Can somebody explain this?

[James_Black]

Why do people go for par 5's in 2 shots?

What's the point?
Your hitting a 50/50 shot most of the time (unless your a low handicapper)
Why not just lay up close and get a chance at birdie than hit one in the trees with a wood and end up getting a double bogey.

Can anybody explain this?

[Mrd19abhs]

cause some ppl think that the reward is worth the risk.

[whetstone]

The pros do it. Ego demands that we emulate the pros, even if it ends in disaster 90% of the time. Very few people are honest with themselves about their game, although I'm a firm believer that most people who have never broken 100 could be playing low-90's golf if they would manage the course to their strengths.

[natp0wers]

Why not? If i have between a 4 iron and 3 wood into a green, why wouldn't i go for it? As long as you know your limits and don't try to force anything, along with minimizing your risk by knowing where you should miss, i say go for it.

[msd3075]

I think you have to seperate the type of golfers before you assume why people go for it in 2 instead of laying up.

- If you're a hacker, you probably don't care about your score and instead care more about bragging rights that you "had an eagle putt on #14".
- If you're a mid-handicapper, you probably are going for it because you think that's what you are supposed to do either because the pros do it or your golfing buddies do it. You'll almost always be better off laying up to a distance you are comfortable with.
- If you are a low-handicapper, you go for it not because you can hit your long irons/fairway woods especially well but because your mis-hits aren't all that bad and your short game is in shape, meaning you still have a good chance to get up and down.

Going for a par 5 in two shots is completely mental, but it really depends on what type of golfer you are to determine what's going through your head.

[OCdude12]

"Golf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players (golfers), using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes ." -Wikipedia

Life is pretty boring if you never take a chance. In a tournament when there are hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line, yes, sometimes you do ask why people go for the big shot instead of laying up (Phil hitting driver off the tee at Winged Foot, not a par 5 but still), but otherwise, why not go for it in 2? Maybe that's just me, but isn't the fun part of golf when you pull off a hard shot, especially when you're just playing for fun.

[dblbgy17]

As long as you know your limits and don't try to force anything, along with minimizing your risk by knowing where you should miss, i say go for it.

the biggest thing is exactly what he said, knowing your limits and knowing where to miss. if it's not your shot then it's not your shot, but if it is then know when to hit it and how to hit it.

you go for it b/c if you have that shot in your bag then it's the right shot to take. playing smart is playing your game.

[sean_miller]

Why do people go for par 5's in 2 shots?

Are we talking about all par 5s or just the ones surrounded by water or some other type of extremely penal hazard? If I can reach with a 5 wood or less, and there's no junk fronting the green, why do I have to lay up? On some par 5s (obviously not all) it can be harder to find the fairway at a good lay up distance. How is never challenging oneself, "playing smart". Besides, it's just a game.

[Par Fore]

Why do people go for par 5's in 2 shots?

50/50 odds ain't so bad

If there is plenty of room and not a lot of trouble, I'm going for it......I have a lot better chance of making birdie/par from around the green than I do from 100 yards.... Now, if there is OB nearby, or some type of low percentage carry, I don't mind turning in my man card for a lay-up....

[Boyder]

Heck ... I tend to lay-up on a long Par 4 ... 3 guesses how i typically play par 5s ...

[sean_miller]

Heck ... I tend to lay-up on a long Par 4 ... 3 guesses how i typically play par 5s ...

With gusto?

[iacas]

Why do people go for par 5's in 2 shots?

Because it often makes sense to do so.

Even if you're not a great golfer, so long as there's no trouble nearby, stats show you do better the closer you get to the green. The old "lay up to a comfortable yardage" has been proven wrong. The average bogey golfer is just as likely to miss the green from 80 yards as they are to hit it.

[Boyder]

With gusto?

Absolutely!!

[becksfan2185]

Why do people go for par 5's in 2 shots?

If I lay up, I'm just giving myself two chances to screw up...

I'd rather hit one decent shot to get me close and scramble for the bird, rather than put the pressure on myself to hit two good/great shots to have a good look. Sure the difficulty is more on the longer approach, but so long as the green isn't covered in danger, I think it's typically worth the risk.

[patriot07]

Who's to say I don't hit my layup shot in the woods? Some people, like me, are just terrible lay up golfers. I know that it's mental, but I almost never hit a good layup shot, which makes it even harder to clear your head and hit a good wedge shot next.

And iacas is right, you're almost always better off hitting at the green if you can get there, unless of course there is trouble nearby. The comfortable yardage theory is dead if you actually have at least a 25-35 percent chance of hitting the green. The only time I "lay up" is if I absolutely can't get there with my 3 wood. Then I'll hit somewhere between a 5 iron and a hybrid and deal with an 80-100 yard wedge shot in. I have laid up with a 6 iron a few times, but I don't remember ever laying up with a 7 iron or less.

[jamo]

I rarely go for par 5's. Partly because the courses I play the most either have no par 5's, or par 5's with doglegs, so I'm actually fairly inexperienced. Another factor is that I'm very very good (the best part of my game) between 150 and 90 yards. For me, It's much easier to stick it close from there than from 40 yards, especially since my 3 wood is very hit-or-miss.

Stats don't tell the whole story. Very few people are the average golfer.

[jlh1508]

I wish the choice of laying up or going for the green was a choice I had to worry about it

[Fredguay642]

If the course plays that it doesn't hurt to go for it. why not? Just play the course. I'll hit my 3-wood even if I am 300+ out (there is a 600 yard par 5 that I play) there is a couple traps at 100 to 150 yards out that make the layup hard. Just play the course. It is the people that hit a 220 yard drive and then wait for the green clear before they hit their 3wood from 220+ off the deck that should be questioned.