Par and Distance preferences?

[hollabachgt]

When does a hole become too long or too short for you? Do you consider a 60 yard par 3 too short, how about a 240 yard par 4? Are there points where a distance is too long for one par, but too short for another par?

[klebs01]

Meh. I’m more in the par is irrelevant camp. It’s more important if it’s a good hole or not. Usually the “half par” holes are the most fun. 

[Socrates]

My only criteria is that if I find I'm taking off a head cover for my 2nd shot on a lot of Par 4's, it's time to move up a tee box.  Same for Par 3's.  If I'm hitting a 3 or 4 iron off every Par 3, it's time to move up.  Too short is rarely a problem.

[Abh159]

Never really cared about if a hole is "too long" or "too short" for it's associated par. I think it's more about the design of the hole than the specific yardage. For example, a 650 yard par 5 that's straight downhill might play the same as a 525 yard par 5 that's straight uphill.

 

That being said, one of my biggest pet peeves with a course is when all of the holes are more or less the same distance. All the par 3's are 195-215 yards, all the par 4's are 410-450 yards, and/or all the par 5's are 540-580 yards...

 

Give me some variety!!!!!

[mikedejong33]

Some of the most memorable holes are often the driveable Par 4, the reachable risk/reward Par 5, the short wedge Par 3 with a tricky green. Beyond that, I agree, I like some variety: some ups and downs, lefts and rights. I like feeling like I have used every club in my bag. When I play with my Dad, we often play courses a little short then I normally would, which is fine. But some of these courses then feel like 3 wood wedge on every Par 4, with all the Par 3's around 150 yards, all the Par 5's are around 500 yards. That isn't great IMO.

 

[Bonneville85308]

If a set of tees involves multiple par 4s over 400-415 yards or par 3's over 215 yards, I can have a tough or impossible time getting on in regulation unless the course is dry and firm or the holes play downhill, so I'll move up a tee to shorten those holes. A 430 yard par 4 is typically "too long" for my game.

 

"Too short" isn't really an issue for me, though I would find it strange if a set of tees over 6,000 yards had a par 3 that was under 75 yards. I am familiar with one course that has a par 3 playing under 85 yards from the 5,800-6,200 yard tees, but it is a very challenging hole with a tiny multi-tier green where most shots that miss the green will bounce OB. It's a fun hole and I don't feel like I'm somehow being cheated on my greens fee by playing a very short hole on an otherwise normal length course.

[StudentGolfer4]

Par doesn’t matter! 
 

If overnight your favorite course printed new scorecards and decided to make every single hole a par 4 on the card it would change absolutely nothing. 
 

260 yard hole coming up. Call it a par 3 or par 4. Heck call it a pr 5 if you want. The goal is to get the ball into the hole with the fewest strokes. 

 

Edited April 23 by StudentGolfer4

[SilverBullets]

4 hours ago, Abh159 said:

Never really cared about if a hole is "too long" or "too short" for it's associated par. I think it's more about the design of the hole than the specific yardage. For example, a 650 yard par 5 that's straight downhill might play the same as a 525 yard par 5 that's straight uphill.

 

That being said, one of my biggest pet peeves with a course is when all of the holes are more or less the same distance. All the par 3's are 195-215 yards, all the par 4's are 410-450 yards, and/or all the par 5's are 540-580 yards...

 

Give me some variety!!!!!

Im 100% team variety as well

 

With that said, overall, I find myself preferring tees that are around 6800 (+/- 75 yards) for a par 72 and 6700 for a par 71.  With my distances, that typically leaves me with a couple of good risk/reward opportunities while also giving me variety of clubs into greens. 

 

When I start getting to 7000+ yards,  it becomes a lot of mid irons into par 4's and realistic birdie chances really drop for me. When I play 6400-6500 yard tees, I find myself hitting a lot of driver wedges into par 4's or having to lay back off the tee because landing areas narrow.  

 

So that's kinds of what I look for relative to distance.  

[Pepperturbo]

Lately, too long means Par 3's over 180, and Par 4's over 420.  Nothing is too short, it's more about too easy.  

 

I continue to chase the challenge by playing yardages that are too long for GIR, forcing me to rely on my wedge game to get close to tap in par, still keeping scores in the 70s but a few of late reached 80/81...grr.  I owe that to Driver distance  and unpredictable "Father-time."

TR Blue S is getting a time-out, and Ventus Velocore Red S is stepping up; otherwise it falls on Ventus Velo TR Blue 5R

 

 

[ChipNRun]

Part of actual playing length is turf conditions. Okinawa (JP) and Oklahoma as two examples.

 

Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, circa 1973: The No. 10 hole was 610 yards long: 310 out, then 300 ninety-degrees left. Turf ran over a bed of hard volcanic rock, and the ball would hit and roll forever. Problem: a grove of scruffy trees at end of landing area, if you went in it was chip back to fairway. Unless it was rainy weather, safest play was a 3W draw to skip left past 90-degree turn.

 

Cedar Valley GC in Oklahoma, circa 1984: No. 7 hole was about 570 yards from back. It too was a sharp dogleg left. Banked bunkers guarded outside of dogleg, which ran through hard clay turf. Key was to hit a hot draw that would turn over short of the bunkers. Hit one of the side banks, and the ball would skip another 50-100 yards downhill past the bend. Good chance to bounce on approach in two, or have a greenside chip for an up-and-down birdie.

 

For normal midwest semi-damp turf, I get 15-20 yards rollout on drives. So...

 

holes get too long if brute carry is: Par 3 over 190 / Par 4 over 420 / Par 5 over 520 (I can par it, but chances for birdie are small)

Edited April 27 by ChipNRun
Spelling.

[tatertot]

On 4/23/2024 at 8:33 AM, Abh159 said:

Never really cared about if a hole is "too long" or "too short" for it's associated par. I think it's more about the design of the hole than the specific yardage. For example, a 650 yard par 5 that's straight downhill might play the same as a 525 yard par 5 that's straight uphill.

 

That being said, one of my biggest pet peeves with a course is when all of the holes are more or less the same distance. All the par 3's are 195-215 yards, all the par 4's are 410-450 yards, and/or all the par 5's are 540-580 yards...

 

Give me some variety!!!!!

Used to belong to a course that had a trio of par 3s on the front 9 ... Due to elevation change, all 3 played the same distance. It sucked.