At the end of the day, I think it's important to analyze what the more effective shot is for you into par 5s. Are you better with a half wedge or a full wedge? Is the trouble around the green worth an attempt at reaching it in two? Where your best shot into the green lies, how safe is the landing area?
The par 5s at my course are all quite a bit different from one another. The first plays 540 on the card, and here's a diagram of what I am talking about..
The red line indicates my driver length and best case scenario. The yellow circle indicates my potential miss because I play a draw if not a pull draw. As you can see, my potential for error there is high, by going left into the heather which is an absolute disaster right there. Basically better to lose your ball than find it. Even if I do make my perfect shot with driver though, I still have to hit around the tree that makes the turn with the hole. With something likely in the 220-240+ range to the hole, it's a forced shot shape that starts the ball over another tree and OB before turning back into the hole to roll up and avoid the greenside bunkers. The shot is basically impossible.
What the blue lines represent, is how I now play that hole. I take my three wood and hit it out to the middle with room to miss left with my standard shot shape. from there, it's usually a long iron, typically a 5-6 iron and sometimes a 4 iron out to the 100 yard marker, or slightly less or more depending on hole location. Then an easier wedge because I am playing from the left side so I am playing to miss right/left as opposed to the right side of the hole, which would force me to get the line right and be flexible on number.
it's all about picking your spots to score and go for it. In this case, I haven't been in the heather on the left since April because I typically can't reach it with a three wood, and more often than not have at worst a PW in my hands going for the green to attempt a birdie. this, to me, is what makes me a better golfer.
