Today we play a Par 3.

Par 3s can be more of a challenge than 4s or 5s. On Par 4s you may have a half of a shot to play with. That means you can miss a shot and as long as it stays on the course you can still make par. Par 5s can be the most forgiving of all. Many times I have missed two shots on a Par 5 and still made a birdie. Par 5s are make-up holes. But were playing a Par 3 today, and we will be happy to make a three and go about our business.

Remember, your job is to figure out how to make par on this hole today, whatever this hole is. Birdies are gravy and we take them as they come. We dont actively try to make birdies, we let them find us and they will. Lets go!!

Par 3

Now were going to play a par 3. Its a little beauty. Well play it from 164 yards. There is a narrow stream to the right of the tee. As the stream nears the green it broadens into a pond that parallels the left side of the green and ends at the back edge of the green. There are two deep bunkers at the front right of the green that lead to a sizable mound, then a depression. The green is relatively flat except for an area in the middle that has extreme slope. The pin is cut back right, which is an easy pin placement. There is a slight breeze that will not affect the shot.

The hole is really playing about 170 yards since the pin is in the back of the green. Whats your plan? I ask.

With the pin where it is, the water is not in play. Its just a mental thing that I need to downplay. Im thinking through club selection now. A 5-iron may not be quite enough club to get me beyond the slope in the green. Id have to hit it perfectly. If I hit the 4-iron solid, it may be a half a club too long. But there is probably enough green beyond the pin, you reason.

I like the way you are thinking and reasoning your way to selecting the right club for you on this hole today. What other issues do you need to address?

I think the real problem here is to the right of the green. If I guard against hitting it in the water, I may end up pushing it to the right in the mound. Any suggestions?

You need to commit to whatever shot you choose to make. If you dont commit to your plan, you have no plan -- only a hope. Make a decision and stick with it, right or wrong. To this point you have thought through it pretty well. Keep going, I say.

The 4-iron is the right club. Ill choke down an inch to keep it from going too far. Im going to tee up in the middle of the teeing area. The right side of the teeing area makes the hole seem like a dogleg and the left part of the tee makes the mound to the right too obvious. Ive picked out a tree behind the green that is about five steps left of the pin. That will give me a relatively flat putt if Im pin high or a little long, you declare.

Good thinking and a good plan. Go for it, I encourage.

Its a swing and a hit ...but not a solid hit. You hit it a bit thin again and the ball fades to the right and short. Your ball avoids the bunkers but ends up in some long grass at the base of the mound, short of the pin. Youre not in bogeyland, but you need to keep thinking if you are to make a par. The ball is above your feet, and the pin is 30-feet away and uphill.

Youve been thinking very well. Whats your plan to make par now? I ask.

Because of the thick grass, I think I need a sand wedge even though the shot is uphill. I want a low running shot even with a sand wedge. Id like to have the ball end up just under the hole or, at most, a foot beyond. I dont want a serious downhill putt, you declare.

Good thinking again! I applaud

You put the ball back in your stance with your sand wedge and hit a good, low, running shot that ends up 18 inches below the hole. You knock it into the hole and we head to the next hole, a par five.

Thats two pars in a row -- mostly because of your good reasoning. Youre starting to think like a golfer, and thats a good thing -- at least while youre on the course.