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Par 3 strategy

Howzat said:
I try to treat it like any approach shot. Take enough club and aim for the center of the green. Goal is always to get it on.
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This is it exactly. Just get on and don't worry about pun placement. I know at my course they often have very tough pin placements on the par 3s.

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My strategy apparently is to lay up ... But then I suk ... My goal is to at least bogey ... Knowing that I struggle to actually get on the green, I try "miss" is a safe spot, while still trying for the green ...

I hate 180-200 yard par 3s!!
 
A few things pop into my mind when stood on the tee of a par 3 - length of hole, pin position, hazards and the potential penalties for missing the gree/hitting a hazard

Depending on each of these, I will decide whether or not I am going to go for the pin or shoot for the safe part of the green - this is pretty much my routine for any approach shot....it is all about course management


iSukGolf said:
My strategy apparently is to lay up ... But then I suk ... My goal is to at least bogey ... Knowing that I struggle to actually get on the green, I try "miss" is a safe spot, while still trying for the green ...

I hate 180-200 yard par 3s!!
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You would hate one of the par 3s on my course in that case - from the back tee it is 190yds (160yds from the usual tee) to a relatively small, narrow green with a bunker right and water short and any wind is usually blowing straight into your face so it can be difficult to judge club selection. Some people play a mid-iron to short of the water and then chip on, which I have seen a number of times and they can still walk off with a par
 
I just go for the green. If the pin's in the middle, all the better, but I just don't have the control yet to go pin hunting.
 
Middle of the green for me.
 
For me it's really situational dependent.

I'm not a center of the green guy like some because often times that means past the flag and coming back downhill where it can be tough to stop a ball before it runs by 10-12 feet.

I take note of sand, water, pin and play to where a miss can still lead to a par. If that means front fringe or just short of green and putting uphill so be it.
 
Howzat said:
I try to treat it like any approach shot. Take enough club and aim for the center of the green. Goal is always to get it on.
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This is what i do as well, in my mind it is no different than any approach shot from the fairway.
 
Rhyno said:
I don't do this with approach shots, but rarely are my approach shots at those distances, both par 3s are at a weird distance for me.

I don't know what the difference is, but I tend to pull my tee shots (coming over the top and sending it left) I don't have this issue on approach shots even when I go after it.
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Well, it would seem obvious (and i assume yopu probably already know this) perhaps your just putting a bit more pressure on yourself for the Par3's vs an approach shot.
I always feel that a par3 must be pared. They can (for me) be the difference in a better round vs a worse one. Nothing worse than badly screwing up a par3 imo and nothing better than nailing one. so I often put more pressure on myself for them (and right or wrong) I have since learned to treat them the same as any approach and it has helped me.
I dont really know what you mean by "even when I go after it" with an approach. Does that mean pin hunting or just mean from longer distances or something? In any case there is just something to me about paring a P3. Even a bogey just feels a tad worse vs if I bogey a P4 where i dont mind that at all and can even be happy with. I dont know why but again its just part of the P3 pressure thing or logic I have about them towards a better score. I have to always remind myself to just treat it the same as any approach.
 
depends on distance and pin placement but i error on the side of caution on par 3s i want to hit the GIR so whatever gives me the best chance to do so distance wise i do. i still will go after a pin but if the pins in the back i'll error on the short side of distance as if the pins in the front i'll error on the side of going long since thats where most of the green is that i can miss if my distance is off.
 
Par 3s for me I usually just aim for the middle of the green and hopefully take my 2 putt par. Only time I generally fire at a pin on a par 3 is if the pin is playing to my natural shot shape for the day.
 
Six4three5 said:
Par 3s for me I usually just aim for the middle of the green and hopefully take my 2 putt par. Only time I generally fire at a pin on a par 3 is if the pin is playing to my natural shot shape for the day.
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thats some good advice
 
Buckjob said:
thats some good advice
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For the most part while playing I take what my game is giving my on the course I try not to fight it, but I am guilty of fighting it from time to time. I've noticed my scores are a lot better when I'm not tho.
 
I don't go center green every time. Similar to what Cookie said, I don't want a downhill putt so if that means I have to take a club that won't get there that's fine. There are so many variables from day to day though and a lot of it has to do with my confidence that day.
 
Sorry, I am no help here. My strategy on par 3s is generally to aim for the middle of the green and hope. I have a tendency to be long, which is usually worse than short unless there is water.
 
Depends on which hole. On the holes with the tougher greens (more slope to deal with) I will try to go for the pin. We have some holes where if you miss on the side opposite the pin, two putt pars are no guarantee. So if I miss the green, I don't mind because a chip from just off the green counts the same as a long ass first putt. On holes that are "easier", I go for the middle and hope for a putt to fall once in a while.
 
I know this is weird but the longer the better for me

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I typically just try to land it on the same half of the green that the flag is on. The only time I try to pin hunting is if I have a wedge in my hand. Other than that, I try to figure out if the pin is in the front or the back of the green and then try to get a distance the the middle and the front/back edge so I can land it in the right section.
 
IceyShanks said:
Center of the green for me, there are a few times I'll go pin hunting, but otherwise I'm playing for a 2 putt par, but hoping for a little bit shorter birdie putt.
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Exactly, same thing I do as well.

Par 3s in the past have been my scoring holes though. This year not so much.
 
Par 3's have historically been troublesome for me so I aim for the center unless there is a wide open line to the pin or if there isn't any bunkers or other trouble near the green, then I aim for the flag. If I'm on the green, even if I royally screw up, I shouldn't get worse than bogey.
 
I try and hit the center of the green and hope to 2 outt


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Par 3's have been good for me this year. I usually tee it up on a broken tee and swing easy.
 
Saturday was the first really warm day with firm fairways & greens that I've played all year. Also played a semi-long course and was striking the ball really well.

On a 187 yard par 3 over water, I hit a 7 wood with a nice easy swing hoping for the middle, with a back left pin, would have left an uphill putt. I hooked a bit and caught a bank on the left the bounced the ball back on the green where it rolled within feet of the pin leaving me about 8 feet for birdie. Broke under the cup and I tapped in for par.

Sunday at the same hole, the tees were up but a little wind in our faces. I tee'd the ball all the way down and tried to hit stinger. The ball just cleared the water but popped up in the air and only rolled 20 feet. I was left with a 40 foot breaking uphill putt. Took a 3 putt to get that one down but still bested everyone in my group by a shot or two.

So I guess my strategy is to go after it with some consideration for erroring on the safe side. Avoid trouble, always be putting.

I will say, my best scoring rounds have come when I am playing par 3's well. It usually means irons are on and that never hurts.
 
I usually club up and swing easy if it's over 160 yards. I usually always aim for the fat part of the green, especially if the pin is tucked. I trust my putter with pretty much any length so I don't need to be five ft to make birdie. On shorter holes I'll play the distance and take a normal swing. More than likely still aiming for a point on the green away from trouble.

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If there's trouble around the green, I'll hit short and then try to chip/pitch close. Overhanging tree branches are my biggest problem on par 3's here. I'm not long enough to hit a short iron over them....
 
I usually aim for the center of the green, especially if the hole is over 170 yards. If its a short par 3, 125 yards or so, depending on the swing that day I may go pin seeking. But majority of the time just aim for the center of the green and try to get par.

I always heard golf is a game of par 3's. Every hole no matter what par is should be treated like a par 3 when you get to a certain distance range (under 200 yards). I try to keep that mentality every round.
 
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