Learning to handle pair 4s will help your game tremendously.
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Par 4s often create the most challenge and variety on a golf course. Long, short, wide, narrow, well-protected, wooded water hazards; there are many obstacles that you will face in the course of a round.
Its variable length and width will allow you to use many different clubs in your bag and also test your short game. Use the following tactics to dominate par 4s, no matter what they throw at you.
1. Start on the tee
While a good tee shot is important on every hole, it’s particularly true on par 4s. We’ve all had those rounds where our tee shots seem out of place. Compensating for a bad distance or recovering from a problem makes for a tiring round.
Setup is key to hitting solid tee shots, including good grip and stance. Proper ball positioning, further forward in the stance so that the shoulders are angled away from the target and the back shoulder is lower than the lead, will help promote the driver’s slightly upward stroke.
2. Plan ahead
Whether you’re hitting your tee shots right or wrong, you should always plan your lines around the next shot. For higher handicappers, whose golf ball spends more time rolling along the ground, that means working on angles. If the green is protected by a large bunker on the right side of the green, you should aim more toward the center left of the fairway. Assuming the rough isn’t extremely long, there may be times when even being off the fairway to allow for an easier approach could be a good game plan.
3. Use club selection to build trust
Building confidence and drive while playing is an important part of your game plan and this can often be achieved with intelligent club selection. Choosing clubs that you are confident in and are reasonably easy to hit, rather than ones that you think you should be hitting based on yardage, is something higher handicappers can greatly benefit from. An example of this would be if the only way you could get to the green required you to hit the longest fairway wood perfectly. In this scenario, it may be wiser to choose a club that is more manageable, like a medium iron. Hit a good solid shot, finish just short of the green, but build confidence and momentum in the process.
4. Manage your expectations
The right attitude can often make a big difference, especially on a long and difficult par 4. Instead of feeling the need to push to match the long distance of the hole, you can put things in perspective to play the hole as a short par 5. in your mind. If you could get your golf ball around the green as comfortably as you can and then try to hit a good short game shot for a chance to turn a putt into an up-and-down par, this often eliminates unproductive, automatic shots. -induced pressure.
5. Put the ball in play
Manage your game and the course, especially on the par 4s, as there is not much time to recover from a big mistake. There are often hazards or places you simply need to avoid, even if it takes you a little off the direct path to the green.
Out of bounds will almost always fall into these categories. My son played in a qualifier for his school team and didn’t hit his driver well. He didn’t hit a lot of fairways, but he did a great job of staying away from obstacles and playing away from the OB. While he wasn’t thrilled with his golf, I thought he was great as he had greatly improved his ability to keep the ball in play and avoid no-go spots.
6. Be more aggressive with shorter sticks (or your favorite sticks)
There are times when you should go for the pin and times when you should play it safe down the center of the green or the cleanest opening to the green. We all have clubs in our bag that we really like and the shorter irons are generally easier to hit successfully and get them to land and hold the green. When you have one of these opportunities, that’s when you should consider being more aggressive with your target. If you have an approach on your par 4 with a shorter suit or your favorite suit, that’s when you should consider being more aggressive with your target. Always make sure there is a profit on your bet.
7. Think of the easiest chip
When you have a longer club on the green, or if you’re not hitting the ball particularly well, these are the days when a little more planning ahead can help convert more ups and downs.
Plan to stay on the side of the green where you have the maximum amount of green to work between the edge of the green and the pin so you can choose a lower maintenance putt or chip, rather than having to hit a stop. high throw or high throw. By leaving room to roll with your short game shot, you can stick to simpler hitting moves, which are more reliable. If you make a mistake, it rarely becomes the big mistake of a high score.
8. Practice the late putt
Due to the different lengths and shapes of par 4s, there are often times when you have a very long club on the green, such as a fairway wood. This can lead to very long putts. Being good at controlling the distance and spin of the ball with the size of your shot and getting the first putt very close to the pin becomes really important. My college coach used to say, “Most double bogeys end with a three-putt,” and sadly he was often right. Work on your distance control by simply varying the length of your back for different distances. Try to add an inch to your back for every three feet of length. It will get you rolling your first putt closer and making easy, stress-free tap-ins.
9. Take advantage of the terrain
Course architects will often slope the green to allow you to roll the ball around a hazard, and if you have the local knowledge to do so, you can help manage the risk of dealing with the hazard. An example of this would be if you have a large bunker protecting the left side of the green and the green slopes quite a bit from right to left, you could play to the right side of the green, putting the bunker out of play. and let the ground roll the ball to the pin. I’m an ambassador for GolfLogix (a GOLF.com affiliate), and one of the apps I use really helps me with this.
10. Work on your bunker setup
Managing bunker play is a very important part of managing par 4s, whether the bunker is on the green or the fairway. One of the most basic points of setup adjustment to be successful with both is proper ball position.
When you’re in a fairway bunker, you want to hit the ball first, so your ball position needs to be more neutral or centered, exactly as if you were playing the ball for a shot from the turf.
In a greenside bunker, you’ll want to play your ball further forward in your stance and this will help you hit the sand before the ball.
Source: golf.com