We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Par Five Layout - Good Design or Silly?

I'm the type of horse's ass that would try and cut the OB and bypass all the silliness.

Meaning, I'd shoot a 10 on the hole and blame every tree I hit trying to get out of that Sherwood Forrest.
 
tpluff said:
Here's the scorecard, I believe. Says shortest tees are 528. So it might take seniors/women 6-7 to get there, but makes it a par 6.

course_scorecard.jpg
Click to expand...

I gotta tell ya, seeing it like that, I kind of like it.
Work the ball to get it there blind, or take your chances with a wedge in hand to make par. I like fun holes like this.
 
I tend to like these type of holes too. It evens out the advantage a long hitter has. Difficult but interesting hole.
 
I can't decide which way I feel about this hole

On one side I think it is a bit OTT as if you don't hit your tee shot correctly you could have no option but to lay up to the corner and then possibly another 2 shots before you can go for the green with your 5th, so you would be looking at a bogey at least if you took the single putt

On the other side, my sensible head is saying 3i or 5W depending on wind etc to the corner for my tee shot, play safe with 2 mid/short irons to reach the next corner then go for the green with my 4th shot and hope for no worse than 2 putts to give me a bogey, nett par

I think it would be a hole I would have to play before I could really make my mind up

It reminds me of a hole on a course I used to play over here which was a par 5 that turned in both directions, but nowhere near as severe as this hole, so if you hit a decent enough drive you could actually go for the green in 2 by hitting a high draw around the trees - I managed it a couple times but my usual second shot was to lay up to the corner and leave myself with a partial wedge to the green
 
TheDoctor said:
I can't decide which way I feel about this hole

On one side I think it is a bit OTT as if you don't hit your tee shot correctly you could have no option but to lay up to the corner and then possibly another 2 shots before you can go for the green with your 5th, so you would be looking at a bogey at least if you took the single putt

On the other side, my sensible head is saying 3i or 5W depending on wind etc to the corner for my tee shot, play safe with 2 mid/short irons to reach the next corner then go for the green with my 4th shot and hope for no worse than 2 putts to give me a bogey, nett par

I think it would be a hole I would have to play before I could really make my mind up

It reminds me of a hole on a course I used to play over here which was a par 5 that turned in both directions, but nowhere near as severe as this hole, so if you hit a decent enough drive you could actually go for the green in 2 by hitting a high draw around the trees - I managed it a couple times but my usual second shot was to lay up to the corner and leave myself with a partial wedge to the green
Click to expand...
The problem is with ur 2nd it's a long way to that 2nd corner to have the ability to even see the green.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #31
JB said:
I gotta tell ya, seeing it like that, I kind of like it.
Work the ball to get it there blind, or take your chances with a wedge in hand to make par. I like fun holes like this.
Click to expand...

I guess it depends what's fair. It's a 210 yard tee ball, and then something in the realm of 240-250 dead straight for a fair opportunity at the green. I'd have to play it again to see how much you can work the ball, but with how it looks from the photo and what I remember, it wouldn't be a draw but rather a ridiculous hook to get on the green in three.

I know we're all different in our tastes. I simply thought it was nothing short of impossible for a majority of golfers
 
mikedean441 said:
The problem is with ur 2nd it's a long way to that 2nd corner to have the ability to even see the green.
Click to expand...

I gotcha on that, but even if it was 300yds to the second corner, that could be 2 7i shots for a lot of people if you wanted to play very safe rather than try to hit a longer iron so as long as you get your tee shot far enough to the first corner you should have a shot at the green with your 4th shot, so unless you are a <1 handicap, you will get at least one shot on this hole which effectively makes it a par 6 for a big group of people (or even a par 7 for those with a >20 handicap)

(Just using my sensible course management head here)
 
Sounds pretty crazy. Sounds kind of fun too though. Theres a course in northern Wisconsin that I played one time that had a 370 yard par 4 with a dogleg left but the dogleg was pretty much a 90 degree angle and the dogleg was only about 150 yards out, with tall trees that made it difficult to cut the corner and even if you cut the corner, there were various bunkers that meant you pretty much had to hit a perfect tee shot in order to cut the corner. You basically had to hit 7-iron off the tee to the corner and then hit 3-hybrid/5-wood into the green. It was a total sucker hole because people would try to hit driver and blast it over the trees, only to end up in the woods or in one of the bunkers.
I like holes like that every now and then though because they make you think and give a course character.
 
Sounds like a sharp double dogleg. I know a course that has it and I can't stand it
 
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #35
TheDoctor said:
I gotcha on that, but even if it was 300yds to the second corner, that could be 2 7i shots for a lot of people if you wanted to play very safe rather than try to hit a longer iron so as long as you get your tee shot far enough to the first corner you should have a shot at the green with your 4th shot, so unless you are a <1 handicap, you will get at least one shot on this hole which effectively makes it a par 6 for a big group of people (or even a par 7 for those with a >20 handicap)

(Just using my sensible course management head here)
Click to expand...

The first 7 iron would have to be perfect.. it's extremely narrow with trees on one side and a creek running along the left side. . Oh and there's notable tree overhang on the right side. How many mid cappers have that shot in their pocket?
 
Par Five Layout - Good Design or Silly?

Yeah that seems a bit excessive. I think I would play that to put a short wedge in my hand for the 4th shot and hope to stuff it close and make a putt.

Seems like the type of hole where at my level I'd benefit from taking my medicine and perhaps a sip of beer to wash down my bogey.
 
Last edited:
Canadan said:
The first 7 iron would have to be perfect.. it's extremely narrow with trees on one side and a creek running along the left side. . Oh and there's notable tree overhang on the right side. How many mid cappers have that shot in their pocket?
Click to expand...

Which is one of the reasons why I said I would have to play the hole before I decided one way or the other on whether it was a good or bad design as this detail wasn't mentioned in the initial post

Personally I would be happy to take a 7i through a narrow gap based on some of the courses I have played with narrow tree-lined fairways but I get your point

I am not trying to sound awkward, but I try to look at holes and take my handicap shots into account and play the hole accordingly, which is why I feel that course knowledge can always be worth a couple shots a round when you know when o play safe, or where you need to put the ball for your next shot etc
 
I would pull in this order 3W, driver, 50* wedge and putt for birdie. ;)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
There are a couple courses around here that have similar par 5s. I can't stand "gimmicky" holes like that.
 
Stupid. Any par 5 you can't pull driver on is stupid.
 
I've played that hole a couple of times. You do need to have a good second shot to be able to se the green. It's a super tough hole and if know for a fact a ton of balls are lost on it (I was helping my brother find his ball on the cliff side by the tee and came out with 20+ balls.

The back 9 of that course is more target golf, not much room for errors, but there are a few fun holes. That Z par 5 wasn't one of my favorites, but did manage to par it the 2nd time I played there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Realistically, I would probably be hybrid, hybrid, hybrid. Can't play too safe, because then I am leaving myself even longer shots in.

Just a ridiculous hole. I would honestly be staring at an 8 on the card after this hole.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #43
misike said:
I've played that hole a couple of times. You do need to have a good second shot to be able to se the green. It's a super tough hole and if know for a fact a ton of balls are lost on it (I was helping my brother find his ball on the cliff side by the tee and came out with 20+ balls.

The back 9 of that course is more target golf, not much room for errors, but there are a few fun holes. That Z par 5 wasn't one of my favorites, but did manage to par it the 2nd time I played there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

It really is a crazy 9. There is a par 4 that has probably more than a 45* angle back towards the tee.. I thought Mikes ball was coming back at us for a minute.
 
Canadan said:
It really is a crazy 9. There is a par 4 that has probably more than a 45* angle back towards the tee.. I thought Mikes ball was coming back at us for a minute.
Click to expand...
Love me 220 yard drives...Oops make that 170 now and ur on the side of a hill
 
Um. Looks like one of those really bad 'fantasy' courses from a video game.
 
Canadan said:
It really is a crazy 9. There is a par 4 that has probably more than a 45* angle back towards the tee.. I thought Mikes ball was coming back at us for a minute.
Click to expand...

Yes, I remember the first time I played the course I had no idea what was coming. Shot 38 on the front and 47 on the back, lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
That Z par-5 looks annoying to me. It's too "made impossible".
 
The design is bad IMO but I still want to try and play this hole.

We have a hole similar to this one at a local muni, however it's only about 450 yards, and water along the left side instead of trees.
 
Par Five Layout - Good Design or Silly?

Canadan said:
I've got it mike.. here's the hole.

mady7e7y.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm curious if any Maryland/VA guys see this. Its almost a carbon copy of hole 9 (also a par 5) at Laurel Hill.

The main difference at Laurel Hill a long hitter can take on the trees on both the tee shot and the 2nd shot.

However if played like it's designed you need a straight to slight fade of 200 to 250 off the tee. Then another 200 yard straight shot for hrs second and you'd be left with about 130 yards back uphill to the green.


Very similar holes, except with the ability to try and clear the trees.

I've had anywhere from a putt for eagle (missed) to a 10 on it.
 
Last edited:
I'm going to vote for silly, but I'd like a shot at it. One of those holes that would make you feel like a king if you parred or birdied it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top