The 200 Yard Par 3 - How Do You Play It?

[DevilDog]

Probably a 3 or 4 hybrid for me. My 15 year old would just hit a smooth 6 iron.

[JD3]

Nothing guarding in front a 6 iron. Forced carry more like a 5

[juststeve]

Neutral conditions it would be a 23 degree hybrid for me.

 

Steve

[gioguy21]

if the middle of the green is 200y, i'll hit 6 (middle/back of the green) or 7 (pin front assuming the front edge is like, 185-190).

[golfer07840]

depends, 200 to the middle? how much to the front? Let's assume the green is 25 yards deep, 200 in the middle. So that's about 188/189 to the front. It's a 3HY for me.

[MadGolfer76]

Solid 4 iron.

Occasionally...bladed lob wedge.

[Pepperturbo]

I play to 2-3 handi. Par 3 or.. My 180-yard club is either 4 or 5 iron, and my 200-yard club is 3 or 4i. Depend on conditions and actual yardage. Last weekend facing a full-carry over a deep ravine, 170 yards to Par 3 pin in the front middle quadrant, breeze crossing left to right. I hit beautiful 5i to 8'.

[PorscheFan]

So, when I posed this question it was in the context of some golf trips I had coming up that all seemed to involve 200 yard-ish par 3s. My local courses don’t have one, so it’s not a shot I practice and definitely a source of anxiety.

 

I played my first yesterday. Calamity Corner, the 16th at Royal Portrush, was a nerve-wracking introduction. 201 yards playing about 225 into the breeze and no room to go short.

 

A caddie said there was some room to miss left. I was using Titleist rental clubs and wasn’t used to the gapping even by the 16th. It was between a 818 hybrid that I was sure would go long and a AP2 4 iron that I hadn’t hit at all. I decided on the dreaded 4 iron and - uncharacteristically for the day - flushed it, landing pin-high left, and unfortunately feeding down into a collection area just off the green.

 

I wasn’t getting on with the Vokey wedges at all, so I hit a trappy 60* to 4 feet. Then, me being me, I missed the 4ft par putt with a $400 putter. Horrible bogey, but the tee shot said something of the advice expressed by some in this thread: hit a decisive shot, and expect to hit it well.

 

So, a bogey, but decent decisions and good execution followed by a junky putt. I’ll take it.

 

 

 

[smashdn]

6 iron, smoked or easy 5i. If the hole is cut in the front or off the back is dead I'm going for that smoked 6i to help it hold the green.

[llewol007]

Not sure if your question is in the approach of the hole versus what club you should use. If it is the latter, then obviously go with the club that will work in terms of distance taking into account any elevation change or if the wind is helping or hurting your shot. In terms of approach, like some have said, it all depends on the pin placement and the setup of the hole itself. Golf is all about risk reward and whether or not you can score (great birdie opportunity) or if hitting to the fat part of the green and making your par is just as good. Those are the two ways to really look at the hole from my opinion. If it were myself and Im a 4 handicap it can be hitting my 4 iron to where I want to putt from the best. It can vary from 5 iron to 5 wood depending on any elevation or wind interference in the shot and if the Pin is in a scoring position or it is in a sucker risk reward position.

[PorscheFan]

> @llewol007 said:

> Not sure if your question is in the approach of the hole versus what club you should use.

 

I deliberately left this open because I think the answer varies significantly by handicap and by person.

 

Some of us are thinking mainly about front-to-back dispersion, spin, and land angle. Can we find a club that will reliably get us the distance? If that club gets us there will it stop?

 

Others (many lower handicappers) are thinking more about placement and left-to-right dispersion. The preferred miss becomes a more specific place.

 

That’s maybe the more interesting part... What our individual considerations are when it comes to the dreaded long par 3.

[Stanks]

How to play a 200 yard shot? Depends on your bag, man. Lots of options.

- High or low draw 5 iron

- High or low fadey 4 iron

- Hybrids galore

- I've seen a guy play 200 yard shots with a 3 wood never getting past left arm parallel.

 

You just gotta find your shot, mang. Figure out where the trouble is around the green and make sure you take that out of play.