Cobe Life on the course
Beginner’s Guide to golf
How golfers develop long Par 3 confidence
In this episode of Cobe Life on the course I take on the 197 yard Par 3 at Flambourogh Hills golf club on Hole #8 of the Hills course. Most Beginners fear long Par 3s but I don’t. You should know that I am not a particularly long hitter. For this Par 3 I was practically forced to play my 3 Hybrid because it’s the longest club in my bag outside of Driver. I currently don’t play any Fairway Woods because my confidence with them is low. On average I hit my 3 Hybrid around 190 yards. A perfect strike can go over 200 yards but that is very rare. Was I worried stepping on to the Tee box? I wasn’t and here is why.
I have a fair amount of CONFIDENCE in my Hybrids. I am not saying that I make perfect contact with them all the time. What I do generally achieve is good contact. I will take good contact every day of the week. There is nothing worse to me on the course than a totally wasted shot due to poor contact. Hybrids are CONFIDENCE inspiring at address due to the larger head. They are easier to control than Fairway Woods because the shafts are shorter. As a bonus for me I have had these particular Hybrids in my bag from Day 1. Having said all that, my Hybrids aren’t the main reason I am CONFIDENT on a long Par 3.
The real key to developing long Par 3 CONFIDENCE is a solid Short Game! I don’t get worried on the Tee of long Par 3s because I don’t care if I miss the Green. Landing on the Green isn’t actually my primary goal when I Tee off. My primary goal is to avoid hazards like bunkers, water, or out of bounds. Then I look for a safe landing area. I would prefer that be on the Green but sometimes it could even be just off the Green. Then with the Tee shot out of the way I can take advantage of all the Short Game practice I do every week. 95% of the time it will result in nothing worse than Bogey. Quite often I get Up and Down for Par. As a relative Beginner those results are great. So concentrate on getting CONFIDENT in your Short Game, and long Par 3s won’t be a cause for concern.
As always please LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE!