Gil Hanse's CapRock Ranch, like MacKenzie's Pasatiempo, finishes with a par 3. Measuring 213 yards from the tips, the back two tee boxes are forced carries over a plunging canyon rim ringed with exposed limestone outcrops. It's a stunning hole, providing a challenging shot for longer hitters, while aligning shorter tee boxes with the swath of fairway short of the green further right.
18th
All but one of CapRock's quintet of par 3s feature forced carries over the canyon, while the interior 9th is bracketed by a massive bunker left, a steep short grass fall-off right, and a center lion's mouth! Of the courses I've seen, only Cypress Point has a more beautiful collective set, yet CapRock manages to rival MacKenzie's without the aid of oceanfront. The limestone canyon is, truly, that magnificent, and while there are a number of other terrific holes in the routing, I think the par 3s are the most distinctive contribution the course makes to world class golf.
3rd
6th
9th
16th
In general, I tend to prefer par 4s or par 5s over 3s, and after finishing the 18th and looking backwards, I noticed that there is a section of the rim not fully incorporated between 16 green and 18 green.
18 green facing behind
The 17th hole, a wonderful matchplay design, is a potentially drivable par 4 with a blind green set below a high ridge of fairway. While that green and the 18th back tees return to the canyon's edge, the 17th corridor appears to play more away from the edge rather than feature it.
Perhaps there were erosion or safety concerns, and I'm not going to pretend to know--nor criticize--why Hanse opted for a par 3 finisher. It suits the setting wonderfully, and adds a final dash of eccentricity on a course with plenty of enjoyable shaping and personality.
But just for armchair fun, and without any need to be actually safe or feasible, I jumped on a map to see if alternative holes might be imagined. Two ideas sprang to mind.
If keeping the 17th intact, the 18th could become another drivable par 4. On the screenshot below, the back tee could feature a 290-300 yard carry to the center of the green, with room for forward tees as well. Though it'd only be a 160-170 yard carry over the nearest corner of the limestone outcrop, a 250 yard drive over the center of the limestone band would leave a 80-100 yard shot into the green. It would be like flipping the orientation of Cypress 16 and adding par 4 yardage to it. A walk-back would be required from 17 green, yes, and additional fairway would need to be beyond the limestone ridge, but whereas every player is obligated to attempt the green on a par 3, a drivable par 4 would add risk and reward in matches.
18 Alternative par 4 from tee
18 Alternative par 4 looking back
Or, if you took current 17 out of the routing, I can also see a par 5 beginning shortly after 16 green. The same concept would apply as the drivable par 4, but in this case it'd be designing a hole where a 230-250 forced carry 2nd shot could result in an eagle attempt, or conservatively play the 2nd away from the green to the right and pitch onto the putting surface for a birdie putt. That hole, in my mind, would blend characteristics of Pasatiempo 11 or Pebble 8, but on the scale of a par 5. The aggressive line would be to hug the canyon edge as close and deep as possible, and successfully doing so would give the player greater advantage over a more conservative opponent.
18 Alternative par 5 from tee
18 Alternative par 5 looking back
More to my own point, both holes would feature the length of that canyon, with height comparable to Pacific Dunes 4, as it plunges down to the river. Probably too good to be true for on a closing stretch that is already exceptional, and that's why neither hole exists, but one can dream!