Can somebody explain this?

[sean_miller]

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.

They are questioned. Frequently.

What I want to know is why do so many mid-high handicappers use hybrids and SGI long and mid irons then use forged muscleback or blade short irons and wedges? At what point does forgiveness not matter - when does skill and feel kick in? Maybe, just maybe, some of these people have feel going at a green from 200+ yards out and they just don't know it yet.

[jamo]

What I want to know is why do so many mid-high handicappers use hybrids and SGI long and mid irons then use forged muscleback or blade short irons and wedges? At what point does forgiveness not matter - when does skill and feel kick in?

As for the blades thing, short irons are much easier to hit. The ball is closer to you, the shaft is shorter, and the ball flight is shorter so there is less chance it could go offline.

[senorchipotle]

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

because i can hit a 300+ yard drive with confidence that it will find a playable lie in the fairway or in light rough. leaving me with anywhere from a 5 iron to a 3 wood into the green. i might miss the green, but 98% of the time i won't jack it into the woods.

[Shorty]

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

A lot of players' lay up shot is just as inaccurate as their full blooded attempt.

It also depends how much trouble there is where a missed swdond shot might end up if it's poorly played. On a tight par 5, I will often lay up with a 6 iron so I have 100 metres to the pin. On other par 5s which are wide and open, a cut or pulled 3 wood isn't punished so you might have 100 metres to the hole except you're on the wrong fairway. Each situation is different.

[pherg]

I go for it because of all the clubs in my bag, I hit my 3 Wood the most consistently. Strange but true.

[DuffMan]

I hit my driver an average of 250-260 yards and can hit my 3woods 230 yards and straight easily. I will go for the green if the risk justifies the reward, one par 5 on my home course is too much of a risk because of sand and water around the green, but the last par 5 is a wide fairway with sand 100-150 yards out. It only makes sense for me to go for the green if I feel confident.

[Shanks A Million]

The problem here is the perception of danger. For example, how smart is it for an Olympic skier to go 90 mph down f$%

[David in FL]

Three words for you......

two-putt-birdie.

[Shanker]

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.

^^^^ I concur with the last sentence....That is one of my goals...

[normdamarine]

Here are my 2 cents... Situation dictates all! If I am out just playing an do not care what I shoot, I am going for it... If I am in a match with money on the line, it depends what my opponent does and how much I am down or up... If I am in a tournament, again it depends on where I am in relation to winning but I am probably going for it... This is my thinking If I hit it in a hazard, I am going to make no worse than bogey from near the green so why not... As the great Tin Cup said "I didn't come here to finish 2nd".

[James_Black]

Good points.
Thanks for all the replies!

I'll stick to laying up, but I can see where many of you are coming from.

[Greg]

depends on if theres water in play or ob. Some of the par 5's at the courses i play around here are pretty short, many under 500 yards so even someone with not a lot of length like me sometimes can at least get close to reaching in 2 with a good tee shot like 240-250 range. If nothing else a shorter 3rd shot, a pitch inside of 50 yards is easier to hit the green than from say 150 yards, for me anyway. Its fun to take a 3 wood or hybrid and see how far you can rip it. Im usually not playing for money so the worst that usually happens is a lost ball and a poor score for that hole. Ive came close a few times on some shorter par 5's. Almost chipped in for eagle once, hit the pin and then missed a 6 foot putt for birdie. Last time I played my friend reached a 485 yard par 5 with driver(about 275) and 4 iron(about 210), had about a 15 ft putt for eagle, missed it but still made birdie, 2 putt birdies are always nice.

[Chief Broom]

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...

Yup. It all depends on the hole and the shot you're facing. I played with some guys last year on a tough par 5 with water along the entire right side of the fairway half way down. You could go after it with your driver off the tee but that second shot was crucial. Two of the guys pulled 3w and went for the green and wound up in the water. The last fellow and I laid up. I hit driver, 8 iron, and then sand wedge into the green. They couldn't believe I was hitting an 8i on my second shot on a par 5 (and I had the longest/best tee shot out of all of us) but it worked. Another local course has a par 5 with a stream that runs across diagonally the entire fairway. That stream is right at 240yds. In that case I hit 3w off the tee because I'm not confident I'll carry the driver that far and instead roll the tee ball into the creek. One thing I've learned as I slowly drop my handicap is to actually work my way around the course rather than try to overpower it.

[Fourputt]

It's strictly a course management issue for me. If it makes sense to lay up, then I lay up. If it makes sense to go for it, then I go for it. That can even apply on a par 4 hole if I've screwed up my tee shot. I can say that I would prefer to have a shot at the green, but that isn't always the realistic option. As I get older and shorter, the layup becomes the choice more often. It's a rare par 5 that I can actually reach in 2 any more, so I try to lay up for a yardage instead. Hitting a 5H or 6I to that 80-100 yard range is a lot easier than trying to overswing a fairway wood at the green.

It also depends on what the worst result can be. If the worst thing that can happen is to be in a greenside bunker in 2, then I'm likely to give it a whack. I can pretty much get down in no more than 3 in that case, with a reasonable shot at a birdie. If the green is surrounded by trees and bushes and/or water and deep rough, then I'm not going to risk it. I've made a lot of eagles over the years, so I'm not missing out on anything. If that is no longer a part of my game, then so be it.

[kfowler]

It's a heck of a lot easier for me to consistently get a 3 hybrid up in the air than a 3 iron.

As for par 5's, unless there's OB around the green, I almost always go for it.

My reasoning.
- If I duff it, I'll probably be where I was going to lay up anyway.
- From a 100 yards, there's no guarantee I'm going to be within 10 feet of the pin.
- Even if there's water near by and I lose a ball, I'm still laying four with less than 100 yards. I have an outside chance of saving par and a decent chance of only a boggie.

[Elvisliveson]

It's simple to me. If I hit a good drive, I go for it. If I'm short off the tee or have a bad lie, I'll lay up to my preferrable distance.