Par 3 Courses-Do you play them?

[James_Black]

Are you talking about pitch & putt?

[chef35ca]

There's 2 here that i have played alot in the past.
One is 18 holes, the longest being about 115yds. Really good short game practice course. Haven't been there in 3 years.
The other is a 9 holer attached to my local range. The greens are not great, but there's a couple of good holes. One is 205 between the range net & the lake. tiny little green. I played it in the winter at some point for practice.

[Ryno314]

yeah i play the Chateau Elan Par 3 in Braselton, GA on a regular basis. Its pretty tough but lots on fun.

[enis750]

Are you talking about pitch & putt?

not sure what that is..? our course is 18 holes, shortest being 70yds, longest is 220 so you get a good range of shots, hense why its such good practice and the tee boxes are phenomenal, so you can actually hit irons from the ground, just like you were in the FWY

[James_Black]

not sure what that is..?

just found out it's mostly done in ireland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_and_putt

[WUTiger]

I think some people confuse par 3 courses with pitch-and-putt courses. Pitch-and-putts generally have all the holes under 100 yds. or so.

Par 3 courses have holes where you can hit full shots. I prefer the longer nines on the two par three 18-hole layouts I have access to.

The long nines from each course:
Course A: 60 yds. to 165 yds.
Course B: 90 yds. to 180 yds.

Par 3 courses help me focus on scoring: Hitting approach shots, working on short game. Also, it can help you verify your iron distance yardstick. I should play them more, but I usually opt for full-length 18 when I actually get to play.

This is a great place to take beginners, since you don't have to hit 200+ yd. drives to succeed.

[sean_miller]

I should get out to our local par 3 course more often (holes from 130 to 260) but I do play the pitch and putt ("Mini Links") at our muni quite often. The holes range from 47 to 80 yards and mosst are around 65 yards - it costs $5 and you can play it as many rounds with as many balls as you want - great wedge practice.

[senorchipotle]

Do pars, birdies and bogeys count?

touché...

[highscoreinky]

We have a 9 hole par 3 course at our club that I try to play 2 at least 2 times a week. It's the most underutilized asset we have there. Few of our members play it other than juniors and some new to golf players. Holes range from about 75 yards to 170 yards. Super small greens and not a flat putt on a single one of them. Started playing it last year after losing a club tourney that included the par 3.

We play a 2 man scramble on the front 9 of the regulation course then switch to alternate shot for the back 9. Then we move to the par 3 to play as a 2 man combined score total format. I played fairly well in the first two portions of the event and then blew up on the par 3. Now I try to play it twice a week. My handicap last year was 21 and I'm now down to a 14. The par 3 has had a lot to do with that.

[Uncle Peter]

I love my par 3 local course! The holes range from about 100- 210 yards, and hardly no one goes to in. I agree, it's great wedge and short game practice.

[etlreams]

I don't play many par 3s, but I do play two "executive 9" courses near my house and work all the time. Most of the time, actually. Both are par 29 - so they each have two par 4 holes.

They are seldom busy, cheap and I find them great pratice for the short game and a couple holes to pull out the big dog.

I typically sneak out of work for a long lunch and play a quick round by myself. I usually play two balls and it typically takes me an hour - to an hour and a half.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Don't tell you're a player if you can't go around a par-3 course in even par. They're a regulation course sans tee shot. I love 'em. Cheap, fast round, and they challenge your game where it counts.

[nuck81]

Best round for me ever today at mine

Front +6

Back +10

Only two months since my first lesson!!

[sean_miller]

Don't tell you're a player if you can't go around a par-3 course in even par. They're a regulation course sans tee shot. I love 'em. Cheap, fast round, and they challenge your game where it counts.

Do you mean a scratch player? Otherwise, that is quite possibly the oddest thing I've read all week.

Are you even par on all 4 par 3s on a regulation length 18 hole course every time out? If you can par all the par 3s every time out, how bad are you off the tee to be an 11 capper? I challenge you to par our little 9 holer - imagine 9 side-hill pin placements on spotty greens that wouldn't hold a ball if Greg Norman hit it and they range from about 8 to 14 on the stimpmeter.

[enis750]

Do you mean a scratch player? Otherwise, that is quite possibly the oddest thing I've read all week.

yeah i didnt understand his post either

did he mis-type something? but i agree, to par an 18 hole par 3 course, ranging from 70-210 yds, would be SUPER tough

[The Recreational Golfer]

Do you mean a scratch player? Otherwise, that is quite possibly the oddest thing I've read all week.

I search my post in vain for where I said I play them in even par. Only implying that they are not to be scorned and are a firm test for even the best golfers.

[nuck81]

I search my post in vain for where I said I play them in even par. Only implying that they are not to be scorned and are a firm test for even the best golfers.

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.

[Greg]

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.