Par 3 2nd holes - good idea or not?

[Bill_Yates]

Rich,
That's precisely my point.  Course managers are forced (by the obvious backups that occur in plain sight only 10 minutes after a group begins playing) to manage the first tee in order to provide a quality experience.  I my opinion, the first tee should be managed on every course.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Rich,
That's precisely my point.  Course managers are forced (by the obvious backups that occur in plain sight only 10 minutes after a group begins playing) to manage the first tee in order to provide a quality experience.  I my opinion, the first tee should be managed on every course.

It depends what you call managed Bill - Some courses cant afford a 7 day starter. In the UK many courses have no tee times and you just put your ball in the shute - wait your turn and play when its clear....going back 20 years, probably 90% were like this..today UK clubs are probably split in favour of having tee times (mainly at 8 minute intervals).

[Bill_Yates]

Adrian,

I agree completely, and recognize that courses come in all shapes, sizes and forms, from private clubs with little play, to municipal courses that are filled to capacity. And yes, there are appropriate management responses for each.

Here in the U.S., most courses are profit driven and do their best to market their product, to fill the tee sheet.  And, whether they actually fill it or not, they need to manage the first tee so as not to overcrowd the course and produce a low quality product. When the second tee is backed up, their paying customers end up standing around asking "Why did I waste my time and money doing this?" Sadly, they feel this way after only playing one hole. Not good quality and not good business.

[Patrice Boissonnas]

This is for SCOTT WARREN :
the hole you show on COLT'S LE TOUQUET LA MER is now played as n°2 but on the original routing it was played as n°17.
It's a very long par 3 which normally plays downwind but it's a tough one and Colt would probably never have placed such a hole as n°2.
On the original routing which only served from 1931 to WWII, the first par 3 was hole 4 (now played as n°7). The course went through several changes since reopening in the 1960's. The hole was first played as n°15 and now it's n°2. It might return as n°17 in the future depending on whether a new club house will be built where the original clubhouse was (enabling the restoration of the original routing).

[Scott Warren]

Thank you for that Patrice,

Soon as I read the above I recalled the recent thread in which you and Frank mentioned that the hole ordering had changed -- but I had forgotten when I posted the above.