Best Par 3's under 150 yards

[Glenn Spencer]

I played Wolf Run for the first time yesterday. I really like the short par 3, #16. We played the Black tees and it played 116 yards and considerably downhill to one of the tiniest greens I've ever seen. I made a 6 on the first round and a 2 the second. It was definitely one of the most exciting short pitch shots I've ever been faced with.

I love that hole as well. A true gem. We played there a few times in a few days that weren't windy. I thought it was easy, but I felt it was needed after 15.

[Ronald Montesano]

Far Western New York, sadly, has a dearth of short holes from the back tees.  #13 at Park Club (Colt/Allison) is a fun, downhill pitch.  #17 at Westwood (also a Colt/Allison) is really the only near-great hole on the course.  Holiday Valley in Ellicottville had recent renovations from Paul Albanese and has a nice downhill pitch shot on # 10, although it might be a shade over 150.  Chautauqua Golf Club near the PA border has a nice little pitch on its Donald Ross course (although how much is Donald and how much is Ross is hard to determine.)  In Batavia, Stafford (Travis) has a nice one in the 135-yard number 4, although it has been a while since I played it.  At Cherry Hill in Ontario, Travis designed a mini-volcano on number 16, a brief pitch to a two-tiered green with a ring o' bunkers (I went down into the burning ring of bunkers...Johnny Cash).  That's my contribution.

[Kevin Pallier]

Some from down under:

7th BD
11th YY
7th RMW
9th C'wealth

some are right on the limit or quite possibly over incl 15th at KH ?

and possibly my "favourite" 17A at NSW

[Mike_Clayton]

Kevin,

At a guess -

7 at BD is 112 metres

7 RMW is about 145 yards and 9 at Commonwealth may be a yard or two shorter.

11 at Yarra is much longer - probably 180 yards - and certainly 180 from the back tee to the pin in the right corner.

I played KH yesterday - 15 was 166 yards to the flag but it was right in the back left corner.
There are a lot of times that hole plays at 150 yards

[Ronald Montesano]

Just thought of some more...numbers 1-9 at Threetops, the par three course in Michigan....ha ha, that's a good one.  Seriously, though, some of those holes are sweet.  Do they still play that skins game there with Mickelson and the gang?

[Kevin Pallier]

11 at Yarra is much longer - probably 180 yards - and certainly 180 from the back tee to the pin in the right corner.

Mike

Jeepers - I couldn't remember playing it at that length.....I thought it was much shorter than that and closer the the 150 yardage !! Old age must be getting to me 

[Gerry B]

some al;ready mentioned here are a few that come to mind:

9 at myopia
10 at chicago golf club and 13 is really good as well
12 at shoreacres
10 at pine valley
10 at philly cricket (flourtown)
12 at atlantic city and i really like #4 as well
11 at pac dunes
19 at scarboro - the gambling hole - green is diabolical - can make  2 or 6
11 at shinnecock
8 and 14 at maidstone - both all world
13 at merion east
6 at merion west
7 at pebble
10 at sunnehanna
15 at cypress point
6 at NGLA
the short one shotter at wannamoisett
the short at forsgate has to be around 150 yds - great green complex
2 at garden city
14 at engineers aka the 2 and 20

[Ronald Montesano]

Forgot one...the 12th at Niagara Falls CC, site of the Porter Cup amateur tournament.

[Walter Bart]

9th At Myopia
10th at Royal Dornoch ( #2 and #6 are better holes, but usually play over 150yds)
4th at Machrahanish

[Stan Dodd]

#8 at Royal Aberdeen

[Don Hyslop]

Stanley Thompson's #16 at Digby Pines, Nova Scotia plays at only 116 yds from the back tees and that with a vertical drop off the teee of about 50 or more feet and a carry over a pond to a green that slopes dramatically from back to front. A very interesting little hole.
Check out the video:
http://www.worldwidegolfguide.com/hgg_home/digbypines/pages/hole16.html

[JNC Lyon]

Add 6 at Hackensack to the list.  It might be a hair over 150, but this is a fantastic little short hole from Banks.  I love the the crescent back tier.  There is a huge bunker behind the green that is the most Banks-esque on the course.  The hole also contains a great long view, too bad the lady who lives behind the green won't cut down her trees to open it up.

2 at Garden City Golf Club is also fantastic, totally natural and totally unique.

[Scott Macpherson]

JNC,

Have you got a photo of that hole at Hackensack you can show us?


scott

[JNC Lyon]

Unfortunately I do not.  I play the course this past Friday for the first time but did not take photos.  Do a search on Hackensack and you can see the Redan hole 12th, which is also a great par three.  The course possesses three very good par threes (the Biarritz is solid with green on both sides of the swale), but it falls short on the fourth par three, where the Eden 17th has been mangled with a pond fronting the green.  Overall the course is very solid.  Most of the holes fall perfectly on the land in an ingenious routing from Banks.  The 5th, 8th, and 18th holes are particularly good with fantastic greens.

[Michael J. Moss]

NGLA - 6th hole, 135 yards, Short; One of Ben Crenshaw's favorite short holes, the green is eccentric and a thorough original with nothing like it anywhere in the world thanks to a small mountain in the center which makes it effectively play as three small ones. A player on the opposite side of the green from the hole should happily  take three putts. The front left corner of the green is quite good at gathering a ball and feeding it into the front bunker.

Fenway - 4th hole, 145 yards; Though two of the other three one shotters at Fenway are more monstrously difficult, this one has the most charm. Yet just because it is in easy reach of all levels of player, the severe green contours easily extract three putts from all those who don't hit the proper portion of the green.

[Michael J. Moss]

Descriptions above taken from a very reliable source - GCA

[Michael J. Moss]

Gentleman pictured on the left is the former long-time head professional at Fenway - Herman Barron.

[Ronald Montesano]

Fox Chapel's little 11th barely squirts over 150.  It's a great little pitch to a green elevated over a ring of bunkers.

[Brad Tufts]

Myopia Hunt Club's #9 is by and far the very best. It introduces H20, multiple pit bunkers, heinous mounding and the tiniest green of the lot...all combining to tighten one's focus (and sphincter). It makes the wedge in your hands feel like an anvil.

One of the better descriptions I've read of #9 at Myopia.

I will throw out #7 at Essex to compete, especially with a front right pin!

[Don Hyslop]

   To throw in another one from my part of the world, here is #12 at Algonquin in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Depending on the direction and force of the wind coming off the water/land, club selection is a real test. Playing just a shade over 150 from the championship tees and 144 from the whites, it is a real beauty. Orginally a Donald Ross project, the course underwent a considerable makeover by Thomas McBroom in recent years.

  Here is alink to a photo of the hole:

http://www.fairmontgolf.com/courses/index.aspx?CourseID=105&l=0,4,13,157,158

Another great Par 3 is the 145 yarder at Eagles Glenn, on Prince Edward Island a Graham Cooke design.
http://www.eaglesglenn.com/hole_descriptions/hole17.html

[Ian_L]

How about the Dell hole, now #5 at Lahinch?

[George Freeman]

It's a love or hate hole...I happen to love it:

Kingsley Club #9

[George Freeman]

Apologies, Kingsley #9 is listed as 157 yds. from the back tee...although I don't think I've ever played it much more than 130-140.  Also, the 110 yd. tee is especially enjoyable.

[Anthony Fowler]

If you play from just to the left of the 4th green at Ballyneal to the 7th green, you get a blind, 100 yard, near impossible shot and one of my favorite short par 3's.  At this point I think I am the only one in the world to make a 2 on that hole, but I encourage everyone here to give it a go!

[Scott Macpherson]

Now you really are taking this thread in a new direction. But I like this type of golf too. We used to play it as kids when our home course was quiet and we were bored hitting balls. I think they have a name for this type of golf?

Play TOC in reverse is a bit like this type of golf... and they have one hole that plays less than 150 (even though it says 162y on the card), and that's the 11th hole, played from the normal 9th tee to the 8th green. A particularly interesting hole because of the small roll that runs across the line of attack. And if the flag is on the small bit of green in front of that roll, it is a tough shot... especially in April when it's about 38 degree (F) and the wind is off the estuary!

scott