The Best Drivable Par-4s

Alex Elias

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Riviera Country Club - No. 10 - 335

​Considered by many to be the best drivable Par-4 in the country, No. 10 is the ultimate example of strategic architecture. If a player decides to go for the green, the tiny, skinny green is set at an angle and flanked with deep bunkering. If a player decides to lay up, the massive cross-bunker hides much of the primary landing area. 

USGA/John Mummert

Los Angeles Country Club - No. 6 - 335

Designed by George C. Thomas, Thomas wrote, "The great courses entice the golfer to outwit himself," in Anatomy of a Golf Course.  Just as Thomas had intended, Collin Morikawa said, "I think there’s going to be a lot of different strategies there [No. 6 at Los Angles Country Club]. Some guys are going to feel comfortable going for it and taking what they got with any lie, and some guys are going to lay up knowing that they’re going to have a wedge in their hand," following a Practice Round in the  123rd U.S. Open.

​Unlike many drivable Par-4s, the tee shot on No. 6 at Los Angeles Country Club is blind. Like many though, the green is heavily protected. Roughly 11 yards front to back, the green is protected by an unkept barranca short left, a bunker short right, and a bunker long. 

Notably, following the 123rd U.S. Open, 2008 Masters Champion and current CBS analyst Trevor Immelman asked on Twitter, "What's a better drivable par 4?"

What’s a better drivable par 4?

— Trevor Immelman (@TrevorImmelman) June 16, 2023

Carlos Amoedo

Cypress Point Club - No. 9 - 292

​Although the signature Par-3s (No. 15 & No. 16) often receive more praise, No. 9 is one of the best drivable Par-4s in the country, featuring a narrow fairway and shelf green tucked between sand dunes. 

Courtesy of Evan Schiller (@evan_schiller_photography)

Courtesy of Jon Cavalier (@linksgems)

Ridgewood Country Club - No. 6 – 291
Known as "Five and Dime", No. 6 earns it's name thanks to Byron Nelson, who said the best strategy was to hit a 5-iron and 10-iron (pitching wedge), when he served as the club’s assistant pro in the 1930s. The shortest hole on property, No. 6 features one of the smallest greens (2,200 sq. ft) in golf.  Although Nelson would lay up with 5-iron, many attempt to drive the Par 4 6th, arguably the greatest Risk/Reward hole in golf.

Courtesy of Jon Cavalier (@LinksGems)

Sand Hills Golf Club - No. 7 - 283
​​Designed by Coore & Crenshaw, the signature 7th hole features a perched green. Any tee shot slightly to the left will drop into a ten foot bunker, while one to the right will result in a second shot fifteen feet below the putting surface.