10 ways to master par-5s and score your best, per top teacher

We’ve all been there before: Standing on a tee box and staring down a long par-5 that leaves us feeling a little bit intimidated.

There may be plenty of bunkers on both sides of a narrow fairway, or water that’s just waiting to swallow up your golf ball, but it’s important to avoid letting this type of hole ruin your round.

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How to see more success on par-5 holes

Since par-5’s can make or break a scorecard, it’s crucial to develop a plan and trust the process. So instead of letting the added length or obstacles get the best of you, here are 10 things you must do to successfully master par-5 holes.

1. Assess the hole

How wide or narrow is the hole, and how many hazards or obstacles do you have? Obviously, you want to avoid hazards and any out of bounds, so the more of these you have to navigate, the more conservative you’ll want to be.

To get a good idea of what lies ahead on a hole, I suggest using the Golflogix app, which has a cool flyover mode that’s perfect when it comes to planning your strategy — especially on courses you’re unfamiliar with.

2. Make note of the “no-go” zones

You do want to focus on where you’d like to hit your golf ball, but always be mindful of the locations you absolutely need to avoid. This is where proper club choice comes into play and knowing what your distances are.

If you keep notes in a book, it can be helpful to place an “X” on those no-go zones, which can be a good way to plan as you maneuver around par-5 holes. Avoid the temptation to always hit the driver if it doesn’t make sense, as playing it safe by going shorter off the tee might be the smartest play.

3. Play to the wider landing areas

As mentioned above, you don’t always need to maximize distance just because a par-5 is a longer hole. If there are “no-go” zones that add stress to your tee shot, consider clubbing down and finding a landing area that’s wider — which adds some insurance should you mishit your tee shot just a bit.

If you’re trying to decide whether to be more aggressive off the tee or not, ask yourself this simple question: “Is the gain worth the gamble?”

If the gain isn’t obvious, I suggest playing to the wider targets so that your small misses don’t result in any added penalty shots.

4. Put your tee shot in play

Sure, your tee shot is important on every hole you play, but it’s even more crucial on a par-5 hole — since anything landing out of play or in trouble can make each shot thereafter more difficult.

Based on your ball-striking ability, always be smart with your club choice off the tee. If your driver’s a bit of a struggle, it may be smart to just take a shorter club with more loft to help keep the ball in the fairway. Playing stressful golf is not playing smart golf.

5. Choose the clubs you’re most comfortable with

OK, so you’ve hit a good tee shot, but you’re still left with a lot of distance between you and the green. While many amateurs love to go back and forth between “going for it” by using a 3-wood, that mentality can get you in some trouble.

Instead of being aggressive — especially if that’s a club you don’t often hit well — choose the club you’re most comfortable with. That can be a different fairway wood, a hybrid, or even a low iron that allows you to hit it straight, get some distance, build your confidence, and allows for a comfortable third shot into the green.

6. Approach shot – avoid the short-side

As you get closer to the green, make some mental notes on where it’s OK to miss — since there’s a good chance you won’t hit the perfect shot. When doing this, I suggest avoiding the short-side, which is where the ball ends up on the side of the green that the pin’s closest to.

It can be great to be aggressive, but it’s smarter to find a landing area that leaves you in a better spot for your next shot. By leaving it short-sided, it puts tons of pressure on your short game and may require you to pitch instead of chipping.

7. Know the green tilt

Simply knowing the generic tilt of the green can be really helpful. This way, when your ball lands on the green from an approach shot or a pitch or chip shot, it rolls towards the pin rather than away from it. Use the course to your advantage rather than be surprised with how it controls the direction of the ball.

8. Leave yourself with a comfortable approach distance

If or when you can’t get your shot all the way to the green, simply plan on leaving yourself with a distance that you’re comfortable with in order to get up-and-down with the short game. So if you really struggle from 30 yards in, but excel from about 50 yards, it’s OK to take something off on your approach to feel confident with your wedges.

Know what your preferred distances are on longer par-5s, and always use this as a part of your strategy.

9. Know your short game yardages

Similar to the above, it’s crucial to know what your yardages are in the short game — since this area can make all the difference in the world on your scorecard. So not only do you need to be reasonable at chipping and pitching, but you really need to be able to control your distances.

If you’re a newer or more novice golfer and don’t have much time for golf practice, try calibrating your short game. To help, I’ve developed a course on Uscreen to teach you how to do so, which can lead to more pars and birdies on these longer par-5s.

10. Dial in your putting distance control

When you’re able to get your first putt close, it’ll help avoid those ugly (and frustrating) scores that can add up to ruin a round. To do this, you must master distance control on the putting surface, which alleviates pressure and leaves you with a more makable second putt.

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Nick Dimengo

Golf.com Editor