[Sean_A]

The West course at Royal Melbourne is a par 72 - but the four par fives are 480 (2), 470 (4),476 (12) and 467 (15) yards long.
Does that make the real par 68 or 69?

In reality they are easily reached two-shot holes that are brilliant long par fours in today's game.

By that reckoning the Berkshire Red also gets a mention. 

Mark

You seem to be one of the very few people that gives either course at Berkshire the kudos they deserve.  When the weather improves and you are down near London looking for game, give me a shout.  I have been wanting to revisit for quite some time and would like to play the Red with you, but the Blue works as well.

Ciao

[Mike_Clayton]

Jim,

That is true of Melbourne's four par fives. Tiger was hitting 8 and 9 irons into the 2nd (played as the 10th) in the Presidents Cup in 1998. The 4th (2nd PC) was generally a mid iron and the 12th plays as a par four for big tournaments.
I have seen Ernie and Ogilvy hit wedges into those greens.
15 is not on the Composite Course but at 427 it is a drive and a middle/short iron for the long hitters.

[James Boon]

I always think of 3 courses when someone mentioned sub 70: Brora and St Enodoc as others have mentioned, but also Cavendish. Par 68, 5,700 yards of Alister MacKenzie magic.
http://www.cavendishgolfclub.com/index.html

Cheers, James

[Sean_A]

I thought of another course - Musselburgh Old.  I think the par over two trips would be 68.  To be honest, this really is a must see place for anybody interested in the history of the game.  There are also some pretty darn good holes on the course. 

Ciao

[Ian Andrew]

I hope there is no pressure on Ian Andrew to gain a shot on par at Plymouth. 

Tom,

You'll be happy to know it has never even been mentioned by anyone.

[Ben Stephens]

The Leicestershire Golf Club is a tough par 68 course with no par 5s. I used to play this course quite often in Leics Rutland Golf Union Junior competitions years back.

From their website FYI - http://www.thelgc.co.uk/

'The Leicestershire Golf Club founded in 1890 is a beautiful parkland course which stands to the south of the city, backing on to open countryside. Heavily treed and boasting the finest quality greens, the 6200 yard par 68 course challenges low handicap golfers whilst remaining suitable to golfers of all abilities. The course was originally designed by Major Charles Mackenzie, brother of the legendary Alistair Mackenzie of Augusta National fame, and subsequently altered by C K Cotton'

I have noticed that Charles Mackenzie has been mentioned a number of times on GCA.

[John Blain]

I believe the Country Club of Waterbury, Ct. is a par 69. I've never played it but I've heard it's a terrific old Ross course.

Teugega CC in Rome, NY  is a par 71 that really should be a par 69 - and it would be a fine 69 at that!  Holes #5 and #18 are great fours but very weak fives...

John

[Tom_Doak]

There are really two categories of these courses.

Cavendish, Detroit Golf Club (South), Painswick, and a couple of others mentioned are well under 6000 yards.  They are all very cool courses, but it's impossible not to notice they are fairly short.

The others are really indistinguishable from full-length courses, until you look at the scorecard.

[Tom_Doak]

By the way, the most interesting thing about Wannamoisett to me was that it would have been so easy for them to call it a par-70 instead ... heck, the first two holes are something like 470 and 460 yards, aren't they?  Any other club in America would have made one of those into a par 5.

Which begs the question, was Wannamoisett a par-69 when it was built?  In those days the cut-off between a 4 and a 5 was 446 yards.

[Sean_A]

There are really two categories of these courses.

Cavendish, Detroit Golf Club (South), Painswick, and a couple of others mentioned are well under 6000 yards.  They are all very cool courses, but it's impossible not to notice they are fairly short.

The others are really indistinguishable from full-length courses, until you look at the scorecard.

Tom

I would agree.  Courses like St Enodoc, Harlech, Swinley, Rye, Addington, Pulborough, New Zealand & Southerness all play surprisingly long.  Courses like Tenby, Strandhill & Brora are somewhere between the two - they seem shortish, but not crazy short. 

Ciao

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I wish a 420/430-yard hole were still a long par 4. Yet looking through Macdonald's letters to the Chicago Golf Club when I was at the club some years ago, he was advising on potential changes and talking then (1920s?) of 460-yard two-shot holes. Ouch!

[Steve Salmen]

Every time I've requested playing the championship tees at the Ailsa course at Turnberry, with the exception of the 9th hole, I've been denied.  From the medal tees, it's a par 69. 

For the Open, they play the seventh as a 3 shotter from back tees, making par 70.

[Mark Chaplin]

Rye

[Brad Tufts]

Probably not one of the world's best, but Bass Rocks in Gloucester, MA is par 69, and the home course of GCA's Martin DelVecchio.

H.C. Leeds was the original designer circa 1890, and many of the original features remain, including several long ocean views of the rocky coastline and the two nearby lighthouses that are found in the course's logo.

In about 1997, four new holes were added to the course and three originals were removed, as three of them crossed public roads.  This allowed the club to build a driving range (which players cross after ringing a bell b/t holes 14 and 15) and better parking.  While the original routing might have been a bit more interesting, the club did find a workable solution, despite the fact that the first hole still crosses an active road from a blind position to both the golfer and crossing vehicle...

[Ben Stephens]

I can't believe not one of us picked this course probably the hardest par 69 course in the world and just over 6600 yards in the land of my fathers! - ROYAL ST DAVIDS

My Dad has played both RSD and St Enodoc - he said that as a golf course RSD is harder.

http://www.royalstdavids.co.uk/

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