Drop-shot par-3s - best examples. 6th at NGLA not included.

[Michael Dugger]

A couple of photos found on the web (I have no idea who the guy is in the second picture, or why he decided to wear those shorts to play golf):

The shorts?  I love his anklets and arm bands.  

[Bill Gayne]

Golden Horseshoe has three drop shot par threes. Individually, all of them are good holes. The question that gets raised; are three drop shot par threes too many?

[Mike_Cirba]

The 9th at Chambers Bay looks rather stunning.

Wayne mentioned most of the good ones around here, but he forgot the 12th hole at Lancaster.  

12 at Leatherstocking is awesome and I almost holed out there after a blind shot from the tee, proof that the lucky squirrel...

Speaking of Merion West...it's one of those courses that sticks in the mind.

[wsmorrison]

Nice call on Lancaster's 12th and the 12th at Leatherstocking.  Speaking of Merion West and drop shot par 3s, what about the 4th?  What a great hole with a very difficult to read green.  Merion West is a golf course worthy of study and praise.

Sorry, I don't have a very good photograph.  It is 205 from the back tee (this tee is about 170) and drops about 40 feet.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Getting off the wagon, I'll go in with 7th at Lehigh.  Evan mentioned 12 at Leatherstocking.  

What's the elevation change between the tee and green on the 6th at NGLA?

[Kevin Pallier]

Surely the 7th at Pebble is one of the best. I also enjoyed the 3rd at Woburn (Dukes) - the green is wickedly tricky.

One of the best examples in Aust. is 16th at Araluen in WA and the Old 15th at my home course in Wollongong.

[TEPaul]

The 7th at Lehigh is one of the most dramatic I've seen. It must be 100 feet down there across a river and it's long at 222 from the tips.

There's one at Reading CC that sure got my attention too. I think in the old days we hit woods to it.

But for a course that has tees that just seem like they are on top of the world to holes really far below I don't believe I've ever seen anything like some of those at The Bridge in Long Island. On some of them you can look across the Long Island Sound all the way to Connecticut.

[Sean_A]

I am generally not a fan of severe drop shots, but Painswick's 15th isn't too severe and its like hitting into a natural dell.  Good hole.  

BTW Painswick is looking for a new Head Greeenkeeper!

Ciao

[Mike_Cirba]

There's one at Reading CC that sure got my attention too. I think in the old days we hit woods to it.

OMG...how could I forget?!?  

The 15th hole is an Alex Findlay stunner.  It's about 230, far downhill, and over a creek with a steep bank and woods behind.  

Easily the most difficult hole on that course.

[Joe Bausch]

There's one at Reading CC that sure got my attention too. I think in the old days we hit woods to it.

OMG...how could I forget?!?  

The 15th hole is an Alex Findlay stunner.  It's about 230, far downhill, and over a creek with a steep bank and woods behind.  

Easily the most difficult hole on that course.

Snapped a couple of photos of this hole recently:

http://tinyurl.com/2lupvk
http://tinyurl.com/33jvoh

[Joe Bausch]

And as Steve Shaffer has reminded me, there is probably a 75 ft drop or more on #17 at Cobb's Creek, which I think can play up to 200 yards from the tips:

http://tinyurl.com/2usp2a

[Mike_Cirba]

Joe,

We also forgot about #4 at McCall Field!  

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The 16th at Red Sky Ranch (Norman Course) near Vail, CO, at 283y from the tips. The picture doesn't show the greater drop from the back tees:

[Joe Bausch]

Joe,

We also forgot about #4 at McCall Field!  

Ah, yes, a real beaut too!

[Evan Fleisher]

The 9th at Chambers Bay looks rather stunning.

Wayne mentioned most of the good ones around here, but he forgot the 12th hole at Lancaster.  

12 at Leatherstocking is awesome and I almost holed out there after a blind shot from the tee, proof that the lucky squirrel...

Speaking of Merion West...it's one of those courses that sticks in the mind.

This is the only photo I could find of the 12th at Leatherstocking.  It plays about 135-ish and is much more blind and straight downhill than this photo makes it out to be.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

The 7th at Lehigh is one of the most dramatic I've seen. It must be 100 feet down there across a river and it's long at 222 from the tips.

There's one at Reading CC that sure got my attention too. I think in the old days we hit woods to it.

But for a course that has tees that just seem like they are on top of the world to holes really far below I don't believe I've ever seen anything like some of those at The Bridge in Long Island. On some of them you can look across the Long Island Sound all the way to Connecticut.

Tom-

  7 at Lehigh is great...the ball just seems to hang in there air forever.  The green looks far from the tee, but it plays a lot shorter; the day Bill had me up, I think I used a 6 iron.  Sounds about right, considering the drop.  

  15 at Reading is a good hole.  It's still long, and it plays long.  I was hesitant to bring this one up, but when you think about it, the shot required is a high shot that lands softly.  

[wsmorrison]

Here is another photo of the 12th at Leatherstocking.  It doesn't show the change in elevation very well, but a bit better than the previous photo.  The tee is above and behind the location this photograph was taken.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

If I can add to the 12th at Leatherstocking commentary, the green is totally blind from the tee.  You can walk to the front edge of the teeing ground and look down and see the green, and get an aiming point off one of the trees and buildings behind the green.  
Above Reading and Lehigh in an informal ranking, probably the most picturesque of the drop shot holes brought forward here.  

[David_Madison]

Champion Hills #9 - - Tom Fazio's course in Hendersonville, NC. The hole is pretty long from the tips, but the drop chops off at least three or four clubs.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The 4th at Olde Homestead in the Lehigh Valley of PA:

[David Miller]

The 14th at the Cabo Del Sol Ocean Course is a lot of fun.  It drops quite a bit but plays longer than it looks--my entire group ended up in the front bunkers or the ravine.

[Doug Ralston]

#13 At Eagle Ridge drops 240ft. Of course, at 325yd it is a par-4, but most of you can reach it from the tee easily, I estimate 60-75yd added for the drop, wind not withstanding. Sensational hole.

Doug

[Andy Troeger]

Some of my favorites off the top of my head:

#16 at Paa-Ko Ridge
#16 at Wolf Run
#11 at Castle Pines
#14 at Stonehenge (TN)
#17 at Lakota Canyon Ranch
#12 at Shoreacres

[Tom Jefferson]

m dugger......I question #2 at Bandon Trails...at 215 yards, it sure doesn't feel like a drop shot, as the distance dominates, at least IMO.  I agree that Pac #10 from the upper qualifies, even given the characteristics of the wind, and the resulting need to 'drive' the ball into it.

I grew up at Torrey Pines, and #6 north immediately came to mind.

Tom

[James Bennett]

Speaking of Merion West and drop shot par 3s, what about the 4th?  What a great hole with a very difficult to read green.  Merion West is a golf course worthy of study and praise.

Sorry, I don't have a very good photograph.  It is 205 from the back tee (this tee is about 170) and drops about 40 feet.

this photo is from Spring 2006 - you can see through the trees.


I liked the view back up Merion West #7.


However, Pebble #7 is hard to beat.


and, for Sean Arble (and Bill McBride) - Painswick's #15.  If Bill has any agronomy experience, I expect he is negotiating with his wife to emigrate and take up that greenkeeping position.



James B