Courses with more than 18 holes

[David Harshbarger]

There’s an extra par-3 at the far end of the course at Cruden Bay. Does it ever get used?

Wasn't that hole at Cruden Bay intended to replace 15 or 16 at one time?

He was under the impression the club has concerns that the new par 3 isn’t long enough and might have to acquire some more land and/or add a new tee(s) to stretch it out a bit.

When is a par 3 not long enough?

[Jon Wiggett]

There’s an extra par-3 at the far end of the course at Cruden Bay. Does it ever get used?

Wasn't that hole at Cruden Bay intended to replace 15 or 16 at one time?

He was under the impression the club has concerns that the new par 3 isn’t long enough and might have to acquire some more land and/or add a new tee(s) to stretch it out a bit.

When is a par 3 not long enough?

and that is the problem that needs solving David. Par should not be dictated by distance but by realistic average result.

[Niall C]

There’s an extra par-3 at the far end of the course at Cruden Bay. Does it ever get used?

Wasn't that hole at Cruden Bay intended to replace 15 or 16 at one time?

I was playing with a member last weekend and he told me the plan was for the new hole to replace the current par 3 11th. He was under the impression the club has concerns that the new par 3 isn’t long enough and might have to acquire some more land and/or add a new tee(s) to stretch it out a bit.

It’s been a while since I was last at CB but don’t seem to recall length being an issue with the new hole (maybe in the 125-150 yard range) particularly as it’s on such an exposed part of the property and the wind will be a big factor with tee shots playing straight towards the sea. No indication as to when it might become part of the main 18 though.

David


Hopefully Frank Pont might jump in at this point as from memory he was involved in the design and build of the green. Again from memory the idea was that it would replace the 11th which increasingly is under danger from folk playing the 10th. The existing 12th would then become the new 11th and I think the idea was that if they could acquire the field at the far end they could extend the new 11th into that. The "new" par 3 12th would then be played in the opposite direction along the coast and hugging the out of bounds which I think would make a terrific hole. Given the nature of it I don't think it would need or want to be that long a hole.


As I say, Frank could probably confirm.


Niall

[Ari Techner]

Ardfin has 19 holes.  The "extra" hole is in the middle of the round so you would have to walk by it anyways if you didn't play it so it seems that most will play it as a 19 hole course.

[JJShanley]

Mortonhall in Edinburgh has two (I think) abandoned holes on the north edge of their property. They're used as practice areas. I've no idea when they were phased out but they've been like that since my family moved to the area in the mid-1980s.