Nominate your 10 best long par-3’s - ie 200-250 yd range

[Thomas Dai]

Nominate your 10 best long par-3’s - ie 200-250 yd range.
No particularly order of ‘bestness’. Just list your best 10.

Atb


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[Anthony Gray]

 Carnoustie 16. It comes at a nice time in the round. If it was earlier in the routing I would think of it differently.

[Anthony Gray]

 Brandon Trails 12 is my favorite. It has movement around the green. Trouble left with the hazard but right may be a more difficult up and down because of the contours. Love slapping a driver there and watching it chase 100 yards. Outstanding architecture.

[Michael Felton]

In a vaguely in order fashion:

5 at Pine Valley (this is the hardest par 3 I've ever seen)
9 at Brancepeth Castle
13 at the Addington
11 at RSG
11 at WHO
11 at the Creek
3 at RSG
14 at RCP
2 at Shinnecock
3 at BPB

[mike_malone]

Just Philly Flynns


  15 Philly CC
  11 Mannies
   8 Lancaster ( if the back tee is +200)
   17 Huntingdon Valley
   3 Lehigh
 
  Humbly add 10 and 14 Rolling Green.

[Ira Fishman]

CPC 16
Golspie 17
Somerset Hills 2
Nairn 14
Ballybunion 15
Streamsong Blue 16
The Island Club 13
Crail Balcomie 12
Hope Valley 18
Cog Hill 4 12


I did not play some from the back tee.

[Mark_Fine]

For as much as we complain about them this site loves their lists and rankings don’t they   


I bet the panelists at GD and GW and GM must laugh when they see the posters here try to rank there best _____? 


You have to admit there are a ton of threads ranking or listing what is the best this or what is your favorite that ….

[Ira Fishman]

For as much as we complain about them this site loves their lists and rankings don’t they   


I bet the panelists at GD and GW and GM must laugh when they see the posters here try to rank there best _____? 


You have to admit there are a ton of threads ranking or listing what is the best this or what is your favorite that ….

Rankings are subjective and should be taken mostly with a grain of salt. But they are fun.


Ira

[Anthony Gray]

For as much as we complain about them this site loves their lists and rankings don’t they   


I bet the panelists at GD and GW and GM must laugh when they see the posters here try to rank there best _____? 


You have to admit there are a ton of threads ranking or listing what is the best this or what is your favorite that ….

Rankings are subjective and should be taken mostly with a grain of salt. But they are fun.


Ira

 Very much so Ira. There is no wrong answer when it’s subject. And wow, you might even learn something from someone else’s list.


Anthony

[Mark_Fine]

Guys,
I agree they should just be fun and interesting to discuss but when the Top 100 lists come out people get nasty and abusive and frankly disrespectful but these days that seems to be the norm 

[Tim Martin]

1. York Golf and Tennis
2. Wyantenuck
3. Engineers
4. Newport CC
5. Fishers Island
6. Worcester
7. Sleepy Hollow
8. Hyannisport
9. Yale
10. Metacomet (RIP)


I put them in order where they fell on the card for an added twist. Apologies to those who hate the lists.

[David_Tepper]

Maybe not "best," but 2 of my favorites:


#18 at Brora - barely 200 yards, but uphill and all carry to the steeply false-fronted green.

#17 at Golspie - barely 200 yards, blind tee shot to an open, flattish-green that will not hold the ball if you use too much club

[David Ober]

Can't think of ten right now. Only midway through my second cup of coffee. A few that stand out to me:


1) 9 at Lakeside. A wonderful, true "Par 3 1/2"


2) The 7th at LACC North


3) 3 at Pasatiempo. From the back tees, another definite Par 3 1/2


4) 12 at Bandon Trails


5) The 4th at Riviera

[Dan_Callahan]

The 16th at Portrush is a brute … in a good way.

[James Boon]

An interesting comparison to your other thread about tiny par 3s! Generally I'd say the shorter ones should be more fun, but based on my head scratching to produce nominations for both lists, there are far more long par 3s than short ones! Having said that the challenge of hitting a driver or fairway wood to a par 3 has its own delights, especially in often needing to run a ball in and the pleasure in knowing how good a shot its been to hit a green so far away. But also some of these play that you have to carry it all the way, or maybe only a mid iron if its a drop shot or wind behind. Variety is the spice of life!


My nominations (probably more as my favourite than best?) are:

• Hollinwell, 13th, 241yds
• Royal Cinque Ports, 14th, 219yds
• Royal Worlington & Newmarket, 2nd, 220yds
• Ganton, 17th, 246yds
• Woking, 2nd, 221yds
• Royal Ashdown Forest, 11th, 249yds
• Musselburgh Old, 8th, 240yds
• Brora, 18th, 201yds
• Royal Portrush, 16th, 236yds
• Burnham & Berrow, 17th, 201yds

A few others...
Royal St Georges 3rd, Rye 17th, Brancepeth 9th, Nairn 14th, Royal Aberdeen 3rd, Royal County Down 4th


Interestingly, many of these and others I considered (but not all) come late in the round. Almost as if the architects are giving you a chance to warm up before you have to play this shot! Also, I wish there were more of these long par 3s seen on the pro tours, and by that I dont mean 230 yard holes where they all hit a 6 iron, but par 3s where they need to hit a wood!


Cheers,


James

[Michael Felton]

I forgot 3 and 10 at Winged Foot! Two tremendous long par 3s

[Tom_Doak]

#18 at Brora - barely 200 yards, but uphill and all carry to the steeply false-fronted green.

I played that hole this fall on a cold autumn day with the wind in our face.  Couldn't reach the green with driver, and the ball rolled 40-50 yards back toward the tee.  Ouch!

[Tom_Doak]

To me, the more pertinent question is, what is the BEST long par-3 that you would build somewhere else if you had a chance?


Because you're not going to build ten of them, and because if you think about the question that way, some of the holes nominated will be seen to be a bit hollow.


Personally, I love the idea of a par-3 where those who don't go for the green are better off aiming away from it.  The 16th at Cypress Point is the pinnacle of that, but of course you're never going to have a chance to build that hole anywhere else.  But, there are two holes I can think of where the same strategy is in play, neither of which has been mentioned yet:


the 6th at West Sussex
the 1st at The Berkshire (Blue)

[Thomas Dai]

A whole bunch of splendid holes have been highlighted. Many thanks.
Now imagine if each of the holes mentioned were say 20%-30% longer, more short par-4 in length. How would that effect a players mindset and thus the way folks played the hole? Temptations? Reactions to hoped for outcomes both successful and failure?
Atb

[Sean_A]

The few I immediately thought of are

1 Meyrick Park
6 Pulborough
1 Berkshire Blue
Calamity Portrush
5 Anstruther
7 Stoneham

Ciao

[Garland Bayley]

Pacific Dunes 17 202

[Ira Fishman]

#18 at Brora - barely 200 yards, but uphill and all carry to the steeply false-fronted green.

I played that hole this fall on a cold autumn day with the wind in our face.  Couldn't reach the green with driver, and the ball rolled 40-50 yards back toward the tee.  Ouch!

A terrific hole. I have told this story before but it is a favorite so bear with me. Both my wife and my tee shots tottered at the top of the hill and trundled down two feet apart at the bottom. Our caddy told us the Member's play is a lob left over the bunker which if well executed would trickle to the hole. I naturally bladed mine into the practice net behind the green. Sheryl hit a perfect lob that turned into a tap in par.


The three of us headed to the bar which sits right on top of the 18th green. A member got up to greet my wife warmly saying that she must be at least an honorary member to execute that shot. He could not bring himself to look at me as I slunk off to the table.


Ira

[Scott Warren]

Tom D,


I think what you describe is true of the 6th at NSWGC after you and BS rebuilt the green.


If you can’t get there, the play is short right, bringing that terrific little lump on the front right of the green into play.


Likewise the 11th at National (Gunnamatta) where you need to play either left to the fairway above the green or even right into the short grass that extends beyond the 13th green.


My 10, in no particular order, would be:


Pine Valley 5, obvs
Addington 13
Royal Melbourne (West) 16
West Sussex 6
Fishers Island 5
Sand Hills 3
Woking 2
Riviera 4
New South Wales 6
Yale 9

[mark chalfant]

2  Wyantenuck,MA  ( Robert Pryde) A blind shot
3   McGregor
4   Schuyler Meadows,NY   Sharply uphill


6     Ridgewood East (Tilinghast) Well-bunkered drop shot.
11.  Oklahoma City (Maxwell)
12.  Skokie   (Langford)


12.  Glens Falls (Ross)  epic 240 yards 
16.  Cape Arundel   (Travis)
17.  Rockville Links, NY (Emmet)

[Tom_Doak]

Pine Valley 5, obvs

I have never seen anyone try to copy the 5th at Pine Valley, but Zac Blair named it as one of his favorite holes and I found a perfect spot at The Tree Farm to build a version of it.  I’m really curious to see how close he follows the original.