What Par 72 Course Has the Best Par 5's?

[Mike Nuzzo]

I always thought the par 5s at Black Mesa were super, the 2nd shots are all interesting.

[Phil Benedict]

Phil:

The par 72 leaning goes far beyond the influence of Augusta National.  There is a numerology thing about par 72 and the balance of it that has a huge influence on a lot of people ... in Japan it's virtually impossible to get a client to even consider anything but a perfectly balanced par 72 course, and a potential intern from Korea told me yesterday that every single course in Korea is par 72 for the same reason.

Tom,

Of your original courses, how many are par 72 with 4 par 5's?

[Kyle Harris]

Kyle, only two par 5's, though, right?

.

Yup, only two par 3's as well. So Par 72.

[Chris Cupit]

OK--"homer post" but I think the par 5s at The Honors Course are very good.  Even more interesting is that there is almost no water in play (one small creek on #6 affects the layup and a very small creek on #17 is really not in play at all).

#2  Blindish drive with a single pot bunker placed right of the fairway.  This little pot hides an enormous and deep bunker behind it and for some reason almost everyone wants to hit it over that little bunker.  It's not a long carry but once over the little bunker, you find yourself in a deeper one!  Drive is decpetive as you have to be disciplined and play farther left than you think.

Second shot agains deceives you and the proper lay up is way left.  It lenghtnes the hole but gives you a good angle looking down the length of the green.  Two huge bunkers down the right and a cut of rough blind to you cuts in on the right.  From the right rough its a tough shot with the angle of the green being very narrow.  Of course hitting it in the right bunkers leaves an 80 yard shot or so to a steeply elevated green.  Anything a foot short wiull roll 30-40 feet back and down into the bunker.

Hole used to be 520 and tempted you early in the round to try and get an "easy" birdie.  I think the hole is better at that yardage but it has been lenghtened to 570 and now I just hit 3-wood, layup and then a wedge.  No choices except for the college kids

#6  540 yards s-shaped hole.  Two options for the drive:  either hit safe and left away from the bunkers to a wide fairway or challenge them and try and carry them.

If you play safe and left, second shot is blind to a left to right sloping fairway.  There is a small creek in the woods on the right.  Depending on the hole location a layup safe and left is blocked behind a large oak and the shot on the very right edge of the fairway while guarranteeing a good view into the green brings the creek into play.

Big bomb over the bunkers off the tee can leave 240-265.  Green surrounded by native grasses, bunkers, large oak so if you hit it hole high you better be on the green or you will have either a lost ball, unplayable lie or very difficult up and down.  

#11  Another s-shaped hole.  About 560 but downhill and reachable.  Right is safe but leaves another blind lay up.  Left carry over a large grass hollow with native grasses further left opens up the hole.  Second shot leaves lots of choices.  Lay-up to 140 and safe or challenge the right hill side full of 4' grass and rough and a huge bunker starting 40 yards short of the green on the left.  The farther up the hill you hit it, the better the view and angle to the green.   A huge swale in the green demands that you hit it hole high or face a very difficult two putt.  Another large Oak left of the green can block those who tried to play too safe and pulled their second shot into the left rough.

#17  490 dogleg left.  Another semi-blind shot.  The farther left the better but this brings lots of trouble in play--more tall grass.  If you hit driver and pull it, you can be in rough or high stuff.  If you block it, the ball will be in the trees on the right usually stymied.  Lots of people hit a 3-wood and sacrifice distance to just hit the fairway.  Second shot is uphill to a very severe green tilted back to front.  Green guarded by a small pot on the right and "big bertha" short and left.  If you hit it in bertha, it's a very good shot just to get it out!

Lots of CHOICES and everyone can be a 3 or an 8!      

[Kyle Henderson]

Well some of fave collections of par-5s are Tobacco Road, royal new kent, red tail, hiawatha landing and I like sawgrass too.

Jay:I would definitely agree with Tobacco Road, except that it's a par-71.

I also second those who mentioned Black Mesa to some extent, although I seem to recall that the high altitude made most of the greens reachable (but potentially blind )with the second shot.

Lakota Canyon has 5 excellent par-5s and the appropriate par total. Also, the variety of the 3 shotters is stupendous: 2 are uphill, 2 are downhill, 1 is down off the tee and slightly up from there; a variety of straight and doglegging holes; only one has forced carries; all have strategic wide and narrow points in the playing corridor; risk/reward options abound and vary with day-to-day conditions. That's my winner.