When playing a round of golf, seeing a short par-4 hole is often met with much delight, especially in comparison to a long par-4. A long par-4 is often seen by beginner golfers as a hole which at best will see a par. A short par-4 on the other hand is looked upon as a birdie opportunity.
However, just because a par-4 hole is short in distance, does not mean it is going to be easy and you must apply sound strategy to succeed. Every short par-4 will be different and should be analysed as such before playing the tee shot.
Often, you cannot simply grab the driver on a short par-4 and let it rip. For one, what may be a short par-4 for one person could still be quite long for another and secondly, if a par-4 is short, it usually means there is something else to be wary of, other than the length of the hole.
If you feel the green is out of reach and you are very unlikely to make it in one, why try and do it? You are likely to lose control of the ball if you try and hit it too hard, which will result in dropped shots.
There is nothing wrong in playing a shorter shot off the tee and leaving yourself with a longer second shot to the hole. If the pin is towards the back of the green this makes even more sense as you have more room to play with on a longer second shot and can run the ball through without the need for any spin.
If you cannot make the green in one and there is a hazard splitting the fairway on a short par-4, you can use a hybrid club and aim to leave yourself a wedge shot to the green. Think about the distance you like to play your short approach shots from and try and leave yourself this distance for your second shot.
Just because you are playing your shot short of the green does not mean you can switch off. Think about where you want the ball to land and what you want to leave yourself for your next shot. This means considering your angle of approach in addition to the length of the shot.
You should come away with at least a par if you play a short par-4 with thought and consideration and there is nothing wrong with that, especially if you are not feeling confident of driving the green.
However, if you are playing well and the green is within reach, why not have a go at it?
Again, you must assess exactly what you need to do to get the ball on the putting surface. Are there hazards in-front of the green which makes it difficult to bounce and run the ball along the fairway? Are there hazards at the back of the green which means if the ball bounces on the green and races away behind it you are going to be in trouble?
Simply because you can reach the green in one shot when playing a short par-4 does not always make it the best choice.
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