Show some love to the 9-hole and executive

[No Mulligans]

If it wasn't for quicker rounds on executive and 9 hole courses I'd play less than 1/2 the amount of golf I play now.

[chilepepper]

I'll play Oaks North and Tecolote Cayon fairly regularly. Each has a couple of par fours each side. They are fun, very walkable and not as easy as some might think. That and the price is right! If one goes off first thing in the morning you can get around in 2.5 hrs.

 My grandfather got me started at a place called Woodys or Woods Golf Center , can't recall, out somewhere around Pottstown, PA I think. Straight chip and putt though. Great memories! 

[No Mulligans]

1 hour ago, chilepepper said:

I'll play Oaks North and Tecolote Cayon fairly regularly. Each has a couple of par fours each side. They are fun, very walkable and not as easy as some might think. That and the price is right! If one goes off first thing in the morning you can get around in 2.5 hrs.

 My grandfather got me started at a place called Woodys or Woods Golf Center , can't recall, out somewhere around Pottstown, PA I think. Straight chip and putt though. Great memories! 

I play Tecolote about twice a week.  My record for a round is 1 hour 40 minutes, walking.  I was playing solo, was 1st out in the morning, and it involved some jogging.

[chilepepper]

8 minutes ago, No Mulligans said:

I play Tecolote about twice a week.  My record for a round is 1 hour 40 minutes, walking.  I was playing solo, was 1st out in the morning, and it involved some jogging.

 I tend to badger for balls around the edges when I'm by myself with no one close behind me 

[Hacker James]

Reidy Creek in Escondido is a JC Golfer course as is Oaks North. Not easy by any stretch

[golfintheworld]

See? these are the kinds of comments i was referring to when I asked the question. We grew up playing the shorter courses to learn that part of the game. When we felt comfortable with it, we moved on to the bigger courses and bigger challenges. Somewhere new golfers in this millenium have not been shown the merits of this type of learning the game and the love for it. I was behind a grandfather and his 13 year old on the first tee of the Black course at Bethpage. The grandfather hit it 125 into the green course fairway to the right and his grandson hit it 100 yards straight but still had 125 yards to get to the fairway. I walked off at 15 after 51/2 hours. My guess is the grandson didn't develop any love that day.

Forest Park in Queens, NY was my home course . 5400 yards and 75cents to play in High school. Challenged me on every hole. I  loved it. I stayed with it.

[chilepepper]

On 3/8/2017 at 6:04 PM, Hacker James said:

Reidy Creek in Escondido is a JC Golfer course as is Oaks North. Not easy by any stretch

Short yes, easy no. Those greens are tricked up with slopes and such! 

[Top100Golfer]

I totally agree with the premise and topic of this post. More respect is indeed needed for 9 hole courses. One of the greatest courses ever constructed (which has sadly been lost) was designed by CB Macdonald and Seth Raynor in Newport Rhode Island: The Ocean Links. One of the best courses I have ever played is the Valliere course at Morfontaine in Paris: challenging, varied and fun with difficult greens. Anyone who has played at the Bandon Reserve course probably doesn't need to be convinced of the value and fun of a par 3 course.

One of the things I learned about golf wring a book about Ralph Kennedy, who played golf on 3,165 different course between 1911 and 1953, is the prevalence and prominence that nine hole courses have had throughout the history of the game. Kennedy played about 1/3 of his golf on nine holers. I think it would be good for the game (time and cost) for sure to give more respect to 9-hole and par three courses.

[Timmy-9holes]

While I am not young, 51, I am learning to play golf on the 9-hole courses.  I just love the 9-hole courses.  Before I started, my wife suggested, ok told me, to list out what I wanted to get out of it.  My list included, I wanted it to be fun, I wanted able to walk the course, I wanted to carry as few clubs as needed, I didn’t want to get discouraged by too many long holes yet still be challenged and I didn’t want to have to spend the whole day at the course. 

So, I purchased a Sunday bag and play with 7-10 clubs depending on the course and weather.  Our local 9-hole course is actually 10 holes.  They split the first hole into two holes.  It includes an 18 hole putting practice green that you can chip onto, a driving range and a practice bunker.  Within 15 miles from my home, there are three other 9-hole courses with 7 par 3s and 2 par 4s and four more 9-hole courses which are par 35 or 36.  So I have a variety to choose from when I am ready.  I am starting on the short courses.  We had a group outing on a 18 hole par 72 and I learned it was too soon to try a par 5.

I know that the golf is me against the course and in the beginning the course will be me every time.  So the 9-hole course gives me nine individual chances for a win.  If I get a 7 or 8 one hole, it doesn’t mean a 3 or 4 isn’t possible on the next one.  When I play I track if I make the green in regulation, does the tee shot stay in the fairway and once I am on the green can I make it in two putts or less.  I don’t add up my total score for the round until I get home.  The total could be a bonus.  If I reach par or a bogey, I count it as a win. 

The shorter nine hole courses allow for a chance to “win” using my rules.  I shot at 44 this week on a par 32 but, I had a bogey on five of nine holes so I in my mind I won 5-4.

A couple of the nine hole courses don’t take tee times.  You just show up and start playing after your pre-round routine.  It does not matter if it is a single player, foursome or anything in between.  The atmosphere is very relaxed and the people on the course have been really friendly.  Everyone seems to understand what ability to expect from others on the course so there is a lot of patience.

The 9-hole courses available locally being anywhere from par 29 to 36 provide a variety of challenges not just in distance but with the placement of hazards.  One of the greens on my local course is surrounded by water.  I haven’t made it yet without donating at least a ball each round. 

I think these small courses offer much more than just the challenge of the course.  Since practice is so important they also provide a great place for players of all abilities.  When I have practiced and played, I have seen women, seniors along with parents and their young children playing the course.  On the practice range and putting green, there are people of all ages and abilities.  So while the low handicapper may not play a round there it is still their go to practice place.

Edited September 7, 2017 by Timmy-9holes
spacing

[gregsandiego]

On 3/8/2017 at 4:40 PM, chilepepper said:

 I tend to badger for balls around the edges when I'm by myself with no one close behind me 

I've been surviving mostly off of retrieved Tecolote balls for months. My partner walks the course and picks them up quickly.

Tecolote is more of a ball-eater than many full size courses.

[RussUK]

Love them. I often play the 9 hole course at Willow Valley G&CC (they have 2 18's and a 9). Its great for a quick round. The par 4's are only about 250-260yds off the yellows but there are some testing holes.

Most other 9 holers have full length par 4's and some par 5's.

I also play another local course which is 18 holes but offer 10 holes for £10.50.

[HJJ003]

I grew learning to play Golf at Outlaw Gap Par 3 9 Hole course (now defunct), Country Campus 9 Hole golf course (literally a cow pasture with 9 “greens”), and now due to cost and proximity my home course is an 18 Hole par 65 executive course. I love the smaller tracts for a lot of reasons, but after I have played two or three rounds in a row I really start to miss regulation size courses

Edited January 9, 2018 by HJJ003

[The Hook Meister]

I learned on a par 3 course. It's not as easy to shoot par as you think. This course has two par 4's on it. but they are short. You could almost drive the green. The second hole has a big two tier green so it plays a little bit longer than the distance on the score card because the hole is almost always on the top tier. I persona;y like the short par three courses, I can play nine in a couple of hours and get on with my day.

[Piz]

My "local" is an executive layout: par 61 and 3842 from the back tees.  There is one par 5 (501), five par 4's (351 to 279) and the rest par 3's (213 to 95).  It is no beast; but staying in the 60's is a challenge.  An unimpeded round takes about two hours.  On Tuesdays, and Thursdays, a senior can limp around for 19 bucks...with a cart.  I love it.  I don't go there to practice...I go there to play.

[tehuti]

As someone who is just getting back into the game after a couple of decades I appreciate having a fun par 3 course nearby. My goal this year is to play at least one par 70-72 course a month. And that might be tough. However I have enough time on most Sunday mornings to play the par 29 Brea Creek course and get home before noon.

There are two holes that I can hit driver or 3 wood off the tee, with a few other challenging par 3s over the creek. This is how I get my golf fix between “real” rounds. Since I need as much work on my short game as anything else this is great. I can work on my drives and long game at the range.

[Groucho Valentine]

I love executive courses. I wish there were more of them. 

[SG11118]

I learned the game and grew a love for the game playing on an 18 hole par 63 course, a 9 hole par 30 course, and a 9 hole par 27 course.  Only the 9 hole par 27 course remains of those three.  The other two have been plowed under for development.  These courses got too much play to make them stress-free for beginners.  However, they were a more reasonable challenge for those of us who hadn't refined consistency in the game yet, allowing to play at a decent pace.  I'd enjoy playing that par 63 course again, and the challenge of scoring on it - if only it was still in existence. The one guy who made the PGA tour from my area grew up playing on the 9 hole par 27 course.

[Moxley]

On 06/02/2017 at 8:07 PM, No Mulligans said:

I mostly play Executive courses, and prefer it that way.  I play often, two to three times a week.  I can't commit 4+ hours each time I play, especially on my early morning before work rounds.  The course I play most often (four par fours, 14 par threes), I get out early and play in two hours or less.  Last time I played it in 1 hour 40 minutes (I was first out and jogged a bit between shots).

Full courses for me, that's a once or twice a month outing.

This. Lots of love for Executive courses.

Even if an exec course isn't for you, they are probably keeping the groups you don't want to encounter off the courses you do like.