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Howard Riefs

  • Karma: +0/-0
First hole, par 3
« on: July 18, 2012, 07:11:22 PM »
Royal Lytham & St. Annes has the rarity of a par 3 first hole.

http://www.royallytham.org/hole_by_hole
http://www.theopen.com/en/TheCourse.aspx

Attempting to think of other courses with a par three opener, there's Pacific Grove Golf Links on the Monterey Peninsula (http://www.pggolflinks.com/virtual_tour/).

Also, in this article about the subject (http://sports.yahoo.com/news/british-open-rarity-par-3-first-hole-150000064--golf.html), Mickelson said that Westchester CC in NY opens with a par 3. At least according to this scorecard (http://metpgajr.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/metpgajr11/event/metpgajr1188/course/westchestercc/actual.htm), the first hole on the West Course plays as a short par 4 and the 10th as a par 3. Did they flip the nines for the course when it hosted a PGA Tour event?  

What other courses have a par 3 to start the round?  

Is it a sign of a flawed routing? A necessary evil? Ingenious? Best use of the land? Other?


"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

Ben Jarvis

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2012, 07:23:03 PM »
Walton Heath Old is another - 235 yards!

Photo courtesy of the Walton Heath website - www.waltonheath.com




I wouldn't have thought a par-3 would be an ideal way to start the round, from a pace of play perspective.

Perhaps its not a problem at a quieter private members club, but would certainly be at a daily fee course.

Ben
Twitter: @BennyJarvis
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David Davis

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2012, 07:23:08 PM »
Good one, I don't love starting with par 3's. I think it's because I'm a slow starter. I like the Colt concept of easing your way into a round with a gentle par 5. Nothing like being able to hack your way through the first hole. I know this won't help much but I played a course a couple weeks ago called Stippelberg here in The Netherlands. It's a year and a half old and one of the only ones I can think of in the country starting out with a par 3, of about 180 yds or so. The course is probably top 10 in the country material so not bad at all but the par 3 start, nope, I like that about as much as a 480 yd par 4 start.
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Jonathan Mallard

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2012, 07:31:18 PM »
Royal Lytham & St. Annes has the rarity of a par 3 first hole.



Also, in this article about the subject (http://sports.yahoo.com/news/british-open-rarity-par-3-first-hole-150000064--golf.html), Mickelson said that Westchester CC in NY opens with a par 3. At least according to this scorecard (http://metpgajr.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/metpgajr11/event/metpgajr1188/course/westchestercc/actual.htm), the first hole on the West Course plays as a short par 4 and the 10th as a par 3. Did they flip the nines for the course when it hosted a PGA Tour event?  

What other courses have a par 3 to start the round?  

Is it a sign of a flawed routing? A necessary evil? Ingenious? Best use of the land? Other?




Westchester does flip the 9's for the Tour events. The Bob Gilder plaque is on number 9.

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2012, 07:33:12 PM »
Of the courses I really like, these start with one-shotters

Addington
Huntercombe
Liphook
Yelverton
Players Club - Stranahan
West Cornwall

I will mention Hayling Island as well.  A course very much overlooked - even by myself.  I am told some work is being carried out, either way, its been too long since my last visit.


I think it works very well at Huntercombe (large green) and West Cornwall (long, tough, opener hard on road - see below)
 

Ciao
« Last Edit: July 18, 2012, 07:37:36 PM by Sean Arble »
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Scott Warren

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2012, 07:35:13 PM »
Yarra Yarra on the Melbourne Sandbelt opens with a par three, as does the beloved GCA fave Huntercombe, near Reading west of London. Also The Addington, in Surrey, opens with a one-shotter of about 160 yards.

A par three may not be ideal as an opening hole, but if you're going to have a par three opener, Walton Heath's is a pretty good one.

Randy Thompson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2012, 07:39:07 PM »
Obviously for pace reasons they should be avoided and I have never done one but if the lay of the land points in that direction I would not hesitate. The routing process usually starts with a strong clubhouse site, good finishing holes for nine and eighteen holes with strong green sites and two good starting holes for one and ten, all in the same area. Lots of factors, so if you start adding up all this and one site fullfills storngly, clubhouse, great nine and eighteen holes and great greens sites and the rest of the routing clicks...but the negative is a par 3 starting hole...so be it!

David Davis

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #7 on: July 18, 2012, 07:43:04 PM »
Good one, I don't love starting with par 3's. I think it's because I'm a slow starter. I like the Colt concept of easing your way into a round with a gentle par 5. Nothing like being able to hack your way through the first hole. I know this won't help much but I played a course a couple weeks ago called Stippelberg here in The Netherlands. It's a year and a half old and one of the only ones I can think of in the country starting out with a par 3, of about 180 yds or so. The course is probably top 10 in the country material so not bad at all but the par 3 start, nope, I like that about as much as a 480 yd par 4 start.

Sorry gents I stand corrected. 204 yds from the back sticks. I reckon an 8 iron for most of you.
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David_Tepper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #8 on: July 18, 2012, 07:45:57 PM »
One of the courses at the Berkshire (west of London) starts with a par-3 of 180-200 yards.

Dan_Callahan

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2012, 07:48:29 PM »
Ludlow CC, a Donald Ross course in Mass, starts with a par 3.

Mt Washington used to start with an odd par 3 that had the tee up by the swimming pool and the green practically in the parking lot. It was then a long walk to the second hole. They changed the routing a few years ago and got rid of that opener.

Scott Warren

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #10 on: July 18, 2012, 07:53:40 PM »
David,

Indeed it does. I forgot about that one. The Blue course.

Played after a morning round on the Red and then the proper lunch, it's a long iron or hybrid over a sea of heather with a belly full of roast meat and treacle pudding and a head full of red wine -- truly the most difficult shot in golf and one the pros are sadly not tested by! ;D

Jay Flemma

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2012, 07:54:52 PM »
Yarra Yarra on the Melbourne Sandbelt opens with a par three, as does the beloved GCA fave Huntercombe, near Reading west of London. Also The Addington, in Surrey, opens with a one-shotter of about 160 yards.

A par three may not be ideal as an opening hole, but if you're going to have a par three opener, Walton Heath's is a pretty good one.

Good catch on Yarra Yarra, Scott.

The old course at Foxwoods started on a par-3 and ended on a par-3.  That was a dog track...(I am NOT referring to lake of Isles, but the original course they had there...
Mackenzie, MacRayBanks, Maxwell, Doak, Dye, Strantz. @JayGolfUSA, GNN Radio Host of Jay's Plays www.cybergolf.com/writerscorner

Dan Kelly

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2012, 08:20:39 PM »
Obviously for pace reasons they should be avoided

I don't see why that's "obvious."

How long does it take an average group to play a par-3? I don't know, but it shouldn't exceed 10 minutes, should it?

If a par-3 is almost inevitably a bit of a traffic-causer, why not get one of them out of the way before anyone on the course has to slow down?

Once the group plays that opening par-3, the group ahead should have hit its second shots on No. 2 -- so, when group 2 gets to tee 2 ... play away!
"There's no money in doing less." -- Joe Hancock, 11/25/2010
"Rankings are silly and subjective..." -- Tom Doak, 3/12/2016

Ed Oden

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2012, 08:48:41 PM »
Obviously for pace reasons they should be avoided

I don't see why that's "obvious."

How long does it take an average group to play a par-3? I don't know, but it shouldn't exceed 10 minutes, should it?

If a par-3 is almost inevitably a bit of a traffic-causer, why not get one of them out of the way before anyone on the course has to slow down?

Once the group plays that opening par-3, the group ahead should have hit its second shots on No. 2 -- so, when group 2 gets to tee 2 ... play away!

Dan, I posed this same question/theory in a thread a few years ago.  Here is the response of Bill Yates, who I believe is recognized as THE expert on pace of play... http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,35026.msg706137.html#msg706137

If I understand Bill's comment correctly, par 3 opener's can potentially be ideal provided they are long enough to not play too quickly, thereby immediately backing up the course.

Ronald Montesano

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2012, 09:59:02 PM »
We have a unique course in WNY called Tan Tara. 1, 9, 10 and 18 are all par 3 holes. It may have been built by a geometrician, but it plays more like an MC Escher.

1 is about 195 yards and the toughest of the four. 9 and 10 are mere pitches and 18 is a 7 or 6 iron to the green.

They all play over the same sinkhole of a faux-creek.

The course is not well regarded, so the weird combination neither detracts from, nor adds to, the overall experience.
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Ben Jarvis

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #15 on: July 18, 2012, 10:35:46 PM »
Obviously for pace reasons they should be avoided

I don't see why that's "obvious."

How long does it take an average group to play a par-3? I don't know, but it shouldn't exceed 10 minutes, should it?

If a par-3 is almost inevitably a bit of a traffic-causer, why not get one of them out of the way before anyone on the course has to slow down?

Once the group plays that opening par-3, the group ahead should have hit its second shots on No. 2 -- so, when group 2 gets to tee 2 ... play away!

Dan,

I mentioned above that the impact of having a par-3 to begin with may differ from a private club to a daily fee club.

A lot of clubs that I am aware of (mine included) run the tee sheet at 8-minute intervals, maximizing the availability for members/visitors to play, and importantly, income generated from more open tee-times. A par-3 starting hole negatively impacts each of these.
Twitter: @BennyJarvis
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Patrick_Mucci

Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #16 on: July 18, 2012, 10:51:10 PM »
Howard,

With par 3's considered "connectors" you have to wonder why the architect opened with a par 3.
Is it a design flaw or a mark of genius ?

In addition, you have to ask, were the nines reversed with the opening hole the original 10th.

Matthew Rose

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #17 on: July 19, 2012, 01:48:41 AM »
It actually might not be the worst thing in the world for an overbooked muni. The high handicapper and novice player might like it actually.... much better chance at a par.

Of course, for the scratch it isn't a whole lot of fun hitting a 7-iron for your first shot.

I guess I'm a little surprised it isn't just slightly more common than it actually is.

Westchester is normally flipped.... my guess is they swapped it because the (normal) 18th was pretty tight and wouldn't have fit in too many spectators.
« Last Edit: July 19, 2012, 01:51:12 AM by Matthew Rose »
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Adrian_Stiff

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #18 on: July 19, 2012, 04:04:43 AM »
We have done this thread lots of times now.

Par 3 starts are not wise due to pace of play issues if you have a commercial set up.
Par 3 starts are okay if you are fine about having lesser rounds.
Best commercial tee times are at 8 minute intervals, a par 3 can take from 8 to 15 minutes.
Something like the 1st at Walton Heath is the exact one not to have, unless you want 12-15 minute tee times.

Land dictates of course but I do not know of a practicing architect that advocates its plusses over its minusses.
A combination of whats good for golf and good for turf.
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Bill_Yates

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #19 on: July 19, 2012, 11:47:21 AM »
Ed,
Thanks for digging back into the GCA history book. I reread my post and I would make the same comments today.
  http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,35026.msg706137.html#msg706137

Adrian,
I have to agree with you, but for a different reason than you suggest.  First of all, no matter whether you have a "commercial set up" or a club (which I would argue also has to deliiver a product perceived to have high-quality and value for dues paid), a par 3 opener does restrict the number of rounds played. In fact, it can (if the length is correct) properly regulate the flow of play on to the course . That same hole, appearing as hole #2, 3, 4 or whatever, will have the same regulating effect on the flow of play, just later in the round.  When it appears later, if the course has been overcrowded by not having a starter in place, or too aggressively commercialized, it will back-up play. On many courses this is what we now incorrectly label as "slow play" ie. players playing slowly. 

This is a wonderful and always interesting discussion for a GCA thread.  Because no matter what we want in the way of numbers of rounds and revenue, the GCA, through the routing and sequencing of holes, is the one who determines how smoothly the pace will flow on the course, and what the ideal starting interval should be so as not to overcrowd the course.  That starting interval can be enforced by a starter on the tee or by a properly designed par 3 hole.
Bill Yates
www.pacemanager.com 
"When you manage the pace of play, you manage the quality of golf."

Simon Holt

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #20 on: July 19, 2012, 01:35:20 PM »
Kilspindie- nice enough hole

Winterfield (west end of Dunbar)- worst opening hole I can think of.

I may have played more but those are the ones off the top of my head.
2011 highlights- Royal Aberdeen, Loch Lomond, Moray Old, NGLA (always a pleasure), Muirfield Village, Saucon Valley, watching the new holes coming along at The Renaissance Club.

Ben Stephens

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #21 on: July 19, 2012, 06:30:49 PM »
Longcliffe in Loughborough has a 175 yard uphill opening hole  ;D

La Domangere in France has a 220 yard downhill opening hole - I played it once and very nearly had a hole in one!!

Piperdam north of Dundee has a 165 yard opening hole over water - not for the faint hearted

Marty Bonnar

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: First hole, par 3
« Reply #22 on: July 19, 2012, 06:35:51 PM »
H.S.Colt's Peebles.
(see earlier thread)
F.
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

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