How Do You Play A Long Par 4? What’s A PROPER Golf Strategy?

There are two ways to play a long par 4 golf hole. I’m going to show you a few important things and share tips with you about how do you play a long par 4.

This strategy should consider all golfers before they start the hole. In the end, you will need to choose a strategy that works better for your skill level. My strategy will change depending on the difficulty of the hole and my ability to navigate that difficulty. Let’s take a look at the proper strategy to play a long par 4, and you can decide which may suit your game the best.

Two methods to play a long par 4

For some golfers hitting a long par 4 in two shots is out of the question. If this is the case, a safe or less aggressive strategy is necessary. If, however you have lots of distance from the tee box, it is possible to use the more aggressive method. I have always felt that sometimes my chances of making a par are just as good with the safe strategy as they are with the aggressive.

Aggressive strategy

If you can hit fairway shots more than 200 yards and have a driver that travels 240 or more, chances are you are capable of playing the long par 4 more aggressively. The key here is to get your golf drive in the fairway. Once the tee shot is in the fairway, use a fairway wood or hybrid to get onto the green.

Keep in mind that you still need to see wether there are some hazards around the green, what are the weather conditions (especially wind) and if you're confident enough to hit it on the green with the second shot. Sometimes you can easily reach the green by distance, but the shot dispersion with a 3 wood is wider and the risk increases if there's for example a water hazard beside the green. This leads us to the safe strategy...

Safe strategy

The safe method encourages golfers to play for the green in three shots. With this method, you will hit a driver or fairway wood, mid-iron, and then be left with a chip or a pitch onto the green. The issue with the safe method is that in order to part the hole, you will have to make a one putt. For many players, making a 5 on a long par 4 is a very good score as well.

Pro TIP: play the second shot (layup shot) to the distance that suits you the most and leaves you with the least risk. If you're the best in chipping try to leave the ball in front of the green. If the green is secured with the water on one side, place your ball rather further away from the green.

Usually for golfers one of the heaviest shots is a short pitch shot. Especially if you need to carry a bunker and don't have enough spin on the ball. In this case leave yourself rather a 50-70 yard pitch shot or the distance you know you're good at.

Evaluating The Difficulty Of A Long Par 4

Sometimes to determine the proper strategy for a long par 4, it is essential to evaluate the difficulty of the hole. Some holes are long, but there is really no other trouble, others are long, and the green is protected by water or bunkers. When trying to evaluate the difficulty of the long par 4, consider the following factors.

• Is there trouble off the tee that should be considered?
• Is the green blocked by a bunker or water hazard?
• Where is the pin location?
• Do you have the ability to run your approach shot up onto the green?

The more careful you are at analyzing the hole, the better your chance of shooting low.

Conclusion

If you don’t have the longest distances from the tee, don’t be afraid to play a long par 4 and aim to make a bogey. A bogey can be a good score on a long par 4, and all you have to do is play the hole safely. Maybe you even sink the par putt. Leave the fairway woods and hybrids in the bag and simply get on the green in three. I have won plenty of tournaments and events with this strategy; it is proven to be effective if you are smart about it.

Try it on the golf course and write down your scores playing safe and aggressive and see what suits you better. Let me know what stats you'll get, it would be very interesting to see 😉