In Defence ( a bit) of the Drop Shot Par 3

[Niall C]

Picking up on the examples that Adam and Jason picked of short par 4's, a couple of really good, OK really good FUN, drop shot par 4's are on one of the Murrayshall courses and also the slightly less elevated short par 4 (or is a long par 3 ?) at Granton on Spey. Great for holiday golf but maybe not so great for medal play.


Niall

[Kirk Gill]

I agree that drop shot 3's are fun, but with the distance control element to them, I think they're more interesting than just an elevated tee shot on a par 4 or 5 where you're swinging away. There are a few of these type of holes here in Colorado, but the one I tend to remember most isn't here, but up in Canada - the 4th at Banff Springs. The water in front is scary enough, but go long and a nasty chip awaits. The incredible view almost intimidates.

[Kalen Braley]

Its been mentioned on many threads here in the past, but I've never played a more awesome drop shot par 3 than the 9th at Lake Chabot in Oakland, CA.
 
Tee shot is completely blind, that's how steep the drop off is.  Usually plays like 175 on the card, but you're only hitting PW or 9 iron.  And then there's the anticipation of getting down to the green and seeing how close you got to the cup.....or on the wet soggy days if your ball is mostly embedded in the green.
 
Fun stuff!!

[Jon Wiggett]

Right, but I bet they have golf carts at Eagle Ridge!

Adam,

Realp is one of the most extreme courses you will ever find. I do not think most people could imagine just how steep it is and keeping that in mind it is probably a good thing that buggies are not available there. You are correct the 8th is a very good hole.

Jon

[Gib_Papazian]

#7 Pebble Beach
#12 Spyglass
#13 Coyote Moon
#5 Olympic Ocean
#8 Old Macdonald
#17 Shadow Creek
#6 Incline Village
#11 Plantation Maui
#13 Crystal Springs
#4 County Down

Don't know if any of those need "defence." 

[Josh Stevens]

Josh, assuming I understand your post correctly, I agree overall with making a miss penal, etc.  However, sometimes the green is shaped so that direction and distance control become equally important.  Don't have a photo, but the 7th at Wilshire in Los Angeles is a fine example of this.  Small green oriented somewhat diagonally so that moving the pin 10 yards up or back totally changes shot alignment.  If you're not accurate, you've got some thinking to do on the second shot.  Jason Thurman would love this hole if he hasn't seen it already. 

Sounds somewhat similar to mine.  Small green but angled.  Left is a bunker which is dead.  Right the ball bounds off down a slope and is dead.  Long is dead.  And the green slopes slightly from front to back, so you actually have to land short and judge the roll.  Short is the only miss that isn't dead


ETA: also agree with OP that it does add fun variety when a course is really running.       

Is the merit of such a hole not determined by the dangers of missing?

A short drop shot par 3 is all about distance control rather than direction, so I'm guessing it is necessary to have some serious trouble, generally over the back, and then some interesting little contours at the front that make it more than just a soggy dart board.

the drop kick short par 3 at my club is the most intricate and interesting par 3 on the course.

[Mark Sider]

Atlanta CC #13 is a drop shot par 3 (150 yards from the back tee) with water left and short left. It's exhilarating.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Sorry, but an excuse to post these...


Pine valley 3rd



DSCN0381 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


And again..


DSCN0382 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Pine valley 14th...


DSCN0470 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr

[MCirba]

Malcolm,

We're those taken at Clementon Municipal ?

[Kevin_Reilly]

8th at Orinda.  120 yds.

[Thomas Dai]

Dropshot par-3's tend to be photogenic and can be eye-candyish with their backdrops, which maybe helps their popularity (and desirability).


There are however, some not particularly nice dropshot par-3's, the 7th on the Glashedy at Ballyliffin being one example. Interesting routing of the previous few holes to arrive at the photogenic top of the dune ridge but not that nice a hole coming down the other side, although I may have read that the hole has been tweaked in the last year or so.


Atb

[cary lichtenstein]

I loved the drop shos at Banff and Pebble Beach

[Scott Weersing]

What about the ninth and 15th at Chambers Bay?


I think no. 9 is connector hole and plays as a real links hole from the lower tee that was used in the US Open.


As to No. 15, it is what it is, a signature hole by RTJ Jr, that he could not avoid having. It does have a backboard on the right so it is links like.

[Matt Frey, PGA]

I recently played Pocono Manor for the first time with a few other GCA members and they have a very interesting drop-shot par-three: No. 7. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that is the first William Flynn hole golfers play on the golf course.

Certainly, it wouldn't be a good situation for anyone if all the threes were like this format, but I found it to be particularly intriguing. The hole plays 77 yards from the back teeing ground, but the fun of the hole is to determine how long the hole actually plays (I think we figured it to be about 40-45 yards on the day we played it). To make it even more interesting, the greens, even this one while being tucked into a gully, were very firm and you had to take that into consideration for the tee shot too. Here are a couple of pictures that I took of the hole:





While I found Pocono Manor's drop-shot par-three quirky and fun, I find Inniscrone's very difficult and maybe a little awkward (but that could be the routing). At 114 yards, Inniscrone's drop-shot proves extremely difficult for a missed green long with a severe drop off on the back. Here is a photo taken by Joe Bausch:



I cannot put my finger on why I personally consider these holes differently, even though they are so similar in nature. And no, it's not due to my score. I've parred No. 5 at Inniscrone each time I've played it as well as No. 7 at Pocono Manor.

[john_stiles]

I like the milder drop shot hole, something akin to Roaring Gap #6, named the  Do Drop.


Though there a few very sharp drop shots in southern USA and probably all along the Appalachians.


Not sure about the hole numbers but......


#12 Gatlinburg CC   ( Tennessee )
# 9  Champion Hills (Hendersonville, NC)

Each is about 3 clubs or more. Champion Hills and Gatlinburg are golf cart courses given all the up and down through the property. 


The Olde Farm (Bristol VA) has one drop shot par 3 (maybe 2 clubs) which connects the higher ridge to what might be the lowest point on the course. OF is very walkable and has good caddies.


The really short ones seem better to me, like Pebble Beach, are a little more intriguing as I start to wonder more about a full shot or a half shot.  Pebble is my favorite because it also brings the wind into play.  Nothing like an easy hole to screw with my brain.


With the longer ones like  Champions or Gatlinburg,  I tend think this is full shot, a full  7 iron for example, even on a windy day.

[George Pazin]

Au contraire! we love drop shot par 3's!!


Of which GCA experts do you speak?

I'm no expert, but I have said on here many times I hate 'em, so many times that it probably makes it seem like everyone hates 'em.


All of 'em.


No exceptions to prove the rule.


 

[JMEvensky]

I'm no expert, but I have said on here many times I hate 'em, so many times that it probably makes it seem like everyone hates 'em.


All of 'em.


No exceptions to prove the rule.


 

Even those with adequate width?

[John Chilver-Stainer]

Hopeman's 12th is an extremely picturesque drop shot par 3. I've been told by the locals when the winds blowing, depending on the direction, it can make the Tee shot a 3-Wood or a Sand Wedge. Hopeman is worth a visit with a few bumpy fairways and interesting greens set in gorse corridors overlooking the Moray Firth.


This photo is taken on a glorious day about 3 weeks ago from behind the green. The Tees can be seen top right.

[George Pazin]

I'm no expert, but I have said on here many times I hate 'em, so many times that it probably makes it seem like everyone hates 'em.


All of 'em.


No exceptions to prove the rule.


 

Even those with adequate width?

No exceptions.


I do reserve the right to determine what is a drop shot par 3, however.

[Matt Frey, PGA]

I'm not quite sure if these two holes qualify as drop-shot par-threes or not, but there are significant elevation changes from tee to green, but the reason I found them to be incredibly fun is the fact that golfers have the opportunity to land the ball well short of the green and bound on, thanks in part to he hillside as a result of the elevation drop. The photos below are from the Bausch Collection.

Sunnehanna No. 7
This can certainly play like a traditional drop-shot, but I was told by our wonderful host John Yerger to hit a few clubs less and watch as the ball disappears under the slope and reappears by bounding onto the green. Delightful. believe there used to be a "top-shot" bunker well short of the green that would have needed to be carried for the bounce, making the hole even more interesting, but it's not there anymore. However, I believe it may be in the club's master plan to add it back into the design of the hole.


Hay Harbor No. 6
As three first-timers, we approached this hole like a traditional drop-shot, but soon found out (from my mishit) that balls can be easily bounced on by carrying a couple of top-shot bunkers. As you can see, the back is really built up, making a long shot a perilous recovery. Another delightful golf hole.

[Carl Rogers]

to me the difficulty of this hole type is the combination of:
-wind velocity
-wind direction
-amount of elevation change
-size & shape of target

best examples of the drop shot holes I have played:
- 13th at Ballyhack
- 4th & 8th at the Cascades
- 3rd & 16th at the Golden Horseshoe


what is the difference between a downhill shot and a drop shot?

[Richard Hetzel]

Personally, I like the "drop shot" Par 3 a lot and wish architects utilized it MORE. When the hole is well planned out, it works. If the hole is an afterthought and just "shoehorned in" for a lack of space, it doesn't. Wolf Run GC in Indy has a great drop shot par 3 that I played this past weekend with Jason Thurman, it was a great hole!





PS: Maybe I should start a thread so we can weigh the merits (or the lack there of) of an "all carry" 205 yard Par 3 to a plateau green (think Wolf Run John Kavanaugh) that is crazy and without room for any error at all.

[Ronald Montesano]

The 11th at Sandpiper in Goleta, California, is a brass-balls, drop-shot par three. It tips out a 228 and goes straight to the Pacific Ocean. The cool part is, you hit your ball at the right-side bunker and just left the wind push it back to green center. I hit 4-iron today, twice, and watched it do this.

[Richard Hetzel]

Hunter Station GC in Tionesta, PA (in the middle of nowhere NW PA) has a super steep drop shot, par 3 of approximately 150 yards, straight downhill. The cart ride down is downright SCARY.

[Anton]

I recently played at Preakness Hills Country Club in Wayne, NJ.  It was a  very fun 1926 layout with some interesting design elements.   Most noteworthy is a Drop Shot par 3 as the closing hole.  While I am not a big fan of a par 3 finish, it did prove to be a fun hole and a very pretty setting for watching other players from the patio.  As you can see, the green has a steep shelf which makes being on the proper tier paramount.