Best short par three

[Mike_Cirba]

What about the "2 or 20" hole at Engineers?

One that comes to mind for me is on a course you've never heard of that used to be called Scott View GC in NE PA.  (now "Nine Flags").  

The 7th hole was from a perched tee and couldn't have been more than 110 yards.  The downhill shot was to a pie-pan, raised green about 3500 sq. feet, with some trees encroaching on the right and a steep slope sending anything just short of the green cascading off to the left.  The green was generally very firm and anything landing on it better have butterfly feet or it would bound over.

As a kid, I probably played the hole about 1000 times and probably hit the green about 3% of the time.

[Aidan Bradley]

Tim,

Below is a photograph of the 13th at Pawley's Plantation looking back to the tee box from the green. I was hired several years ago to shoot this hole for the now defunct USGA's Golf Journal where they highlighted a "great golf hole" in every issue. While waiting to shoot I watched 24 golfers tee off, only one hit the green. There is no bail out left, short, or long and only a wee sliver to the right. Does this make it a great hole, a boone to the pro shop in added ball sales, or just down right punishment. Just asking!!!!!!!

Aidan

[Andy Hughes]

Mike Cirba, I was counting on you to mention Pocono Manor.

[Glenn Spencer]

#11 at Camargo

[Mark Arata]

Seems like as good a time as any for my first post....

The 5th at Bandon Trails is mighty short, and a ton of fun to play......

[Tim Gavrich]

Tim,

Below is a photograph of the 13th at Pawley's Plantation looking back to the tee box from the green. I was hired several years ago to shoot this hole for the now defunct USGA's Golf Journal where they highlighted a "great golf hole" in every issue. While waiting to shoot I watched 24 golfers tee off, only one hit the green. There is no bail out left, short, or long and only a wee sliver to the right. Does this make it a great hole, a boone to the pro shop in added ball sales, or just down right punishment. Just asking!!!!!!!

Aidan

Aidan--
 I believe that the only type of hole in golf that does not require much bailout area is the short par-3, such at #13, PP.  Because the player has no more than a 9 iron in hand (typically), he/she should be expected to pluck up the nerve to hit an all-or-nothing shot at least once a round.  I might have a solution to your statement about people going 1-for-24 on the hole. If they were guests, it's quite possible that they were playing the wrong set of tees (an all-too-common problem at Pawleys)  They (men, mostly) probably play the White Egret tees for 12 holes, and then see that their shot to 13 is only 75 yards.  This will make them feel wimpy, and they'll move back to the blues, at 100-125 yards, depending on the tee placement.  I've seen many people hit the green.  It just requires an above-average shot.  The green is bigger than others', anyway.  It might be one of the hardest holes in the south when it's downwind, but it can be tamed into the wind.  Crosswinds are tricky too.  Do you happen to remember which way the wind was blowing when you took the pictures?

[John Goodman]

The 6th at Royal Ashdown Forest (pictured in Ran's review, I think) plays at 128 all the way back, 118 from the yellows, and it is a dastardly tricky hole, a creek left and short, the green slopes back to front and turns away shots right, left and short.  The front pin placement is very exciting, a dicey proposition even without wind.    

[Dan Boerger]

I'll just reiterate what many Philadelphia area posters have already said about #13 at Merion, #9 at Whitemarsh and #4 a Gulph Mills. Three of my favorite "short" par 3's.  (Glad to say I "beat the pro" at the last one day member/guest I attended at Gulph Mills on said hole!)

On holes that short, I'm not opposed to the near "all or nothing" penalty. Par 3's I don't generally favor, however, are blind, uphill ones.

[Travis Ripley]

#13 at Oak Tree GC.

Seve tried to hit a shot out of the creek left of green in the 88 PGA that was the craziest, dumbest shot i've ever seen in person.  not that I'd EVER been down there possibly searching for an errantly played ball (about a 15 foot drop down a straight wall), mind you.  

i was at the PGA with a high school buddy and said: "No way, this is a terrible play".  I was right.  he hit the wall about halfway up and made 7 or something.  he's Seve, but it is not in the realm of possibility this shot.        

[redanman]

LuLu 4
French Creek 5
Gulph Mills
Manny's

looks like Philly may be the place

Pocono manor's 77yds and 77yds downhill!  (not exactly, but I wonder if it isn't the most fun one?)  Try betting on whether or not you can hit the  green with a driver.  

[Brad Tufts]

Just the decent 140 or less New England holes I can think of.....

#8 at Tedesco (see my home course) -Wogan/Stiles (132)
#4 at Hanover CC in NH -Barton/Pritchard (105)
#12 at Brookline GC -Stiles (135, perhaps the best hole on the course)
#9 at Highland Links, Truro, MA -? (135)
#17 at Neshobe GC in VT -Steve Durkee (110)
#7 at J. P. Larkin CC in VT -? (140)
#15 at Beverly Golf & Tennis in MA  -Stiles (135, the famed "wedding cake" hole)
#2 at Stockbridge GC - ? (115, with a suspension bridge over the Housatonic)
#14 at Manchester CC in NH  -Ross  (hole-in-ones frequent enough for the adjacent snack bar to keep bubbly on ice) (140)
#12 at Shenecossett -Ross/Mungeam (125)
#6 at Cape Arundel -Travis (120, is it as simple as it looks?)
#17 at Kernwood in MA  -Ross (110)
#12 at TCC - Campbell/Flynn (125, omitted from composite course, but played in 1913 Ouimet Open)
#7 at Essex CC -Ross (135 to a great green)
#6 at Brae Burn -Ross (140, drop shot over creek)
#9 at Myopia - Leeds (130, in all the greatest hole lists/books)

[Allan Long]

107 glorious yards...#3 at Ventana Canyon (Mountain).
But, I may have some bias.

[Gerry B]

ewvenb thought slighly longer than 110 -#9 at Myopia
followed by 13 at merion east