Great Par-three courses as part of clubs

[Phil_the_Author]

I had a wonderful treat this past Friday evening. I not only got the opportunity to meet and share a drink with gca-er David Tepper, but the highlight was walking about the phenomenal par-3 course at the Olympic Club.

The entire time I was there I couldn't help wonder if I was seeing the greatest par-3 course at any private club. Knowing that the original Ocean course took up that same ground and seeing in-person how it actually went down the cliff face to play along the ocean before landslides and erosion forced a redesign, I also wonder not just what might have been but what actually was.

Any other great par-3 courses as part of private clubs out there? Any that might possibly approach the Olympic Club's?

[K. Krahenbuhl]

I really like the par 3 course that was done at Austin Golf Club.  They have 6 very unique green sites which can all be played to from a variety of angles.  It's definitely not as dramatic and polished as the offerings at Olympic, Augusta National or Pine Valley, but it has a neat isolated feel and is a great place for some beer and a betting game with friends.  

[JR Potts]

I haven't played Olympic but Pine Valley's "Par 3" course is really first-rate.  Shoal Creek has a fun little par 3 course.

[Anton]

Pine Valley's is awesome.  Many of the holes mimic the approach shots of the main course.  I think they call it just the "Short Course".  But a few holes have large fairway areas as the teeing grounds so that you can play from varying distances.  Kind of like the "horse course" at Prairie Club.  If you are the lead guy on the tee, you get to pick the tee location. 

[Chris Roselle]

I think PV has the best one but another good one is at Magnolia Grove Golf Course (RTJ Golf Trail) in Mobile, Ala.  If I remember correctly I hit every club in my bag except for the driver which I think is what you're looking for at a Par 3 course.

[Anthony_Nysse]

I never got to see it in its finished state, but is Friar's Head's par 3 good? I know that Rod Whitman did a lot of the shaping. Also, doesnt Wade Hampton have a nice par 3 across the steet? Hamilton Farm is supposed to be very good.

[Robert Emmons]

I would think Augusta National's would be considered one of the best. I always liked Medalist's in Hobe Sound...RHE

[Jim Nelson]

Hi guys:  I'm a newbie as is probably obvious and this is my first post.  I haven't played any of the par 3's mentioned in this thread, but I have played the par 3 course at Lahontan in Truckee, CA.  It is well-maintained, fun and a great way to finish off a day of mountain golf.

[Mark Pritchett]

Welcome Jim!

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I have not played any of these, but I have been told that some of the par three courses attached to the courses of the Trent Jones Trail in Alabama are fun to play.
Of those I have played, clearly Pine Valley is the best..tremendous attention to detail and conditioning.

[Matt_Ward]

Phil:

Hamilton Farm (Gladstone, NJ) is as good as any in the USA.

Well done layout and really is the bigger story there than the course itself.

[Anton]

Hamilton Farm is a super-sized par 3 course.  18 holes!  Up and down and all around.  Very fun layout and beautiful in the summer.  I did enjoy the championship course a lot too.  The par 3 was a wonderful addition.  And WOW.....what a clubhouse they have there.  There is a pretty cool article on there website which talks about Tiger and Michael Jordans visit to HF.  Also joining them were Roy Green and Ahmad Rashad (the sports broadcaster). 

http://www.hamiltonfarmgolfclub.com/files/Golf%20World%20Article.pdf

[Jason Topp]

Sutton Bay has a fun par three course that is tough - just tees and greens placed in scrubland. It is a nice way to enjoy the twilight of a long summer day.

[Mark Saltzman]

I have not played any of these, but I have been told that some of the par three courses attached to the courses of the Trent Jones Trail in Alabama are fun to play.
Of those I have played, clearly Pine Valley is the best..tremendous attention to detail and conditioning.

Michael,

you are correct, some of the par-3 courses on the RTJ trail are great!  Of particular note is the par-3 course at Grand National.  When I played it, I thought it was going to be a warm-up before my round, but with several 200+ yard holes and quite a bit of water, let's just say I was much less over par on the full-length course than on the par-3.

Mark

[Frank Sullivan]

Colorado Golf Club in Denver has a wonderful "Short Course".

http://www.coloradogolfclub.com/modules/gallery/index.php?&gal=gal1

[Anton]

Frank,

That is someplace I gotta get to.  Watching the Champions Tour there last year really got my attention.  Looks like C+C did a super job on that club.  Did they design the par 3 as well or was that built by someone else?

Tony

[Steve_Roths]

The one in N. Carolina near Wade is called Headwater I believe.  Very tough to get on.

The best I have seen is Valderrama's par 3 course.

And, yes Sutton Bay's is brutal.  I lost a ton of balls on that par 3 course.  You are one inch off and the ball is gone.

[Joel_Stewart]

Any other great par-3 courses as part of private clubs out there? Any that might possibly approach the Olympic Club's?

Sadly the super treats the Cliffs as an after thought and its conditioning is suspect most of the time.  Furthermore they only have 2 guys that maintain it and they also have the driving range and tennis courts.  The greens are infested with nemitode so those can be a mess as well.

The course was much better when it first opened, very penal if you missed a shot.  I've mentioned it before but it was a huge mistake building the Cliffs with no carts allowed which eliminated about 70% of the senior members.  Those where the guys who they wanted to play the Cliffs in order to take pressure off the Lake and Ocean courses. 

When the 4th green fell down the hill, they brought in Bill Love who like everything else screwed it up.  Now it's just a wedge and there is not much strategy to that hole.

[Joel_Stewart]

BTW, I would play Pine Valley's short course 8-2 over Olympic.  Lahontin is a good call and although I have played Friars Head a few times, I haven't played the par 3 but would bet it's more of a challenge and interesting than Olympic Club.

[Frank Sullivan]

Frank,

That is someplace I gotta get to.  Watching the Champions Tour there last year really got my attention.  Looks like C+C did a super job on that club.  Did they design the par 3 as well or was that built by someone else?

Tony

Tony,

I believe C & C designed the Short Course.

[Carl Rogers]

Any guess where the new par 3 couse between Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails will rank relative to those mentioned?

[Keith Doleshel]

Possibly not at the same level as those mentioned, but Tradition Golf Club down in La Quinta has a nice little par 3 course, nothing longer than about 130 yards, fun with tiny greens.  

[Tom_Doak]

I have yet to design a par-3 course.  Maybe, someday.

Coore and Crenshaw have done a lot of them ... Friars Head, Austin, and Colorado G.C. have already been mentioned, and I think they did a couple more as well.  Actually, Bill also did one at Golf du Medoc in France, although when I went to see it a couple of months ago, half the holes had been abandoned.

I do wonder how much play any of these facilities really get.  I've been on the Cliffs course at Olympic three times, and only seen one golfer.  I've been to Friars Head four times, and never seen anybody playing the par-3.  The most utilized one I know of is Augusta National -- in fact I played it in January when I was there.

The one which has yet to be mentioned is Tom Simpson's par-3 course at Morfontaine in France, which I somehow didn't see when I was there.  Everyone says it has the coolest set of greens you can imagine.

[Anton]

Tom,

Didn't you do a short course or some consultant work on a lighted par 3 at Shawnee?  I thought I read you had some involvement in that.  I may be totally off.  :-)

[Anton]

http://www.shawneeinn.com/pa-golf-courses/

they give you credit on the webpage.