The Demise of the Short Par Three

[onthehunt526]

The definition of a short par-3 has certainly changed even in the last ten years... The course I play has one... The 145-yard, 11th (which with the prevailing NW wind is a pain because the wind swirls around in the trees... But the other three par-threes are are 180, 190, and 200 (this can play 215) the 200-yard 16th is the stupidest hole in the history of golf... Has anyone ever had to play over a hazard that is O.B.? when it plays 215... (pin back right elevated tee)... I've actually laid-up and made more pars that way than gunning a 4-hybrid or 5-wood after the green... because it's back into the wind... wouldn't be nice to play 120-yard par-3 that you actually have a chance to make a 2 or a 3 on?

[Jwat381]

There's two holes at Ocean Dunes in Florence, OR that are just like this. Tee boxes way up a hillside to greens down in a valley. Very fun to play, as well as watching your ball flight.

Originally Posted by zipazoid

Where I grew up, in northeast Ohio, there's a course called Brandywine, in Peninsula. The Cuyahoga River Valley between Cleveland & Akron. Two starkly different nines - the front is wide open and pretty easy. The back nine is all woods & ravines - the 10th hole goes into the woods & you don't come out until the 17th tee. The funnest hole is #15, a 170y par 3. Now, 170y doesn't sound like a "short" par 3, but you are teeing off from the highest point on the course & hitting down to the lowest point. It's no more than a solid 9i or even Wedge. The elevation difference is easily 4 clubs. Here's a pic from the tee:

Right after this hole is #16 - a double-dogleg 550y par 5 along the low part of the course - each side is guarded by those woods you see behind #15 green. No way you can cut any corners. Totally impossible to hit in 2. Lots of people don't like the 'Wine, but I love it.

[Bullitt5339]

My home course has a nice mix of Par 3's.  Playing from the middle tees, the yardage varies nicely:

163 yards

200 yards

150 yards

158 yards

However, they move the flags around often to vary the yardage greatly.  Yesterday, they were effectively playing around this yardage:

150 yards

175 yards

135 yards

145 yards

[NM Golf]

We were just discussing this during a meeting of my golf association. All the par 3's at my course play 200+ yards from the back tees. We go out and move the tees up on at least one par 3 for each tournament. We had one at our tournament this weekend that played 130 yards. It was straight uphill and you had to really control the spin on your shot or the ball could back up off the green and all the way down the hill.

People really enjoyed it because it was something different.

[TourSpoon]

If you look at scoring averages on the PGA Tour, it comes as almost no surprise that the scoring average on par threes is always the worst. On par fives it's under par, par fours are just over par, and par threes are typically well above par. Why? Pros have irons in their hands and are hitting from a flat, clean lie? Because even on the PGA Tour - or especially on the PGA Tour - par threes have gotten looooooong. They've probably gotten long at your local course too. It's getting old. Consider some famous par threes. [LIST] [*] The 7th at Pebble Beach. [*] The 12th at Augusta. [*] The 17th at Sawgrass [/LIST] Not a one of them plays at significant yardage. One of them is about 110 yards - and downhill at that! I'm tired of hitting an average of a 4-iron to a par three. Where's the easy one? What happened to the shorter par three that felt more like an opportunity to score rather than an opportunity for the golf course to protect par? The exciting holes in golf all tend to be shorter ones - the drivable par four, the reachable par five - at every level of the game. Which pair of par threes do you recognize more at Augusta: the ones on the front nine or the ones on the back nine? Which are more exciting? The shorter ones on the back nine, that's which!

Where's the easy par three? Certainly not the ones you highlighted. Just because a hole is short doesn't mean it's easy. I do agree that courses are stretching them out more and I like a variety. At my home course, the toughest par three is an island green that is usually set up anywhere from 150-165 from the pro tees. It's a great hole that has a very tricky "Joe Lee" green that makes birdie very difficult. It seems easy enough with an 8 iron in hand but the water, bunkering, and undulations of the green say otherwise. Seminole also has some incredible holes but my favorite is the little par 3 that plays towards the Atlantic. That hole at 165 is a beast. The exciting holes do not all tend to be the shorter ones either. Sure 15 at the Bear Trap (another shortish tough hole) and the 17th at Sawgrass are exciting, but so is the 18th at Doral (argueably more exciting than the short par 3 9th hole at the Blue Monster especially if your name is Craig Parry) , 18th at Augusta, and even the 18th at Bay Hill (remember Robert Gamez?). I do agree that 12 on Augusta is more recognizable than any par 3 on the front, but then again it is probably the most recognizable golf hole in the world! Yes, we need to lose the longer is better mentality as the best courses have variety. The kind of variety that allows for risk/reward, taking chances, and reward ball striking are my kind of courses.

[Dave2512]

I don't mind long, don't prefer short. All I know is something about water next to a green gets into my head. Long and no water I'm okay with that.

[Drewskie]

We have a VERY nice muni around here I played last week that has a 220 yard par 3. That's a solid 5wood for me. But pulling that club doesn't give me much of any control of where the ball is ending up lol.

[Clambake]

Erik, I couldn't agree with you more.   And as you indicate, shorter doesn't necessarily mean easier - it means more variety and a different challenge, often requiring some serious shotmaking.

It seems, however, that course designers over the last 20 years have lost the ability to create challenge and strategy without length.     To me, #7 at Pebble is the epitome of a short but challenging Par 3.    Even if the wind is benign, it is a small green well guarded by bunkers and tough rough, and it requires precision shot making to play well.      But you just don't see holes like that on modern courses.

A couple weeks ago I played a course that's about 6-7 years old, and the Par 3s played at 183, 225, 204, and 243 yards.    The two longer ones played slightly downhill, but the other two played into the wind so having three of the holes require a fairway wood just to reach the green felt very monotonous.   But worse was that the designs really didn't give you any bailout area - it was hit the green or nothing.   Even that 243 yarder was over a canyon filled with brush, and there was no way to lay up short if you couldn't reach it, reducing the player to either a GIR or a lost ball.     Then a week later I played Torrey Pines again, with it's nice variety of Par 3s including the delightful #3 playing about 150 downhill.   Just like Pebble's #7, the 3rd at Torrey can be a challenge when the ocean breezes are kicking in your face and swirling along the bluff, but they also give you a good bailout area if needed so you can find a safe shot and try and scramble for your par.    A thoughtful design that results in hole that is no pushover, but doesn't immediately smack the player in the face.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by onthehunt526

But the other three par-threes are are 180, 190, and 200 (this can play 215) the 200-yard 16th is the stupidest hole in the history of golf... Has anyone ever had to play over a hazard that is O.B.?

That does seem stupid.  At my last tournament I really got mentally taken out of it on the par 3 third hole.  It was playing about 180 yards into a right-to-left wind.  Right of the green is water.  Left of the hole is an orchard about 25 yards away.  Before the orchard is a tree line about 20 yards away.  Then there is a stretch of rough that leads up to the cart path about 5 yards left of the green/rough.  Turns out that anything left of the cart path is OB.  2 years ago (when I last played there) anything left of the tree line was OB.

Since I play a natural draw, I aimed for the right side of the green knowing it would draw back, and with the wind it may even approach the left side of the green.  I pull it a bit, and it lands on a mound on the left fringe, bounds left, two-hops onto the cart path and rolls across it.  That's when a partner tells me that left of the path is now OB.  I was furious (inside).  It's my fault for not reading the scorecard, but with plenty of rough, and a tree line, before the orchard, having OB there is ridiculous.  My ball was sitting about 12 yards left of the green in a perfect lie which I could have easily gotten up and down from.

Originally Posted by TourSpoon

Where's the easy par three? Certainly not the ones you highlighted. Just because a hole is short doesn't mean it's easy. I do agree that courses are stretching them out more and I like a variety. At my home course, the toughest par three is an island green that is usually set up anywhere from 150-165 from the pro tees. It's a great hole that has a very tricky "Joe Lee" green that makes birdie very difficult. It seems easy enough with an 8 iron in hand but the water, bunkering, and undulations of the green say otherwise. Seminole also has some incredible holes but my favorite is the little par 3 that plays towards the Atlantic. That hole at 165 is a beast.

I think you guys are arguing the same point: longer doesn't mean better, nor harder.  Maybe I'm wrong.

Brandon

[iacas]

Originally Posted by TourSpoon

Where's the easy par three? Certainly not the ones you highlighted.

I didn't say they were, though I could have been clearer about it. They were examples of how a short hole could still be both challenging and exciting. The emphasis was more on the latter, then I switched gears and used the word "easy." My mistake.

But... shorter par threes tend to be easier, though. They're often well protected, but scoring average on the PGA Tour has a very tight correlation to par three length.

Originally Posted by TourSpoon

The exciting holes do not all tend to be the shorter ones either. Sure 15 at the Bear Trap (another shortish tough hole) and the 17th at Sawgrass are exciting, but so is the 18th at Doral (argueably more exciting than the short par 3 9th hole at the Blue Monster especially if your name is Craig Parry), 18th at Augusta, and even the 18th at Bay Hill (remember Robert Gamez?).

I don't agree that any of those 18th holes are very exciting. 16 is more exciting than 18 at Augusta, as are 13 and 15. 18 gets an added bump simply because it's the last hole. Holes where players can make a wide variety of scores are the exciting ones. You don't see many birdies and eagles at the really long holes, regardless of their par.

[TourSpoon]

That does seem stupid.  At my last tournament I really got mentally taken out of it on the par 3 third hole.  It was playing about 180 yards into a right-to-left wind.  Right of the green is water.  Left of the hole is an orchard about 25 yards away.  Before the orchard is a tree line about 20 yards away.  Then there is a stretch of rough that leads up to the cart path about 5 yards left of the green/rough.  Turns out that anything left of the cart path is OB.  2 years ago (when I last played there) anything left of the tree line was OB.   Since I play a natural draw, I aimed for the right side of the green knowing it would draw back, and with the wind it may even approach the left side of the green.  I pull it a bit, and it lands on a mound on the left fringe, bounds left, two-hops onto the cart path and rolls across it.  That's when a partner tells me that left of the path is now OB.  I was furious (inside).  It's my fault for not reading the scorecard, but with plenty of rough, and a tree line, before the orchard, having OB there is ridiculous.  My ball was sitting about 12 yards left of the green in a perfect lie which I could have easily gotten up and down from. I think you guys are arguing the same point: longer doesn't mean better, nor harder.  Maybe I'm wrong. Brandon

No, you are correct...

[TourSpoon]

I didn't say they were, though I could have been clearer about it. They were examples of how a short hole could still be both challenging and exciting. The emphasis was more on the latter, then I switched gears and used the word "easy." My mistake. But... shorter par threes tend to be easier, though. They're often well protected, but scoring average on the PGA Tour has a very tight correlation to par three length. I don't agree that any of those 18th holes are very exciting. 16 is more exciting than 18 at Augusta, as are 13 and 15. 18 gets an added bump simply because it's the last hole. Holes where players can make a wide variety of scores are the exciting ones. You don't see many birdies and eagles at the really long holes, regardless of their par.

Ok, your use of easy threw me, but in the end we are saying the same thing. I still think 18 at Doral is one of the more exciting holes out there as a finishing hole. I guess I have seen too many of those come down to where the tournament was won or lost on that hole. Even this year with Justin and Bubba come to mind. But then again, when talking Bubba it would qualify as a short hole!

[CallawayGolf25]

I personally feel that long par 3's are the most difficult holes in golf, especially when hazards are involved... You have to play them perfectly, where as (par 5's especially) you can sometimes throw away a shot and still get up and down for par. I support short par 3's... needs to be more of them, lol.

But, if I'm being completely honest... I enjoy the challenge of a long par 3 on occasion.

[jshots]

This is so true, maybe one long par 3 is ok, but after that it just gets annoying. The two courses that I mainly play are AWESOME as far as par 3s go. Between the 27 holes at the two courses, there are 8 par 3s, only one of which is over 200 yards.

THE BEST par 3s are those where you can get to the hole easily, but you have a hard time choosing a club! Those holes are never easy because the shots are made difficult due to well placed water hazards guarding the fronts of the greens, tiered greens, bunkers, and elevation changes.

One of my favorite examples is a 160 yard uphill par 3 with a green that has a front and a back tier (tough 2 putt from the wrong tier) as well as tight OB on the right and behind the green. The hole is kind of bowled to the rear and left of the green, but the steep slopes of the bowl are thick grass which makes it fairly easy to stay on them, which makes a very difficult chip back on to the tiered green when a poorly hit chip will result in another chip on the opposite side of the green. It is always a tough hole, but an extremely satisfying par/birdie.

I do have to say a long hole can be designed better too. The one 230 yard hole that we have has a green that sits in a huge bowl so that even if you miss a little (with longer irons a little miss is often still a good shot, for me anyways) you still will trickle down towards the hole.

[MSchott]

For a mid to high handicap golfer, par 3 holes can be a lot of fun. I think a course should have a variety of lengths and challenges on their par 3 holes. A long hole should not have a lot of trouble around the green and a short should penalize a wayward shot. Pebble Beach is nearly perfect in this regard. 7 is the prototype for short par 3's and the view is magnificent. 5 is longer but still mid-length. 12 is only 200 yards but a bear with the shallow green and left bunker. And 17 is again mid length but offers other hazards like the angled hourglass green that requires a very precise shot and can be near impossible when the wind is up.

My home course has a good variety at 135 over water with water left, 146 to a semi blind green, 190 uphill to a deep green with a huge bunker left and a bear of a par 3 at the 16th hole at 190 uphill to a large green but into the wind with heather left and a grass bunker right. That hole would be better without the heather which is too penal for mid handicap golfers. All yardages are from the back tees (course is 6450 from these tees).

[ApocG10]

#7, a 99 yard Par 3 at my home course, Restigouche Golf and Country Club. Great hole on a great, but challenging course.

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by ApocG10

#7, a 99 yard Par 3 at my home course, Restigouche Golf and Country Club. Great hole on a great, but challenging course.

Wierd, I added a picture to that post, but it didnt show??

[bplewis24]

I see it.