The last time I played a round with my brother, Charlie, we discussed Par 5 holes and my difficulty with them. Since they are long to begin with, I feel like I have to swing extra hard, which is a guaranteed formula of failure for duffers like me. But Charlie said he had read someplace that a teaching pro advised his high handicap students to play a 3-6-9 combination. Use a 3-wood off the tee, hit a 6 iron for the second shot and then have about a 9 iron to the green. It made perfect sense.
The pro was saying… Don’t feel like you have to bomb your drive, since you are playing (or should be playing) from the forward tees, so hit a 3-wood, or your driver if you can keep it in the fairway. Next, instead of attempting a miraculous 3 wood from the fairway, simply advance the ball safely with a 6 iron. You should then find yourself about a hundred yards from the flagstick; so hit a nine iron and you’re on or near the green. 3-6-9, bingo!
Last week I had a match with my old friend Tom Reisdorf, from Lynchburg. Tom is about a 12 handicap, a much better golfer than yours truly. He is usually in the 80’s with an occasional round in the 70’s and he can consistently drive the ball 225 yards or more. I knew I would have to do well on the five par 5s at the Cliff View Golf Course near Covington to have a chance, so I decided to try the pro’s 3-6-9 suggestion and I won the match.
In fairness, Tom gave me 3 strokes a side and let me play from the forward tees, but I played well, not letting the long holes defeat me psychologically. Not having to crush the ball helped me relax and not try to play better than I am able. On an average 430 yard par 5, I was hitting it about 190 to 200 off the tee, getting 140 more yards more with the 6 iron and then a nine iron or a pitching wedge to the green.
If you shoot in the 90s far more often than you do in the 80s, and if you can’t consistently hit a drive 225 yards or more and keep it in the fairway, try the 3-6-9 approach. It worked for me.