[Joe Bentham]

In my limited experience I've only encountered par3 starting holes a couple of times.  CoosCC (now Watson Ranch) before the remodel (don't laugh, it has Chandler Eagen to thank for its original nine) and The Elks in Coquille, Oregon are the only two that I can remember playing.
Obviously there are courses out there that start with a one shotter.  What are the highlights?  Are there any 'classics'?  Or is it a hair brained thing to do?

[Ed Oden]

Joe, here is a thread I started last year on par 3 openers.  While my focus was more on whether starting with a par 3 might be a good thing for pace of play, there were some good responses about the concept generally.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,35026.0/

[Alfonso Erhardt]

Joe,

In Madrid, Spain, Puerta de Hierro (1914 Harry Colt layout) started both of its nines (1 and 10) with a par 3, so I guess that answers your question to the "classic" question. Today the club has two 18 hole courses and they start with the former 1 and 10 par 3 holes.

Nobody in the club has any problem with it and, as Ed's thread suggests, it is very good for pace of play issues. This is especially the case if  both of the par 3s are long and difficult.

Regards,

Alfonso

[Mike_Clayton]

Alfonso

The opening hole at Puerto de Hierro out in front of the clubhouse and across the ravine/valley is a fantastic place and hole to start a round. Aside from anything else it is a brilliant hole.

I heard they have done some work on the course.I have not seen it for fifteen or twenty years.How is it now?

[Alfonso Erhardt]

Mike,

The courses are doing very well and so is the club!!!!!!

The Upper Course (where the Opens used to be played) underwent some small changes in 2000, all done by Kyle Phillips. Tees, greens and bunkers were revamped with movement added to greens, but nothing drastic. In addition, two holes were changed (new green on the 12th - a very downhill short par 4) and 16 (now a short par 4 that has gone back to the original Colt routing - the one you played was built in the 60s).

The Lower Course was completely rebuilt in 1998 by KP (while he was still working for RTJJr) as the club lost some property to a nearby highway. He did a terrific job by remodelling some of the old Colt-Simpson holes (12 of them), while building six completely new holes. Competitions are now played in this course.

The club doesn't host any pro events anymore, as it feels it is not worth it if the top players are not going to come. Instead, it has focused on hosting top amateur events, which are less demanding on club and members, while also providing the opportunity to maintain the history of competitions that the club has held for 100 years.

I'll see if I can get some pictures posted, following Cristian Willaert's series on Colt's continental work.

Regards,

Alfonso

[Adam Clayman]

Joe, In the thread that Ed put a link to, Bill Yates uses Pacific Grove as an example because it starts with two par 3's. His times for the first hole are only accurate for the local proficient golfer. I've witnessed tourista golfers take 25 minutes on that shorter opener, and, even longer on the more difficult second.

If you're asking about a resort course, there's no way a group of typical resort golfers will finnish a par 3 in under 10 minutes. IMO.

[Jason Connor]

The three I can recall that I've played are Pacific Grove (starts 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5 and 9 is also a par 3, I think),  Cumberland Country Club in Maryland, and Alpine Lake in WV.  Though I've heard Alpine Lake switched their nines since I was last there.

[Jason Topp]

Don't forget Lytham and the impact an opening par 3 had on the competition the final day of the Open

http://www.caddybytes.com/myles_byrne!.htm

[Steve Salmen]

The first at the Old Golf Course of Musselburgh starts with a par 3 of 145 yds or so.

Interesting though, when I first played it in 1991, it was the ninth and final hole.  I suspect they did this to begin the round closer the the golf shop.

This happens to be the golf course that Guinness recently declared to be the oldest in the world.

[Adam Clayman]

The three I can recall that I've played are Pacific Grove (starts 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5 and 9 is also a par 3, I think),  Cumberland Country Club in Maryland, and Alpine Lake in WV.  Though I've heard Alpine Lake switched their nines since I was last there.

Jason, #'s 9 and 10 are Par 3's also. So is #17.

[Ronald Montesano]

And then, the flip side.  Tan Tara in North Tonawanda, NY, has par three holes across the same ditch at # 1, 9, 10 and 18.  Don't ask, don't tell, is the policy.  The first is the most demanding at 200 yards and causes back-ups on the tee.  I was surprised that Alfonso indicated that no such problems exist at Puerta de hierro.  Alfonso, ?como puede ser que no haya demoras?

[Mike_Clayton]

Alfonso.

It is a pity they don't play pro events there any more because it was such a nice course to visit - and such a great city.
Of course it always helped that Seve played all the events there - and he played that course like a genius.I remember watching him there and seeing some brilliant stuff. I can still see one particular two iron that flew all the way onto that tiny back plateau at the 11th hole .
No one else even tried to hit that shot.

[Brad Swanson]

On my next visit up to Greywalls in Marquette, if the course is empty I'm going to start on the par 3 third hole since that's the hole nearest to the clubhouse on your drive out.  In some ways I like it as a starter over the difficult 1st and 2nd holes.

Cheers,
Brad

[Paul Nash]

I can think of three: Berkshire Blue, Liphook and Merrick Park - all very good holes.

I presume more courses finish than start with a par 3? I can think of Berkshire Red (worst hole on the course), St Pierre (very long), Forrest of Arden (decent hole from memory) and Parkstone - one of the best par 3s going and a great finishing hole - makes you sweat when you are level in a matchplay!

[Chris_Blakely]

The Winchendon School GC (Winchendon, MA) and old Donald Ross course starts with back to back par 3's!!!

Black Bear GC (Vanderbilt, MI) starts you off with a warmup hole par 3

Mount Lebanon GC, (Mount Lebanon, PA) 9 holer that starts with a par 3

Sleeping Giant GC (Hampden, CT) starts with a par 3 (hole was added when the drivinig range was built)

Chris

[Garland Bayley]

The three I can recall that I've played are Pacific Grove (starts 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5 and 9 is also a par 3, I think),  Cumberland Country Club in Maryland, and Alpine Lake in WV.  Though I've heard Alpine Lake switched their nines since I was last there.

Is this opening par 3 beginning to be a Chandler Egan theme? Or, did he do the back 9 at Pacific Grove?

EDIT: Adam says both 9s begin with par 3s. So Chandler did it a Pacific Grove too.

[Scott Henderson]

The 10th at Peacock Gap is a 3, as well.  I believe it is called the Thumbprint, or something like that, due to the deep depression in the green.

[Sean_A]

I think the best par 3 opener I have played is at West Cornwall.

Addington has a good one.  Huntercombe's is a good way to start the round. 

Ashburnham's isn't so great - a boring downhiller of about 190ish yards. 

I have long thought that N Berwick could open with a great par 3 if they moved the tee forward.

Ciao

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Royal Mid-Surrey has a very good par-3 opener on the Outer Course. It is over 200 yards long and well bunkered.

[Adam Clayman]

GB. Jack Neville did the back in '60.  Brad. Don't you think not starting on #1 @ GW would negate the radical affect Mike made in terms of routing ? Starting with the thrill ride and gently finishing?

[Niall C]

Accompanied by the Fatbaldydrummer and Tony Muldoon, I had the pleasure of playing Royal Aberdour Country Club as a guest of the Lord Provost of Aberdour aka Rich Goodale the other evening. The course starts with two par 3's, the first with the water as a backdrop and the second over the bay to a green shelved into the hillside. Both holes play about 170 yards but are totally different in character.

Tony had his camera so hopefully he will see this and post some pics.

Niall

[Will Peterson]

Purley Downs outside London starts with a fun par 3.

http://www.purleydownsgolfclub.co.uk/page91.aspx

Its 165, but plays downhill.  The green sits into a shelf in the hill, so if you are short you have quite a difficult chip back up a 15 foot slope.  The green is rather large and easy to hit making it a nice start to a round.

The tee sits below the large covered veranda.  For most of the day there are a number of people sitting outside to provide an audience.  This was espcially true on the weekends and during club events.  A hush would come over the crowd as you prepared to hit, and a number of comments were sure to follow.  I have never seen such terror in grown men's eyes.

The also provided an ideal playoff setting by allowing everyone to watch without having to leave their seats.

[Paul_Turner]

Will

That's a great choice, Purley Downs...a super opener on a pretty and good course.

Berkshire Blue is a brilliant opening 3.

But the best, and hardest at about 240yds, I think is Meyrick Park's.    Madrid's sounds similar.

[Alfonso Erhardt]

Paul,

Madrid is 225 yards playing from the clubhouse, on top of a hill to a green that slopes quite strongly. Despite the fact that the hole has a quite generous fairway (which makes it a much easier start to the round for the higher handicappers), golfers must carry a ravine filled with oaks which inspires terror on weaker players when starting a round.

The photos show the view from the tee and from the fairway, looking back to the clubhouse.

It was here that Colt completely missed a ball in 1914 when asked by the members to show that he could carry the ravine as they thought that it was too difficult a shot. That must surely have inspired some doubts on the general quality of his work to a bunch of people who did not know much about golf!!!!!!

[David Kelly]

Yarra Yarra GC starts with a very difficult par 3.  It is a straight away hole of about 220 yds (201m) to a long green with bunkers on both the left and right sides.  You can run it up or play short of the green but there is no room to miss wide of the bunkers on either side.

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