Lesson Tee: Par 5 Perfection

When I’m playing with amateurs, I often see players miss precious scoring opportunities on par 5s. The routine involves the player hitting a decent tee shot, leaving a second shot that’s at least 225 yards from the green. It should be noted that the average player hits a 3 wood approximately 210 yards from the tee and 190 yards off the ground. The majority of players will go straight to the 3 wood, typically with one of two results.

The most likely result is average contact with the shot straying offline, leaving the player an uncomfortable yardage from a difficult position. The average golfer will either miss the green from this position, or will hit the ball a great distance from the hole. The result will be an occasional par, but bogey or double is more likely.

Another outcome involves a player striking the ball down the fairway, coming up 30- 55 yards from the green. This sounds like a good position, but for the average player, this shot poses a high level of difficulty. The PGA TOUR average from 50 yards is 17.65 feet from the hole. This shot requires a good understanding of how to utilize a high lofted wedge. I find that a 56 degree sand wedge is a great option here, but I see a lot of 60 degree lob wedges while attempting to hit this shot. Contact from here has a high likelihood of being a little on the “chunky” side, leaving the player short of the green.

Here’s what I would recommend. Let’s say you’re playing the 18th hole at Salem Golf Club. The hole plays 469 yards from the white tees. The average golfer drives the ball 230 yards, which would leave them 239 yards from the middle of the green. From this position most players should grab either the 6 or 7 iron and leave themselves with an 85 to 100 yard approach to the green.

The benefit of this approach is two-fold. First, a player is much more likely to hit a mid iron on target with better contact than a 3 wood. Second, the average player is statistically better from 85-100 yards than they are from 30-50 yards.

Playing good golf is more than hitting the ball long, or playing aggressively into every hole. It’s about playing the game to your strengths and playing the higher percentage shot. Remember that and you’ll have more birdie putts and MORE FUN!

Alan Reese

PGA Professional

Salem Golf Club

areese@pga.com