After a recent trip to the US, I've been thinking more and more about some of my favourite holes from the trip. Having been lucky enough to play some pretty incredible places, there were a plethora of great par-3s that I mulled over in my mind. But ultimately, I kept coming back to two in particular. Two that sit on different golf courses, but are practically on the same property and can't be more than 1,000 yards away from one another.
Both are short, fun and scary at the same time - both can yield birdies and NRs; glory and disaster.
Of course I'm talking about the 6th at National (Short) and the 11th at Shinnecock Hills (Hill Head)!
So which of these holes is the better short par-3? Which would you want to play again, and again? And which hole lingers in the mind the longest? Let's go to the breakdown!
National Golf Links of America - 6th Hole: ShortArguably the best rendition of CB's short that I have seen, the green there is a vision for those eyes that have seen too many uninspiring and uninteresting greens! Standing at the very back of the tee, players are faced with a 141 yard downhill shot to a decent sized green. The rolls, humps and bumps in and around the green make hitting the correct portion absolutely essential. To make matters more difficult, the green is surrounded on all sides by bunkers that, while not very deep, are not very wide and provide awkward stances for most shots.
In terms of the visual aspects, the hole has few peers. Players look out from the tee, and see the green in perfect view below. In the background to the left sits Peconic Bay, and over the left shoulder, standing sentinel is the ever present windmill of NGLA. Simply put, it is one of the very best short par-3s in the land. Depending on the wind and pin, it can play from a wedge, to a mid-iron, and the strategy is quite intriguing. Because of the tiers and green contours, players must decide if they want to take on the pin, and risk having a deadly up-and-down should they miss, or hit towards the centre of the green, and take their chances on a two-putt through the roller-coaster putting surface. Fun, fun, fun!
And so it would seem that no par-3 in New York, let alone Long Island could challenge its supremacy as the best short par-3 in the land...that is, until you cross the street to play Shinnecock Hills
Shinnecock Hills - 11th Hole: Hill HeadWe've seen it on tv, we've heard about it all round. But when you step from the 10th green to the 11th tee and look left, you can hear the butt cheeks clenching of all the players in the group. 159 yards from the back of the tee, this is another short one-shotter that is as original as it is frightening. Players are asked to hit a short to mid-iron back up a hill to a tiny green that is surrounded on two sides by deep bunkers, and on the back-side by a fall-off that makes any up-and-down impossible for all those not named Seve.
I find up hill holes are tougher to make great, and therefore, give special kudos to par-3s that can achieve this. Like the 4th at Sunningdale Old, there is something optically different that I find refreshing. The 11th here at Shinnecock Hills appears to be an infinity green, and gauging depth and choosing the right club (even with distances provided) can be difficult. Is it a 6 or a 5?
The green has plenty of movement to it, but more in a tilted sense, with everything running from left to right, meaning the miss is short right. Players can bail out to the right, and are often left with the easier of the recovery shots, but when you have a short iron in hand, who wants to bail?! That said, flag hunting can often lead to scary numbers - just ask Jordan Speith.
Out of respect to the member's wish, I can't post a photo of the 11th, but have a look at the course profile here for a look at this wee gem:
http://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/shinnecock-hills-golf-club-ny-usa/And so, I am interested and wanted to open up the discussion: which hole is the better of the two par-3s? Which is your favourite? Which would you like a crack at if you haven't played either? No wrong answers (or maybe there are!) - only friendly discussion