There are two decisions that you will often make on these holes. These being: Do I go for the Green in two? or do I play it conventionally in three?. This of course is largely dependent on the size of the hole and also how far you hit your drives. The size of a Par 5 is usually anywhere between 440 metres to 550 metres. As with a Par 4, the first aspect will always be to assess all penalty areas on that hole and in particular if they will affect you when hitting driver off the tee.
If you do decide to hit driver off the tee, you will then be faced with the decision on whether to go for the green in two. If you know you can't reach the green, always try and lay up to a certain distance that you know you're comfortable with. Typically anywhere just under 100m is often the desired distance as typically it will be with a short iron which enables you to stop the ball quickly. However if you are more comfortable being further away, than that can definitely still be an option.
Sometimes I may be in range to go for the green in two but I still may not go for the shot. For example I may be able to hit 3 Wood to the green, however If I realise the green is quite narrow and the green is quite elevated with danger over the back, I may still lay up to a comfortable distance. Usually If I am within a 3 Hybrid down I would typically always go for the green as I am relatively confident that my ball would still generate enough backspin to hold the green.
Ofcourse if you are not a big hitter and have just started playing golf, you may prefer to try and get the ball on the green in more than three shots. In any case still try and work out best the strategy for yourself by evaluating what distance you would like to approach with into the green.
If you need any help with Playing Par 5's don't hesitate to contact me and we'll take a deeper dive on how to reduce your scores on these holes.
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