I won $200 today and never swung a club!

[billm408]

A guy I golf with occasionally is constantly bragging about his game- how far he hits the ball, play-by-play of his last round, the birdie barrage he put up, etc... He's a pretty good player, but not the scratch golfer he claims to be and each time we've played together this year, he's shot in the mid-high 70's.

Anyway, there's an exec course near me that he's always dissing. It's a bit of a goat track but the greens were re-designed by RTJ Jr. about 20 years ago and they're generally pretty fast. So I bet him that in 10 rounds he couldn't shoot par or better on this little piss ant golf course. If he does, I'll pay the green fees ($20), but if not then he pays me $200 and the green fees are on him.

He just called me. Played his 10th round and shot 2 over- his best score of the 10 rounds. We're playing together next week and he'll pay up then.

I think par 3 exec courses are some of the toughest in golf and great for your iron play. You don't have the luxury of a recovery shot.

[deronsizemore]

A guy I golf with occasionally is constantly bragging about his game- how far he hits the ball, play-by-play of his last round, the birdie barrage he put up, etc... He's a pretty good player, but not the scratch golfer he claims to be and each time we've played together this year, he's shot in the mid-high 70's.

Par 3 courses are usually the most difficult. A lot of good players get their birdies from par 5's and short par 4's. So give them a whole course of nothing but par 3's and it's going to require a lot of accurate iron shots to score really well.

[Yukari]

How hard are par 3 courses?

Just look at Tiger's statistics. He's average strokes on par 3 is the worst compared to par 5's (where he is best at) and par 4's.

That's because every shot counts in par 3's, whereas in par 4's and 5's, you can have one not so good shot as long as you recover well.

[JKilgore44]

At least he has the integrity to be honest and pay you!

But yeah, I hate par 3's. They kill me. I'll take a 550yd par 5 any day over a 190yd par 3

[Dr_Fu_Manchu]

I love the fact that he actually accepted the bet, played 10 rounds, and was completely honest about it. That's a stand up guy.

[iacas]

Most par three courses don't have a bunch of par threes measuring 170 to 230. Most have par threes measuring 90 to 150... distances that Tiger (or any good amateur) should rip apart.

Good on the guy for being honest. But part of me hopes you show up and he says "SIKE!" and shows you his two-under-par round and makes you pay.

[strahanfan92]

I love the fact that he actually accepted the bet, played 10 rounds, and was completely honest about it. That's a stand up guy.

Couldn't agree more.

[MI Rob]

I have always found par 3 courses much more difficult.
But good thing he was honest and is going to pay up.

[billm408]

Good on the guy for being honest. But part of me hopes you show up and he says "SIKE!" and shows you his two-under-par round and makes you pay.

Thanks for the good thoughts!

The course is a par 30 (3 par 4's), avg length of the 3's is about 150, I think the longest is 185. And the bet was his idea. I had mentioned that I like the track for iron practice and he was dissing it saying that he'd tear it up and it was an old lady course. I just called his bluff and gave him 10 chances to prove me wrong. I had no reason to believe that he'd fake a score, he may be a bit arrogant, but he's an honest golfer. If he shows me an even par or better card, I'd pay without any reservations, but I doubt I'll have to.

[Ben]

I think par 3 exec courses are some of the toughest in golf and great for your iron play. You don't have the luxury of a recovery shot.

That's exactly what it comes down to. Par 3s are never the holes that are torn apart on tour. Par 4s are get-able, but with only a handful of them on an executive, you've gotta play really solid on the rest of the par 3s to stay under.

Good bet!

[CG031]

Most par three courses don't have a bunch of par threes measuring 170 to 230. Most have par threes measuring 90 to 150... distances that Tiger (or any good amateur) should rip apart.

Exactly what I was thinking.

If it was a really tough par 3 course, with a lot of hazards, woods, small greens, and long holes, then yes, it would be very difficult. But if your longest hole is 150 yards, for a good player that's not that difficult. It's probably anything from an 8 iron to a PW.

[michaeljames92]

The par 3's at my course are long. They measure in metres. 158m, 185m, 135m and 188m. The 135m one seems short but faces the breeze and is a tiny green making club selection into the wind difficult.(anywhere from pW-6 iron With a bunker left, bush behind the green and a slope to the right, if you miss the green, par is difficult. These par 3's kill me. If I can take par on any of these I am really happy!

[enis750]

par 3's shred me up
ours here actually has some long holes, longest being 195..into the wind this one is tough
but its a good variety, from 95-195yds

best i have EVER shot there is a stand up 3 over