L-O-N-G Holes - Par 3, 4 and 5

[Adam_F_Collins]

What are the lengths of holes stretching to these days?
How long are the longest Par 3's, 4's and 5's?

What are your "longest experiences", and how did you feel about playing these long holes?

[Kyle Harris]

Longest I've ever played:

Par Three: 240 (13th(?) at Seaview)
Par Four: 500 (12th at Bethpage)
Par Five: 640 (14th hole at Jericho National Golf Club in New Hope, PA)

I think the 16th hole at Carnoustie stretches to 250 for the Open and it's a Par Three...

Personally, I felt the 640 par five was just too much... You wailed at the ball for two shots, and then had a fairly interesting long iron approach. However, if any of your previous shots weren't executed PERFECTLY you were staring at double bogey or worse.

I liked the 12th at Bethpage (probably because I carried that bunker from the tips)

As for the Par 3 at Seaview... the green was huge and very fun to putt on, so hitting 3-wood in didn't bug me one bit.

[A_Clay_Man]

AFC- Here in the elevated thinned air of NM, Ken Dye has built a set at Paa-ko-ridge which includes at least one par 3 of 276 yards. Downhill of course.

The second at Beverly is the one of the longest older 3's I've golfed. At 236 yards (?) it's not been a slouch for a very long time.

Golf club of Illinois use to have "Grant's March" 636 yards of flat, interupted with sections of rough, framed by some bunkers.

Lake Chabot's closer is 705(?)

[Tyler Kearns]

Adam,

Sutton Bay must hold some record for the cumulative distance of the par fives on the front nine.

No.1  661 yds.
No.4  651 yds.
No.8  608 yds.

TK

[Evan_Green]

Adam-

I probably played it 15 years ago, but I seem to recall Lake Chabot's closer being a par 6?

[rjsimper]

Par 3 - 11 at Talking Stick North - 261 - tee markers behind that a bit - Tough hole, but allowed for a nice left to right running shot to access the pin...

Par 4 - Can't think of anything exceptional - maybe 490 something at the PGA of So. Cal Legends course (The fourth hole I think it was)

Par 5 - 18 at Los Serranos in Chino, CA - "Jack's Blacks" are not laid out, but the tee marker is a good 130 yards behind the blue tees, which are about 550 if I recall correctly - 2 good shots and a 7 iron to the green...

[Joel_Stewart]

I probably played it 15 years ago, but I seem to recall Lake Chabot's closer being a par 6?

They changed it to a par 5 a few years ago.  Its still 600+ yards but stright down hill and reachable in 2 for long hitters.

Olympics #16 is still hard to reach in 3 for most people.

[wsmorrison]

#9 Rolling Green:  614 yards UPHILL from the landing area onward and sidehill for the first 450 yards from the middle of the back tee.  Can easily be lengthened by another 20 yards, and should be done.

#10 Rolling Green:  243 yards uphill from the middle of the back tee.  Flynn drew one iteration as 260 yards, it would be very easy to add the extra yardage to realize that design, and should be done.

8 (425 steeply uphill after island fairway landing area), 9 and 10 are as hard a stretch of three holes as I've ever seen anywhere.

[Dave_Miller]

What are the lengths of holes stretching to these days?
How long are the longest Par 3's, 4's and 5's?

What are your "longest experiences", and how did you feel about playing these long holes?

Par 3 - No 11 - Charles River 240 yards
Par 4's- No 7 - Charles River 456 yards
           No 10- Charles River 460 yards(approx)
           No 18- Charles River 450 yds

Best
Dave

[BCrosby]

Wayne is right, RG has some holes that play as long as any I know of.

Longest par 4 in yardage may be the 10th at ANGC at 512 last year.

How long is the 16th at Olympic? I would guess 650+.

But as long as these guys hit it, even the short guys on the Tour don't need more than a seven iron on even monster par 4's.

The par assigned to holes has lost touch with the game played on the Tour. The typical tour stop course - in reality - plays to four par 3's, 13 par 4's and maybe one par 5. Par on most Tour stops ought to be set at 69 or 70.

Bob

[texsport]

Number 4 The Quarry@Giants Ridge 269 yd par 3. Elevated tee but no roll in front-ball stops where it lands-all carry to the green.

Number 8 The Quarry@Giants Ridge 478 yd par 4. Tee shot between 2 quarries makes you concentrate on hitting the fairway instead of bombing it. Uphill second shot makes it play longer than yardage. Number 1 handicap hole on this course.

Number 1 The Wilderness@ Fortune Bay 640 yd par 5. Split fairway opening hole. What a beginning!

[Bill_McBride]

There's a par 5 at the Robert Trent Jones Trail course in Dothan AL that plays over 700 yds, none of it downhill!  Now that is L - O - N - G!  

[Jfaspen]

My homecourse in High School (Clarkston Golf Club) had a par 3 that stretched 255, with a big valley in between.

It was a tough hole to learn the game on.

[Zack Kelly]

I can remember going to the 99 open at pinehurst and thinking that 10 was such a long hole measuring appx. 600 yrds, and now that is becoming the norm.  
One great long par 3 is at Chechessee Creek #16 measuring 245 and often with some wind

[DPL11]

Par 3    #17 Galloway National at 249 yards. One of Faz's best.

Par 4    #10 Hidden Creek at 476 yards and second shot uphill. Lots of fun with a breeze.

Par 5    #16 Pine Tree at 666 yards. Played PT for the first time last week. A great track, but #16 is a bear with a 30 MPH in the face.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Number 4 The Quarry@Giants Ridge 269 yd par 3. Elevated tee but no roll in front-ball stops where it lands-all carry to the green.

Number 8 The Quarry@Giants Ridge 478 yd par 4. Tee shot between 2 quarries makes you concentrate on hitting the fairway instead of bombing it. Uphill second shot makes it play longer than yardage. Number 1 handicap hole on this course.

Number 1 The Wilderness@ Fortune Bay 640 yd par 5. Split fairway opening hole. What a beginning!

No roll on 4?  Either its the high loft drivers or overwatering!  The up slope in the run up area can't be more than 3%.....I also did a 261 yard par 3 at Indian Creek in Carrollton, TX. I used driver there last time I played in cold weather.

Dick Nugent did a 675 yard par 5 at Golf Club of Illinois a dozen years ago, or so.

[Doug Wright]

The par 5s at Rick Phelps's new 8,000 yard Antler Creek outside Colorado Springs chew up a lot of the yardage...

455 610 435 450 250 475 660 210 480 4025
645 465 510 190 475 690 430 235 435 4075

(At altitude, of course.)

[wsmorrison]

Doug,

What percentage increase is there in distance at that altitude (a mile up?)?  If an eight iron at sea level goes 155 no wind, how far does it travel up there?  If driver carry is 250, what is the carry?

[Doug Wright]

Wayne,

Assuming level ground I usually subtract about 15 yards per iron at sea level (eg 8 iron 155 yards for me @ 5280=140 yards at sea level). So say about 10%, at least for me. So a 250 yard driver carry at sea level = 275 yards at mile high.

Best,

[peter_p]

For me. the longest par 3 played is Carnoustie #16 and the 13th at Mid Ocean @ 238 yds. Longest par 4s are all near 475. The longest par 5 was # 12 at Crosswater at 687, but I played from a flat spot about 20 yards behind, so it was over 700.

[Jimmy Muratt]

#3 at Myopia Hunt Club is the best long par 3 that I have played.  It is 253 yards and could even play perfectly as a short par 4 if a few yards were added.  

The hole plays uphill, the green is protected by several deep bunkers.  There is room to lay up or play conservatively if one cannot carry the large bunker fronting the green.  Laying up still leaves a very ticklish approach to a tricky green.

This is the type of hole that is long and tough, yet it doesn't feel like it beats you up because it still presents you with options.  

[Ted Kramer]

The par 5 9th hole at Lido is long any day of the week (600+ yards from the back tees) and can play SUPER long on windy days.

The 9th is the long hole along the very left edge of this picture:


It plays just about directly north the south and towards the ocean which is about 1 mile from the green. It gets really windy on that golf course and this hole, into the wind, can play brutally long.

-Ted

[Allan Long]

As far as par 5's, Scott B.'s home course Wake Forest G.C., has a lengthy opener -- 711 yards. Nothing like taking that one on out of the car cold. To make it even tougher, there is a creek cutting across the fairway about 180-200 yards from the green. The last 170 yards or so are straight up hill.

[Andy Doyle]

The longest par 3 I've ever played was just a few weeks ago at Barona Creek.  Number 3 is 260 yards from the back tees - it was playing 279 to the hole that day - I made a 6.

The longest hole I've ever played is #9 at Kahite in Vonore, TN (just south of Knoxville).  It's an 808 yard par 6 from the back tees - dead straight - almost a half a mile of golf hole.

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[Matt_Cohn]

#14 at Paa-Ko Ridge is 272, par 3