Does anyone hate par-70 courses as much as I do?

[mdl]

My experience at par-70s seems to be different.

The par-70 I've played the most was eventually converted into a par-72. There were three par-4s over 400 yards; they moved the tees back about 60-70 yards on two of them to turn them into par-5s. It was far enough back that I don't remember what the CR/SRs were. I also didn't have as much a head for strategy as I do now, so I don't know how I'd play on the unmodified course. Someone paid a good chunk of money for the municipal course in question (Balboa in Los Angeles) to convert.

But most par-70s I remember playing have a lot of what this course had pre-change; a bunch of par-4s (this one in particular is odd because it had three par-3s and one par-5 pre-change, now three of each) and a scattering of the others, usually with two fewer par-5s than par-3s.

Knowing what I know now, there isn't a huge difference in my game between a long par-4 and a (relatively) short par-5. My home course has, as the #1 and #2 handicap holes, long par-4s. The course itself is a par-71 (4x3 + 3x5), but those two are sort of par-4.5 in my head. I've reached the #1 handicap hole in regulation twice, both long ago, and both more of a coincidence and luck. But lately I've been getting into reasonable chipping range on it. The #2 handicap I reached in regulation for the first time ever this past Sunday (two-putted for a par that felt like a birdie).

By contrast, the #17 handicap hole at this course is a relatively short par-5. On a good drive, I'm usually sitting 240 or so from the green, and depending on lie, I'll hit either a 3W or a 5W, leaving myself half a wedge (back to A3, forward symmetrically) for a GIR. This isn't all that different from a long par-4 for me, except I'm missing a little bit bigger, but have another stroke relative to par to play with as far as giving a name to the eventual number.

So no, I don't hate par-70s. After all, when I'm at one, I'm usually playing golf.

I'd say in general I can reach or at least get into green side pitch shot range on most par 5s in two, so they're where I make up a ton of strokes relative to par versus par 3s and par 4s, which leads me to like more par 5s.  But I LOVE Rancho Park (the home course you're describing) despite the one fewer par 5 than most par 72 courses.  That course really is a great layout.  So I guess my true answer is I just want a fun layout.

And congrats on the reaching the 2nd in two (that's the #2 handicap after the 11th, right, or is it the other way around?)!  The distance and the green tucked behind the tree makes that hole deceptively tough.

[Pretzel]

My favorite local course is a par 72 with three par 3's, three par 4's, and three par 5's on the back nine. It's fun, because it does a little rotation between all of them so you never play the same par twice in a row on the back. Likewise my least favorite course in town is a par 70 that stretches up to 6900 or even 7000 yards and just isn't as fun to play. The par fours are too alike to each other to keep it interesting. I don't mind par 70 courses provided that they are well laid out and the holes are different from each other. 18 part fours in a row would be fine by me so long as each hole was visually appealing and presented a unique challenge.

[Shindig]

I'd say in general I can reach or at least get into green side pitch shot range on most par 5s in two, so they're where I make up a ton of strokes relative to par versus par 3s and par 4s, which leads me to like more par 5s.  But I LOVE Rancho Park (the home course you're describing) despite the one fewer par 5 than most par 72 courses.  That course really is a great layout.  So I guess my true answer is I just want a fun layout. And congrats on the reaching the 2nd in two (that's the #2 handicap after the 11th, right, or is it the other way around?)!  The distance and the green tucked behind the tree makes that hole deceptively tough.

Yes, indeed it's Rancho Park! The hole I reached in two on Sunday was #11 -- even handicaps are on the back there. I remember when I first stopped getting 18+ shots per round, the hole where I wouldn't get a shot (not that it mattered, especially when I stopped playing skins) was #16, the par-3, which at that time I had never made par on. Somehow I got on in two a few times for #2 back in the day, but that was luck not skill. I somehow birdied it twice a few years ago, too... again, by luck. But yeah, #2 is a tough hole... and the right fairway is not as great a tee shot resting spot as the left rough for just the reason you describe.