Question:
I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
Response:
I have only reached a par 5 in two twice, once with a 3 iron and once with a 4. So to answer your question, a 4 iron. I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
– John Pflum, Jr. PKG Consultants, Inc. 5533 Fair Lane Cincinnati, Ohio 45227 Web: http://www.pkgconsult.com
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There’s a short par-5 on the course I play a lot (actually, it’s a par-4 now) that went 3-wood, 8 or 9 iron into a couple times. Chris – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
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I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!"
The course I play most has a 480-yard par 5 that I managed to reach last week with a driver and 5-iron, Joseph. That’s the shortest club I’ve ever been able to reach it with. Having the fairways here dried out and fast from the summer drought helped quite a bit. The course also has a 500-yard par 5 that I was able to reach with a pair of 5-woods. I inadvertently pulled my 5-wood from by bag instead of my driver on the hole. When I got to the tee with it, I said the heck with it and hit it anyway. Thanks to another dry fairway, I was able to carry the ball about 260 yards with it. Nice ball height, too. <g — Don Porter Newspaper Reporter & Webmaster Web Page: http://www.datacruz.com/~dporter
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I have once had the greatest drive of my life. Hole 13 at McCormick Woods Golf Course and I was playing the Black tees. 535 yard par5 and I was 160 yards out for my second shot. Hitting a 7 iron into the green which i made birdie on. 
Bjorn
Response:
I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the
green. i had the same sort of situation. 510 yard par 5 with about a 20-30mph wind behind. i hit 3 wood off the tee and had 200 left. i then hit 6 iron (my normal 6 goes around 170) and was 20 yards past the green. i probably could have reached with an 8 iron. same course, same wind, i drove a 400 yard par 4 twice in a row (morning round and afternoon round). i was playing a scramble one day and this guy hit a 330 yard drive, we had 160 left to the center. what happens? we all hit bad shots and only get one on the green. it was all the way on the other side in 3 putt land. charlie Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
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A Chip shot? Here’s the story — A shortish (480 yd) par 4 on my home course for a time had the first 150 yards or so closed for re-seeding and re-grading following a flood. The hole played from a tee that is normally the "drop area" for people failing to clear a hazard off the normal tee, at about 310 yards. One day with a strong wind behind me I teed off hoping to hit the green and pulled the shot down the left hand side, hugging the OB line. Damn — time for a provisional, which I hit sweet straight at the flag. I was sure it was on, and the ball just disappeared. As I walked toward the green and still saw no evidence of the ball I wondered what I’d call it if it went in: Hole in one on a par 5 with a Mulligan? The most disappointing "Eagle" in history? Routine birdie? (given what par the hole ought to play to) Fortunately or unfortunately I never had to worry. I found the original ball in bounds, and chipped on (Don’t recall whether or not I made my "eagle" putt — I’d already had an eagle here off the real tee"). The second ball had rolled over the green and into deep rough and was fortunately not in play. Not what you were looking for I’m sure. As to legitimate par 5’s, the best I’ve done is Driver + 9 iron, again with a nice wind and the ability to shortcut a dogleg over water as a result. — Warren Montgomery Lucent Technologies, Bell Labs Innovations
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Nice drive. I tried to figure out the distance but I can’t count that high. Don’t tell me, let me guess… another Swede that knocks the stuffing out of the ball. What’s in the water over there? Art Wakefield "This is the earliest I’ve ever been late by." — Yogi Berra
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have once had the greatest drive of my life. Hole 13 at McCormick Woods Golf Course and I was playing the Black tees. 535 yard par5 and I was 160 yards out for my second shot. Hitting a 7 iron into the green which i made birdie on. Bjorn
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I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!"
Probably a 7 iron from around 150 yards… dsc – acssysdsc
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Driver + PW to a 462 yd straight away uphill par 5. Made the eagle putt, too. rick
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5-iron – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
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Tell me this, How far was the par 5 from the ladies tees Chad? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – 5-iron I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
Response:
Pitching wedge. It was a really short par five. I once reached a 520-yard par five with a 7 iron once, but only because my drive bounced about five times down the cart path. Randy NEWLY UPDATED AND EXPANDED!!! One of the web’s most-visited personal golf websites Featured in USA TODAY, and in the USGA’s official publication, "Golf Journal" http://wwwgolfer.home.mindspring.com Now with more pages of instruction, golf news, links, essays, information and other cool stuff RSG Roll Call profile: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/brownr.htm – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
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I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!"
428 metre (470 yd), second shot with a 5-wood. OK, so I’m not Tiger Woods. Still reached the green though 
Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club – http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham RSG Roll Call – http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
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Pitching wedge. It was a really short par five. I once reached a 520-yard par five with a 7 iron once, but only because my drive bounced about five times down the cart path. Randy
We were playing behind a fellow in one of the local charity golf tourneys last month…came to a hole where we all had to wait, and when the group in front of us tee’d up..one of this fellow’s partners said.."Play the cart path, there is a curb on it that will make the bend and it will open up for a good second shot." Par 5 500 yd hole. Danged if they guy didn’t put away his driver, yank out an iron..and played a perfect "cartpath" shot, that true enough, followed the curb of the cart path right around the dog leg left hand corner…and opened up into the fairway! His shot ended up right in the middle of the narrowest part of the dog leg, yet…open enough for a makeable second shot to the green. Now we were playing Captain’s choice, and while the fellow who made this shot..didn’t make the green in two..one of his partners did! Roger…. I am not a complete idiot…some parts are missing. web page at: http://members.tripod.com/~Motordawg/index.html
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I love McCormickWoods golf course. I look forward to getting to play it again. I also like KayakPoint in the Seattle area. Ken – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I have once had the greatest drive of my life. Hole 13 at McCormick Woods Golf Course and I was playing the Black tees. 535 yard par5 and I was 160 yards out for my second shot. Hitting a 7 iron into the green which i made birdie on. Bjorn
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I got to #17 at TurnberryAilsa (497 yds) with a PW from 140 yds. Pretty healthy following wind. Ken – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
Response:
5 iron — with a stiff breeze behind me. Kenny – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
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Drive + Pitching Wedge. Tahiti, par 5, double dogleg (left then right). Drove over the trees. (it’s not a hard par 5 though). I think that guys who shoot really long could even reach it in one. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
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I drove a 500 yard par once with a 6 iron. I was playing the adjacent par 3 at the time though. — my opinions, blah, blah, blah
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Dave Diduck wrote… 499 yds 3W + 3W 411 yds 3W + 7W Both ended up as bogies+, but I felt good anyway
After reaching both par 5s in 2, you four putted both of them?!?, wow, now that’s tough.
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465 par five: 3-wood, LW. Did not make the putt. mth – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
Response:
Sometimes I’m good at putting but not always. I think on both of them my putter was like a driver and even had to chip to get back on. Today I got close enough to the 411 that I used my putter to hole it from the fringe at about 35 feet to par …after I screwed up a simple chip/pitch shot bit to the right. 15 putts in 9 holes today but I missed 5 8 footers. Makes me scream sometimes.
Just interested that a 411-yard hole is a par 5. That’s only 375 metres. (Even short old Trentham has a longer par 4 than that!) Is there something about the hole i.e. uphill, severe dogleg etc that classifies it as a par 5? Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club – http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham RSG Roll Call – http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
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I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to. -joseph
477 yard par 5. Driver, SW. Of the 4 par 5’s on my course I’ve eagled 3 of the 4 a total of 12 times so far this year. The longest par 5 is 580 yards with an uphill drive. The closest I’ve ever been to that hole in two is 30 yards. :( Scott
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have only reached a par 5 in two twice, once with a 3 iron and once with a 4. So to answer your question, a 4 iron. I was playing a 475 yard par 5 a couple weeks back, 2-3 clubs downwind with a very hard fairway, nailed the drive, and my second shot was from about 155! I hit a solid pitching wedge about 10 yards over the green. I was thinking as I selected the PW, "Oh, come on, you can’t reach this green with a sand wedge!" That was a rather disappointing par. You know, this hitting the ball a long way thing must be a lot of fun for the guys like Tiger and Duval and Vijay, who can do it, like, when they want to.
Once hit a 5 iron into a 525 yard par 5. — F. Blaine Dickson Kelowna BC Canada Professionalism is an attitude and behaviour. It’s not a fashion.