Back-to-back par-3's

[Niall C]

Tom

I'll not argue with you as you've likely seen it more recently than me however I remember the 3rd as a par 4 or maybe that was just the way I played it. Interesting that the 2nd and 4th are both blind as is at least one of the later par 3's (13th, shorty over the sea stack) while the one before is semi blind. Again my memory tells me that the 11th with the amazing fairway contours and green sitting in front of the sea stack is more a short par 4, particularly if you tee off on the other side of the burn.

Whatever, all good fun.

Niall

[Jeff_Mingay]

Victoria Golf Club, in British Columbia, has consecutive par 3s on each nine, at the 8th/9th and 13th/14th holes.

8 and 9 are seaside, where it's almost always windy. These holes couldn't be more different: 8 is a scary little 100-yard pitch played slightly uphill to a rumpled green fronted by three deep bunkers; 9 also plays slightly uphill, back inland from a tee that juts into the ocean; its 194 yards feel more like 230 most days! 13 and 14 are varied, too; 13 is probably the most generic par 3 at VGC, with a back-to-front sloping green guarded by a single bunker right; 14's a very unique and beautiful hole, playing downhill through a corridor of old Garry oak trees, over exposed rock decorated with native grasses and other plants, to a green that's wider than it is deep that slopes away from the tee into a big bunker at rear.  

Here's a pic:

[John Kirk]

Pelican Hill's South course has back-to-back par 3s close to the ocean, the 210 yard 12th hole and the 120 yard 13th hole.

[PCCraig]

At my home course the 2nd and 3rd holes are par-3's.

The 2nd hole is roughly 110 yards, uphill, from the back tee and generally plays a half club to a club longer. The green is perched up on the hill and if the green is missed an up and down is tough, primarily due to a variety of green contours.

#2 from tee (pre-sand installation):


2 green:


From behind the green:

*From Jason Topp's thread from two years ago.

The 3rd hole is roughly 165 yards and plays slightly downhill. The hole was originally an island "push-up" green surrounded by one narrow bunker. Now, two large bunkers front left and front right guard the fairly large green.

3rd:


*I took the above photos from our superintendent's twitter account: @tcturf

[Jim Nugent]

Pelican Hill's South course has back-to-back par 3s close to the ocean, the 210 yard 12th hole and the 120 yard 13th hole.

And the 13th has two greens.

[Brett_Morrissy]

For back to back P3's to be good - do they need variety in length, shot values or requirements, terrain and elevation?

[PCCraig]

For back to back P3's to be good - do they need variety in length, shot values or requirements, terrain and elevation?

Brett,

I don't think so. I think the above would be true if you cared about the sequence of par, but if the holes stand on their own merit, what's the difference?

[PCCraig]

Flash forward to Rock Creek, five years later.  The long par-3 13th was in place on some earlier routings, but when we finally worked out the sequence of holes at the start of the round, the routing was 19 holes -- and most of it was one long loop, so it was difficult to throw out a link in the chain.  The only place we had a hole going out and a hole coming back parallel were two par-4's just before the 13th, so Eric Iverson suggested we combine them into a short par-3 down the hill.  It took me a while to overcome my natural resistance, but it helped a lot that the two holes were about 100 yards different in length.  I do wonder sometimes if this is one of the things that holds Rock Creek back in rankings.

Tom Doak,

This is a great post, I enjoyed your insights on back-to-back par-3's.

I would be surprised if the 12th and 13th are holding Rock Creek back in the rankings. The one time I played RCCC my caddie had me play the way, way back tee on 13 (without looking at the card I want to say it plays ~280?) based on his recommendation. I'm glad he did. From there it was less of a traditional par 3 and more of a great "half par" hole. I thought it was very fun chasing a hook 3-wood onto the green. On the other hand I would consider the 12th a more "traditional" par-3. So, I feel that they two holes stand on their own very well.

I suppose in a way 12-13 at RCCC are similar to 15-16 at Cypress Point. A more "traditional" par-3 followed by a half par 3/4.

[Brian Ross]

I just played one today...Riverside GC in Austin. An old Maxwell course, once home to Austin Country Club, home to Harvey Penick for many, many years, and where Crenshaw and Kite learned the game. 10 and 11 are back-to-back par 3's. In fact, 11 is the last par 3 on the course, pretty rare I'd say. They are followed up by back-to-back par 5's at 12 and 13.  Very, very rare, I'd say. The two holes are the exact same length, 179 from the back, but play parallel to each other so they don't feel exactly the same, thanks to wind direction, etc.

[Brett_Morrissy]

For back to back P3's to be good - do they need variety in length, shot values or requirements, terrain and elevation?

Brett,

I don't think so. I think the above would be true if you cared about the sequence of par, but if the holes stand on their own merit, what's the difference?

Pat, the difference for me is that we are talking about two holes that follow each other - if they are both 150 yards in length, no matter if they are great holes, because they are back to back, that for me lessens the experience, because of the flow of the routing and potentially 'used up' one tee shot that would have added to the 'flavour' earlier or later in the round.

[AJ_Foote]

Kooyonga GC in Adelaide, South Australia has consecutive par threes - 14th and 15th.

It also opens with back-to-back par fives.

Andrew

[BCowan]

Sylvania CC  

9th and 10th.  The 9th is a great par 3, the tenth is a little to easy, but with removal of trees behind green could add a nice element of wind.  Great Willie Park Jr. track.  AP won an Ohio AM there while he was in the guard.  Not as good as Battle Creek, put with a renovation from a great architect it could be much better

[Jason Topp]

At my home course the 2nd and 3rd holes are par-3's.

From behind the green:


*I took the above photos from our superintendent's twitter account: @tcturf

Glad to know I am on your super's twitter account!  I originally stole that picture from John Mayhugh to post it here.

[Jason Topp]

Oh - and Cabo del Sol Ocean has two fantastic par 3's back to back on the beach.

[Sean_A]

For back to back P3's to be good - do they need variety in length, shot values or requirements, terrain and elevation?

I think so.  Its no different than two 4s in a row that are similar.  In fact, its worse because most of the time all is revealed on a par 3 tee.  The sequence helps create the balance and flow of a course and is therefore quite important.

Ciao

[PCCraig]

At my home course the 2nd and 3rd holes are par-3's.

From behind the green:


*I took the above photos from our superintendent's twitter account: @tcturf

Glad to know I am on your super's twitter account!  I originally stole that picture from John Mayhugh to post it here.

Whoops. Sorry. Forgot to give credit after I added that one after the fact.

[jonathan_becker]

#4 and #16 on RME would make for nice consecutive back-to-backs on some sort of new new composite. 

[Michael Felton]

The 9th & 10th at Brancepeth Castle, both great holes.

Brancepeth Castle was our home course when I was at university, so I played it quite a bit. 9 and 10 were par 3s on the card, but it was unusual to write down 3 - especially on 9. So hard. If you got through those two holes in 7 shots, you were in decent shape in matches.

[Phil Lipper]

there is a club in NJ Rock spring that has 3 par 3's back to back to back. I have never played there but assume it has to feel strange/.

[Pete_Pittock]

Next week I will play a course that has back to back to back par threes. The back nine starts with a stout dogleg left par five. Then 11-12-13 are par 3s of 130-149-178.

But wait.

There's more.

The yardages of 16-17-18 are 136-169-185.

Two sets of triplet par threes on one nine.

The course is Chinook Winds Golf Resort on the north edge of Lincoln City, OR. 4600+, par 67. I played it as a 9 holes, then it got expanded to 15 until the local Indian casino got built.

And earlier in the week I am playing what is billed as one of the world's shortest par 4 at 85 yards. I'll probably bogey. Golf Cityin Corvallis,
a 9 hole par 3 course.. All on a quest to play every hole in Oregon.

[Cristian]

Oitavos in Cascais Portugal has two great btb par 3's (14, 15).

The skyline 14th is probably the best hole on the course. Although both holes are playing similar lengths the shots are quite different as the 15th is in the opposite direction of the 14th with wind always present this part of the world.

[Frank Pont]

The 9th & 10th at Brancepeth Castle, both great holes.

And very very tough.....

[Jud_T]

Ravisloe CC in Chicago #6 & 7.  Works pretty well as there's about an 80 yard differential.  Interestingly # 4 is also a long par 3, so there's 3 in 4 holes.