Most intimidating Par-3 from the tee

[Lester George]

Number 5 at Pine Valley

Number 17 at Secession

Number 8 at Troon

Number 17 at the Ocean Course

I also think the 18th at The Old White is intimidating now.  Two weeks ago Mr. Watson stated that someone would either make a 1 to win next years Greenbrier Classic or four putt to lose on that hole.  I like his assessment.  If you are on the wrong side of the horseshoe countour you are fighting for par on a hole that most pro's will hit 9 iron or wedge.  Should prove to be intimidating for some.

BTW, I made birdie to Mr. Watsons par, one of the greatest 2's of my life!

Lester

[Jon Spaulding]

Put me firmly in the Sand Hills #13 camp.

Honorable mention:

CPC #16 certainly gets a nod. With only a single play there, not sure how much of my nerves were based on the reputation of the hole, the thousands of photos, etc. Will put that to a test soon enough.

Creek #11 - weird look, large discomfort; per Dan's comments. I do think the intelligent play is with a shorter iron towards the front of the green and take thy chances with the putter.

[Mark Bourgeois]

No question, the original Biarritz, but given all the crap with equipment it wouldn't be the same as when I played with Uncle Charlie during his Time Overseas.

Of more recent courses, the 9th at Pinnacle from the tee appropriate to your game. Architecturally speaking, the truest laxative among par 3s.

I have played a number of candidates proposed on this thread and none come remotely close to that one. Fortunately, the walk to the locker room is short.

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

I will agree that with Kiawah #17 you have a definite bail out, so that one didn't make it in my mind.

Having played The Ocean Course over 300 times, I can tell you for certain that it's harder to hit the bailout than to hit the green...

[Greg Clark]

The 8th at Wolf Creek is extremely intimidating.  It's a long shot that is hard to get clubbed right due to the elevation drop, and there is really nowhere to miss.  Love the course, but not sure about this hole.

The 7th at Teeth of the Dog with a brisk breeze I remember as being quite backside puckering.  Something about being right at sea level really messes with the mind on that shot, and again a long iron or hybrid (maybe a 3 wood depending on the wind) is required.

While the 17th at Whistling Straits and 13th on the River are tough, to me the most intimidating par 3 at Kohler - and the most intimidating I've played - is the 15th on the Meadow Valley course.  A long scary carry to a massive and highly difficult and undulating green that is set at an angle.  A beast.

[J Sadowsky]

I never made it to the actual TPC at Sawgrass, but a local course called Renditions has a copy of the hole, and I played that in a 25 mph wind from near the back tees (because the tees I were playing from were under renovation).  The very idea that I could hit the green was somewhat of a joke to myself - none of my threesome hit the green, and only one of us was even remotely close.

[Jay Cox]

All of the answers so far are from nationally recognized courses that at least a handful of GCA'ers probably have played.  Is that:

(a) because it wouldn't make for a very interesting thread if people threw holes out there that zero or one or two others reading have played?

or

(b) because most GCA'ers don't play a lot of local clubs or local publics?

I really doubt that it's (c) because the Par 3s on local courses aren't as intimidating as Par 3s on famous courses.  I've played quite a few holes that are WAY more intimidating than the 9th at Yale or the 17th at The Ocean Course or the 17th at Sawgrass.  Of course, they're all horrible holes that are intimidating mainly because there is way too little safe landing area given the length of the shot - but Jordan's question didn't require that the hole be any good.

For the record, the winner (?) by a landslide in my mind is the 14th on the Juniper Hill Lakeside course in Northborough, MA.  It's a little over 200 yards, all carry, to a green that's maybe 4,000 square feet.  You can't see the green because of some relatively tall marsh grass and bushes in front of it. Anything short is in the marsh.  Anything left is in the marsh.  Anything more than a few yards right is in the marsh.  Anything over the back left half of the green is in the marsh.  It used to be that anything over the back right half of the green would hit some caked down pine needles and keep running for about 30 yards until it got to the marsh, unless you got lucky enough to hit a tree, but now they've put up a 15-foot-high net there.  Initially I thought the net was protect people on the next tee, but then I realized the angles were wrong and that the net is there only to make the hole more playable - and that now the best play probably is to try to bank it off the net, which is much easier to hit than the green.

It's an abominably terrible hole, but it sure is intimidating.  And I bet there are plenty more terrible, intimidating holes like it out there.

[Padraig Dooley]

How about the 14th at Royal Portrush(Dunluce), nothing like having a driver in hand, playing into the wind and thinking that getting the ball into 'Bobby Locke's Hollow' is a great result.

[James Boon]

The idea of a hole being intimidating is dependant upon not only what it looks like when you stand on the tee, but also how much you've been thinking about it on your way round.

For instance I would imagine the 17th at Sawgrass is well known by everyone who plays it, so you get to the tee and its probably been playing on your mind since the first. However, if you just came across it without knowing anything about it, Pete Dye, the Players etc, it would probably be a lot easier to just knock a short iron on? Or maybe not    I must add I've not played it, but I think the anticpation must add to the intimidation?

Cheers,

James

[Mark Kinney]

The two that came to mind first for me were...
#15 Bandon Dunes, back tee (200+) into a normal 25+ summer wind
#14 Royal Portrush

[Ben Sims]

The 15th at Ballyneal was pretty intimidating.  You can't even see the green!!

In all seriousness, based upon the initial first impression of the hole; the third at Pasatiempo was tough.  But on further review, trying to hold the green--or even hit the green--on 14 at Pac Dunes with a stiff 3 club wind at your back proved hellacious.   It just looks like a knife blade even from 140 yards.

[Greg Clark]

Jay,

That hole sounded so awful that I couldn't help but go to the website.  There is a small pic on the hole description, as well as a graphic.  But what is priceless is the despription itself:

THE TOUGHEST HOLE ON THE COURSE is nearly surrounded by wetlands. The fence ( an obstruction ) behind the green is a target for those that can't hit the small landing area around the green.

Awesome.

[Rich Goodale]

Ist time around, 16th at Cypress

200th+ time around, 2nd at Dornoch

[Matt_Ward]

Since the title of the thread is "most intimidating from the tee" -- the 8th at Wolf Creek will scare the crap out of any player. The prevailing wind is in your face and it appears that there is no suitable landing area short of the green itself. There is -- but the view from the tee doesn't provide any comfort before starting one's backswing.

I don't doubt the intimidation of the 17th at The Ocean Course but the 8th at Wolf Creek has no peer from the linkage to the word "intimidation" in my mind.

One last thing -- if you play the 8th from the 150-160 yards marks -- the visual elements become less terrifying -- those going to the 217 or 245 markers had best be hitting it pure.

[JNC Lyon]

Matt,

What is it about the 8th at Wolf Creek that makes it so intimidating.  For me, it would be very difficult to beat the 17th at the Ocean Course.  17 at Kiawah is mostly intimidating because of the wind that so present on that hole.  Remember, the professionals will not even play that hole from the 221 markers.  I seriously doubt the tee markers will be all the back for more than one round in the 2012 PGA. 

3 and 17 at Merion were both mentioned here.  I believe that both of these holes make the player work very hard for a par.  However, it is very easy to make a 4 on both holes.  3 at 274 yards is probably the more intimidating hole for me because there is no good miss around the green.  17 is a little different for me.  While the quarry is certainly epic and evokes prehistoric images of roaming mastodons, the carry is very negotiable for a good player.  Additionally, the player can miss to the right of the green and have a very manageable recovery shot.  Multiple US players hit onto the 18th tee during the Walker Cup and make threes because the green is pitched steeply from left to right.  The player always has a good miss on this hole.  I believe the 17th is a great and challenging par three, especially at the late stage in the round.  However, I am not as intimidated by it as I am other par threes.

[Joe Bausch]

All of the answers so far are from nationally recognized courses that at least a handful of GCA'ers probably have played.

You might have missed my post on the 12th at Pilgrim's Oak, a course very few members of this site have played. 

[Anthony Gray]

In Northern Ireland, both Royal County down (4th) and Royal Portrush (14th, called Calamity) are pretty fearsome off the back tees, especially if there is some wind, which is pretty much always.

  Good call. Like 17 at Sawgrass no pleasant place to miss.

  Anthony

[K. Krahenbuhl]

The 14th at Waterwood National in Huntsville, TX (unfortunately the course has recently closed).

[Matt_Ward]

JNC:

I am not at all suggesting that The Ocean Course's 17th hole is a walk on the beach by any means.

However ...

The 8th at Wolf Creek from either the middle or back tee is sheer terror -- as I said the prevailing wind is usually in your face and even though the tee is elevated it gives the impression of hitting into Dante's infernal abyss. The green is also partially blind from the rear two tee positions so you don't have a landing point in which your mind can visualize. You have to trust your swing and aim point to be effective and when you have a headwind that can add 2-3 clubs you have a real obstacle to overcome because of the elevation of mental and physical demands.

JNC -- you mention the idea in working "hard" for par. The 8th at Wolf Creek makes you work hard to get a score period. It's the kind of hole that failure to overcome the mental and physical elements I mentioned previously -- can mean a quick snow man or even a moose on the card -- that is an 8 / 10 for those who don't know the meaning of such terms.

The problem is that the initimidating stems from the stern rock wall canyon that the hole sits within. You also have a small landing area short of the green but few people really opt for that choice. There is also a bit more green to the right side but again that part of the green is not visible from the middle / rear tee areas.

What's amazing is how different the hole looks from the 150-160 yards tee boxes. The scene is quite tame from that position. Just goes to show that adding a bid of yardage and not giving easy sight lines to mentally focus upon can mean a very tough time indeed.

Joe:

I have played the 12th at Pilgrim's Oak and while it's a fine hole -- it's really a walk in the park to the 8th at Wolf Creek. Not even remotely close.

[Matt Day]

6th hole at NSW from the championships tees, water carry is around 140 metres

http://www.nswgolfclub.com.au/guests/coursetour/hole6.mhtml

[Jay Cox]

Jay,

That hole sounded so awful that I couldn't help but go to the website.  There is a small pic on the hole description, as well as a graphic.  But what is priceless is the despription itself:

THE TOUGHEST HOLE ON THE COURSE is nearly surrounded by wetlands. The fence ( an obstruction ) behind the green is a target for those that can't hit the small landing area around the green.

I'd never been to the Juniper Hills website before!  That's truly amazing.

The other course at Juniper Hills had one of the neatest par-5s I've ever seen, the 10th.  It was about 500 yards and you had a choice off the tee of laying up with a mid-iron or going for it.  If you went for it, the landing area was v-shaped, with a public road and OB making up the left side of the V and a river making up the right side.  It was about 220 to carry it to the point of the V, but to get there you had to hit over some bushes or trees and a bend in the road.  If you went further right, you could see the landing area, but the carry got longer and you had to flirt with the river.  For someone who could carry the ball about 250, it was an incredibly fun shot and the one good thing about the place. 

As you might have guessed from management's decision to put up the fence on the 14th hole, they decided that the carry was too hard, moved the tees over and up 40 yards, and now you have a choice between maybe 220 yards of straightaway carry or an eight-iron layup.  Blegh.

All of the answers so far are from nationally recognized courses that at least a handful of GCA'ers probably have played.

You might have missed my post on the 12th at Pilgrim's Oak, a course very few members of this site have played. 

I stand corrected. Incidentally, one thing mediocre courses with intimidating par-3s seem to have in common is mockable websites.  The description of the 12th at Pilgrim's Oak says:  "The 12th is a hole that illustrates why Pilgrim's Oak is the place where natural beauty and golf become one."  One of the dominant features of the hole is a big stone wall near the edge of a pond that, if not fake, has at least been doctored a bit.  Yet it is THE place (not even A place) where natural beauty and golf become one.

Still, it's no Juniper Hills fence.

[Roger Wolfe]

#3 at Carolina Golf Club... 237... monster.

[Ted Kramer]

#11 at Shinnecock gets scarier and scarier every time I play it . . .

-Ted

[bill_k]

How about the most intimidating par-3 without water or OB?. My vote is #7 at Chicago GC...

[Rory Connaughton]

17 at Enniscrone.
Death long and left and a severe fall off to the right of this small green.
I have played the hole at 140 yards with sand wedge and 4 iron depending on wind.
Under appreciated.
I also find 7 at RCD to be an intimidating short par 3