Par 3 Courses-Do you play them?

[bshack]

Im about to go play at a local lighted par 3 course tonight. Its a different experience and most of the holes are really short, ranging from 77 yards to 150 being the longest so the longest club i carry in my bag is my 6 iron. Its nice being able to play after dark, especially in the summer when its not so hot. Its challenging hitting those in between shots and trying to hit the greens.

Yorktown in Belleville ? I play there once a week

[Greg]

Governors Run in Carlyle, I didnt know there was a lighted par 3 in Belleville, might have to go play over there sometime. A bit of a drive for me, I live in odin, its over by salem, about 60 miles or so from belleville. Im only about 20 miles from Carlye though I havent played the par 3 course yet this year, its a neat place to go. Had fun, hit mostly pretty good shots, carried my irons farther than normal, I guess making solid contact is better than trying to kill the ball. If i didnt hit the greens, i wasnt far off on most of the holes. Not as many people there as I thought there would be, was a great night, a little warm and muggy at the beginning, started just before 8 so the lights didnt come on until I was almost done with the front 9. Hit my best shot of the year on the 17th, 110 yards. Hit a pw to 1 ft, closest Ive ever come to holing out an iron shot and really made me leave feeling good about my play.

[The Recreational Golfer]

You're post reads strangely. It looks like you're saying you're not a real player unless you can get around a Par3 even par.

That's exactly what I'm saying. It's the same as being able to drop your ball in the middle of the fairway and tee up your approach! Even with that advantage, I think you have to be pretty good to get a string of 3s. Though you can see my handicap is 11, on the par-3 course I play, it's about an 8.

[Greg]

I think its a bit easier to score at a par 3 course, I did pretty good last night(for me) I shot +11 on the front 9 and +7 on the back which is better than i would do on a normal par 72 18 hole course. You only have to hit one good shot per hole on a par 3 course. I only got one par on the front 9 but got 3 pars and a birdie on the back so i felt pretty good about that.

[NI4NI]

Got a membership at the local Nine-hole Par 3 course (< 5 mins from the house). $200 for the season - my son and I will go over and play a few times a week, on average, once school is out. Nice little track for sharpening the all too important short game and putting.

[Shankapotomus]

I don't think we have any Par 3 courses close to me here in New Hampshire, if we do they aren't advertised too well as I know of most of the courses within 45 minutes of me.

[captpat]

Two that I like....Pine Shore North in OC, Md....27 holes....and Salt Pond in Bethany Beach DE (par 3 and 4)

[Fourputt]

so, do you ever hit your local Par 3 course for some practice and keep you sharp?

Not very often. I did years ago when I was learning the game, but then I could get out on it alone and practice all sorts of shots. Now the par 3 course is usually so crowded that the practice option just isn't there any more. That and the quality of player who plays it is very low... makes for some very slow, frustrating rounds. I'd rather play the 18 hole championship course.

We have an 18 hole regulation par 72 course, a 9 hole Executive course and a 9 hole par 3 course at my home facility, so I have several choices. If I'm going to play a quick 9, I may play our 9 hole Executive course instead of the par 3. That gives me 5 par 3 holes and 4 par 4's for a total par of 31. At least then I can hit the driver on a few holes.

[sean_miller]

If I'm going to play a quick 9, I may play our 9 hole Executive course instead of the par 3. That gives me 5 par 3 holes and 4 par 4's for a total par of 31. At least then I can hit the driver on a few holes.

I love executive 9s - 2 or 3 full out shots, some precisions shots, and they're typically set up to be really fair (hence, really fast). A 3 course layout is a great way to introduce people to the game, and keep them interested.

[Uncle Peter]

Just played one today and though it was great practice.

[JetFan1983]

I love my par 3 course. $12 bucks and you can go around the 9 hole course as many times as you like. Rollers are free. Holes have a decent length to them. Shortest is 70 to 100 yards depending on the tee box location. The longest hole is anywhere from 170 to 190 yards depending on tee box location. There are only like four bunkers on the entire course, but that's to be expected I guess.

This place is also the only place I know that has a grass range and short game practice area. It's a pretty important place for my golf game- without it, I'd have absolutely no chance at improving I think.

But yesterday was especially awesome. It was probably the fourth time I had ever "competed" at golf- meaning, I was with family and friends and we were intentionally trying to beat each other. The first three times I "competed" I was a horrible player. I'm certainly not good yet -- nor am I decent -- but I will say this: I won!

It was me vs. my Dad, my cousin, and my friend. Both my friend and cousin hit it at least two clubs farther than me. But I was able to keep it in play and get up and down. I sniped a 20 foot par putt on the last hole to secure victory and the money!

They were happy for me, but deep down, I could tell they were so pissed they let a player of my calibre beat them. But just to put it in perspective, my cousin airmailed the 165 yard fourth hole by 40 yards with his 6-iron (he never plays anymore but used to be really good- has no idea what his distances are anymore-- advantage me).

It felt so good to beat them. Competing at golf was a great feeling and it's really boosted my confidence. Sure, I realize it's a long road ahead, but yesterday was easily the most fun I've had playing golf ever. And that's saying something.

I have yet to play a round at a real course this year. In fact, my last 18 hole round was in early April 2009. My handicap reflects my last 20 rounds but all of those are so out-dated at this point. Who knows what I play to right now. I guess I should hit up the real course soon and find out!

[JML22]

Our pitch and putt here is grass tees and very very very tough greens
shots range from 60-120 yards
its great to practice those wedge shots and putting though

[uttexas]

the closest public course to my house is a 9 hole par 3. Great for the short game.

[Shankapotomus]

I don't think we have any Par 3 courses close to me here in New Hampshire, if we do they aren't advertised too well as I know of most of the courses within 45 minutes of me.

Correction to my post above. I've now found three Par 3 courses within a 45 minute drive of me. I may have to check them out sometime.

[Shripe]

I've got several around here, at least one that's considered to be one of the best designed (by Jack Nicklaus) and best maintained par 3's in the area. The other I've played at (since I'm still pretty new) wasn't as well maintained, but I'm basically limiting myself to those courses until I improve.

[JML22]

I just played one last night it was really nice
ranged frmo 80-170
lots of water - no bunkers though
If it had bunkers it'd be the perfect par 3 course

[Boyder]

My "Home" course is not a Par 3 course ... it's designated as an "Executive Course" ... 18 holes for a par 62 - each 9 features 1 par 5, 2 par 4's and 6 par 3 holes. This course has helped me hone what game I have to a point i feel so much more confident playing just about anywhere. Sure, its a "short" course by most standards, but has some very challenging holes and is set up so that you basically use every stick in the bag. So yeah - I like "short courses".

[andycook]

Yes I play a 9 hole par 3 because the management there welcomes me and my two boys (6 year old and 3 year old). This is right at their attention span. They play a few holes, skip the middle boring part like most iron shots, and hang with me as long as I remembered enough fun snacks.