To me, the "go, no-go" decision a player faces on a well designed drivable (or almost drivable) par-4 hole is probably the most fun one can have on a golf course. With only 18 holes to lay out, I love when an architect finds a place for one in their routing.
This past July, my wife and I took a sight-seeing trip to the Pacific Northwest. The grand finale was a round of golf at Bandon Dunes and two at Pacific Dunes. One of the most memorable holes (among many) was the 316 yard, 6th hole at Pacific. The fairway is canted from right to left but the small green is accessible (I'm told) if you keep the ball high up on the right side and then praying for a kick. The risk is a big yawning greenside bunker ringed with gnarly stuff, or what some of my pals call "shmutz." The green is begging, "Come and get me big boy - if you dare!"
The wind was benign on our first go around, so to defend the reasonable score I had to that point, I decided to lay up. On round number two, the wind was directly behind me. (Predominant wind?) The temptation was too much - with driver in hand, I laced one up the middle - a bad line! My ball found the shmutz, but I managed to make a great bogey. A better line might have done it, but what makes the hole great is that I 'm still thinking about it. Great fun!
My other two picks are also driveable par-4s. Their inclusion may lead to charges of my being a "homer" but Fenway Golf Club (my former home course) has a pair of beauties.
Their first hole is only 280 yards from the back tees. Maybe it's not a great hole because it doesn't require a torturous risk/reward decision. Nevertheless, it has never been given its due. I think the technology has actually made this hole better as more players are faced with the option. It is well bunkered (they've added a new cross-bunker on the right side about 240 yds out) and has a topsy-turvy green that my youngest brother once 5-putted. (I gave him the tap-in.) I've been told that a member knocked one in the jar no long ago, which represented a Fenway first - a double eagle ace.
Fenway's 15th is a 305 yds, uphill and slightly doglegged to the left. I really can't call this drivable because the reward versus the amount of risk is not favorable. Nevertheless, the golfer wants to safely get his ball as close to the green as possible. There is a bunker short and left of the green, which should be avoided, as well as two deep greenside ones. The green is not visible from the tee, but you get a good look at it while playing the 14th hole. The first thing you notice is the small size of the green. It is shaped like a raised upside-down wine bottle - very narrow and pitched from back to front. The front neck of the green seems like it's only a few paces wide, which makes a front pin location the most problematic. The blood pressure test should be administered while standing over the approach shot. It is the most nerve-racking short shot I've ever encountered. Because it's so narrow, left is bad, right as well, and long is death! Also, because the green is narrow, your angle of attack is very important. Holding the green from either side is very difficult, and if coming out of the rough - forget about it. It's a great little hole.