If i could strip my mid to high irons, i could definitly be shooting in the +3 + 4 range.

[crawf061]

I certainly don't have a single-digit handicap, but I find that when I lose confidence in a club (or group of clubs) it helps me to just go pound away with it at the range.

I will think about my fundamentals some, just to make sure everything is there. Then I will just hit ball after ball, usually for an hour or more. It is not a whole lot of fun, but by the end I'm usually hitting the ball much better than I was when I started. Then next time I'm out on the course, I just feel so much more comfortable with the club.

I don't know, this may not be the best advice for you. That is just what I normally do.

[andre112]

same problem here. my 4i only goes 165 yards.
there are so many 150 to 200 par 3s at the exec. course i play.
makes it so tough. so i'm supposed to hit my 4i as accurate as some other guys hitting their 7i.
tell me golf is not a game of distance.

back to your quesiton.
if you are very confident with your short game, why not lay it up and get up and down?
you can still make par this way.

[x-forged]

i play at this one country club where there is a 217 yarder and a 240(not typo) yarder. this was our home course for high school golf and when we had matches, our opponents would get eaten alive, haha. anyways, when i came to these holes, i would usually club up and make a smoother and slower swing. that made me lose the jitters, because i knew i had the club to get there and all i had to do was make an easy swing.

If that doesn't work, i agree with andre, nothing wrong with coming up short and going for the up and down.

[shortgrass lover]

I know what you mean. Our #3 handicap hole is a straight, 219 yard par 3. I pull out a three iron, tee it very low, and try to crush it. Then if I don't hit the little postage stamp green, I rely on my wedge and my putter to save a par.

[Leek]

Hi guys. I normally play to an 8 handicap. Recently, I've been getting super nervous on par 3's when i should actually be licking my chops.

Here's what has worked for me in that situation, if I'm not confident I play a punch or a knock down. I somehow believe a knocked down 4 or 5 iron is laser guided. It's a simpler swing

[RX Phoenix]

There are these clubs called "hybrids", you may have heard of them. They require a different type of swing than an iron (more of a smooth sweep) and usually can be counted on to deliver.

I went through the same syndrome with the long irons so I switched to hybrids and don't get nervous any more. Even carry a 5 iron and a 5 hybrid to cover that 160-175 range.

[zmzman]

One thing I would suggest is to not "lick your chops" so to peak at any par 3. If you look at this years 2008 PGA stats you will notice that there a total of 14 players that have an under par average on par 3's...compare that with the 199 players under par on par 5's....these are the holes you should be licking your chops at. The average golfer can usually get a great short iron look at the par 5's and should always be looking to make a 3 on the par 3's...If you are struggling to make par than maybe a hybrid is the way to go but I will always say that 3 is a great score on a par 3 no matter what the distance.

[r7 425]

One thing I would suggest is to not "lick your chops" so to peak

Yes i agree--i would take par every time on a long par 3. Par is a great score.....i would just have the mindset to make par and if you make birdie then it is a big reward for you...Best Wishes