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What distance makes for a drivable par 4?

SirShives

SirShives

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What distance par 4 do you consider drivable? What is your success rate on driving the green? Are you more apt to lay back and take a wedge in?

I generally pull driver and try getting on the green if the distance is 280 or less, however I don’t encounter this scenario often at my normal courses. Success rate for me is very low.:LOL:
 
I don't think I have a general distance other than reasonable for my usual distance. Really all comes down to risk/reward, conditions, etc. I will generally take the high risk approach if possible, but I'll play smart if need be.

Screenshot_20200807-114352_TheGrint.jpg

I tried this one yesterday. Very high risk. Elevated tee, green down in a valley, but guarded by huge trees and nothing good if you miss short, left, or long. It's a complete nightmare down where I came to rest, pitching up to an elevated green with an always tucked pin. Made par that time, and I'll continue to play for it unless something changes.
 
I would say 300 and below personally. Unless it's pretty open down by the green i don't normally go for it though. Hell to be honest even if I did drive the green, I'd probably 3 putt anyway.

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Depends on the hole, but as a general rule I’d say 300 yds or less.

There are two “drive-able” holes on my home course but only one of them is really practical when considering obstacles and layout.

I’ve been trying to play fairly conservative lately and keep balls in play while focusing on my swing and making solid contact. So I’ve only really gone after it on a couple occasions this year... I’d extrapolate that to a 1 in 10 success of driving the green.
 
275-280 ish?

Wind and hard fairways help. ;)

My home course (Little Creek JEB) has a 310 yard hole that's slightly downhill for the last 70 yards that I can reach the front fringe or bunker once in a while with the extra roll out that I get.
 
When I had length to work with, the "bomb and gouge" style was pretty much any shorter par 4 with a chance to get to the green if off the fairway.
Too often, I'd play "safe" with a hybrid or whatever, and if I missed, I was that much further back under a tree. Holes with elevated greens are tough to drive.
 
SirShives said:
What distance par 4 do you consider drivable? What is your success rate on driving the green? Are you more apt to lay back and take a wedge in?

I generally pull driver and try getting on the green if the distance is 280 or less, however I don’t encounter this scenario often at my normal courses. Success rate for me is very low.:LOL:
Click to expand...

Most drivables are 290-310 around me. One hole has a plateau about 230 out. If you go farther, it dives into a ravine of various humps. I don't like the ravine because uneven rough is everywhere. So I use a 4 wd, get on plateau and pull out a wedge.

I once used to drive an uphill 290 par 3 - but that was 12 yrs ago when all I used were my arms.

Not part of the discussion, but long uphill par 3- 210+, I will take driver and grip down 2 inches ... because I am distance challenged
 
Realistically for me? 260-270, and that would still be a stretch. I wouldn't even try it unless there was a lot of room to miss, and my percentage would still be very low.

We have a par 4 on my home course that's 260 whites/270 blues, but there's trouble all around it - OB and heavy shrubbery to the left, bunker short left, bunker short right, bunker behind the green, cart path and heavy shrubbery to the right. I go off with a 5 wood and set myself up for a short, easy approach shot.
 
All depends on conditions. Prior to injury and illness and after a winter of overspeed training in the winter of 2017/18, if it was downwind and playing hard and fast, 400 yards was doable (130 CHS that year). I HIT SEVERAL 400 yard GPS measured drives summer of 2018.

Last year I didn’t overspeed and topped out around 120 CHS. At that 360 was driveable if conditions perfect. I even corked one accidentally 403 in perfect condition (rock hard and landed on a downslope.

Now I’m at about 110 CHS after my accident. 320 is the number I’ll wait for the green to clear if conditions are perfect.

Into the wind, uphill, or wet, those distance go down a LOT. I’ve hit into the wind while people were on an uphill 280 yard green when it was really wet and they were in no danger this year.
 
Depends on the layout of the hole for me. If its a straight away hole then I will go for it if the conditions are with me. For doglegs or forced carry's over water / trouble then the safe me will usually play the safe shot and leave a short iron to the green
 
Any distance for me. Driver is usually one of my most reliable clubs. So if there's no trouble to avoid, I'm going for it. I'd rather be 60 yards out in the rough than 160 in the fairway. That being said, if it's more than about 275 yards or so, then even on my best day there's zero chance of me getting there.
 
myspinonit said:
The average driving distance according to the USGA and R &A a year ago was 215 yards, and 5 caps and under average 240 yards. https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/features/the-game/how-far-do-average-golfers-actually-hit-it-123891

So anything over 240 is beyond all but the smallest percentage of golfers. I gather the question is asking about individual drivable options, so you could get options from 175 to 350 for a long hitting pro.
Click to expand...

Or further. There are those (I am NOT one of them anymore) that hit the ball further than the longest PGA Pros. Serious long drive guys can hit 225+ ball speed. If they get the launch conditions right, at 350 you’ll just see the ball go over your head.
 
I guess it depends upon how far you can drive the ball. For me it's a 240 - 255 yd par 4.
 
310 and under. And I can’t hit it 310. If that doesn’t make sense, then my low success rate probably does 😆
 
I wait for the green to clear on sub 300, will occasionally run one on or really close from outside that.
 
Going to have to be 280 or less and a tailwind.
 
For me, 250. Anything longer, I generally play my tee shot to leave a 90 - 100 approach.
 
Back in my age 65 240 and I soon found it was easier to make a birdie if I just laid up and had a sand wedge into the green.
 
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