I know of a course that

[Patrick_Mucci]

has three consecutive par 3's, and they're all good par 3's, but I can't think of a course with three consecutive par 5's.

I've seen a number of courses with two consecutive par fives, like Seminole and Baltusrol, and other than teeing off on the back nine first at Baltusrol Lower, never encountered three consecutive par 5's.

Is there a course out there with them ?

[Jim Sherma]

Hershey West has three par 5's in four holes. 13, 15 and 16 are par 5's with 14 a par 4. Birkdale ends with three of four being par 5's, at least on the regular card.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jim,

Close, but no cigar

[Matt Bosela]

I can't think of any off the top of my head but I'm willing to guess that if such a course exists, the par fives would be holes 8, 9 & 10 - my reasoning coming from the likely fact that the nines have reversed at some point, turning a first hole par five and two closing par fives into three consecutive holes.

But again, I can't think of any off the top of my head.

[James Boon]

Sutton Coldfield has three par 5s in a row on its front nine, 5,6, and 7. It''s near Birmingham and MacKenzie  was involved but I only have  slow internet access this afternoon on my iPhone so am struggling to remind myself of the history, yardages of those par 5s or link to a photo thread!
 

That's the summer course. They get split up by a relief par 3 on Mr Arble's preferred winter course and one becomes a par 4 as well.

Cheers,

James

[Tony_Muldoon]

James I've enjoyed playing them but the good Dr never did, they were part of a later reroute.

North Berwick 8,9 and 11 use up the less quirky land very nicely thank you.

[James Boon]

Thanks Tony!

Cheers,

James

[Jason Topp]

Town and Country - St. Paul, MN - 15, 16 and 17.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Town and Country - St. Paul, MN - 15, 16 and 17.

Jason,

Thanks.

I'll Google Earth it as I'm curious to see how they routed the course with that configuration of three consecutive par 5's

[Tom Allen]

Lakes of Taylor in Michigan has three in a row: 8, 9, & 10.

Walden on Lake Conroe Golf Club, TX, also: 9, 10, 11.

[Jon Wiggett]

Cleckheaton GC near Bradford has 3 par 5s from 6-8.

Jon

[Jim_Kennedy]

I can't think of any off the top of my head but I'm willing to guess that if such a course exists, the par fives would be holes 8, 9 & 10 - my reasoning coming from the likely fact that the nines have reversed at some point, turning a first hole par five and two closing par fives into three consecutive holes.

But again, I can't think of any off the top of my head.

I think that's the same series (8,9,10) of par 5 holes the LPGA uses at Pumpkin Ridge.   

[Joe Bausch]

Inwood CC, holes 3-5.

(and Meadow Brook GC in Phoenixville, PA, holes 6-8)   

[Jason Topp]

Town and Country - St. Paul, MN - 15, 16 and 17.

Jason,

Thanks.

I'll Google Earth it as I'm curious to see how they routed the course with that configuration of three consecutive par 5's

Pat - they go back and forth but each hole is pretty different from the others due to the rolling topography which will be difficult to pick up on an aerial.  Pat Craig is a member and could provide more information.

[Jason Topp]

Some pictures and descriptions of the course starting at reply 101 here:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,47337.100.html

[PCCraig]

Town and Country - St. Paul, MN - 15, 16 and 17.

Jason,

Thanks.

I'll Google Earth it as I'm curious to see how they routed the course with that configuration of three consecutive par 5's

Patrick,

Town & Country is my home course. Would like to know what you think of what you see. An aerial from this fall was just posted to Google Maps which shows the course mid-transition. We're renovating our bunkers, removing trees, widening fairway approaches, adding a few front and back tees, and working to restore fairway mowing lines when possible.

I really like the three par-5's from #15-17. They are particularly fun during match play. What you won't be able to see on the aerial maps are the elevation changes, which make them play different even though they run along more or less along with each other:

The 15th (most eastern) is a dogleg right and longer drivers need to carry the fairway bunker for the best chance at reaching the green in two. There is a drop off just short of the green (about 30ft) and approach shots further than ~140 yards are blind. Shots can run down the hill and find the putting surface, or if they come in too hot they will run through the green into bunkers/hazard. If the trend continues the fairway approach short of the green will be widened next spring to mirror previous efforts of the same nature.

Looking back from the 15th green (from Jason Topp's thread a couple of years ago):


The 16th is uphill from the tee and is straight and/or a slight dogleg left. After the fairway bunker, the hole runs downhill to the green which is small and kidney shaped. Tom Leaman once called this the worst golf hole he had ever played when he made a 10 in the state AM years ago.

The 17th is a very neat hole. The hole is a dogleg right and a draw is the best play from the tee. The tee shot is slightly uphill as the fairway sits on a plateau above the tee. The green is extremely severe in that it is very shallow but wide, and has an incredible amount of slope from back-to-front.

All three holes are reachable in two by a longer hitter with two good shots.

After the three par-5's you play a 170 yard par-3 over an old ravine.

T&C is the oldest club in Minnesota (1888) and golf has been played on the same property since 1893.

Hope this helps in your research.
 

[RJ_Daley]

Pat and Jason,  very cool.  

Might it be time for a billionaire obsessed with golf to do a par 90, 18 par 5s?

Hear me out....  

Do it on sand hill vast and relatively cheap real estate where growing grass is not all that difficult.  Make sure it is on varied by frequency of terrain roll, and barely maintain the FWs with big gang pull behind tractor mowers, with low maintenance bunkers and hazards, and conservatively bunkered greensites with mostly hummocks and hollows in the wide collar cut surrounds rather than difficult bunker designs and rough length surrounds.  Make the distances a variety of lengths with two sets of tees where there are clearly tee blocks set to allow at least half the holes to be 2 shots to the greensites par 5s (450-490 up tees and 4900-520 back tees) with appropriate terrain and set-up.maintenance factors to put challenge in the risk to go for the greens on the second shots, but also half the par 5s that are clearly not able to be reached in two, no matter who you are (550 for up  tees and 650 for way-backs)  The reachable holes would have decent size targets greens of 6000-8000sf and 3 shotters 3000-5000sf.  

This would be a niche for the players who just like to golf their ball whack after whack and take a nice long walk.  

I know I'd love it.  You'd be able to play it with 6 clubs in a easy carry Sunday bag.  For me I'd say driver, FW wood, 6I, 9I SW, putter.  

[Keith Grande]

I thought John Daly has a course somewhere where every hole could be played as a par 5.

[Michael Ryan]

When I played D2 college golf in the late 90's, my home course in Delray Beach, FL had three consecutive par 5's-Polo Trace.  Back then, holes 9, 10 and 11 were 5's-but I understand they have done some renovations that have changed this configuration.  I haven't been here since 1999 so I can't comment on what changes were made other than hearing they did away with the three consecutive par 5's.  

Mike

[Dan Kelly]

The 16th is uphill from the tee and is straight and/or a slight dogleg left. After the fairway bunker, the hole runs downhill to the green which is small and kidney shaped. Tom Leaman once called this the worst golf hole he had ever played when he made a 10 in the state AM years ago.

Here it is, from the St. Paul Pioneer Press (1982).

Lehman might have called it the worst hole of golf he'd ever played, if not the worst golf hole he'd ever played:



Oh, for those golden days when our humble little big-city daily had enough sportswriters to cover a tournament shot-by-shot!

And by the way, Pat, for whatever it's worth: I'd like 15 *so much better* if that entire hillside were short grass -- like the backside of the approach to Midland Hills 14.

[Jim McCann]

Donegal's Narin & Portnoo course had just brought three par fives into play at holes 13 to 15 when I visited in 2007.

Here's a snap of the 14th:

[Mike Hendren]

Langford's Gatlinburg (TN) CC includes par fives at 9, 10 & 11.

Bogey

[PCCraig]

And by the way, Pat, for whatever it's worth: I'd like 15 *so much better* if that entire hillside were short grass -- like the backside of the approach to Midland Hills 14.

I agree, I don't have access to them now, but old aerials show the entire width of the fairway running down the hill and straight into the green. The story goes that a Green Chairman had many of the fairway approaches narrowed in the past (80's, or early 90's?) just short of the green in order to mimic his winter home club's course. (A penal modern desert course   ). Our superintendent, Bill Larson, has done a great job in the last year trying to recapture fairway width short of many of the greens, to rave reviews.

[PCCraig]

And Dan, that article posted above is fantastic. Thank you posting. What a threesome of Amateurs!

[Bill_McBride]

Mucci, you are such a tease!

Where is that course with three consecutive par 3's?