Have You Ever Driven A Par 4?

[John Foley]

1.  Have you ever driven a par 4 hole?  If so, provide one or two memorable instances, as these are memorable experiences.

Multiple times

Best experiance #1 is #8 @ Sand Hills (from middle tee's 285 yards) to 5 ft. Great birdie

Best experiance #2 - #13 (is that # correct) at WW Pine Barrens two putted for birdie. That is a great tee shot.

One eagle via chip in , none on putts. a few birdies and a few snowmen.

2.  What is your current handicap (to assess your general ability)?

Index is a 12

3.  What is your success rate when truly attempting to drive the green on a par 4?

On reaching the green? sub 10%

4.  To the best of your recollection, is your average score better when you lay up?

I would say yes, but I don't have the stats to prove it. Given that this is my favorite shot in all of golf, laying up is nopt something I like to do on these holes.

[Michael Dugger]

Yes, indeed.

Drove the 9th at Wildwood, a little sporty course near Portland.  Made the putt for eagle too.  It's about 280.

Drove pin high on two occasion on the 16th at Bandon Dunes.  Just left of the green, past the hateful little pot bunker.  Couldn't get up and down for birdie, however, each time burning the edge with my birdie putt.

Last two times I played Bandon Trails I drove to the front fringe on #7.  Like the 16th at Bandon, couldn't get the bird.  Lipped out this most recent time.  GRRR.

I've yet to make it home on the 17th at Pumpkin Ghost.  Never really been punished for going for it, either, so that's a no brainer to me.

Never even been close to driving the 14th at Heron Lakes Great Blue, which isn't a very long par 4.  Probably 310.

11th at Camas Meadows is quite short.  Been nearly pin high, but I think this is really a risky one to go for.  Never birdied either.

The 12th hole at Juniper GC is very drivable.  Never been close, however.  Probably should cease to do so there because it's killed me every time.  Lost the drive OB right each of my last two plays.

I usually have a decent wedge game, but I figure I'd rather be 50yds away then 100 so I go for it most of the time.  Only if a big carry is required will I bail out.  Never been close to the 16th, 6th or 1st at Pacific Dunes, but often times I'll hit driver because like I tell my golfing companions, I hit the driver as straight as anything so why not!

I currently play to a 16.6 (god I suck)

[Kyle Henderson]

Would rather have a hole-in-one.

I have never made a hole-in-one (par three or par four), but how about a double-eagle on a par-five.  That definitely helped my scorecard that day....

Once. Wildhorse (Davis, CA) #7.

[Pete Lavallee]

Wow, good question; it took me 6 hours but yes I have done it once that I can recall.

1.)  The short par 4 on the back nine of the Weiskopf Course at PGA West. This was truely a driveable par 4; all anyone had to do was hit their normal driver shot off the appropriate tee and if you hit a good one you'de get home. I did two putt for birdie.

2.)  8.1 this month.

3.)  Every drive on every par 4 is a layup for me; it's just a question of how close I'll get to the green. Generally I try to get as close as possible; the type of muni courses I play usually don't penalize you for getting too close, so long as you have a reasonable short game. Laying up means you have to hit your wedge yardage spot on or you end up with a partial shot anyways. I probably need to play courses which make me lay back every now and then a little more often; I can see how a Doak green might make the fuller shot easier to get close.

4.)  There is one hole at Coronado muni that either requirese a 200 yard tee shot followed by a full wedge or driver over the trees for pitch. I definetly score better with the layup but the driver is a hell of a lot more fun!

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Yes Yes Yes ncluding 9 at CPC, 14 at Moountain Lake and 7 at Sandhills. The opportunity to drive a par 4 is intoxicationg. It is more often than not a path to a bogie or worse. I rarely try this in a tournament. I think it is a hole that belongs on any  top course.

[Walter Bart]

  One of the best experiences in golf

 Mine are:

      1. The 13th at Farm Neck on MArtha's Vineyard ( Cut the dogleg)
      2. The 10th at Beverly Golf & Tennis - Beverly Mass. ( Cut Dogleg)
      3. The 5th at Beverly in frost conditions- through the green.
   
          Don't remember the scores.

          I am now a 14Hcp , never below a 12.  Not likely to repeat these as I have lost more than a llttle distance lately, less due to age, I think, than a swing that is not staying behind the ball properly.
       

[Jay Flemma]

...no, but I have hit par-5s in two...

[JESII]

There's a story around here that and old pro by the name of Bob Sheppard had eagle putts on every hole except the par threes at Sandy Run CC during his stint there...for you Philly guys...how 'bout them apples?

[Mark Arata]

I think I almost drove 14 at Rustic once, with a 50mph gust at my back and a wicked snap hook and roll....

Does the 9th at Kingsley count? I think I hit that green once!  

[Frank Sullivan]

All you guys heading to Pine Barrens for the Dixie Cup will have to try to drive #15 and report back to us!!!!!

[paul cowley]

Hell... I seem to have forgotten some of my own.....although I rarely get to play them

#4 Ocean creek, under 300 yards to a natural punch bowl green....a couple of 2's at least

#14 Orchard Creek, 270 yds....more than a couple of 2's.

#6 Retreat Course at Sea Island, 230 yd carry over water.

Great holes BTW...and  there are others...and others yet to come!

[Bill Gayne]

Only in a cart!

[David_Madison]

Yes, a few times. Usually don't hit the green, but my scoring average is a lot better going for it than not when the trouble is limited.

Handicap - 1

My greatest 20 minutes in golf: Drove #15 at World Woods Pine Barrens and made a 30' putt for eagle, right after holing a pitch for eagle on #14.

My favorite golf line, heard while watching a show on the Golf Channel featuring four long drive winners playing and hitting 350+ yard drives everywhere. One of the guys when asked his definition of a perfectly played hole answered "Drive the green and 3-putt."

[Patrick Hodgdon]

Yes #8 at Calusa Pines 2-3 times 2 birdies and a 3-putt par.

Also #5 Canyon Course at Superior National in Lutsen, MN. Almost drove #7 too.

Also #14 I think it is at Legends Golf Club in Prior Lake, MN. made birdie.

Also #16 at HideOut in Naples, FL. Par. (Pin was on the upper tier at least of a very sever two-tiered green.)

Probably go for it 100% if I made it on previously. 30-50% if not.

Success about 5-10%.

Average score is probably the same.

Handicap is 10.

[John Burzynski]

Never done it...we have a 275 yard par 4 around here that I fell short of the green by about 10 yards one time, in the middle of summer, after a drought, with the sun blazing and a dry humidity free 95 degree day....and a gale force wind at my back, with a slight downhill roll....

[Tom Roewer]

The first drive @ Gullane 1 I hit to about 15 feet and missed the putt for 2!
Iam a PGA Professional
I have tried to drive par 4's far too many times - (my home course had a beautiful short 4) Granville Inn & Golf Course #14
success rate was about 5%
I'm pretty sure that stroke average is better from laying up

[Wayne_Kozun]

Yes, a few times on the 280 yd 16th at my home course, Scarboro.  Generally from the white tees which play about 10-15 yds shorter.  There are no obstacles on a direct line to the hole but there is a gully which in recent years has been grown to rough height.  This can make it difficult when you are on the downslope in the gully and have a downhill lie to an elevated green.

I will generally try to drive this hole if it is downwind and I am driving well on the day - the green is of a decent size which makes things easier.

This hole is currently being changed and will have a left front bunker but that will not change my decision.

There is another drivable par 4 at Scarboro - the 7th.  But I don't think it is worth trying to drive it as there are too many bad things that can happen.  Here is a link to Ian Andrew's blog entry on the hole http://thecaddyshack.blogspot.com/2006/11/7th-at-scarboro.html

[Wayne Freeman]

  I've been fortunate to drive par 4's several times,  the best of which was at the 17th at Double Eagle. I'm a 2.6 but am not super long so anything over about 280 is pretty much out of reach.

   The first hole at our local muni Recreation Park in Long Beach, Calif. is 286 yards which everyone goes for:  it's a slight dogleg right but if you pull your drive just a little it will often bounce over the fence onto the street. The last time I was there one of my playing partners told me that his son once played in a match with Tiger in high school when Tiger was in the 10th or 11th grade.  He wasn't that familiar with the course apparently and hit his tee ball just left.  Everyone thought it was out,  but Tiger walked all the way to the ob fence to make sure, then walked all the way back to the tee. He then knocked his second tee shot on the green,  and of course made the putt for a routine 4.

[Grant Saunders]

I have driven plenty of par 4's over the years I've played.  The longest that I can think of is probably when I hit it through the back of a 325 metre (355 yd) par 4. The most memorable was driving the 6th at Kingsbarns with a 2 iron off the green tee to about 12 feet from the hole ( I made 3).

I will consider having a go at anything up to the 320 metre (350 yd) length depending on the conditions and how I'm hitting it on the day.  If it's only a casual game I very rarely lay up. In a tournament however, I tend to lay up more frequently especially if Im scoring well.

My success rate would be maybe on the putting surface maybe 1 out of 10 but I am usually not to far away with the misses. I would estimate that I make birdie maybe 4 out of 10 times. I tend to make a few birdies laying up but more importantly make plenty of pars and few bogies.

My handicap was 1 and now I maybe play to single figures still. I might play every 2 months on average.

[Drew Standley]

I've driven many Par 4's in my golfing life.  I think Krahenbuhl has a photo of me driving (I can't remember the hole) one out at Briggs Ranch in San Antonio.  I regularly drive #16 on the South Course at Blackhorse (Jacobsen/Hardy design) here in Houston.  It's a 315 yard hole that plays much shorter than the stated yardage.  Jim Hardy once was quoted as saying that it was his favorite short Par 4.  Take that with a grain of salt.

-Drew

[Pat Howard]

not that i can recall...

[Patrick_Mucci]

John,

I had a hole in one on one.

The 10th at Sherwood.

[James Boon]

Never driven the green on a par 4. Been just short or in a greenside bunker on several occasions though. Most memorable would be either coming up just short of my eagle with a chip on the 4th at St Enodoc or chipping in for eagle from pin high on the 8th at my home course but off the winter tees so probably only playing about 250 yards...

I play off 7 and have never really been a long hitter so not really given it a go that often. However, it is great fun to try but I have ended up in trouble more times from trying to drive a green than when laying up and pitching on, from where I seem more likley to make birdie.

Whether I try for a green or not usually depends on the format. With a decent score going in strokeplay, I'll lay up every time, but in match play I'll more often give it a go as the worst that can happen is losing just that hole.

[David Ober]

Let's take an informal survey here.  Please answer the following questions:

1.  Have you ever driven a par 4 hole?  Yes, many times -- especially when I was younger (I'm 40 now).

2.  What is your current handicap (to assess your general ability)? I generally fluctuate between 0 and +3

3.  What is your success rate when truly attempting to drive the green on a par 4? "Success rate" is very difficult to gauge. Do you mean "percentage of time the actual putting surface is reached"? If so, the success percentage would be very low. Maybe 5 to 10%. If you mean "putting the ball up close to or on the green (including in a greenside bunker), then I would say probably 70% or so.

4.  To the best of your recollection, is your average score better when you lay up? Hard to say. I would say probably about the same or maybe slightly better, but a lot of that depends on the particular hole.

[David Kelly]

I missed driving the 446 yard Par 4 14th at Rustic Canyon this morning by about 10 yards.  Actually I was above the green.

To be fair there was a pretty good wind behind us this morning.