A par five first hole

[Tommy Williamsen]

Most courses open with a par four-some like Oakmont a killer and some like Merion a gentle handshake. I think I have grown to like a par five opener. At some courses it is a good way to make a par or birdie before it gets brutal, like Royal County Down. Some set the stage for what is to come like Sand Hills. San Francisco and Olympic allow for a mistake and still make par.


When I was a member at Four Streams Smyers started us off with a reachable par five that put me in a good mood.

[Cal Seifert]

One of my favorite opening holes is the par 5 1st at Hooper. It provides adequate width, is not overly long, and has a brilliant green. It is hard not to get excited when walking into the pro shop before the round.

[James Brown]

Thinking on this, I can think of relatively few course I really like that start with par fives and many courses I like that start with short par fours.


A couple examples:


Par 5 Starters:
UNM South Course
Sunningdale Old


Short Par 4 Starters:
Pacific Dunes
Royal Dornoch
National Golf Links

[Carl Rogers]

Tobacco Road: opener ...[size=78%]1st tee shot informs the golfer that this golf course is a unique experience.[/size]

[mike_beene]

Does this also space the golfers out better or does it take an early par 3 to get the course moving?

[Jeff Schley]

Par 5's on the first are welcome provided the fairway is forgiving. Olympia Fields, RCD and Sunningdale come to mind. Particularly Sunningdale Old.  I landed at Heathrow at 6 am and had the tee at 730 am at the Old I had to get to to make my 36 hole day possible. I landed, got my clubs and then waited to get a taxi then there was construction on the way.  I jogged into the clubhouse, put on my shoes and jogged to the first tee where the caddie had my bag and driver out. It was 735 and topped my drive after a few practice swings.
What did I do?  Mulligan!  haha Proceeded to have a glorious day as a single trotting around what I feel is the best 36 hole facility in the world.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Par 5's on the first are welcome provided the fairway is forgiving. Olympia Fields, RCD and Sunningdale come to mind. Particularly Sunningdale Old.  I landed at Heathrow at 6 am and had the tee at 730 am at the Old I had to get to to make my 36 hole day possible. I landed, got my clubs and then waited to get a taxi then there was construction on the way.  I jogged into the clubhouse, put on my shoes and jogged to the first tee where the caddie had my bag and driver out. It was 735 and topped my drive after a few practice swings.
What did I do?  Mulligan!  haha Proceeded to have a glorious day as a single trotting around what I feel is the best 36 hole facility in the world.

Jeff I had a similar experience in England, except that my first round was at Walton Heath Old and I had that brutally long par three as my first hole. It wasn't pretty. Before I got to the second tee I was two over par.

[AChao]

I like Par 5 first holes also ... as long as it doesn't cause stress in not making a birdie.

[David Jones]

The par 5 1st at Doonbeg is a great opener, one of the best holes on the course. Those dunes are quite something.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Par 5 openers that I LOVE:


Valley Club
Old Elm
Shoreacres (from members tee)
Exmoor
Onwentsia

[Thomas Dai]

Prevailing wind direction can make quite a difference between how the same opening par-5, any hole really, plays. Some locations more than others.
Atb

[Ally Mcintosh]

Quite often, links courses start with a Par-5 as a way of getting away from the clubhouse - often positioned on flatter ground remote from the sea - towards the wilder dunes close to the shore as quickly as possible.


Perhaps the best example of this was the old routing at Enniscrone which used two really mundane three shotters in a row to get away from the clubhouse... but in general, I’d lay a bet that links courses have a higher percentage than normal of par-5 openers.

[Bernie Bell]

At Wyncote in PA, 1 and 10 are parallel par 5s, separated by water and sharing a green.  I can think of several courses that have a similar set-up coming back to the house on 9 and 18, but none off the top of my head that do so heading out.  9 and 18 at Wyncote are also par 5s, but coming in from opposite directions.


Tom, Four Streams was an unconventional start.  First tee shot is blind and (as I recall) your aim point is based on giant transmission towers.

[Jeff_Brauer]

I have designed par 5 openers enough that a few locals who have played many of my courses wonder if that is one of my design standards.  It is not, but if that is the way the land falls, that is which way I go.  From memory, I count only 7 of about 40 regulation courses, and another 2 because they flipped the nines.


When I do it, I strive for a true 3 shot par 5 for most players, just as I avoid short and drivable par 4 starters.  In both cases, either waiting for the green to clear so you can reach it, and/or still being within 3 Wood range after a muffed shot or two, causing minor delays as some players must wait to hit their second (or third) shots can get everyone's round off to a slow start.


In theory, par 5's give enough length to get golf groups away from the clubhouse, and are technically easier than par 4 holes, although hitting a 3 wood off the turf on the second shot of the day does cause some consternation among many.
[size=0pt][/size]

[Tim Gavrich]

Pawleys Plantation in SC starts with a par 5, then a tough 4. I've probably started a round there 4-5 more times than I've started 5-4. A gentle par-5 opener on an otherwise tough course puts a bit of extra pressure on the golfer to make hay immediately, which I think is a nice psychological effect.


Other courses I like with par-5 starts:
- Connecticut National
- Dye Preserve
- Innisbrook Copperhead
- Lakewood National (Commander)
- Streamsong Black
- Reynolds Lake Oconee (Creek Club)
- Big Cedar Lodge (Ozarks National & Buffalo Ridge Springs)
- Tobacco Road
- True Blue
- The Olde Farm
- Chambers Bay

[Tommy Williamsen]

At Wyncote in PA, 1 and 10 are parallel par 5s, separated by water and sharing a green.  I can think of several courses that have a similar set-up coming back to the house on 9 and 18, but none off the top of my head that do so heading out.  9 and 18 at Wyncote are also par 5s, but coming in from opposite directions.


Tom, Four Streams was an unconventional start.  First tee shot is blind and (as I recall) your aim point is based on giant transmission towers.

Bernie, after a while you forget that the tee shot is blind. You know where it is going to end up.

[Tom_Doak]

I've done several par-5 openers (as did George Thomas) - Stonewall Old and Black Forest and Barnbougle among them - but they are not my favorite opening holes.  If I were designing on a blank canvas I would not go that way.  A par-5 opener needs to be pretty dull or there is the possibility of making six to start, which is no fun.

[Ira Fishman]

No 1 at the River Course at Blackwolf Run is a very good Par 5 although it does present the risk of a big number.


Ira

[Kalen Braley]

Indian Canyon starts with two short par 5s back to back, and it gets the round off to an incredibly slow start as everyone thinks they can reach in two, and rarely do. But at least after that its usually smooth sailing the rest of the round..

P.S Is Chambers Bay a par 5 now?

[Jim Sherma]

I tend to like a par 5 to start the day. Saucon Valley Old and Hershey East are two more good courses with 5's to start. I always feel like you can get away with a little sloppiness on a swing or two and still get in a good position by the green if you play for a par.


Wyncote was an example that I did not like as the hole was lost with anything missed right. Very high chance for a blow up for the average golfer that early in the round.

[Dan Gallaway]

Indian Canyon starts with two short par 5s back to back, and it gets the round off to an incredibly slow start as everyone thinks they can reach in two, and rarely do. But at least after that its usually smooth sailing the rest of the round..

P.S Is Chambers Bay a par 5 now?

Yes, CB is Par 5.  Groups got off to a slow start when it was a Par 4.  Should be able to get par even with a poor shot, but if you're a bogey golfer and think you're going to get a birdie, the side slope can certainly wreak havoc on you.  I've still got a copy of the yardage guide from when #1 was a par 4 and #13 was a par 5.  If any NW folks want to see it.


Inglewood starts with back to back 5s as well.  I believe they are just opening back up from some significant renovation, including #2.  Not sure if it is still a Par 5?

[David Wuthrich]

I personally like courses that gradually get more challenging as they move along.  NGLA is a prime example.  Buckle up on the third hole after easing into the round with the first two holes.

[Steve Lapper]

I've done several par-5 openers (as did George Thomas) - Stonewall Old and Black Forest and Barnbougle among them - but they are not my favorite opening holes.  If I were designing on a blank canvas I would not go that way.  A par-5 opener needs to be pretty dull or there is the possibility of making six to start, which is no fun.

Tom,


 I am interested in better understanding your last sentence, "A par-5 opener needs to be pretty dull or there is the possibility of making six to start, which is no fun."


 Surely no one likes an initial bogey (and I've had my fair share) but the same can be said for any par-4. Why/how does making it par-5 make a difference whatsoever?
 
  As you noted, George Thomas did a few (most notably LACC and Riviera) and they are rather benign "gentle handshakes."

  Across dozens of plays on these two holes they've yielded several eagles, lots of pars and a few bogeys. Both openers let a player "warm-up a bit," making a few swings and allowing for potentially one more scrambling stroke to find par. I might well be in the minority, but a moderate par-5 always helps ease me into a round, especially as opposed to a difficult or precision par-4.

[Tim Martin]

I've done several par-5 openers (as did George Thomas) - Stonewall Old and Black Forest and Barnbougle among them - but they are not my favorite opening holes.  If I were designing on a blank canvas I would not go that way.  A par-5 opener needs to be pretty dull or there is the possibility of making six to start, which is no fun.

Tom,


 I am interested in better understanding your last sentence, "A par-5 opener needs to be pretty dull or there is the possibility of making six to start, which is no fun."


 Surely no one likes an initial bogey (and I've had my fair share) but the same can be said for any par-4. Why/how does making it par-5 make a difference whatsoever?
 
  As you noted, George Thomas did a few (most notably LACC and Riviera) and they are rather benign "gentle handshakes."

  Across dozens of plays on these two holes they've yielded several eagles, lots of pars and a few bogeys. Both openers let a player "warm-up a bit," making a few swings and allowing for potentially one more scrambling stroke to find par. I might well be in the minority, but a moderate par-5 always helps ease me into a round, especially as opposed to a difficult or precision par-4.

I can live with bogey on the opener regardless of par. Double bogey not so much.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Steve, I tend to agree that the par five should not be the strongest par five of the course. If the opener is a par four writing down a five isn’t so bad but a six isn’t any fun. Par fives are birdie holes. Where I live the par five opener is the best hole on a course with few good holes. I wish it were the last hole.