Go for it ? or lay up ?

You are 200yds out after 1 shot on a par 4 you get a shot on, what do you do. get a 5 wood out & go for the green and you may get par or if it goes wrong treble bogie. Or do you lay up with an 8 iron chip 40yds on and almost guarentee 2 pts or better.

What would you do?

Dave CAC handed Geordie.

Most of the time I'd lay up and hope to chip it close and one putt.

If the hole was during the middle/late part of the round and I was hitting the ball well then I might be tempted to go for it.

Another thing is the hazards around the green.  There is a hole on the Priors course that leaves me with this particular problem most times I play it.  My main problem is the two bunkers just short of the green, one on each side of the green.  This means that any shot to the green must be long enough to either carry all the way to the green.  Or the other option is to make certain that the ball lands between the two bunkers and bounces/rolls onto the green.

Russ

I'd go fot it - hitting the green in regulation is the way to go if it's within your reach. If you play with a "buffer" it will be difficult to lower your handicap.

Mark

I can see your thinking, hit a screamer to whithin 3 foot then tap in birdie then we wake up. I would be lucky to hit the green 1 in 3 from 200yds then 2 or maybe 3 putts. but I would be almost certain to get a 5 at least with the lay up. Are we trying to get the best score possible or best score probable? And I thought conservitive golf was banned by the labour party.

Dave CAC handed Geordie.

I had exactly this dilemma today.  344 yard par 4 that sweeps right, runs down to a ditch 100 yards from the green then rises back up to a two-tier green.  And it's a big drop down to the ditch!

I topped a 5 iron off the tee and had 210 yards to the green.  If the ditch wasn't there, I would have probably gone with a 7 iron lay up, but anything 20 yards either side of the ditch runs back into it.  So I pulled out my 3 wood and went for it.

I finished 2 inches off the front edge of the green.  I chipped on, missing the hole by an inch, then misread the break and two putted!

Sound like a tricky hole chris. Do you have to hold back with a drive? Still got your 2 pts Chris so not too bad. I assume it wasn't SI 18.

Dave CAC handed Geordie.

It's 100 yards to the green from the ditch Dave, so 244 to reach it.  That's in range for me on the flat and this hole is downhill all the way to the ditch and quite steep for the last 50-60 yards.  I've found through trial and error (I've only played the course four times mind) that going 5 iron, 5 iron is the best way to play the hole.  Anything longer than a 5 iron and the hill gathers it and runs it down to the ditch. 

From the position off the tee, I would have happily taken 2 points (it's not SI 18), but having put myself in a good position with the next two, I was a little annoyed with myself for not making par

At the moment I'd go for it, I seem to be getting rewarded for being aggresive so I'll go with that until it bites me in the arse backside.  Was faced with that situation recently in a matchplay game, my drive was a bit left so didn't get the run down the hill (10th at Bondhay) and had a 200 yd second shot over water to the elevated green protected by front bunkers.  So I twatted it with a hit a nice high 5 wood and greened it!  Mind you, attacked a much shorter second last weekend and ended with an 8....

No prizes for guessing my answer

i would go for it, 200yds isnt out of my reach, it would probably be a 4/5iron depending on conditions.

Depends on what is in between me and the green, wind conditions and how I am playing on the day...

Had a similar shot at Handsworth GC on sat, SI 1 Par 4.  I hit a sweet 4 iron off the tee just shy of a water hazard which left 200 to the green. Stiffed another 4 iron to 10 foot and nailed the putt for a birdie.  You have to go for it, thats why we play the game.

Id go for it, but Id have to take a 3 wood, not a 5 wood

Ian

One of my playing partners said to me one day "with your game you should be more aggressive" as I tended to play quite cautious on holes where I received a shot.

I decided to try it & now 9 times out of 10 it pays off. On the 1 time it doesn't I tell them to keep their advice to themselves

If there are no hazzards and you can reach the green go for it, if there are hazards that would cause you big problems then lay up, if you are only playing for fun, then go for it eveytime you will never improve if you always take the easy option. Remember what Del Trotter always said 'He who dares wins, Rodney'.

Hey now John, the last time I told you to take a less aggresive shot and go with your 5 iron, you stuck your Hybrid in the trees..for me to play out!!!! 

You should have been a bit more persausive!

I fancy my chances better from 200yds than from 40 any day of the week