I used to feel that all par 3's on a public course, especially, should be medium length, as the average player enjoys them. I worked at a course in maintenance while in college that had a 216 yard par 3, and everyone there said it should be shortened, as no one "wants to hit a wood to a par 3".
One of the golf digest rankers lowered my shot value rating on one of my courses, in part to "lack of variety on Par 3 hole lengths." It got me thinking, and I now vary distances as much as I can. In the last two years, I have built three par 3 holes with back tee yardages of 260 or more. (Colbert Hills, into the wind, no less, The Quarry, and Indian Creek). There are some advantages:
1. We can always adjust the forward tees accordingly, and
2. Where else can you reliably test the long iron play of the best players anymore?
The CH and IC versions are Redans and Reverse Redans, of sorts. The 4th at the Quarry is a minicule target on a downhill par 3, open in front, but with bunkers on all other sides. You can't miss this anywhere but short, hopefully setting up a dilema, assuming you can hit the driver that far. (The forward tee plays no more than 185.) For kicks, the next par 3 is over the Quarry, and you can miss long, as we provides some fairway back there, but not short, or you go in the quarry. Way in the quarry.....
I did do a Biarittz green - but it was on a short par 4, potentially driveable. That is along the lines of G Bahto saying they should lengthen the CBMac holes to play the equivalent way they did in the old days, and forgetting what par is.
Dsn Kelly -
I have printed the caddie comebacks. Good Stuff. What about:
Golfer: "I wanted to play that one in the worst way"
Caddy: "You did, sir. You did.