If You Could Build a Short Par 3 . . .

[Carl Rogers]

Old MacDonald #5.


Beechtree (nle) #16. ... slightly uphill as I remember.



Riverfront #11 (though slightly longer than the ultra short par 3.)

[Jeff Kallberg]

#10 at Dornoch.


#13 at Brora, but only if you include the sheep.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Wolf Point #12 - green runs towards back right corner
How many greens will be running away from the tee?
Peace

[Carl Nichols]

How short is short?

[John Emerson]

Holy hell!! How good is that?  I’m not sure there’s another American course I want to see more than MHC.  Maybe Chicago Golf?

9 at Myopia
Photo credit Jon Cavalier

[Kalen Braley]

Holy hell!! How good is that?  I’m not sure there’s another American course I want to see more than MHC.  Maybe Chicago Golf?

9 at Myopia
Photo credit Jon Cavalier

Looks like a terrific hole indeed...

P.S. And not to derail this thread, but Jim Engh builds muscle bunkers like those and it gets poo-pooed on GCA.  Never really understood that.

[Craig Sweet]

4th Hole Mt Anthony Country Club

[Matthew Mollica]

Another vote for Royal Melbourne 13W.


Kingston Heath #10 could be added to the list, as could the little par 3 third hole at Frankston (The Millionaire’s Club) which I think you’ve seen Tom?


They all sit on non descript land, are engaging, feature cool greens, and the first two particularly require different shots depending on pin position.


I always like how the top line of the bunker on 13W obscures the front of the putting surface, which provides a degree on uncertainty on the tee.


The cut and fill technique provides interest to the stretch between tee and green and is surely a very economical method of construction too.

[Phil Burr]

I love 17 at Crowbush Cove.  And while I wouldn't choose #2 at Eagle Springs (Wisconsin) as my inspiration, I'd love to see a green along the line of its first hole as the target for a sub-125 par 3.

[Peter Flory]

I have always thought that the 6th green at U of M would make and interesting short par 3.  Even if you didn't have the slope behind the green, it would be interesting in a different way if that was a horizon- it would make playing for the right backstop slope more of a gamble. 

[Tyler Kearns]

I have always liked short par threes on courses that get a lot of wind, especially with a narrow target and wind blowing across the line of play.  Hard to control a wedge, and a real challenge to play a 3/4 7-iron such a short distance.  I think it dawned on me playing the 16th at Thirteenth Beach (Cashmere course) about 15-20 years ago.

[Kyle Henderson]

Clear Creek Tahoe #17. Playing a bit downhill over a sandy wash to a very large green for such a short approach, but with a smallish raised front tier that requires a high spinner which flirts with the wash when chasing front pins. The larger , lower rear section has enough movement and pine straw vs short grass vs bunker lies awaiting misses to keep things challenging and offer a variety of recovery plays from one rounds to the next without being overly penal.


I think something similar could  be constructed for this exercise,  given enough of an earthmoving budget.

[Tim_Weiman]

Tom,


My inspiration would be the 5th hole at Rec Park, a muni in Long Beach, California.


The 5th at Rec Park is actually two holes, one uphill that originally was a Redan and a downhill version that plays about 100 yards.


What makes the downhill version worthy of study is the green. It is about 80 feet wide and 55 feet deep but the depth figure is misleading due to an elephant mound in the middle of the green. You can’t really see the mound despite the elevated tee, but play the hole once or twice and you get the picture: land in the middle of the green and there is a good chance you will go off the back.


I don’t know for sure, but I think the bunkers fronting the green were not what I played in the early 1990s when I lived in Long Beach. Back then it was a forced carry over a bunker that covered the front of the green. You had to flirt with it, even if the pin was in the back.


If you wanted to build something controversial, the downhill 5th at Rec Park would be my suggestion. Let me put it this way: it’s no punch bowl!

[Pat Burke]

Narrow green that the short tees are aligned mostly down the center line of the green


As the tees go further back the angle changes more and more to a shallow green


One of the biggest changes in the professional or better players games from the “old days” is distance control is not as tight IMO. The gaps are longer between clubS and spin is down. 


The angle and depth of 12 Augusta on a short hole is pretty good example.  Maybe even a little more difference in front left and front right yardage

[Mike_Clayton]

15 at Commonwealth. 13 Royal Melbourne West.

13 West is a tough little hole.  Every time I play it, it's downwind, and someone dumps it in the bunkers short and has no chance, and someone else goes through the green and over 14 tee into the bushes!

Not many 'easy' par 3s as difficult as 13 West.
 Metropolitan (my club) have a swap day with RM on Saturday - with the virus I haven't played it for more than a year and am having withdrawal symptoms.  Do clubs do the same in the US - where both memberships swap courses for the day?

[Tim_Weiman]

15 at Commonwealth. 13 Royal Melbourne West.

13 West is a tough little hole.  Every time I play it, it's downwind, and someone dumps it in the bunkers short and has no chance, and someone else goes through the green and over 14 tee into the bushes!

Not many 'easy' par 3s as difficult as 13 West.
 Metropolitan (my club) have a swap day with RM on Saturday - with the virus I haven't played it for more than a year and am having withdrawal symptoms.  Do clubs do the same in the US - where both memberships swap courses for the day?

Mike,


The Irish do it, but I don’t think it is really an American thing.

[Sean_A]

The first hole that came to mind was Huntercombe's 1st. A short carry off the tee which still allows space to bounce a ball onto the green which runs away, but with interesting cross contours. It's not visually flashy, but man it's a cool grade level hole.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

One I've played - the 11th at Welshpool (now once again numbered the 11th not the 17th) cunningly laid out by James Braid along a narrow ridge-line. Bit nice/evil it is.
atb

[Bryan Izatt]

I know you don't want to copy yourself, but you could do worse than making a short version of the 13th at Barnbougle in this hemisphere.

[Marty Bonnar]

I’d be a very happy bunny indeed if I ever managed to achieve the heights of ANY of Swinley Forest’s par3 magnificence:









Cheers,
F.

[MCirba]

The 4th at LuLu has the potential to be an all-world short par 3. Green about 10 feet above the tee and 90-115 yards is a pretty cool combination. The sort of quarry setting is a gift. The green could use a little more interest for the hole to really shine.


It could have been played backwards just as easy and the fact that Ross chose the low tee to high green is very commendable...(although there was a conversation here a few weeks ago I need to revisit about these first 7 holes).

Jim,


J. Franklin Meehan designed the 4th...Donald Ross kept it when he expanded the course to 18 holes.


Meehan also built a cool quarry hole short par three at Brookside near Allentown.  His resume that includes North Hills is very solid.

[Tim Martin]

I like the 3rd hole at Wannamoisett. At 135 yards the green is pushed up and canted from left to right. At roughly 3200 square feet in size it is a tough target to hit. Up and in pars are rare especially wide left and long. Finally the fronting bunkers add a bit of sensory overload that can unsettle the player just a little bit more.

[Kyle Harris]

A 100+ yard deep Biarritz green where the tee is at the very front.

[John Mayhugh]

Sean,
Good call on Huntercombe's first.

For me, the obvious choice is the 5th at Mildenhall. A deep, narrow green with a couple of bowls and steep falloffs on the sides works at whatever yardage you choose. One of my favorite holes anywhere.
DSC06052 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
DSC06053 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
DSC06055 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
DSC06059 by john mayhugh, on Flickr

[V. Kmetz]

A 100+ yard deep Biarritz green where the tee is at the very front.

I'm not saying I don't like it conceptually, but I imagine I'd be scuttling a lot of 5 irons...and making a lot of 3s, only a few fours, and fewer 2s, no 5s and probably a few more ones than I might expect.