This week’s tip will be another installment of our course management series. Players walk into the pro shop all the time and ask how to play certain holes. We felt like it would be good if we shared some advice on how to play some of the toughest holes on our golf course. This week we will talk about two of our hardest par-5’s, 3-White and 5-Red.

3-White

Because 3-white is a short par-5, players often feel like it is an easy hole. Thinking that way will often turn into disaster because of 3-whites many troubles. First, the wood line on the right side is always there lurking. We are always finding golf balls that people have lost there in the woods. Second, the fairway slopes severely from right to left, making for a tough drive and second shot. Even a decent drive can roll into the scattered trees on the left. Third, the green is protected with woods to the right and a valley to the left. All in all, this short par-5 can produce some high scores.

The first thing you will want to think of is to play this hole like 3 par-3’s. When teeing off, take the shortest club you can that will hit the fairway and not get into trouble. Better players can try to hit driver so they might have a shot at hitting the green in two.

From the fairway, the second shot should be layed up just short of the two bunkers. Better players may have a chance at going for the green in two, but if it is not possible, the second shot should also be layed up short of the bunkers.

When hitting your approach shot to the green, check to see where the flagstick is located. This can affect the distance you have to hit your third shot by as much as 20 yards.

5-Red

5-Red is very similar to 3-White. It is a short par-5, but has many different obstacles to contend with. There is water about 220 yards off the tee as well as trees in the right rough. The hardest shot on the hole will be the second shot because of the two trees that almost touch each other. They can make for an interesting second shot. The last hurdle to contend with is a green that sits up higher than the fairway. Despite looking a lot different than 3-White, if you play it the same way, you will score better.

The first thing to do is to break the hole up into 3 par-3’s. This way, you are hitting to three different segments of the hole. The first will be the drive. You should take a club that will land short of the water, but keeps you in the fairway. This could mean a wood for some while for others, it could be an iron. The objective of your drive should be to hit a safe shot that will avoid the water and trees.

Once in the fairway, you will want to lay up short of the trees so you don’t get into trouble. This will leave you between 120-150 yards to the green. Some players will try to hit it past the trees. It is a tough shot to pull off, but if you are successful, your third shot will be much shorter.

You will now be facing your approach shot to the green. The last obstacle to face will be a raised green of about 30 feet, which means you will need to take one extra club.

These two par-5’s are difficult to play and have produced many high scores for players over the years. With a little bit of course strategy, you will see your scores improve. Let us know if you have any questions!