Most intimidating par 3's?

[Tim Martin]

So when the biggest studs in golf find the water at 17 at the Players and play from the drop zone is that a concession that they are not capable of executing the shot?

that's one of the dumbest questions I've ever been asked on this site.

If you don't know the answer Ran should pull your access privileges

Do you have a lot of examples to share where it makes sense to retee instead of using the drop zone?

Sure.

One would be whether or not you want to try to meet the challenge presented by the shot or if you want to concede and accept the easier default shot.   Do you want to continue to test yourself or like a wimp, accept defeat ?

Your example above on # 14 at PV seems ego driven and I can`t imagine you would follow that course of action if you had to post a medal score.

Another incredibly dumb example.  Duh,
There is NO ESC when engaged in a medal play tournament
I didn't know that trying to rise to a particular challenge within my ability was an issue of ego.

In addition, did I really come to Pine Valley to hit sand wedges from drop zones or to hit the shots that Crump crafted?

ESC certainly helped you out and if the round was that good up until that point I don`t see how a double was a card wrecker.
Because it wasn't a double, it was a 9.
ESC is an artificial adjustment/cap that doesn't reflect your true score on a hole.

What really is dumb is you not realizing that my question about the tour players was rhetorical in nature. I understand that there is no ESC involved in medal play but I am am getting from your post that when you played 14 that it was in a casual round or you wouldn`t be using the tee as a "Tin Cup" experiment. After 2 in the water it probably would have been time to go to the drop area but you wanted to rise to the challenge and hit the "shot that Crump crafted". I see you provided no specific examples of holes where it would make more sense to retee rather than use a drop area. So when people use a designated drop area you label them wimps? Gracious and predictable as usual.

[John Foley]

Kittansett # 3 in a 2 club wind!!

[Patrick_Mucci]

So when the biggest studs in golf find the water at 17 at the Players and play from the drop zone is that a concession that they are not capable of executing the shot?

that's one of the dumbest questions I've ever been asked on this site.

If you don't know the answer Ran should pull your access privileges

Do you have a lot of examples to share where it makes sense to retee instead of using the drop zone?

Sure.

One would be whether or not you want to try to meet the challenge presented by the shot or if you want to concede and accept the easier default shot.   Do you want to continue to test yourself or like a wimp, accept defeat ?

Your example above on # 14 at PV seems ego driven and I can`t imagine you would follow that course of action if you had to post a medal score.

Another incredibly dumb example.  Duh,
There is NO ESC when engaged in a medal play tournament
I didn't know that trying to rise to a particular challenge within my ability was an issue of ego.

In addition, did I really come to Pine Valley to hit sand wedges from drop zones or to hit the shots that Crump crafted?

ESC certainly helped you out and if the round was that good up until that point I don`t see how a double was a card wrecker.
Because it wasn't a double, it was a 9.
ESC is an artificial adjustment/cap that doesn't reflect your true score on a hole.

What really is dumb is you not realizing that my question about the tour players was rhetorical in nature.

No it wasn't. 
There was nothing rhetorical about it.
 It was your attempt to show the preference for using a drop zone when PGA Tour players are engaged in pursuing their livilhood at an event


I understand that there is no ESC involved in medal play but I am am getting from your post that when you played 14 that it was in a casual round or you wouldn`t be using the tee as a "Tin Cup" experiment.

I'm pretty sure you never considered ESC until I mentioned it.

After 2 in the water it probably would have been time to go to the drop area but you wanted to rise to the challenge and hit the "shot that Crump crafted".

It's not like you get to play Pine Valley every week.
Why would anyone opt to hit a 90 yard sand wedge from a drop zone when you can experience the thrill of playing from the teeing area Crump crafted ?

I see you provided no specific examples of holes where it would make more sense to retee rather than use a drop area.

You didn't ask me to provide any examples so I didn't see the need to volunteer any.

But now, since you ask, on 18 at Preakness Hills, a 130-140 par 3 over water, the drop area is not level and is about a 50 yard shot over water.
I'd rather retee because I get to give myself a perfect lie with a tee, versus a drop to an unknown lie on uneven turf.
In addition, I can't get much spin from the drop zone, and, I have a better feel for the shot from the tee versus the shot from the DZ

So when people use a designated drop area you label them wimps?


Absolutely. !

You have the choice of playing the more challenging shot or taking the easy way out.

Gracious and predictable as usual.

"Gracious" has nothing to do with it.
Golfers have a choice of trying to execute the shot the architect intended or the shot that the local committee created in order to make the hole play easier should you fail on your first attempt.

It sounds like you opt for the easier shot created by the local committee rather than stand and retry the shot the architect intended.

[Matthew Petersen]

I personally don't know why Sean Leary didn't mention this hole yet, but #15 at Aldarra up in the Northwest is honestly one of the hardest par 3's I have ever played.  Not only is it over 230 yards from the tips, which is just ridiculous, it is even stupid hard from the 215 tees.  The green is on a raised plateau, with short grass all around the front and the right that repels any shot just short to roll back down the hill.  If you blast it long, you will most likely get a big kick forward and go into the hazard.  I always tell people you need your Tiger Woods HIGH 3 iron here to have any chance at holding the green.  If you put it in that big bunker in the front, you are still 15 yards short of the green so it is an akward distance to hit a high bunker shot.  You will take your bogey here and move on.

Peter,

That hole reminds me of a similar Fazio par 3 ... #13 at Grayhaw (Raptor) in Scottsdale. 230 from the tips and more uphill than this photo looks, it's also very often into the breeze. If you don't make the green, your ball is not likely to stay on the slope, so it's coming back a long ays (or finding the bottom of that insanely deep bunker). Bailing left put you in the desert. That's an intimidating long iron/hybrid/fairway wood.



All that said, it's the lesser of the intimidating par 3s on that nine.

[Sean Leary]

I personally don't know why Sean Leary didn't mention this hole yet, but #15 at Aldarra up in the Northwest is honestly one of the hardest par 3's I have ever played.  Not only is it over 230 yards from the tips, which is just ridiculous, it is even stupid hard from the 215 tees.  The green is on a raised plateau, with short grass all around the front and the right that repels any shot just short to roll back down the hill.  If you blast it long, you will most likely get a big kick forward and go into the hazard.  I always tell people you need your Tiger Woods HIGH 3 iron here to have any chance at holding the green.  If you put it in that big bunker in the front, you are still 15 yards short of the green so it is an akward distance to hit a high bunker shot.  You will take your bogey here and move on.

Pete,

Nobody plays the back tee (its silly, to be honest), and it is very difficult but not that intimidating. Lots of room to miss. I think 13 is more intimidating actually....

[David Ober]

The toughest par 3 I have ever played is that diabolical third at Pasatiempo. Come to think of it, no other par 3 I've played (without water) even comes close. There are probably some holes with water that would yield higher stroke averages, but number 3 at Pasatiempo is an absolute beast.

[Alan Carter]

Unless I missed it being brought up somewhere, I'd be throwing the 17th at The Ocean Course a Kiawah into the mix.

ac

[Kalen Braley]

Don't know if they've been mentioned, but The Idaho club has a couple of ball busters.

#7 and #14 are pretty brutal.  They both require long carries over water to small greens with not much room to miss or bail out.

[Chris DeNigris]

Not a huge fan of the course but the 14th at Doonbeg into a big breeze was the most intimidating really short hole I've ever played. And not by a little.

[Bill Gayne]

Calamity

[Patrick_Mucci]

At 200 yards, this has to be one of them.

[Howard Riefs]

235-yard #13 at Wolf Run

Ran describes it: The heroic 235 yard par three 13th across the valley floor to a green perched high on the other side took real vision to locate what know appears as a natural hole. http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/wolfrun/

[Tom Allen]

Howard, thanks for the pics of #13 at Wolf Run.  Of all the courses I have played, this is by far the most I have ever been intimidated by a par 3.  Your second picture captures it perfectly.  The length, the sheer number of bunkers, the trees, the strong slopes; all of it gets so into your head.  (And that doesn't even include the collection area over the green if you try to play safe and end up going long).  I'm glad to see it was mentioned twice on here.

Can't say I have played the others listed here, but many of them look scary as well.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Can someone email this photo to me at:

PMUCCIJR@optonline.net

Thanks

[Matt Day]

Patrick
if you right click on the photo it will come up as with "save picture as", you can save it straight to your computer. You can also email it to yourself by right clicking

[Patrick_Mucci]

Matt,

Thanks