For any designer considering par 4 and 5 or even 6 please be aware that often higher par holes emerge as easier to par or birdie and can potentially weaken the challenge of your course
All too often a par 4 allows for a chance for recovery for an errant initial drive. Despite added length of the hole or even rough or woods many times a design allows a player to recover without being tested if his initial drive was errant. This is why often a well designed par 3 allows for greater scoring separation than many par 4s and 5s and 6s. The pressure on a par 3 hole is often greater off the tee as there is not as much chance for recovery.
In this age of greater distance due to disc technology and accrued wisdom and shared knowledge of how to gain maximum distance it is alarming to me how often par 4s and 5s become the blander holes and the par 3 holes truly are more significant.
In short, designers should attempt to punish errant shots where recovery requires skill and is where recovery is not routine......this is not simple and there are many challenges and things to consider.
Just a thought that doesn't come up enough and I know not many will care about but I think it is vital to the sport to create such holes and make every throw important
I think a par 4 requires a good shot followed by a good shot and not a bad shot followed by a good shot to earn a birdie chance.
