Are there any courses that

[Lenny Polakoff]

If I'm not mistaken the Brooklake in NJ has a par 3 opener.

Was the golf shop always in the current location at NGLA or was it later moved there to connect the first tee better as it is a bit of a walk from the clubhouse?

[Patrick_Mucci]

If I'm not mistaken the Brooklake in NJ has a par 3 opener.

Lenny,

That's not the original routing.
The original routing, before residential development, had no par 3 starting holes

Was the golf shop always in the current location at NGLA or was it later moved there to connect the first tee better as it is a bit of a walk from the clubhouse?


I believe so

[Tim Martin]

Brownson Club-Shelton,CT.

[Mitch Hantman]

Boat of Garten, another Braid gem, begins with a difficult par 3. 

[Wade Whitehead]

Bogue Banks on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina starts with a par three.  I only played it once but recall that the hole is immediately beside (and parallel to) the driving range.  The opener was something like 190 yards, so I hit four irons on the range until I grooved the perfect opening strike.  You could pretty much play the hole (teeing off about thirty yards left of the actual tee and hitting to a spot thirty yards immediately left of the green).

After our group arrived on the first hole I fatted my shot about sixty yards off the tee.

WW

[Ken Moum]

Pat,wouldn't a par 3 start be ideal for pace of play? Also,I have wondered if architects sometimes design a 10th hole par 3 to keep the nines from being switched

I have believed for some time that a perfect way to stop the miserable practice of cramming golfers onto the course at 7-minute intervals is to make the first a decent-sized par three.

The worst course in my town for pace of play uses those intervals, and the second is a nearly drive-able par four. Four is a short par three.

It's not uncommon on a Sat. morning to have three groups on two tee, and another three on four tee.

K

[jeffwarne]

Ashburnham
Carradale

[Stewart Abramson]

Winterfield in Dunbar, East Lothian starts with a 238 yard par 3 over a valley to an elevated green. What a tough way to start a trip to Scotland right off the airplane. I hadn't planned to play Winterfield but arrived very early for my tee time at Dunbar GC, which was booked solid as the day was a UK bank holiday so drove to Winterfield for a warm up round. The opener is the most difficult hole at Winterfield and has a nice view of the Bass Rock from the green. It is better to lay up short in the valley below than to be just a little short in the high rough on the hill that fronts the green


P1010124 - Winterfield GC #1 240 yard par 3 into the wind r by tewiespix, on Flickr


P1010146 - Winterfield GC panorama of #1 from #8 green r by tewiespix, on Flickr


http://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/collections/72157633560759917/

[Mike_Clayton]

Adam

Bingley St Ives was always long , uphill 3 in the Lawrence Batley. It was the site of Frank Nobilo's first European Tour event in 1982.
In the PQ he hit a 3 iron onto the green, took a practice stroke and hit the ball off the toe of the putter and into the bunker.
Of course the rule is that you replace the ball but no one knew that and he played out of the bunker and made a double.
It finished with a 3 as well - and I can't think of any other course that starts and finishes with a 3 - except that 1 seems to be a short 4??