What are your strategies for Par 5s?

[kc8kir]

You'd be really suprised what sort of distance you can get when you really compress the ball and deloft the clubface. On a good day, I can hit a 6 iron 200 yards by really pronating the wrists. Otherwise, it's a 175-185 yard club. I probably deloft most of my irons by at least a club, it's just a facet of arriving with hands ahead at impact and a pronated left wrist.

Btw, those numbers are not inflated. Measured both on a simulator and with range flags. And no, that doesn't include some rediculous 30 yard bounce .

The fact is however that while you can play clubs highly delofted, you start taking big divots and loosing the ability to control trajectory and curve. It's a tradeoff. Tiger had that problem for a while, especially with short irons. He learned to back off, shallow his swing, and regained the ability to control trajectory and spin. He gave up about 15 yards on each short club, but when you're Tiger... who cares?

[mirv]

i keep it as simple as possible on par 5s - put the ball in the fairway, put the ball in the fairway again, put the ball on the green, 2 putt. i use the exact same strategy on par 4s, except there's one less "put the ball in the fairway," obviously. i don't bother going for birdies (though they do occasionally happen) - i aim for pars for now.

[Robiola the Monster]

If its reachable in 2 without having to hit a ridiculously far drive, i'll atempt to hit it in 2. If its a long par 5 which i can't reach in 2 i will usually hit a 3-wood off the tee and then hit down the fairway to about the 100 metre marker (90 yards) so i can have a sand wedge in

I get really disapointed when i make more than a 5 on a par 5... gives me the strops

[kc8kir]

There is a par 5 at a course I play regularly that has a tee box that is just a sucker position. About 180 yards out there is a huge gulch, trees lining both sides, very narrow, OB left, woods right. And the par 5 is a dogleg right after the gulch. Not a happy situation. Drives would have to be perfect to make the fairway. I found an alternative strategy and I regularly make par on the hole.

Tee box: 8 iron just short of the gulch. I know, I know... 8 iron on a par 5, are you crazy? But it works and makes it a zero pressure situation.

Second shot: Mid iron - FW across the gulch. Depending on position (which is easy to play to using the 8 iron) I either go for the green with a cut, or use a mid to long iron to the fairway.

Third shot: Wedge to the green.

Fourth and Fifth: Putts.

It works, and having a strategy at the hole every time makes it a no-brainer, low stress situation. I completely eliminate the tee box factor. Perhaps once my driving is more accurate and I can shape it as needed, I'll try driver off the tee, but the setup and the wind in that area just screams "sucker!".