Until I went to Royal County Down to see the Walker Cup, I thought the best short par 3s in the world were probably #7 Pebble Beach, #11 Pacific Dunes, #8 Troon (Postage Stamp which I haven't seen), or #11 Old Course although it's a bit longish at 170 medal tees. #8 Old Course doesn't thrill me that much.
But now I've seen #7 at Royal County Down and there is a new "Best Short Par 3." Here's a photo from their website that doesn't do the hole much justice but it's all I can find for now:
Here's a better photo from Ran's profile here on GCA.com; it's a better photo but still doesn't give a clue about the challenge faced by the golfer to hit a perfect short iron:
The hole is just 145 yards from the tips but is a real bugger. It was playing a bit downwind to a green not as firm as usual as Northern Ireland had quite a rainy summer going into September and the Walker Cup.
The front of the green is blind - see the photo - as there is a nasty bunker there and thick native grass. The pin just sticks up there. Only about 30% of the green is pinnable, as the back 1/3 falls off sharply down a steep slope and the left side does the same, only into a deep bunker at the bottom of that slope.
The effective target area is about the size of a bathtub, just short and right of the pin. There is a rocky hillside just right of the green that falls off all the way down to the 13th tee far below.
During the Walker Cup, there were many shots that looked very good in the air but were maybe 2 feet too long or 2 feet too far left. These took a bounce and then began trickling toward and then accelerated down the slopes into very difficult up and down territory. The shots that stayed on the green were rewarded by birdies in many cases. The best shot was a near hole in one by the US' Colt Knost, who hit the pin on one bounce and the ball stopped 3" in front of the hole. Then his opponent knocked in a 10'er for birdie, great half!
We sat through four sessions - morning fourballs and afternoon singles, Saturday and Sunday - in the bleachers behind the green. It was quite a sight and it's now my favorite short par 3 anywhere. Although #7 at Pebble.......