by Jimmy Patrick

Created on: April 30, 2009

When it comes to strategically managing your play on a par 4, always start by examining the green. Many make the mistake of looking at the yardage of the hole first and determining their play from there. The yardage of the hole is actually the least important characteristic.

I have seen 280-yard par 4 holes cause more bogies than some 440-yard par 4 holes. Just because a par 4 is "driveable" does not mean it is meant to be driven in one shot. Remember, there is a reason the designer of the course made it a par 4.

In order to play any hole with proper strategy, it is likely you will need to have already played the hole once or twice or be playing with someone else who has played it a time or two. The first thing you need to know is the general slope of the green. Does it slope severely one direction or another? Does it have multiple tiers or levels?

If, for example, the green slopes from back to front like many older golf greens do, you know it will be receptive to your approach shots and you can place your tee shot accordingly. If the green slopes from front to back or has multiple levels, the approach could be trickier depending on the hole placement.

If it is truly essential that you hit a high-lofted club like a wedge or nine-iron into a particular green, even if it means hitting from the rough, then whale away and hit your drive as far as you can, sacrificing accuracy if necessary. If the green is large and accessible, you may want to sacrifice distance for accuracy to try and ensure you hit the fairway and give yourself the best chance at controlling your ball flight on the approach.

If the hole is placed on the right side of a green, you will usually be better off hitting your approach from the left side of the fairway and vice versa. If the pin is in the back of the green, you know that spinning the ball on the approach will not be necessary because you will have lots of green to work with. If the hole is placed in the front of the green, you may need to spin the ball from a clean lie in order to make the ball stop on the front edge of the green.

If you are still a novice golfer who cannot command your shots very well, your focus on all par 4 holes should be to avoid trouble. The biggest mistake novice golfers make is to bite off more than they can chew. They try to hit the perfect tee shot or perfect approach shot, often costing themselves numerous penalty strokes. It may be difficult to check your ego a bit, but pick safe targets with lots of room for error. If water lines the right side of the fairway, aim to the extreme left; aim into the rough or the trees if you have to. Hitting it in the trees is better than hitting in the water.

The bottom line is to assess your own personal talents on the course, ask yourself what kind of approach you would prefer to play into the green and then use your tee shot to set yourself up with a comfortable approach that suits your abilities. It does you no good to bash your biggest drive to within 50 yards of the green if you are no good at 50-yard shots.

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