If You Could Build a Short Par 3 . . .

[John Mayhugh]

I built a shortie at Park Mammoth in Kentucky last fall that I'm absolutely in love with. If golfers think it's even half as good as I do then we will be in pretty good shape. It will play from 112-to-90 yards and is pretty much level from tee to green but plays over a deep swale to a 9,500 square foot green. The concept for the green is based on the Seven Deadly Sins which is an idea I had been toying around with in my head for awhile.

Brian,
Is that the 11th? Looks like that will be some green!

[Andrew Harvie]

The 15th at Jasper Park Lodge 150%. Merion 13 is also good, but it doesn't hold a candle to JPL's 15th

[John Foley]

Really like the call on Myopia #9. Kittansett #14 is great short hole that doesn't get the love it deserves.


I love the irregularity of the surrounds,  mounds w/ long grass, bunkers, tight chipping area's and a large drop off long/ 

[jeffwarne]

Maidstone #8

[BCrosby]

A lot of the nominated holes aren't very short.


I'm with Jeff Warne. Hard to top the 9th at Myopia. A hole you are thinking about from the beginning of your round.


Bob

[Kyle Harris]

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.

Making a three when you need to is a lot more demonstrative of skill than making a 4 because you can.

[Steve Salmen]

To me, there is a trade off at the green.  Either you get a normal sized or large green with a lot of undulation that's difficult to putt.  The two that come to mind are 6 at NGLA and 10 at Chicago.


Or, you have a really small target that's hard to hit but not too hard to putt, like 7 at Pebble or 15 at Cypress.


I've only played Yale twice, but I'm particularly fond of the 5th hole, probably due to the scary bunkers and consequence of missing the green.

[Matt Dupre]

My first thought was #9 at Kingsley - the green and bunkering make any pin fun, and the two sets of tees provide very different angles of attack.  You wouldn't need as much elevation - just enough so you could see all that awaits...

[Tommy Williamsen]

C&C built two beauts at the Dormie Club's 12th and Hidden Creek's 11th. Musgrove Mill also has a good one. Number two is a drop shot with creek front and back and sand left and right. Great green.

[Mark Mammel]

I also like #2 at Dornoch. With the crowned green and front bunkers, a 3 is an excellent score.

[Ted Sturges]

The 16th at the Ross course at French Lick.  Great little hole.  Might be the best par 3 in Indiana.  Not on crazy topography...well bunkered...awesome green. 


Ran has a good picture of it in his write up:


https://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/french-lick-springs/french-lick-springs-2


TS

[Jeff_Brauer]

No particular reason why, but I like the idea of a short par 3 with a wildly contoured green so big it needs a sprinkler in the middle.  If there was any inspiration, it would be the 18th green at Indianwood in Lake Orion in Michigan.


I designed one in China, which sadly, never got built due to the govt. shutdown of golf.

[John Mayhugh]

A lot of the nominated holes aren't very short.

Bob,
I noticed that as well. But as long as the green concept is appropriate for a shorter hole, then I think the inspiration still works.


Ted,
Agreed on the 16th at FL. Seen some interesting scores on that.

[Mark Mammel]

Damn! I posted #6 not 2 (also a great hole)! Here's 2. at RDGC. Thanks Steve

[Mike Baillie]

What about The Eden?  Either the 11th at The Old Course or if one of the many templates fits better fine but keep the length in 150 to 175 range.

Not sure if too much elevation from tee to green for the situation but the 13th at Muirfield is one of my favs anywhere. I noticed some one proposed Crowbush Cove 17 which is much steeper tee to green.

Also like the Royal Dornoch #2, #6 and #10 nominations.

[archie_struthers]

 


I thought about making the 8th hole at Twisted Dune a variation on "the Postage Stamp"  and should have. Had a great opportunity to do it given that we had a blank palette
.


Love short par threes that demand precision. The flip side to this is maintenance issues if you have a lot of play and the green surface is small. Still should have done it!

[Kalen Braley]

One of the par 3's at the CDA Resort uses a green with 3 distinct wings to provide a bit of risk/reward

[Tim Martin]

Really like the call on Myopia #9. Kittansett #14 is great short hole that doesn't get the love it deserves.


I love the irregularity of the surrounds,  mounds w/ long grass, bunkers, tight chipping area's and a large drop off long/

John-I like Kittansett 14 also but wonder with back and member yardages of 186 and 175 if it qualifies as a short hole? Finally the par three holes as a collection are strong enough that 14 is my least favorite.

[Jim Franklin]

How about #5 at Streamsong Blue? I love that green on such a short hole.

[Peter Sayegh]

True Blue #14 with some (ten yards?) grass over the green.

[John Foley]

Really like the call on Myopia #9. Kittansett #14 is great short hole that doesn't get the love it deserves.


I love the irregularity of the surrounds,  mounds w/ long grass, bunkers, tight chipping area's and a large drop off long/

John-I like Kittansett 14 also but wonder with back and member yardages of 186 and 175 if it qualifies as a short hole? Finally the par three holes as a collection are strong enough that 14 is my least favorite.


Agreed that they have as good a set of 3's that I've seen but that one really stands out to me.  I think it would really work from a shorter tee say 20 degrees left where the mounds obscure half the green?

[Pete_Pittock]

If you could choose a green complex from a par 4 or 5, I would look to Blind Pew, the 4th at Spyglass Hill.

[Tim Gallant]

A few that I don't believe have been mentioned:


If I was looking for an uphill hole, I'd look at 11 from Shinnecock


Downhill: 4 from Morfontaine Valliere


Bonkers: 3 at Shiskine

[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.

Making a three when you need to is a lot more demonstrative of skill than making a 4 because you can.

It has to be real specific for me to NEED to make 3 anywhere... I'll be happy with 9 or 18 "4s;" I promise... and I'm going to make a lot of 3s on such a hole, I suspect, on a hole where I'm hitting a 90-110 yard running pitch/chip...before it was a no-go thing...I used to practice that exact shot....a running 100 yard shot with a bunch of mid irons at my old football field... goal line to goaline, between the uprights.


But such is my game that it's probably one of the one shots I could still hit with a little tune-up, so bring it on and I'll play it.

[archie_struthers]

 


11 at Shinnecock is a great short par three