We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Short Par 4 etiquette

jdtox

jdtox

Lord Tox
Albatross 2024 Club
Staff member
Joined
May 20, 2011
Messages
59,041
Reaction score
71,176
Location
Michigan
Handicap
5
The short par 4, the one everyone thinks they can get to but usually cannot. It backs up the course because people wait to drive the green and then usually don't. The other day I played in an outing, we came to a short par 4. As we drove up to the tee the group in front of us just teed off because they waited. The tees were back and the hole was playing 295 to the flag which was center/back. A group behind us pulled up and asked what we were waiting for as the group was on the green.

So I teed off and of course hit the best drive I hit all day a little baby fade right at the center. We didn't yell FORE! because I thought no chance of making it there even if I do its on a bounce, typically my drives land around 265. Well the guys turned around and put their hands in the air. I thought they were saying nice shot so nobody else in our group even hit a ball we drove up and I immediately apologized saying I didn't think it had any chance of making it as we saw it there sitting on the green. One guy wasn't thrilled and he said to me "thats why we waited", a couple of the other guys said nice shot and told me it bounced up and rolled on.

Looking back at it now I probably should have waited for the green to clear or at least yelled FORE! as I didn't realize there was a little tailwind up there but still not a typical result or distance for me.

What do you do on these type of holes?
 
Personally.

Anytime I see 360 or less on the scorecard I'm going to hit my hybrid because I know I'll have a 2nd shot with some sort of iron.

With this especially short Par 4 I would offer to hit first since I know I'm not going to reach. In terms of you big hitters...Swing at your own peril haha.
 
They are safe for me once they reach the green because I hit my 5 wood to try to set up about a 90 yard shot to the pin. I have 0 chance of reaching and prefer closer to a full wedge shot as opposed to a 40 or 50 yard partial wedge shot.
 
At the very least you should always yell FORE even if you think you'll miss someone by 40 yards. Always.

But yeah, you should have waited for the green to clear. In the long run, hitting while they are still on the green rather than 30 seconds after they walk off isn't going to save you or anyone else more than a minute or two at the very most. More likely you'll be waiting again on the next hole of the hole after.

I like to play fast as much as anyone. More than most people, in fact. But there's just never a situation where hitting ALMOST into a group ahead is worth the risk for what will probably be minimal if any overall time saving.
 
I don't mind them and will go 5W or hybrid each time. Perfectly find with that to reduce the change of a wayward shot left or right since the courses around he with that hole length tend to be surrounded by trees and no bailout areas. Give me <125 to the hole and I'll go for my par and move to the next hole.
 
If there's even a remote chance you might get there in one, I say wait. It's only going to delay you a few more seconds.

Me, personally, there's not a chance in hell I'd make that green unless it was downhill.

As for impatient people behind me, I just motion to the cluster ahead and let them figure it out on their own.
 
Last edited:
You know your game. If you're not going for the green, go ahead and hit. If you know that your carry is going to be 30 yards short of the green, go ahead. This sounds like you got a random big bounce and rolled onto the surface - not a big deal in my opinion, and as long as you apologized, the guy overreacted in my opinion.

I love short par 4s though, as long as there's adequate risk involved with trying for the green. Straight away, no trouble, can be kind of boring.
 
Fun holes to play but almost always backed up. I can't reach a 300 yard par 4, but several of my buddies can, and the one time we didn't wait on this one particular short par 4, my buddy hit a dead straight rocket that landed just short and rolled up to 10 feet. The guys on that green were super cool though, asking if they could shake his hand and stay and watch the eagle putt. Given the length though, I almost never go driver off the tee on them anyways.
 
If it says 300 or more I can swing away and not worry. I think if you even have a slight chance you should wait.
 
I agree with the others. At this length of a hole, if there is a chance you can reach with a once in a lifetime shot, wait. I wouldn't want someone hitting that shot into me so I don't do it. If I'm the longest in the group, I let my playing partners hit. Then, the green is usually clear.

Best practice is for the group on the green, once they reach the immediate vicinity of the green, to wave to go ahead and hit. But, in a scramble, that probably isn't going to happen.
 
In an outing setting I am going to wait for it to clear at that distance. If I was playing for a personal score I would probably hit a 3 wood then chip on if the course was busy. If not I may wait and then go for it.
 
I have played some courses where there is a sign on the tee that states you should mark your ball when you reach the green and allow the group behind to tee off

If someone then reaches the green, there shouldn't be an issue as everyone should be aware of a ball coming towards them that might run up on to the green - if they don't reach the green then no harm done

One local course does this on a par 3 as well, and we witnessed someone finishing within an inch of a hole in one when we played there last year
This particular hole is basically an island green, so once you have played your tee shot there is quite a walk to get to the green, so it helps with pace to let the group behind tee off and then you putt out while they are walking round the water
 
You know your game. If there is a chance, I wait. At 295, I would wait. But, I know I can get there. We have a hole that plays right around that yardage. Water left and right all the way down the hole. If I am struggling to keep the ball in play, I will lay up. If I am confident with my driver or 3 wood, I'll go for it. If that is the case, I always wait for the green to clear. If a group behind has an issue with that, that's their problem.
 
I agree with most of you if I'm playing for score I'll probably lay up with a 4i or 3w but it was an outing so of course hitting driver with the intention of getting as close as possible. I probably didn't hit one that far the rest of the day and it was with a bounce and roll. If someone did it to me I wouldn't be upset about it unless it was on the fly.
 
I would say "Damn the torpedoes!!", pull my driver and smash it 180. Maybe.
 
... This was covered in another thread and I think we mostly found out we just have different opinions. I never care if I am on a par 5 or short par 4 and a ball comes rolling slowly onto the green. Absolute worst case scenario is it gently bounces off my shoe, something that has never happened to me. Now if the is rolling fast, bouncing or flying onto the green, that is a different story because that player most likely knows they can easily reach the green and should have waited. But the ball barely rolling on is almost always from someone that didn't think they could reach. Common sense should prevail but as always it can be in short supply for some, especially after having a few drinks.
 
I'm going for it. Usual drive is in the 235-255 range. I'm not in danger of hitting them even with a tailwind.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
I always err on the side of caution, so, I wait, better safe than sorry.
 
From a pace of play standpoint, I do think it's a more nuanced issue than just the few minutes it takes for the group ahead to putt out. If you wait for the green to clear, and don't reach, then the next group not only has to wait on your tee shot, but also the approaches for everyone in your group. If multiple groups do this, it can have a cumulative effect on subsequent groups (i.e. group directly behind waits 5 minutes, group behind them delayed 10 min, group behind them delayed 15 min.).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating risking hitting into someone, but there is a drawback to being overly cautious.
 
TheDoctor said:
I have played some courses where there is a sign on the tee that states you should mark your ball when you reach the green and allow the group behind to tee off

If someone then reaches the green, there shouldn't be an issue as everyone should be aware of a ball coming towards them that might run up on to the green - if they don't reach the green then no harm done

One local course does this on a par 3 as well, and we witnessed someone finishing within an inch of a hole in one when we played there last year
This particular hole is basically an island green, so once you have played your tee shot there is quite a walk to get to the green, so it helps with pace to let the group behind tee off and then you putt out while they are walking round the water
Click to expand...

I think I know the par 3 you're talking about. Rockcliffe hole 5?
 
Under 300 I usually wait but encourage others to tee off. It honestly doesn't save much time teeing off. If the conditions are soft then I tee off if I can't fly it to them. If I get a big bounce and it rolls up there then oh well. Same goes on par 5s. I am not waiting for the green to clear from 270 even though it will roll up there 1 in 50 times.
 
The etiquette is wait, and you were waiting when the group behind pulled up so you knew it was close, you should have told them you were waiting for the green to clear because it's a driveable par 4, any hole under 300 yds is for many players so they couldn't give you a hard time, the hole is designed to be that way.
 
Last edited:
As others have said the best answer in terms of etiquette is to have the next group hit up before you putt out. Will speed up play & reduce general frustration.

If someone doesn't wave you up the decision is always situational. Wind, fairway firmness, how you are swinging & how is ball flying that day etc. etc. If in question and don't want to wait to hit just lay-up....
 
If it bounced on, you don't have anything to worry about. A ball landing on the green is an issue.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top