"Wayne:
I've seen those holes with different pars on the card. I don't understand what is the big deal about it, why they just don't call them par fives for everyone -- if they did, a three would be a lot more exciting and the shot to the green would be a lot more tempting, yet the guy who couldn't get there would still be fine."
I would agree with this, Tom if there was no handicapping. Maybe my analysis is faulty, but here's my take:
The definition of par seems to counter this argument and has a resulting effect on handicapping. Par is the likely score of a scratch golfer so short par 5s that average 4.4 or less for scratch players (except the unusually short-off-the-tee Tom Paul) should be a par 4 for them. Even though such holes may be relatively easy, these should be among the lower handicap holes on the course with bogey golfers averaging a stroke or more higher. This is why I think it is OK to have two different pars for the scratch and bogey golfer. Better that than changing the hole for the worse by adding tees that disconnect the strategy as with the back tee on 18 at Rolling Green or a prime example the 12th at the Old Course at the Homestead.
The short par 5s are low handicap holes at Philadelphia Country Club but not at Rolling Green, so I may be full of sh*t in my reasoning.
Wayne
Just saw this post so I apologize for bringing up old stuff.
Your quote about the PCC par 5 handicaps is just that. Our 6th hole which measures 480 or so from the middle tees and only 500 from the back is a par 5 and is our number one stroke hole due to the fact that most higher handicaps cannot hit it over the creek in two (about 120 from green) and have to lay up at 160 and then try and hit a wood uphill to a two tier green. Number 3 is the 5th stroke hole and number 12 is the 6th. What are the numbers for Rolling Green's par 5's?
When we did our stroke hole allocation in 2002 and then again in 2006 it jumped up from the 10th stroke hole. But as for overall diffiuclty it ranked as the 16th hardest hole when you combined the two stroke averages on the hole. Our members could not believe how it became number one, but the numbers don't lie. And our everyday scorecard is considered a match play scorecard based on the USGA stroke hole allocation recommendation. We also had a stroke play card from 2002-2005, until the members complained about the different cards. Still don't understand why since the only time they used the stroke play cards was in tournaments and the cards were computer generated.
The USGA made the 6th hole a par 4 of 499 for the US Amateur, I think part of that is to get the scratch player to feel like he has to hit the green in regulation and thus take more chances than he would if thinks it is a par 5 and realizes that the lay up is a smarter play.
Tim DeBaufre who our DeBaufre Players Trophy is named after and Tim sets up the golf course for the event, changes the par on the scorecard every year (mainly the 6th hole and used to be the 12th before the new back tee). But he was always telling us to not worry about the par of a hole, but just to play the hole and make as low of a score as possible.