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George Pazin

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Drop shot par 3s
« on: August 20, 2010, 10:36:04 AM »
Are there any really good ones?

I generally hate them - well, hate is too strong of a word - but I generally find them very ho-hum.

Are there any that really work well, in your opinion or experience? Are there any common characteristics among those that do?

-----

As an aside, because of my feelings about them, I would imagine Threetops (or whatever it's called) is perhaps the last course on earth I'd like to play. Anyone else out there have a "last play"? :) Doesn't have to be drop shot related.
« Last Edit: August 20, 2010, 10:41:40 AM by George Pazin »
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

Jason Connor

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2010, 10:40:14 AM »
I agree. They're very dull and usually just used as a  routing tool to allow the golfer to make a big elevation change.

Didn't Ross like to use par 3s to climb hills?  I like that better.

We discovered that in good company there is no such thing as a bad golf course.  - James Dodson

Mike Hendren

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2010, 10:42:13 AM »
I like all three at Spyglass notwithstanding the redundancy.

Mike
Two Corinthians walk into a bar ....

George Pazin

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2010, 10:44:49 AM »
Bogey, what makes them perhaps better than others?
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

Cliff Hamm

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2010, 10:45:34 AM »
I happen to like drop shot par 3's.  I enjoy deciding what club to hit, watching the ball hang in the air, and the generally beauty of looking down on the hole.

Among my favorites is the 11th at Sugarloaf in Maine:


Mark McKeever

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #5 on: August 20, 2010, 10:50:29 AM »
I tend to like drop shot holes.  Schuylkill Country Club has a nice one (hole 11) but one that really sticks out to me in recent memory is the 7th hole at Wyoming Valley.  There are some good pictures in the thread about it.

mark
Best MGA showers - Bayonne

"Dude, he's a total d***"

PCCraig

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2010, 10:53:36 AM »
#12 at Shoreacres is great fun. A 40-50 ft. drop into a ravine. It's downhill but not goofy downhill like many others. It also allows for a fantastic uphill tee shot on 13 out of the ravine.

2nd time today I've used the par 3's at SA as examples! :)
H.P.S.

Richard Hetzel

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2010, 10:55:17 AM »
I don't mind them for the most part. However, one that comes to mind is a 150 yard, directly downhill, par 3 at Hunter's Station in Pennsylvania. They way the hole is designed, you either hit the green, OR, you ball is lost in the woods. Extremely little, or no, room for error here. Choosing a club for such a dramatic elevation change can be tough as well. I would also surmise that balls hitting the green here do plenty of damage.

PS:  For anyone who has played this hole, the cart ride can be terrorizing.

Best Played So Far This Season:
Crystal Downs CC (MI), The Bridge (NY), Canterbury GC (OH), Lakota Links (CO), Montauk Downs (NY), Sedge Valley (WI)

Mike Hendren

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2010, 10:56:43 AM »
Bogey, what makes them perhaps better than others?

The first is exposed to the wind and it is delightful to watch the ball fall against the backdrop of the sea.
The second has a nicely angled green placing a premium on club selection and line.
The third one is pretty.

Mike
Two Corinthians walk into a bar ....

Jud_T

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2010, 10:58:24 AM »
Pat,

I agree that #12 at SA is a fun hole, taken on it's own merits.  Tough to judge which club to hit given the 50 foot drop...However, compared to the holes it sits between, it pales in comparison.....
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Jeff Fortson

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2010, 10:59:04 AM »
How much of an elevation drop is necessary to classify it as a "drop shot" par 3?

One could argue that #6 at NGLA is a "drop shot" par 3, as if my memory serves me right, it is slightly downhill.


Jeff F.
#nowhitebelt

Steve_ Shaffer

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2010, 11:00:53 AM »
I think 17 at Red Sky Ranch Norman Course in CO is a good one.

Here are the yardages:

Black 283
Blue 230
Gold 210
Green 189
Red 130

I played gold. Club selection is paramount at altitude. If I remember correctly, I chose a 6 iron and hit the green.

Here is a pic:

"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
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jonathan_becker

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2010, 11:06:04 AM »
I'm not a huge fan overall, but one of the better ones I've seen is #7 at Brookside in Canton.  It drops about 30 feet with the green sloping severely from back to front.  




Jud_T

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Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

PCCraig

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #14 on: August 20, 2010, 11:11:38 AM »
Pat,

I agree that #12 at SA is a fun hole, taken on it's own merits.  Tough to judge which club to hit given the 50 foot drop...However, compared to the holes it sits between, it pales in comparison.....

Jud:

It's not a "great" hole but a very solid one surrounded by great holes. It's also a nice breather but a very hard up and down if you hit long of the green. The hole also looks much much better now that they have cleared a bunch of the trees in the surrounding ravine.
H.P.S.

K. Krahenbuhl

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #15 on: August 20, 2010, 11:18:43 AM »
Pat,

I agree that #12 at SA is a fun hole, taken on it's own merits.  Tough to judge which club to hit given the 50 foot drop...However, compared to the holes it sits between, it pales in comparison.....

I think it can hang with it's bookends.  It's just a wedge, but very tough to judge and an interesting green.  Not to mention it is beautiful...

« Last Edit: August 20, 2010, 11:23:04 AM by Kyle Krahenbuhl »

David_Tepper

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #16 on: August 20, 2010, 11:20:55 AM »
I like drop-shot par-3's. There is something neat about hitting a shot way up in the air, seeing it hang there for what seems like forever and wondering where it will land.

The Presidio GC in San Francisco has two nice drop shot par-3's.

Brett_Morrissy

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #17 on: August 20, 2010, 11:23:40 AM »
George,
I certainly did not find #7 SFGC ho-hum, in fact a standout par 3 @ 189yards/169 yards, firstly it comes with the history of the Duel, then it is tucked away in a corner with breezes that I imagine would shift around a fair bit, pin placement will dictate your club choice.
With the fabulous ridge running across the mid centre, bunkers everywhere,  and tricky up downs from everywhere, coupled with a lighting and sloping green - WOW.


did I mention the setting? 8)


from rear of the green looking toward the front - note the hollows and humps and the ridge that absolutely dictates your club choice

And the rear section of the green
« Last Edit: August 20, 2010, 11:59:48 AM by Brett Morrissy »
@theflatsticker

K. Krahenbuhl

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #18 on: August 20, 2010, 11:27:27 AM »
Another #7 a little south of SFGC is pretty good too...


Jeff Fortson

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #19 on: August 20, 2010, 11:27:43 AM »
LACC - North #11 would be another good one.


JF
#nowhitebelt

Tim Bert

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #20 on: August 20, 2010, 11:28:21 AM »
The 4th at Banff Springs always makes its way into this conversation sooner or later.  This hole, along with the 10th at Riviera, might be candidates for "holes with an alternate green that you hope you don't have to play."






Eric Smith

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #21 on: August 20, 2010, 11:29:57 AM »
14 @ Stonehenge.



I made a hole in one here, so I think it works fine. ;)

It's the elevator down to the next hole...a cool par 5 with a tee shot over Lake Dartmoor.  Very very beautiful there...but I am biased.

Scott Warren

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #22 on: August 20, 2010, 11:30:40 AM »
I tend to like those that present a bold hazard fronting the green seeing as the risk on any downhill shot is the distance control, most likely underclubbing.

15 at Crail (Balcomie) is a good example IMO:



The 9th at Silloth, only a wedge or therabouts on most days



The 6th at The European Club is a bloody good hole, well guarded by a range of hazards. (I hope Pat's watchdogs who report back on any mention I make of the course will drop him a line to let him know I just praised it! ;))

« Last Edit: August 20, 2010, 11:36:32 AM by Scott Warren »

Jud_T

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #23 on: August 20, 2010, 11:31:45 AM »
Another #7 a little south of SFGC is pretty good too...



Kyle,

Is this perhaps the exception that proves the rule?  it's a great hole because of the beauty and the wind.....
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Brett_Morrissy

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Re: Drop shot par 3s
« Reply #24 on: August 20, 2010, 11:32:00 AM »
sorry - something up with the posting of my pics - don't know the solution.
@theflatsticker