512 yard eagle stirred up some anger

[Lagavulin62]

Topped a drive on a short par 5 and had 270-odd to the green from the rough.

 

Wow, that's a really, really short par 5.

 

 

Or a veeeeeeeery long top. Imagine this guy topping one at Carnoustie. : )

[youngstructural]

This is why laying up is the solution.

 

Keep pace moving.

Keeps guys on tee from getting crazy.

Keeps folks taking too long on greens from getting shelled.

And you'll likely score better.

 

250 out on a par five... 9iron then SW. Most likely leaves you a look at birdie and likely a par.

 

250 out trying to take a run at it could bring 6 or 7 to the score card.

 

Also hitting into people so as to "return the favor" is infinitely worse. It's premeditated and immature, and potentially life threatening.

 

If someone hits into you it's ok to be a gentleman over it, it's ok to be annoyed by it, it's ok to not care, it's ok to say something (within reason)... It's never ok to hit back into them ... Unless of course your a childish dbag.

[deadsolid...shank]

This is why laying up is the solution.

 

250 out on a par five... 9iron then SW. Most likely leaves you a look at birdie and likely a par.

 

250 out trying to take a run at it could bring 6 or 7 to the score card.

 

 

It’s all so true. But the allure of that one spectacular shot is sooooo strong. Nothing as exciting as that risk/reward second into a par five.

[rawdog]

This is why laying up is the solution.

 

250 out on a par five... 9iron then SW. Most likely leaves you a look at birdie and likely a par.

 

250 out trying to take a run at it could bring 6 or 7 to the score card.

 

 

It’s all so true. But the allure of that one spectacular shot is sooooo strong. Nothing as exciting as that risk/reward second into a par five.

 

Why leave yourself 100 yards when you could leave yourself 50, 40, 30? Shot doesn't need to be 100 yards out to miss the trouble around the green on most holes.

 

Hell, depending on the course, there may be no trouble. It's not about hitting a perfect shot, it's about leaving yourself the easiest 3rd shot. Usually a pitch or chip, even from the rough, is going to result in better birdie looks. Obviously, if hazards (bunkers included) come into play, then laying up to 30, 40, 50 yards may be best.

[deadsolid...shank]

This is why laying up is the solution.

 

250 out on a par five... 9iron then SW. Most likely leaves you a look at birdie and likely a par.

 

250 out trying to take a run at it could bring 6 or 7 to the score card.

 

 

It’s all so true. But the allure of that one spectacular shot is sooooo strong. Nothing as exciting as that risk/reward second into a par five.

 

Why leave yourself 100 yards when you could leave yourself 50, 40, 30? Shot doesn't need to be 100 yards out to miss the trouble around the green on most holes.

 

Hell, depending on the course, there may be no trouble. It's not about hitting a perfect shot, it's about leaving yourself the easiest 3rd shot. Usually a pitch or chip, even from the rough, is going to result in better birdie looks. Obviously, if hazards (bunkers included) come into play, then laying up to 30, 40, 50 yards may be best.

 

We do however have a couple of par fives where that isn’t the situation. Becasue of slopes, mounding, and extremely small areas of the green it’s virtually impossible to get up and down (without holing a 10-15’er from the fringe) if you miss anywhere near pin high.

 

I vowed to myself a couple of years ago that if the pins were in these positions I wouldn’t go for it in two, yet ......I still do almost every time. ��. Even though I think it’s easier to get it close (talking inside 10’) from 70-100 yards as opposed to a 15’ pitch. It’s still (for me allure of the eagle.

[whynotgolf]

I got my first eagle of the year with some pretty good shots on a 512 yard par 5. My drive was about 260 yards, leaving about the same to the green for the second shot. Hit a low draw on the second shot landing about 75 yards in front of the green and rolled up 10ft past the flag. The problem was the foursome in front of us was still putting on the green. On a previous par 5 my second shot rolled up about 5 yards short of the green. One of the guys in the foursome got angry with me, very controlled though, and let me know how he felt. I apologized and told him it was my second shot and I didn't think I could reach the green from where I was. Standing over the putt, I was determined to put a quality stroke on the ball, and I did, sinking about a 10 footer.

Question:

How would you have responded if you were in the foursome putting out?

 

Key word..."rolled" up.

 

Me, two thumbs up!

 

Not for eagle, but a similar situation happened to me...18th hole at our home course. A long tough par 4, uphill. I land in a FW bunker with a little tuft of sand behind the ball so not a great lie..218 to the middle of the green playing like maybe 225. Group ahead still on the green, my playing partner says go ahead thinking like I was there's no way I'm reaching the green from there. Somehow I flush a 3H..lands 20 yds or so short but rolls onto the green....they can't see me in the bunker until I walk out.

 

I wave and they walk off with waving back...I'm fully expecting to take some grief over it, but to my surprise they were impressed with my shot noting that it was rolling when it got on the green, they never felt in harms way...FWIW, I made the putt for birdie....been paying for it since.

 

Since then I've been in the same bunker a couple of times and I just waited and of course never even get close to the green.

[rawdog]

This is why laying up is the solution.

 

250 out on a par five... 9iron then SW. Most likely leaves you a look at birdie and likely a par.

 

250 out trying to take a run at it could bring 6 or 7 to the score card.

 

 

It's all so true. But the allure of that one spectacular shot is sooooo strong. Nothing as exciting as that risk/reward second into a par five.

 

Why leave yourself 100 yards when you could leave yourself 50, 40, 30? Shot doesn't need to be 100 yards out to miss the trouble around the green on most holes.

 

Hell, depending on the course, there may be no trouble. It's not about hitting a perfect shot, it's about leaving yourself the easiest 3rd shot. Usually a pitch or chip, even from the rough, is going to result in better birdie looks. Obviously, if hazards (bunkers included) come into play, then laying up to 30, 40, 50 yards may be best.

 

We do however have a couple of par fives where that isn't the situation. Becasue of slopes, mounding, and extremely small areas of the green it's virtually impossible to get up and down (without holing a 10-15'er from the fringe) if you miss anywhere near pin high.

 

I vowed to myself a couple of years ago that if the pins were in these positions I wouldn't go for it in two, yet ......I still do almost every time. ��. Even though I think it's easier to get it close (talking inside 10') from 70-100 yards as opposed to a 15' pitch. It's still (for me allure of the eagle.

 

If the landing areas are that small, wouldn't that mean it's also easier to miss the green with a wedge from 100 yards? Then you're having to get up and down from those same tough lies.

 

You aren't guaranteed a make-able birdie putt just because you are 100 yards out. People still miss to the fat part, or miss the green altogether. Pulls, skulls, etc.

 

So if you miss the green in 2, and you have a chip/pitch, and you're forced to chip to the fat part of the green, so what? If you're really smart, you'll plan your miss on the second shot to give you some green to work with. If you're less fortunate, you're still probably going to get it to 2-putt range.

 

The advantage of going for a green in 2 is not necessarily getting the eagle. It's eliminating the risk of missing the green on your third shot. You're basically locking in a par, even if you have to pitch to a fat part of the green.

 

EDIT: Anyway, point is, if you're always laying up because you want to keep playing rather than waiting for the green to clear, you're leaving lower scores on the table.

[deadsolid...shank]

This is why laying up is the solution.

 

250 out on a par five... 9iron then SW. Most likely leaves you a look at birdie and likely a par.

 

250 out trying to take a run at it could bring 6 or 7 to the score card.

 

 

It's all so true. But the allure of that one spectacular shot is sooooo strong. Nothing as exciting as that risk/reward second into a par five.

 

Why leave yourself 100 yards when you could leave yourself 50, 40, 30? Shot doesn't need to be 100 yards out to miss the trouble around the green on most holes.

 

Hell, depending on the course, there may be no trouble. It's not about hitting a perfect shot, it's about leaving yourself the easiest 3rd shot. Usually a pitch or chip, even from the rough, is going to result in better birdie looks. Obviously, if hazards (bunkers included) come into play, then laying up to 30, 40, 50 yards may be best.

 

We do however have a couple of par fives where that isn't the situation. Becasue of slopes, mounding, and extremely small areas of the green it's virtually impossible to get up and down (without holing a 10-15'er from the fringe) if you miss anywhere near pin high.

 

I vowed to myself a couple of years ago that if the pins were in these positions I wouldn't go for it in two, yet ......I still do almost every time. ��. Even though I think it's easier to get it close (talking inside 10') from 70-100 yards as opposed to a 15' pitch. It's still (for me allure of the eagle.

 

If the landing areas are that small, wouldn't that mean it's also easier to miss the green with a wedge from 100 yards? Then you're having to get up and down from those same tough lies.

 

You aren't guaranteed a make-able birdie putt just because you are 100 yards out. People still miss to the fat part, or miss the green altogether. Pulls, skulls, etc.

 

So if you miss the green in 2, and you have a chip/pitch, and you're forced to chip to the fat part of the green, so what? If you're really smart, you'll plan your miss on the second shot to give you some green to work with. If you're less fortunate, you're still probably going to get it to 2-putt range.

 

The advantage of going for a green in 2 is not necessarily getting the eagle. It's eliminating the risk of missing the green on your third shot. You're basically locking in a par, even if you have to pitch to a fat part of the green.

 

EDIT: Anyway, point is, if you're always laying up because you want to keep playing rather than waiting for the green to clear, you're leaving lower scores on the table.

 

Obviously that’s true, but at 70-100 yards I like my chances of hitting the green. And hopefully if I do miss it’s inside the mounding where the chance of getting up and down is exponentially higher than the back side of one of those mounds.

 

But in general, I do agree, I’m going for it in two with the expectations that around the green gives me a better chance for the birdie than up and down from 100.

[rawdog]

 

But in general, I do agree, I’m going for it in two with the expectations that around the green gives me a better chance for the birdie than up and down from 100.

 

I agree with your last sentence.

 

Side note, I know you're not a "stats" guy, but you strike me as a guy who wants information before making a decision.

 

So, for pros or anyone with a vested interest in performing their best, these situations would be best served by plotting misses and then laying that on top of a map of the hole. It's a bit tedious, but if you can guess pin locations for a tourney, you can figure out what club to hit based on miss patterns, to avoid those mounded areas, sand, etc.

 

There is tech out there that can take all that historical data and then suggest a optimum strategy including which combination of clubs to hit. It's probably clunky and not totally accurate, but we're getting to a point where as collecting this data becomes easier, we can even reasonably predict what your score will be on a given hole if you go with Strategy A vs. Strategy B.

 

Kinda like how google maps can tell you it's 20 mins to the bar if you take the highway but 28 if you take surface streets.

[deadsolid...shank]

 

But in general, I do agree, I’m going for it in two with the expectations that around the green gives me a better chance for the birdie than up and down from 100.

 

I agree with your last sentence.

 

Side note, I know you're not a "stats" guy, but you strike me as a guy who wants information before making a decision.

 

So, for pros or anyone with a vested interest in performing their best, these situations would be best served by plotting misses and then laying that on top of a map of the hole. It's a bit tedious, but if you can guess pin locations for a tourney, you can figure out what club to hit based on miss patterns, to avoid those mounded areas, sand, etc.

 

There is tech out there that can take all that historical data and then suggest a optimum strategy including which combination of clubs to hit. It's probably clunky and not totally accurate, but we're getting to a point where as collecting this data becomes easier, we can even reasonably predict what your score will be on a given hole if you go with Strategy A vs. Strategy B.

 

Kinda like how google maps can tell you it's 20 mins to the bar if you take the highway but 28 if you take surface streets.

 

Yeah, even though I’m technically not a stats guy, I’m still using them. Just in my own very less technical or official way I guess. Using past results to obtain my information.

[jonsnow]

I don't think you did anything that should have upset most people. The conversation could have been a lot more heated. We were playing the Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head a couple of years ago & one of my buddies was playing really well. On the 10th hole he hit another really good drive & asked us if he should wait for the group on the green to putt out before hitting his second shot. #10 is a fairly long par 5 & plays into the prevailing wind, it runs straight out to the beach. All the years we have gone, none of us have ever threatened to hit it in two. He had a similar distance to your shot. The others in our group thought he should go ahead, I told him I thought he could get on the front of the green but they were on the back of a very large green. He hit a career 3 wood & rolled it up on the front of the green probably close to 30 yards from where the guys were putting on the back. I was surprised they even noticed it, but one of them marches down to his ball & picks it up. My buddy approached them on the next tee & the guy chewed him out, told him not to be so impatient before giving him his ball back.

 

My buddy is one of the nicest, most easygoing guys you will ever meet & asked us if he had done something wrong. I told him there are jerks everywhere...

[TLUBulldogGolf]

You definitely should have waited if you had already done it once before in the same round. Sure you weren't going to harm anyone but it's just poor etiquette in my opinion.

[jlbos83]

Well, nice shots! But, after the first one, your explanation that you didn't think you could get there doesn't hold much water, does it? Just wait! You are clearly keeping up, let them clear the green!

[ClintDagger]

I don't think you did anything that should have upset most people. The conversation could have been a lot more heated. We were playing the Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head a couple of years ago & one of my buddies was playing really well. On the 10th hole he hit another really good drive & asked us if he should wait for the group on the green to putt out before hitting his second shot. #10 is a fairly long par 5 & plays into the prevailing wind, it runs straight out to the beach. All the years we have gone, none of us have ever threatened to hit it in two. He had a similar distance to your shot. The others in our group thought he should go ahead, I told him I thought he could get on the front of the green but they were on the back of a very large green. He hit a career 3 wood & rolled it up on the front of the green probably close to 30 yards from where the guys were putting on the back. I was surprised they even noticed it, but one of them marches down to his ball & picks it up. My buddy approached them on the next tee & the guy chewed him out, told him not to be so impatient before giving him his ball back.

 

My buddy is one of the nicest, most easygoing guys you will ever meet & asked us if he had done something wrong. I told him there are jerks everywhere...

I’ve never been hit by a golf ball (many close calls though), but I know many dudes that have and they are usually very sensitive about balls bounding or rolling into them. Sounds like your buddy knew he could possibly get to the green. The guys on the green don’t know your buddy’s limits. For all they know he could have caught it even better and flew into them. If you think you can get there, what does it hurt to wait until they plant the flag and walk off? I personally wouldn’t have got hot at your friend for hitting into me and wouldn’t have picked up his ball but if some day I take a Titleist off of the dome maybe my perspective will change.

[Mikey5e]

Well, nice shots! But, after the first one, your explanation that you didn't think you could get there doesn't hold much water, does it? Just wait! You are clearly keeping up, let them clear the green!

Well, actually the first one never got to the green, it ended up about 5 yds short. It still made an impression, though. I think the dry/hard turf slipped by calculations in determining whether I should hit or not.

[youngstructural]

I used 100 yards as an approximate wedge distance bc that's why I like. Layup to whatever number you like. Key word is lay up.

 

[Sean2]

I don't have a problem having to wait on the tee while golfer(s) in the fairway wait for the green to clear. They paid their greens fees, if they want to go for it...and can get there with a well struck shot...why not? However, the guy who hits a well struck drive for him that goes 215 yards, and has 250 to the green and waits for it to clear...that I have a problem with. :-)

[nsxguy]

I used 100 yards as an approximate wedge distance bc that's why I like. Layup to whatever number you like. Key word is lay up.

 

For quite a while now I've been "automatically" laying up to about 100-120 when my best 2nd could only get me to within 30 or 40 yards.

 

WRX has previously had this same discussion; going for it on par 5s leading to lower scores, about 3 or 4 months or so ago. In fact I think rawdog may have been a big part of it.

 

So for the last 3 months or so, I've been using the "no laying up" formula and I have to say it has left me with a more frequent and much better chances at birdie. I'm now a believer.

 

I think one's handicap may have a lot to do with it. Higher handicaps are far more likely to knock a long-ish shot behind tree, or OB, or into lateral water. But if you're a single digit and can control the longer shots I think getting as close as you can is the way to go.

 

In the last 3 months I HAVE hit one OB though, but just the one, where the OB really shouldn't have come into play. But really bad shots do happen to everybody.

 

I figure it has to do with the real trouble around the green, water especially. If there's nothing but (playable) bunkers fronting the green I'm OK with trying to get it up and down for birdie.

 

Net-net, without real trouble around the green, most of my 2nd shots to par 5s have become my longest hybrid (16*).

[youngstructural]

I'm down to 9.0 with my handicap and it's in part bc I'm making better choices. I can hit the long approaches but a higher percentage shot is laying up to a friendly number you like and locking in that par.

 

Let's pretend I make every three out of four approaches by going for it. Par two and birdie one. On the fourth one I hook it long and left and need to drop. Now I'm hitting 4 from someplace where making a 5 is unlikely and 6 is probable and possibly a 7.

 

My confidence in laying up and making 4 pars on the par fives is higher by laying up than going for it. To each their own.

[nsxguy]

I'm down to 9.0 with my handicap and it's in part bc I'm making better choices. I can hit the long approaches but a higher percentage shot is laying up to a friendly number you like and locking in that par.

 

Let's pretend I make every three out of four approaches by going for it. Par two and birdie one. On the fourth one I hook it long and left and need to drop. Now I'm hitting 4 from someplace where making a 5 is unlikely and 6 is probable and possibly a 7.

 

My confidence in laying up and making 4 pars on the par fives is higher by laying up than going for it. To each their own.

 

:good:

[FlyingLaw1]

The question by the OP seems to have generally been flushed out but here are my thoughts...

 

If I elect to go for it, if I think there's even a chance my ball will stop within 20 yards of the green, I will wait for the group putting out to put the flag stick in before starting my pre-shot routine. Of course there's occasionally that one shot that goes further than expected due to landing on a patch of hard pan or something similar. On those shots I have yet to have anyone get up set after a sincere apology. I've been hit on the fly before while standing on a par 5 green so it's something I really have no tolerance for unless its a genuine accident.

 

Having said that... Was playing a par 5 a couple years ago and hit a layup that finished about 40-50 yards short of the green... The group putting on the green complained to the proshop saying that I had hit into them... Some people will always complain.

 

As far as automatically laying up to help pace of play... Have to respectfully disagree. I don't go for every par 5 but if I'm 250 out or less in the fairway and my worst shot still gives me a chance to get up and in I'm going to go for it.

[rawdog]

I'm down to 9.0 with my handicap and it's in part bc I'm making better choices. I can hit the long approaches but a higher percentage shot is laying up to a friendly number you like and locking in that par.

 

Let's pretend I make every three out of four approaches by going for it. Par two and birdie one. On the fourth one I hook it long and left and need to drop. Now I'm hitting 4 from someplace where making a 5 is unlikely and 6 is probable and possibly a 7.

 

My confidence in laying up and making 4 pars on the par fives is higher by laying up than going for it. To each their own.

 

Yeah, the proper strategy is to hit the longest shot that doesn't bring trouble into play. Water, OB, sand.

 

I'm not advocating for going at the flag when a miss long left brings a penalty into play.

 

I'm advocating for not slipping into the "lay up to a comfortable number" mentality. There is a whole swath of ground between 100 yards and the pin. Fire away to 20, 30, 40 yards out. I believe I mentioned this above.

 

I find it extremely hard to understand why people would prefer a 100 yard full wedge over a 20 to 30 yard pitch, even from the rough.

 

Someone mentioned sand and mounds. Ok, leave it short of the sand or mounds and pitch up on.

 

Maybe people just have otherworldly skill with their wedges. I mean, I'm more than proficient with my wedges, but I'll take the pitch on every time. And you suck at pitching, practice pitching. Don't use the lay up bandaid.

 

Young, I don't direct all this at you. I like your posts. It's more of a Royal "you."

[MattH89]

In a high school golf tournament, I had a teammate get hit while putting from a guy on the tee who thought he couldn't drive the green. He shattered his eye socket and almost lost his eye.

 

Obviously that isn't what happened here (not trying to equate the two in the least), but I'm extra cautious about hitting into/near people since that.

 

If it were me and it was the second time you'd hit into us (even on a roll) I'd be a little salty.

 

As the player, if I've ever hit a shot that would get there, I wait. What good does it do me to hit to 10 yards and go up there and wait? Just not worth it to me.

 

[ClintDagger]

I'm down to 9.0 with my handicap and it's in part bc I'm making better choices. I can hit the long approaches but a higher percentage shot is laying up to a friendly number you like and locking in that par.

 

Let's pretend I make every three out of four approaches by going for it. Par two and birdie one. On the fourth one I hook it long and left and need to drop. Now I'm hitting 4 from someplace where making a 5 is unlikely and 6 is probable and possibly a 7.

 

My confidence in laying up and making 4 pars on the par fives is higher by laying up than going for it. To each their own.

 

Yeah, the proper strategy is to hit the longest shot that doesn't bring trouble into play. Water, OB, sand.

 

I'm not advocating for going at the flag when a miss long left brings a penalty into play.

 

I'm advocating for not slipping into the "lay up to a comfortable number" mentality. There is a whole swath of ground between 100 yards and the pin. Fire away to 20, 30, 40 yards out. I believe I mentioned this above.

 

I find it extremely hard to understand why people would prefer a 100 yard full wedge over a 20 to 30 yard pitch, even from the rough.

 

Someone mentioned sand and mounds. Ok, leave it short of the sand or mounds and pitch up on.

 

Maybe people just have otherworldly skill with their wedges. I mean, I'm more than proficient with my wedges, but I'll take the pitch on every time. And you suck at pitching, practice pitching. Don't use the lay up bandaid.

 

Young, I don't direct all this at you. I like your posts. It's more of a Royal "you."

I think being deadly with wedges from 100 yards-ish is something only really good players can do by and large. There are exceptions sure, but most mid-cappers are going to get up and down more often from 20 or 30 yards than they are from 100. Now that doesn’t account for going for the green and finding yourself in trouble because of a wayward wood, hybrid or long iron. It really is all about course management. I disagree with any philosophy that says “I lay up always” or “I go for it in two always”. That’s where course management and knowing your own game factor in to scoring IMO.

[rawdog]

I'm down to 9.0 with my handicap and it's in part bc I'm making better choices. I can hit the long approaches but a higher percentage shot is laying up to a friendly number you like and locking in that par.

 

Let's pretend I make every three out of four approaches by going for it. Par two and birdie one. On the fourth one I hook it long and left and need to drop. Now I'm hitting 4 from someplace where making a 5 is unlikely and 6 is probable and possibly a 7.

 

My confidence in laying up and making 4 pars on the par fives is higher by laying up than going for it. To each their own.

 

Yeah, the proper strategy is to hit the longest shot that doesn't bring trouble into play. Water, OB, sand.

 

I'm not advocating for going at the flag when a miss long left brings a penalty into play.

 

I'm advocating for not slipping into the "lay up to a comfortable number" mentality. There is a whole swath of ground between 100 yards and the pin. Fire away to 20, 30, 40 yards out. I believe I mentioned this above.

 

I find it extremely hard to understand why people would prefer a 100 yard full wedge over a 20 to 30 yard pitch, even from the rough.

 

Someone mentioned sand and mounds. Ok, leave it short of the sand or mounds and pitch up on.

 

Maybe people just have otherworldly skill with their wedges. I mean, I'm more than proficient with my wedges, but I'll take the pitch on every time. And you suck at pitching, practice pitching. Don't use the lay up bandaid.

 

Young, I don't direct all this at you. I like your posts. It's more of a Royal "you."

I think being deadly with wedges from 100 yards-ish is something only really good players can do by and large. There are exceptions sure, but most mid-cappers are going to get up and down more often from 20 or 30 yards than they are from 100. Now that doesn't account for going for the green and finding yourself in trouble because of a wayward wood, hybrid or long iron. It really is all about course management. I disagree with any philosophy that says "I lay up always" or "I go for it in two always". That's where course management and knowing your own game factor in to scoring IMO.

 

I agree with everything you wrote.

 

Median PGA Tour leave from 100-125yds out is 19 feet.

Median PGA Tour leave from 20-30 yds out is 9.5 feet.

 

Average putts from 19 feet is 1.86.

Average putts from 10 feet is 1.61.

 

And that's just an average.

 

In addition, with increased proximity comes even more 2, 3, 4, 5 footers, which are made at an exponential rate. Meaning, as your starting distance to the hole improves, your make % goes up exponentially. See chart.

 

Even as an amateur with a 10ish cap, I would hope from 20-30 yards out I can beat my proximity from 100. If not, the answer wouldn't be to lay up, it would be to work on my pitching :D

[Rapatt95]

I did this last week. Hit a bad drive into the rough on the left, leaving me more to the green than I had hit my drive. I had far more left than I could cover, so I hit. Well, I hit the best 5w of my life. Get up to the green and the two guys were chill about it. I informed them I had never in my life reached that green in two even after a good drive, and I apologized profusely. They said not to worry about it since it was such a good shot and let me play through, even driving me up quick to my tee ball on the next hole since I was walking.

 

Being the first time I reached that green, it was rather bittersweet cause I did feel bad about hitting up into them

[HatsForBats]

I'm down to 9.0 with my handicap and it's in part bc I'm making better choices. I can hit the long approaches but a higher percentage shot is laying up to a friendly number you like and locking in that par.

 

Let's pretend I make every three out of four approaches by going for it. Par two and birdie one. On the fourth one I hook it long and left and need to drop. Now I'm hitting 4 from someplace where making a 5 is unlikely and 6 is probable and possibly a 7.

 

My confidence in laying up and making 4 pars on the par fives is higher by laying up than going for it. To each their own.

 

If I were playing a hole where I felt there was a 25% chance of getting into that kind of trouble I would be laying up the very large majority of the time. Get it down in the 10-15% range and I am going for it a bit more often. Personally I would tire of a course if I felt the best option on the 4 par 5's was to layup to say 75 to 125 yards. Ugh. Thankfully a lot of courses have some decent par 5's where the risk part of it is getting left with a short/medium length bunker shot or maybe a tricky chip. Give me some room to miss and I'm more likely to spend my $$$ there.

 

I have a few courses near me where they have only 2 par 5's for 18 holes and they are reachable distance wise but not worth the risk. There is not much enjoyment in that for me. I prefer if they give me 5 par 5's and only make 4 (3 at worst) of them worth going for. Then I can layup on 1 or 2 without too much disappointment.

[ClintDagger]

I'm down to 9.0 with my handicap and it's in part bc I'm making better choices. I can hit the long approaches but a higher percentage shot is laying up to a friendly number you like and locking in that par.

 

Let's pretend I make every three out of four approaches by going for it. Par two and birdie one. On the fourth one I hook it long and left and need to drop. Now I'm hitting 4 from someplace where making a 5 is unlikely and 6 is probable and possibly a 7.

 

My confidence in laying up and making 4 pars on the par fives is higher by laying up than going for it. To each their own.

 

If I were playing a hole where I felt there was a 25% chance of getting into that kind of trouble I would be laying up the very large majority of the time. Get it down in the 10-15% range and I am going for it a bit more often. Personally I would tire of a course if I felt the best option on the 4 par 5's was to layup to say 75 to 125 yards. Ugh. Thankfully a lot of courses have some decent par 5's where the risk part of it is getting left with a short/medium length bunker shot or maybe a tricky chip. Give me some room to miss and I'm more likely to spend my $$$ there.

 

I have a few courses near me where they have only 2 par 5's for 18 holes and they are reachable distance wise but not worth the risk. There is not much enjoyment in that for me. I prefer if they give me 5 par 5's and only make 4 (3 at worst) of them worth going for. Then I can layup on 1 or 2 without too much disappointment.

My home course has four par 5’s with two that are high risk to go for in 2 (forced carries where you basically have to hit the green) and two that are much less punitive and allow for scrambling with a miss. There’s one that plays into the prevailing wind that I rarely go for, one that I maybe go for half the time, and the other two I’m going for almost every time unless I catch a fw bunker or find myself behind a tree or something. It’s a really good mix of par 5’s.

[Hawkeye77]

Re: I think there's a difference in making a bad decision and doing something on purpose. When you say it was on purpose it insinuate it being intentional. There was no intention of hitting into the people in front of me, it was just a errant choice on my part not to wait for them to clear the green. This extra distance I have been getting is new to me, because I just changed my swing up. I think from now on I will choose to lay up when the course is full so I won't interfere with the group in front of me or the groups behind me.

 

 

 

Errant choice - what the heck is that? Is that the way "bad decisions" are described in 2018?

 

What do you call a "good decision" - a compliant choice?

 

 

Bottom line:

You made two bad decisions

1. trying to showboat by getting on in two when you clearly could have waited

2. posting and showboating about how determined you were to make the putt after hitting into the group on the green

There wasn't any showboating, going on, just didn't realize my distance capabilities. I made recent swing changes the seem to have added considerable distance to my shots. Also, the ground was very dry. Upon arriving at the green, this is the interaction that went on:

1) Guy points at my ball to identify it.

2) I immediately apologize 2 times.

3) Same guy comments "dont you realize how far you can hit the ball?"

4) No, I was about 260 out and couldn't see the green because trees I had to draw the ball around, 170 yds up. Say sorry, 3rd time.

5) Guy walks away angry, in disbelief (no prob with me).

6) Another guy says,"great shot, though"!

7) Two others quietly walked to the next tee not showing any emotion.

8) Despite all this, yes, I was determined to make that putt, and did!

8) Moral of the story, don't let an eagle chance slip away! JK, don't hit up with even with a remote chance of hitting into someboby.

9) There was no intention, just accident.

 

 

 

Had you been a 12-15 HC and tagged a 3 wood from 260 and it rolled on - no biggie.

In other words, the percentages would not be in your favor.

 

However, you're a declared 3 HC from Ohio and the percentages were in your favor, as was the intent to hit the green.

In other words, you had the club to get there and you tried to make the shot so you could approach the green "riding high in the saddle."

 

Can't read any more of this thread having just noticed "couldn't see the green because trees I had to draw the ball around" - lol.

 

Carry on.

[ClintDagger]

Re: I think there's a difference in making a bad decision and doing something on purpose. When you say it was on purpose it insinuate it being intentional. There was no intention of hitting into the people in front of me, it was just a errant choice on my part not to wait for them to clear the green. This extra distance I have been getting is new to me, because I just changed my swing up. I think from now on I will choose to lay up when the course is full so I won't interfere with the group in front of me or the groups behind me.

 

 

 

Errant choice - what the heck is that? Is that the way "bad decisions" are described in 2018?

 

What do you call a "good decision" - a compliant choice?

 

 

Bottom line:

You made two bad decisions

1. trying to showboat by getting on in two when you clearly could have waited

2. posting and showboating about how determined you were to make the putt after hitting into the group on the green

There wasn't any showboating, going on, just didn't realize my distance capabilities. I made recent swing changes the seem to have added considerable distance to my shots. Also, the ground was very dry. Upon arriving at the green, this is the interaction that went on:

1) Guy points at my ball to identify it.

2) I immediately apologize 2 times.

3) Same guy comments "dont you realize how far you can hit the ball?"

4) No, I was about 260 out and couldn't see the green because trees I had to draw the ball around, 170 yds up. Say sorry, 3rd time.

5) Guy walks away angry, in disbelief (no prob with me).

6) Another guy says,"great shot, though"!

7) Two others quietly walked to the next tee not showing any emotion.

8) Despite all this, yes, I was determined to make that putt, and did!

8) Moral of the story, don't let an eagle chance slip away! JK, don't hit up with even with a remote chance of hitting into someboby.

9) There was no intention, just accident.

 

 

 

Had you been a 12-15 HC and tagged a 3 wood from 260 and it rolled on - no biggie.

In other words, the percentages would not be in your favor.

 

However, you're a declared 3 HC from Ohio and the percentages were in your favor, as was the intent to hit the green.

In other words, you had the club to get there and you tried to make the shot so you could approach the green "riding high in the saddle."

 

Can't read any more of this thread having just noticed "couldn't see the green because trees I had to draw the ball around" - lol.

 

Carry on.

Ha nice catch. Missed that the first time through.