One of my favorite par 3’s, not coincidentally designed by one of my favorite architects (Mike Strantz), is the 3rd hole at Tot Hill Farm Golf Club in Asheboro, NC.
What I like about the hole:
-Many different teeing grounds are available to offer a variety of playing yardages and angles (though obviously the number of tees offered must be justified by the additional maintenance costs). The hole is not overly long from the tips, although the extreme depth of the green may require a hybrid or long iron for highly-skilled players.
- A large putting surface (again, this can inflate maintenance budgets). The green is deep enough to require as much as a four-club difference between pin positions in calm conditions.
- The menacing bunker on the right (some won’t like the rocks around its upper edge – that’s one way to discourage soft-covered golf balls) ties in well with the central spine of the green. This central spine allows shots to be spun back to front hole locations.
- Right/rear pins can be approached by carrying just over the bunker to get a kick off the back side, by hitting a very high approach to pin-high (perhaps playing safely a bit to the left away from the bunker), or by playing short left and then across the green diagonally. A creek wraps behind the green to prevent one from bailing out over the backside.
- A small stream also crosses the hole well in front of the green to prevent one from tackling the hole using only their putter (C.B. MacDonald would be proud).
- A nearly infinite variety of recovery shots are required depending on where the pin is placed and where one’s tee shot misses.
Overview
A sample tee box.
Looking at the 3rd green from the left/front (actually taken from the 4th hole landing zone -- the back tees for number 4 can be seen above the right side of the bunker).
Looking back at the tee from behind the bunker.
My brother smacking one from the 4th tee. The 3rd tee is to his left, the 3rd green to his right. The forward tees for number 4 are visible on the far side of the 3rd green.
Thoughts? Likes and Dislikes? Personal favorites that you prefer to this kind of hole?