What’s the best par 5 you’ve played? Why?

[Niall C]

I’m surprised that no one yet has mentioned the 13th at Silloth. Indeed IMO (although I don’t know that anyone agrees with me much) the other par 5’s at Silloth would give the 9th at Westward Ho! a run for its money, and I like that hole as well.

As has been pointed out before, Scotland isn’t over burdened with great or even very good par 5’s however the 6th at Carnoustie that Dai mentions is top notch but it doesn’t beat Silloth’s 13th IMO.

In my view both have what it takes for a good par 5 which is that every shot has a purpose beyond dunting it up in the general direction of the hole. Care and a bit of thought needs to go into each shot. Where I think the Silloth hole works better is that it is still a belter of a hole in any wind direction and still leaves you with a decision.

Niall

[John Kirk]

No mentions so far for:

14th hole at Sand Hills - I made eagle there once, converting a 3-foot, steeply downhill putt from behind the hole.  Only needed a 9-iron to reach the green, as my solid drive crested the hill and earned the power boost down to the far left side of the fairway.

16th hole at Shinnecock Hills - That lucky day I played this one, it seemed this hole had an ideal shape for strategic play.  The number of bunkers is a bit off-putting, but if I could play this one at 475-500 yards, it seems ideal in many ways.

13th hole at Augusta National - still an exemplary risk/reward par 5.

9th hole at San Francisco - Great strategic design as well.  Mostly, it's being on the 9th green that feels special.  Like Augusta, the 9th and 18th green are set way back from the clubhouse, so it feels spacious and luxurious out there.

18th hole at Tara Iti - The par 5 finisher here is among the best holes on the course.  If I recall correctly, the design is inspired by the Foxy at Dornoch.  It has an elaborate and flexible green design for changing the hole difficulty.  To balance things, I never figured this one out, struggling for bogey in all three tries.


However, after mulling it over, my favorite par 5 of all time is probably the 3rd at Pacific Dunes, the home state choice.  I've played 20-30 times, and never tire of the challenges presented by the tee shot and the approach shot over the deep fronting bunker.  Use plenty of club on the approach. 

[Martin Lehmann]

The 4th hole at World Woods Pine Barrens in Florida is a very good par 5. It makes wonderful use of the existing terrain, has a strong risk & reward character from tee to green and is good looking too.

[Pete Lavallee]

I found the concept of the 18th hole at Capilano to be unique; tackling the green head on is very risky as it is perched on a hill and well defended from that angle. Playing to the left of the green and attacking from 9 o’clock is a much easier shot. The 15th at Victoria Club in Riverside employs a similar strategy, it almost seems as if you are playing to the back of the green from straight on in the fairway. 

[Tim Martin]

I like # 4 at Lahinch-Klondyke. The drive and second shot as a set are as fun a pair as I can think of. You have to play the second blind over a huge sand dune and the mystery plays out until you finally get a look at the green. Finally the stone wall and street behind the green add an additional element of intrigue depending on how well you hit the second and the bounce as well. Really a fun hole to play.

[Michael Felton]

How about #4 at Bethpage Black?  It's certainly memorable and the blind shot into the green adds just a bit of doubt on the approach.  And, maybe the ultimate differentiator for a par-5 is that even a safe second shot has to be well placed.

I was thinking of this one. Off the tee you have to decide how brave you are going to be. If you bite off too much and hit it in the bunker, then you've got a choice about trying to get up the hill to the second bit of fairway or just play out to the end of the first bit of fairway. If you're too safe, you've got a really tough layup to the second bit of fairway. If you hit a good drive, you have a choice to make about whether to go for it. It's a short enough shot that you feel like you should go for it, but it's quite a lot uphill and then the green slopes away from you, so it's devilishly hard to hold. The sensible play is to play out to the right and leave you the pitch up the green, but do you have the strength of mind to do that? I don't.


Honourable mentions to:


 - 14 at RSG where the layup is really tough, but the tighter to the OB you get it the better chance you have for your next.
 - 7 at Pine Valley
 - 16 WHO is a great short par 5, where getting too aggressive can bring six into play remarkably easily.
 - 8 on WHO and 7 on BPB, where I got 2s

[Steve Salmen]

Great idea for a post. I've always held par 5s in a lower regard for the obvious reasons: you can play a relatively poor tee shot and still have a decent lay up and wedge to the green. You can also play a good tee shot and a mediocre second and still have a wedge in.


I love par 5s where the second shot is difficult whether you go for it or lay up. I like holes where you can let loose with driver, but the fairway narrows. Then, the same with the second shot, regardless if you play short or go for it.


#6 at Pebble, #8 at Crystal and #16 at Shinnecock are great examples. I think my personal favorite is #10 at Machrihanish. The drive is tough and the second is blind. The second shot is difficult whether you go for it or not. There is more room left than you think on the left, but you must carry the junk. There is more room right but you play away from the green. Fantastic hole IMO.

[Kalen Braley]

Call me nuts, but Sagebursh just may have the best collection of par 5s on any course I've played.

Terrific variety, uphill, downhill.  Some tight shots some wide open ones and plenty of ways to play em all.  #16 is pretty  unique, hard to even describe it, although its a bit rough on the high capper without a tail wind...

[Christian Newton]

For ‘play long-and-hard’ in the modern day era, where at least three good wacks are probably needed by even some longer hitters to get near the pretty highly contoured greens, try the 1st and the 5th on the Kilmore-9 at Carne. Is there a harder, more challenging 9-holes than the Kilmore?
Atb

I'll second a nomination for no. 5 on the Kilmore 9. A memorable look off the tee into a canyon fairway and wild optionality on the second shot and a good green complex. Dramatic and strategic. While it honors the ideas Hackett's work on the original 18, it's the best par 5 at the club.

I also want to mention no. 1 at Rustic Canyon. A terrific opener with many solutions and room for conservative play, heroics, and given its length, demands a thoughtful third shot of almost all of us. None of the five par fives at Rustic are bad. Three are very good. I think Hanse has a great batting average for par-5s generally.

[Garland Bayley]

Call me nuts, but Sagebursh just may have the best collection of par 5s on any course I've played.

Terrific variety, uphill, downhill.  Some tight shots some wide open ones and plenty of ways to play em all.  #16 is pretty  unique, hard to even describe it, although its a bit rough on the high capper without a tail wind...

What was it you took there? 11? 12? I know I won the hole with double digits and arthritic hands. So it had to be 11 or higher.

But then, with the right drive it has been driver, 5 iron, 2 putt birdie for the high handicapper, making one fairway level irrelevant.

I wouldn't call it great. I would call it weird. Quirky

[Garland Bayley]

For ‘play long-and-hard’ in the modern day era, where at least three good wacks are probably needed by even some longer hitters to get near the pretty highly contoured greens, try the 1st and the 5th on the Kilmore-9 at Carne. Is there a harder, more challenging 9-holes than the Kilmore?
Atb

I'll second a nomination for no. 5 on the Kilmore 9. A memorable look off the tee into a canyon fairway and wild optionality on the second shot and a good green complex. Dramatic and strategic. While it honors the ideas Hackett's work on the original 18, it's the best par 5 at the club.

I also want to mention no. 1 at Rustic Canyon. A terrific opener with many solutions and room for conservative play, heroics, and given its length, demands a thoughtful third shot of almost all of us. None of the five par fives at Rustic are bad. Three are very good. I think Hanse has a great batting average for par-5s generally.

Wow! Two diametrically opposed choices. i agree with RC being great, but being diametrically opposite, the Carne hole would be the opposite of great IMO.

[Kalen Braley]

Garland,


Not sure what you're asking here, but 16 is the one hole I recall best, but I really liked #1 and 14 as well.  Even #7 is pretty interesting as you get closer to the green.

[Joe Leenheer]

BRONZE: Pinehurst (2) #5....love the severity of the green
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[/size]SILVER: Pebble #6 for it's dramatic 2nd shot and seaside appeal (#18 just misses the podium mostly for sentimental reasons)
[/size]
[/size]GOLD:   Fox Chapel #2.   



 

[Steve_Lovett]

Seriously, why isn't 18 at Pebble Beach on anyone's list? It's strategic. It's memorable. It's historically significant. And, it's in one of the most beautiful settings of any golf hole on earth.

[Daryl David]

I will throw a couple of Doaks in the mix. Both outstanding. #4 at Tumble Creek and #10 at Rock Creek. Probably 2 of his best.

[Matthew Petersen]

I also want to mention no. 1 at Rustic Canyon. A terrific opener with many solutions and room for conservative play, heroics, and given its length, demands a thoughtful third shot of almost all of us. None of the five par fives at Rustic are bad. Three are very good. I think Hanse has a great batting average for par-5s generally.

I agree about all the par 5s at Rustic, but also that #1 is the best of the bunch.


Wide open drive so you can swing away for your first stroke of the day, but after that it's decision time about whether to lay up and if so where. For such a wide hole, the OB starts to look really threatening down that left side, if you're thinking of going for it. And if you think, "eh, it's a dry creek bed, how bad can it be to miss in there?" Well, you generally only have to do that once to be disabused of that notion. And the third looks simple but is tricky as it plays a bit more downhill than it looks with the green not holding quite as much as you think. I've seen more wedges missed over the green at that hole than probably any other. At the length, and downhill, it's a very real chance to start with birdie, but unlike a lot of par 5s that play relatively short, it can easily take bogies even from good players. And does so with just one bunker that is barely even in play off the tee. Really good hole.

[Tal Oz]

I also want to mention no. 1 at Rustic Canyon. A terrific opener with many solutions and room for conservative play, heroics, and given its length, demands a thoughtful third shot of almost all of us. None of the five par fives at Rustic are bad. Three are very good. I think Hanse has a great batting average for par-5s generally.

I agree about all the par 5s at Rustic, but also that #1 is the best of the bunch.


Wide open drive so you can swing away for your first stroke of the day, but after that it's decision time about whether to lay up and if so where. For such a wide hole, the OB starts to look really threatening down that left side, if you're thinking of going for it. And if you think, "eh, it's a dry creek bed, how bad can it be to miss in there?" Well, you generally only have to do that once to be disabused of that notion. And the third looks simple but is tricky as it plays a bit more downhill than it looks with the green not holding quite as much as you think. I've seen more wedges missed over the green at that hole than probably any other. At the length, and downhill, it's a very real chance to start with birdie, but unlike a lot of par 5s that play relatively short, it can easily take bogies even from good players. And does so with just one bunker that is barely even in play off the tee. Really good hole.

Definitely agree about the 5 par 5's at Rustic being exceptional. I think #5 is my favorite, #1 is a perfect handshake opener but if it came anywhere else in the routing I'd knock it a bit. A little too wide open on both tee shot and lay up, though that green is amazing. Everything but that front bowl pin location runs away from you even with wedge in hand.

#5 has everything I look for in a great par 5. Options off the tee, longer hitters can go up the left where you can have a go for it in 2, while shorter hitters (like myself) can try and tack on the right where the ball releases more. The second shot has tons of interest even if you aren't going for it. If you misplaced your teeball you have to decide if you can clear the barranca. How much of the native area on the left are you comfortable with clearing? How close to the pot bunker are you willing to go? Can you hold the green AND clear the turtleback left side without going over into that hidden bunker? Similarly, the third shot even with a wedge in hand can be difficult. You don't want to go over the pin or left or right of the green. Recovery left of that turtleback is one of the most fun shots, but I've had that ball return to my feet countless times. You can literally pick any club from hybrid to bump to wedge to putter. Missing right of the green seems like the good side to miss on but the fall off is just perfect where you want your ball to crest to the top and then let gravity funnel the ball towards the hole. Danger lurks for the player who tries to fly the ball onto the surface because the turtleback comes into play again!

[Stewart Abramson]

Two of my favorites that haven't been mentioned are Western Gailes #6 and Ballyneal #8

[Wayne_Kozun]

#15 at Cabot Cliffs - I love the scale and scope of this hole.  It has an interesting tee shot where you can take the high road to the left or take the safer route to the right - but beware the bunker in the centre.  As you crest the hill you see a spectacular view of the ocean that takes your breath away and leads to the anticipation of your tee shots at 16 and 17.  If you hit a decent drive the green is very reachable in two as the shot is severely downhill, but there are bunkers to navigate and going long is death.

[thomaslaffont]

The first at San Francisco Golf Club is both one of my favorite Par 5s as well one of my favorite openings holes.


The tee shot is wide open and inviting for the first stroke of the round. The second shot requires a strategic decision - go for a chance at the green but a poor shot will result in an awkward lie or lay up safely to get a longer shot off a flat lie.


The green complex is magnificent - a bunker protecting the left side, a visually arresting slope on the right that will heavily penalize a wayward shot. The back drops off beautifully with views of Lake Merced that have been opened up nicely.


Everything you could ask for from an opening hole and a par 5.

[Rick Shefchik]

Seriously, why isn't 18 at Pebble Beach on anyone's list? It's strategic. It's memorable. It's historically significant. And, it's in one of the most beautiful settings of any golf hole on earth.

Completely agree. Is PB #18 considered a dumb blonde? I hate the tree in the middle of the fairway -- I hate any tree in the middle of any fairway -- but that doesn't even diminish the hole all that much, in my opinion. For mortals, the drive is cheek-clenching, especially if you have any designs of getting home in two. The second shot presents some of the same challenges -- ocean left, OB right -- but adds distance judgement, assuming you're trying to lay up to a yardage. The approach over the front right bunker is more visual intimidation, but like all three shots, it can be played if you're competent and not overwhelmed about where you are and how this is your last chance to do something noteworthy. This hole immediately came to mind when I saw the thread title. If it's too obvious a choice, I can live with that.

[Will Lozier]

I immediately thought of two of my favourite (without thinking necessarily "best") that happen to be only 4 holes apart on the same course. The 12th and 16th at The Addington are wonderful three-shotters without a single bunker between them. Amazing topography - hardly the "dull" land some architects describe as being perhaps best for long holes. I must say though that I remember the 12th as a par-4 when I played it.


Another that came to mind is the 17th at Springfield CC which is a hair under 600 yards. A heroic blind tee shot over a gulley out of a chute of trees is a blast to play with the hole flowing downhill and left (while sloping right) from there making for an unlikely 4 and a tough 5. Not nearly the best hole on the course, but one of my favorites.

[Peter Pallotta]

After reading this thread I went back to Bart's opening post and was struck by his idea that Par 5s are 'revelatory', ie that they offer unique insights (relative to the other 'pars') into an architect's approach to design. At the same time, I've been listening to one of my favourite musicians, famous for amazing technique/facility and for blazing through up-tempo numbers; but for me (and many) his great musicianship and mastery come  through most of all when he is playing slow ballads -- it is then that I can most 'hear' his talent and get the clearest sense of his ideas on how to explore a theme and build a solo. Which is to ask: do you think that Par 5s offer us the best (of all the 'pars') window into an architect's ethos and design philosophy?

[Mark Pearce]

I can't believe Niall is the only person to suggest 13 at Silloth.  The best set of par 5s I have played is at Muirfield, where each par 5 is an excellent hole.  But 13 at Silloth would be the best there.  It's unique.  Each shot is harder than the previous one.  The drive, to a wide fairway, needs to be well placed to give an easier second.  This is a rare hole where the middle of the fairway is the best lace to be off the tee.  Be far to either side and you're playing across a narrow, hogs back fairway with your second.  Be near the middle and long (but not long enough to run into the broken ground at the end of the first part of the fairway) and you have a view through and up the gap between two dunes, to that elevated hogsback fairway.  If you're far enough down, dreams of going for it in two come into consideration, though that elevated green, with steep drop offs on either side to rough makes the risk greater than on many par 5s.  Hit the fairway with your lay up and you leave a steeply uphill wedge to a long, reasonably narrow green where missing either side is horrible.  If you do miss to the side, there's no guarantee you'll be able to hold the green with a chip.


It can be a birdie chance but, in any sort of wind, a 7 can feel like an OK score.  And all achieved without a bunker in sight.  Brilliant.

[RichMacafee]

I love the 14th at Royal St.Georges and think it's one of the best strategic uses of out of bounds on any golf hole in the world that I've played