Whither the short par 3's?

[cabinessence]

I played a course today that was 6800 yards from the back with par 3's of 195, 215, 198, and 222 yards. I hit two 3-woods and two hybrids; the designers can't get away with having anything too penalizing around the greens of such long holes, so when I sprayed crappy shots up there I made 6 pars and 2 bogeys anyway. And obviously, birdie on ANY of the par 3s has been taken out of the realm of possibility for most people playing from the back tee.



Off the top of my head, here are a few great golf courses that not only have short par 3's, but they are some of their most famous holes:

Augusta National -- #12, 155 yards
Cypress Point -- #15, 135 yards
Pebble Beach -- #7, 106 yards
Pine Valley -- #10, 130ish IIRC -- has the "devil's @sshole" bunker

L.A. Country Club is the only 'great course' I have played that doesn't have at least a mid-iron par 3.


A golf course should demand something more on its par 3s than bombing a 200-yard shot at an unprotected green. IMHO, every golf course should have one short par 3, one mid-length par 3, and one long one -- do whatever you want with the fourth -- with appropriate risk/reward designs for each. In general, each set of par 3, 4, and 5 should make use of as many clubs in the bag and as many shots as possible. Well-designed short par 3s don't have to be easy par 3s, as Augusta #12 shows. They should provide both birdie and double bogey opportunities, and holes that do that make the round more interesting and fun.

 

[ezra76]

The course I play at has 3 at or right near 200. None are really all that "easy" around the green. The 4th par 3 is only 158. Long is OB automatically and short will have you yelling "get down" before it reaches the 3 massive bunkers cut into the side. Off a good bunker lie, mid to back, it take a full swing SW blast to get it out of one of them. Too close to the 7ft. high lip, start looking backwards.

 

[flomarilius]

Amen!

The local 9 hole where I got my wedge stolen out of (yea I still go there) has a great par 3 thing going on. The first #3 Plays about 199 from the back and 162 from the whites. The second #5 is about 186 from the back and 154 from the whites while the last par 3, my favorite when I was not a long hitter, is a tiny 114 from the back and 111 from the whites.

It's so funny to play golf tournys there with the team and watch beautiful rounds go up in smoke because nobody can hit a 3/4 PW or a full SW. Beautiful thing about it there are only bunkers on the right that wrap around the green and even if you get in you have a beautiful lie out and people still make 4's and 5's left and right. Ill get a picture on here after of it.

Goes to show how short a good par 3 is huh

 

[flomarilius]

So here are the the shortest and longest par 3's I have ever played. The first one is the local 9 I was mentioning...

now the second measures 250 off the back so I just pretty much hit a low running 3 or on a bad day just take out the driver...

 

[JEFF4i]

Bah, your course is easy,

My home course has par 3s as follows (from back tees)-

#3
180 Yards (Give or take 5)
Steep uphill, adding some yardage. Dangers is perilous to the right with a bunker with a lip taller than a person. Two bunkers behind the green, and rough to the left. Two tiered green with lower tier up front. Should make sure you know what tier the flag is on, because missing on the wrong tier can shape up 3-putts. Back-right pin placement is worst, because it is well guarded by the bunker, and the entirety of the green in the back right is about 10 paces long. Deadly.

#8
275 From Back Tees (Give or take 10)
By far a long, long, par 3. Not very forgiving, though a large green does help. Though a large green, multiple breaks expected on any putt past 15 feet. Multiple sand traps to the left, severe fall off making a difficult chip shot from the right rough. No trouble before the green. Although you are nearly at level with the green when you tee off, it is elevated.

#11
200 (Give or take 5)
Water guarding the front. Sand to the right and crap to the left. Severe dropoff behind. Definately a green you want to get on in 1, but any misses would be best off to the right. A left pin-placement is harsh because of a tier on the left side of the green, making for difficult birdies if you can't get it near that pin. Not counting the left side tier, a small two tiered green, though birdie still possible if tier is missed, preferably below.

#16
205 (Give or take 5)
Must be accurate. Tough bunker to the right, tough bunker to the left. Behind is another dropoff of about 6'. If you are going to miss, short is best, given fairway conditions for the chip. Three tiered green, very difficult if you miss the correct tier. First tier is medium, second is low, third is high (as you go away from yourself). A long green, but tight sideways. Green sits about 5' below teebox, maybe as much as 10'

 

[cabinessence]

275 is ridiculous. I think the longest par 3 I've played was at one of the Robert Trent Jones courses, 260 or something.

 

[JEFF4i]

Well, it is a collegiate championship course, and this is from the tips.

 

[cabinessence]

Well, it is a collegiate championship course, and this is from the tips.

The USGA defines a scratch golfer as someone who can fly the ball 230 yards and get 20 yards of roll. It shouldn't be a par 3.

 

[JEFF4i]

I completely disagree. The USGA definitions are dated.

 

[JEFF4i]

Oh, and as said, this is from the tips. From the mid-tees it's around 180.

 

[cabinessence]

Obviously it's from the tips, because if it weren't the hole would be even longer...

I hit the ball 260 yards on a good strike and I played college golf. My brother played college golf in the ACC and would probably be able to reach the green but would have to nut a driver and get some roll. Putting a 275 yard one-shot hole on a tournament golf course is an extreme solution to a non-problem.

 

[JEFF4i]

*shrug* When Tiger and Phil played here they didn't have any problems, in college. Shoot, both of them used irons. I use my Strong 3.

 

[cabinessence]

Back to the original topic...

http://www.unmgolf.com/golf/proto/unmgolf/images/course_scorecard.jpg

Looks like your course is #1 in New Mexico and it also has a short par 3

 

[Sandpiper3]

I CANNOT BELIEVE NOONE HAS SAID #17 AT TPC SAWGRASS!!!!! ONLY 130 SOME ODD YARDS!!!

I completely agree cabinessence, my course is a mixture from the tips, 230 downhill, plays about 220, but out of a shoot and usually into a crosswind out of it. Then 127 to a big green, i can go from SW to a 9 iron from front to back of this green, HUGE deep bunker short/left, lots of undulation behind the green. Then a 150 par 3, easiest hole on the course as there really is nothing but two easy bunkers and a green with a rib going through it. Then the last par 3 is 185 with water left and a dropoff down towards the river right, only good miss is short here, and as its right down on the river (the others are up in the trees), theres almost always wind either with/against you. To elaborate on the last par 3, 185 yards, ive hit a PW, and ive hit a full knockdown 3w and both were middle of the green, thats the kinda wind we get down on the water


Its all about design, when you get those long ones, as you said you just knock it up there and hope to get up and down, theres no real trouble you can put on that hole to make it semi fair, midlength with adequate tough shots, and short holes with lots of trouble is where its guna be in the future of course design, because they cant keep going longer, they have to go tougher!

 

[Eracer]

#17 at Sawgrass. Nothin' to it. I parred it easy...:laugh:

I used to play (before it went ultra-private) a course called Golden Ocala. It was rated the #1 replica course in the country by Leisure Magazine in 2001. One of the replica holes was The Postage Stamp at Royal Troon.

90-145 yards depending on tee location. All carry over a waste area to a green that was, well, the size of a postage stamp...Four monstrous pot bunkers, and thick gnarly rough guarded the four quadrants of the green.

This was a hole you either scored two, three or eight.

I really miss being able to play there. Other replica holes were faithful reproductions of Augusta #16, and Augusta #12, and #13 (Amen Corner) - #12 and #16 being two other great short par 3's.