Short Par Threes: What's Your ... ?

[Ronald Montesano]

"The Links at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach
NO. 13, 126/119/99/76 YARDS
The Wee Precipice
The least links-like hole on the acclaimed man-made links designed by the Holy Trinity of golf design, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Watson and Sandy Tatum..."

This line (http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/2013-03/photos-short-par-3s#slide=4) had me giggling, but then it got me brain juices circulating. Have you a favorite? A least favorite? I'm guessing it has been polled before, yet perhaps other new ones have come along in the interim.

During our recent visit to Pinehurst, I enjoyed the 3rd at Pine Needles but didn't get to play the 12th at Dormie (we skipped a few to avoid further frostbite.) I also love Strantz's Cauldron Holes (my nickname) with the various tees that arc around the green.

[Ron Csigo]

The 11th hole @ Hidden Creek.  Uphill tee shot ~125 yards.  Small little coffin bunker on the right.  Huge gaping front left bunker.  In all my visits, I don't think I've ever scored well on this hole.

[Joe Bausch]

Very nice choice RC!

[Ron Csigo]

Thanks Professor Bausch!  As always, great photos!

[Peter Pallotta]

The 6th hole at Doug Carrick's Copper Creek is very good - 113 yards from the blues, a very elevated and protected/bunkered green, coming after a long Par 4 (if I remember correctly), it throws you off yet should be easy enough -- but I've never seen a birdie made there and pars are rare too. All around a neat hole. Expensive country club for a day type course, Ron, but when you're next up Toronto way, I think you'd like it.

Peter

[David_Tepper]

Article on short par-3's in the current issue of GolfWorld:

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/2013-03/photos-short-par-3s#intro

[Tyler Kearns]

Two of the better short short par threes I've played were in Australia, the famous 7th at Barnbougle and the less acclaimed 16th at Thirteenth Beach (Beach), both of which fail to exceed 125 yards.  One of the great things about holes of this length, especially in windy environments is the difficulty in keeping balls under the wind with a short-iron in your hands.  While the right play would be to take a much longer club and hit it easy, most golfers don't have that shot, can't control that shot or can't imagine that shot.

TK

[Mike_Trenham]

Plainfield 11

[J_ Crisham]

4 at Gulph Mills, 13 at Merion, 10 at Chicago Golf , 7 at Pebble, 15 at Cypress Point are all in the 130 or less category - but if you hit a squirrelly one 5 is in the picture. All have great bunkering which makes recovery doable but challenging.

[Tim Gavrich]

#3 at Philly Cricket - Wissahickon is a darling little hole.

[Will Peterson]

#15 at Purley Downs outside of London is a personal favorite. 115 max, long skinny green with a back shelf, surrounded on three sides by traps.  Not a hard 2, but can be a tough 4.  It's also the only hole I've ever lost with a 2.  I was giving a guy 17 shots, and the only hole on the course he doesn't get one, he aces.  Tough match that day.

[Pete_Pittock]

#12 @ Sagebrush.  122yds at the top end of the course before Terry's hideout

[Ben Jarvis]

At 144 yards from the championship tee, does the 7th hole at Royal County Down qualify?

[Thomas Dai]

Here are some samples of a few 'wee holes' I've played in the UK and all playing at less than 140 yds -

7th (135 yds) at Tadmarton Heath, England - small green, over a pond, severe slope at front, OB right and long, clubhouse and wall immediately bordering at left
10th (115 yds) also at Tadmarton Heath, England - all you can see is gorse and the top of the flag stick fluttering, two tiered green
6th at Tenby, Wales - all you can see is the top of the flag stick fluttering, dimpled green
8th (140 yds) at Royal Aberdeen, Scotland - elevated tee, very narrow green severely sloping from back to front front, bunkers everywhere
8th/17th (115 & 130 yds) at Burnham & Berrow, Channel Course, England - elevated tee, tiny-titchy green, no bunkers, roll-offs abound, steep mounds and deep swales abound
13th (140 yds) at Whittington Heath, England - slightly downhill, bunkers front, left, right (deep) and rear, green very narrow at front, wider ar rear and sloping severely at sides, deep drop offs at rear and on right side
7th/16th (100 yds) at Cruden Bay, St Olaf Course, Scotland - elevated tee, tiny-titchy two tier elevated green set in ledge of dune, steep roll-offs at front and sides, deep, cavernous bunker at front
12th (90 yds) at Okehampton, England - tee-off from top of a cliff, tiny-titchy green surrounded by fence and stream at left side and to the rear

Very short par-3's are great.

Here's the 7th at Tadmarton Heath - small green, over a pond, severe slope at front, OB right and long, clubhouse and wall immediately bordering at left.



This is the 10th at Tadmarton Heath - gorse, gorse, gorse and more gorse and the top of the flag stick fluttering, two tiered green



Here's the 8th/17th at Burnham & Berrow's Channel course - not the nicest of days for photography though. Elevated tee, tiny-titchy green, no bunkers, roll-offs abound, steep mounds and deep swales.




All the best

[Mac Plumart]

7 at Ansley Settindown is great.

120ish in, plateaued, Pinehurst style green, some nasty bunkers around it.

Great hole!

[Carl Johnson]

No. 13, The Sea Hole, at the Glen Golf Club in North Berwick would be my favorite, of the short ones I can recall.  Here's what the club's website has to say about it: "A short par 3 with a blind tee shot to a green that has beach and rocks on two sides. The tee shot needs to carry to the green and, depending on wind strength and direction, might be a pitching wedge one day or a 4-iron the next. This is one of the great holes in Scottish golf."  The day we played it was a pitching wedge, but only one of us (not me) held the green.  Least favorite: Any one with an island green.

[Ron Csigo]

The 10th hole at Pine Valley.  Slightly downhill tee shot with Hell, literally surrounding the green.  All the bunkers are steep-faced.  Not to mention, the world famous DA bunker.

Automatic 5 if you don't hit the green.

[Tom Culley]

I love the 5th at Woodhall Spa with it's huge bunkers surrounding the long and narrow green. Plays about 150 from the backs... too long?

[Jud_T]

138 from the blues.  Anything from birdie to X is possible...

[Sam Morrow]

8 at Austin Golf Club.

[Andy Treen]

One of my absolute favorites is Sankaty Head's "Wee One" #14 - 149/136/110

[Adam_Messix]

Here are the best ones that come off the top of my head that have not been mentioned....

6 NGLA
16 Paraparaumu Beach
14 Royal Melbourne West
12 Dormie Club
10 Kingston Heath

[Ron Csigo]

138 from the blues.  Anything from birdie to X is possible...

Nice choice Jud!  One of the best par 5s in America. 

[Ronald Montesano]

Which par five would that be? Chaps my ass when a guy posts a hole and doesn't label it.

[Jud_T]

Ron,

Kingsley #2.  Time for a road trip!