Bunkerless Par 3's

[Patrick_Mucci]

The fourth hole at Tokatee, about 60 miles east of Eugene, Oregon is a par 3 that plays to about 150-160 yards.

The hole has NO bunkering, yet remains interesting and challenging.

How many other par 3's have no bunkering, yet retain strategic merit and interest ?

[Joe Hancock]

Pat,

Why does said hole remain interesting and challenging and have strategic merit and interest?  

I ask because my course has a par 3, 176 yards with no bunkers....and I'm not sure whether to change anything on that hole.

Joe

[Bill_McBride]

Pat, so glad to see you played at Tokatee.  It's one of my favorites anywhere.  My brother lives in Eugene and we go up there everytime I'm out that way (except last time when we concentrated on Bandon and Pacific Dunes!! .  I love the natural look of the course, no bulldozers but one hell of a lot of chain saws!  I love the par 4 right after #3, the one with the goal post 100' pines in front of the green.

The par 3 2nd hole at Pensacola has white tees at 135 and 155 yds, blue tees at 175, tips at 195.  It's almost all carry across a pond.  The green, bumped up with chipping areas on all four sides, is maybe 3000 square feet, and is crowned rather severely on the left side.  No bunkers.  Our professional recently reviewed 400 scorecards and rerated the hole #3.  I can testify to a lot of double bogies there..................

[Carlyle Rood]

The 13th at Atlanta Country Club was bunkerless until about three years ago.  It required a shot over a natural waterfall that runs by the ruins of a Confederate paper mill into Sope Creek.

The Green Committee decided to add bunkers to "frame" the green.

[SPDB]

Pat - a number of Ross "Volcano" holes have no bunkers. Played one recently at Misquamicut - #8.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Pat,

County Sligo #4 - I really liked this hole last summer, and it has always stuck in my mind. It comes right before "The Jump" hole which takes you to the lower section.

From the club's website:

Hole Number 4 - Gan Gaineamh
As the name suggests in it's translation from 'Gaeilge', "Without Sand" this humped back green is very hard to hold onto and when the wind blows it can very from a very short iron to sometimes a long iron or even a wood!.
 

[Mike Hendren]

Each of the two 18's at Legends Club of Tennessee (Cupp/Kite) has a bunkerless one-shotter.  The ninth on the south course plays 210 downhill to a large green surrounded by containment mounding, and the 5th on the north course, playing 170-190 with a creek cutting into the front left and wrapping the green to the left rear.  Bail out area to the right is fairway but significantly lower than the green surface.  With my left to right "slade" I'm usually content with a 4.

I was going to submit the 16th at Talking Stick North, but in looking through my yardage book I see it has two rather superfluous bunkers that would only catch a foozled slice.  I liked this hole on perfectly flat ground with no trouble anywhere with a six iron in hand.  The putting surface defends par nicely, however, with several greens within the massive green.  Way cool

Regards,

Mike

[Patrick_Mucci]

Bill McBride,

I loved # 4.

The group I was playing with wanted to lay up, and I insisted that they hit driver, as the lay up would require a longer approach that would have to be more aerial in nature, and the upper opening in those trees narrows to 5 yards, whereas down low, you have 20-30-40 yards and only a few trunks to a neat little green.

I loved the golf course, but could see how some slight adjustments could improve it.

Joe Hancock,

I think the pitch and contour of the green, coupled with the elevation of the green and its surrounding features combines to offer strategic merit, challenge and enjoyment.

It doesn't hurt that the distant backdrop and the tall pines help the setting, with some large trees to the right of the green and approach.

SPDB,

Are those Par 3's ?

[Bill_McBride]

Pat, what improvements would you suggest for Tokatee?  I love the way the course starts out in the open area (although I think #1 is way too weak) and then into the trees (excellent par 5 #5 and par 4 #7), then out into the open again.  The conditioning isn't always pristine, but hell, the green fees are ridiculously low.  Love the layout, wish I were playing there tomorrow.  But I am interested in your ideas about improvements.

[Craig Disher]

The great #5 at Rye GC (at least I can't remember a bunker there; if there is one, I've never hit into it). Such a benign looking hole with the green just floating out there on the top of the dune line. Downhill and around 170 yards (appearing more like 150), the wind ripping across the top of the dunes makes it a fearsome tee shot. I've played nearly everything between a 3 wood and a 9 iron.

[ian]

One of the all-time Canadian greats is the 220 yard, Stanley Thompson designed barn burner at Uplands Golf Course. The drop is fifty feet and the green sits on a plateau twenty feet above the valley. The slope to the green is so steep its unwalkable. The hole is completely surrounded by huge trees, and as a final touch the green is steply sloped from back to front. No lay-up, hit the green or bring the calculator; one of the best holes in Toronto. Oh yeah, and no bunkers!

[Tim_Weiman]

Pat Mucci:

My favorite bunkerless par 3 would probably be #16 on the Cashen course at Ballybunion. Right by the sea and usually with a strong cross wind, this hole doesn't need any bunkers.

For a slight twist on your question, I would suggest that the front bunkers could be removed on the par 3 #8 on Ballybunion's Old Course and not that much would be lost. Actually, one might make the same argument for nearly every hole on the course.

[Doug Wright]

Tim,

Isn't that totally unique par 3 (13th?) at Dooks bunkerless? It sure doesn't need one...

Pat, Yes Ross Volcano holes are par 3s. I just looked at the photo for the Volcano 5th hole at Wilmington GC in the course description section--there's a depression on the right side but I can't make out or recall whether it had sand in it.

All The Best,  

[Patrick_Mucci]

I probably should have titled or retitled the thread as Par 3's that are void of substantive architectural features such as water and bunkers, as water can often be a substitute or alternative for bunkers.

Bill McBride,

Though I liked the hole, I didn't like the fact that my perfect, crushed driver, right down the center of the fairway on # 6 found the water that was not visible from the tee.
I thought that some tactical signal should have been sent to the eye, something as simple as some cattails planted in the nearest corner of the water on the fairways edge.  Blind water on an inviting fairway with woods and a stream to the right of the fairway seems devious and out of context with the rest of the golf course.  I wonder if it was original.

I thought the trees on # 12 made it a little gimmickie, and that the hole could be easily improved.

I thought it was fun to play, the windier the better, with beautiful vistas above the golf course.

Definitely worth a side trip from Eugene, especially the ride along the McKenzie River with the covered bridge and that special country store 100 yards from the club entrance.

I thought # 16 could have used some tree clearing or pond removal or moving in the second shot landing area.  And I thought that a few well placed bunkers would have enhanced a good many holes, such as #'s 1,2, and 3.

Like Old Marsh, the high tension wires detract from the golf.

[Tim_Weiman]

Doug Wright:

I'm embarrassed I didn't think about #13 at Dooks. Any hole where you can hit the middle of the green and still face a four putt hardly needs any bunkers.  I just wish I could remember if there actually is one on the right side of the green.

[Tim_Weiman]

Carlyle:

I'm sorry to see what was done to #13 at Atlanta Country Club. That's a pretty clear case of framing being not only unnecessary but actually making things look worse.

[SPDB]

Pat - yes, Volcano holes are par 3. One of Ross' trademark holes. Here is one from Roaring Gap



the one at Misquamicut is similar, except it is not cut into the side of the hill but falls off on all sides. And the wind..my god the wind. you'd love it.

i'll try to find some more.

[A_Clay_Man]

There are three in my expanded area. One is here in Kirtland on the frontnine of Riverview. It plays flat 188-177. There is nothing(besides yourself) the wind and the slightly crowned green to challenge you. And I have yet to birdie this hole or see one. The next is press' 6th (?)or 7th in Cortez, co. The slight uphill shot looks back towards the clubhouse with a tall evergreen framing the left. The green is a pinched hourglass shape with two tiers back to front at the pinch. I missed short right and decided to flop one, it went long. I went back to pitch one and the ball ended up in the same place as the flop. I enjoyed having the option. Both these holes remind of the original Augusta-like concept of confusing the player because there is no visual point to fixate on and that can be confusing to some.

The third is a 205 yd monster at Hidden Valley in Aztec, nm. to a green crowned to the extreme. Worse(more severe) than the picture shown above with trees up the left, a most difficult shot for a slider like me.

[Patrick_Mucci]

SPDB,

Isn't that a bunker on the left side of the green you pictured ?

[SPDB]

Pat - i don't think so. i think it is a browned out area of grass similar to the areas on the front and right of the green.

[GeoffreyC]

I love Mike Sweeney's example of the 4th at Sligo.  Below is an image form the front left that gives you an idea of the problems players face if they miss this green.  Who needs bunkers?

[Scott_Burroughs]

Sean/Pat,

This aerial of Roaring Gap taken in 1998 shows a bunker left
of the green.  Possible it's been taken out since then....



   I was supposed to be there today.  Damn rain.

[Bob_Huntley]

Alas, the former 12th hole on the now defunct Shore Course at MPCC. From the tips about 185 yards, slightly uphill, a rock formation 10 yards in front left of the green, at one time five snarly Cypress trees along the right side, later reduced to three. A two tier green, sloping front to back, produced some nail biting putts.

[Dan Kelly]

Never heard of a Volcano hole till today. See, you CAN learn something here every day!

Is the definition of a Volcano hole any more complicated than ...

Short par-3 with small green and dramatic slopes all around?

There's one at Ross's Woodhill, outside Minneapolis. No. 2 or No. 11, I can't remember which. (1 and 10 are very similar, parallel and adjacent par-4s -- and 30 years ago, when I got to play it a bunch of times, we sometimes went off 1 and sometimes off 10 -- and I can't remember which was which!)

I loved the hole, whatever its number. No strategic merit whatsoever -- just: Hit it straight and true, or pay the piper!

[BCrosby]

The third at the pre-Fazio Seaside nine at Sea Island. A wonderful 215 yard par 3 that canted right to left. It was almost a skyline green and always seemed to play into a brutal wind. (Was Seaside originally done by Travis and redone by RTJ? Don't have my books handy.)

The green post-Fazio is now surrounded by fake dunes. A much splashier but less interesting hole.

Bob