Hole Breakdowns  ›  The Three-Shot Par 5
Hole breakdown #15

The Three-Shot Par 5: Build It Around Your Wedge

Can't get there in two? The second shot's only job is to set up the wedge you love.

Hole type · Unreachable par 5

“The one you play backward from a wedge.”

⛳ Green out of reach in two
🎯 Third shot: your favorite wedge number
● Smart target: a layup that leaves that number
✕ Common play: two max swings, an awkward half-wedge
The mistake

Bashing driver and 3-wood as hard as possible, then facing an awkward 60-yard half-wedge you never practice.

The math

Three comfortable shots beat two big ones and a scramble. Distance on the layup only matters if it leaves your favorite number; anything closer that isn't full often costs you the up-and-down.

The correct target

Decide the wedge distance you want for your third, then work back: the second shot's only job is to leave that number from the fairway. Smooth, not maximum.

Strokes saved

≈ 0.3-0.5 strokes per hole by trading a half-wedge for a full one.

“Set up the wedge I love, then fill in the blanks.”

Strokes-saved figures are approximate, based on expected-value (strokes-gained) course management for a mid-handicap golfer (roughly 8-18). These are real ranges, not guarantees.

More hole breakdowns

The Downhill Tee Shot The Long Par 4 Front Pin, Sloped Green The Split Fairway The Blind Tee Shot Crosswind Approach
The rest of the picture

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