Via Nicklaus Design
Golf courses are a massive part of the fabric of golf. They not only provide us with amazing scenery and a chance to experience nature in a unique way, but they also challenge us to a degree that a course can effect your play no matter how good you’ve been playing.
As the great golf writer Geoff Shackelford said in his book “Grounds for Golf”, the course designer is like an artist and so by taking on his or her course, it’s like you’re battling the artist. Each course offers various lengths and amounts of holes. Most courses have 18 holes while others have nine holes and on rare occasions, 3-6 holes.
In fact, my home course, Randall Oaks has a three holer there. I love that little course and you can play it over again several times to equal a nine hole or 18 hole round if you so wish. But this track is a par 3 course course and that’s what I want to talk about.
We have plenty of par 4’s and par 5’s in golf that are world famous and are incredibly designed. Whether it’s the par 5 13th at Augusta National or the legendary “Road Hole” par 4 17th at St. Andrews, there’s plenty of unforgettable designs for both 4’s and 5’s. However, notice how we see a slew of par 3’s ranked among the world’s greatest holes?
The 17th at TPC Sawgrass, the 12th at the aforementioned Augusta, the 5th and 14th at Pine Valley, the 7th at Pebble Beach and the list goes on and on. These are all holes you’ll see very high on many lists. In fact, it’s arguable that the 16th at Cypress just may be the greatest hole in all of golf.
The reason for this is because it checks every box you can think of. For starters, you have options off the tee. You can of course go for the green but you can also club down off the tee, hit the fairway and try and shoot par. The options this breathtaking hole offers is outstanding. Another thing is that, it’s equal parts gorgeous and terrifying.
You need to hit your ball over the ocean in order to reach the fairway or green. The view will blow you away but then when it’s time to tee it up, you need to say a prayer to the golf gods and hope you don’t leave it short and end up in the drink. Not to mention the bunkering and green shape are great as well. It’s arguably a perfect golf hole.
And the other ones we mentioned are right there as well not to mention there’s plenty of others. So what makes par 3’s so special? There are a ton of reasons why that’s the case and one in particular is the challenge/accessibility factor of these short wonders. They balance both of these things beautifully.
The challenge simply comes from the fact that you have fewer chances to get a birdie. This makes golfers more cognizant of how to properly approach each of these holes. You have one shot at this and if you screw up this tee shot, you’ll likely have a one putt for par and you need to hope you make that. That’s the wonderful challenge of par 3’s.
The accessibility is also very clear. Anyone can tee it up on a par 3. Yes, golf as a whole is accessible for everyone but sometimes you just want a quick, fun experience and par 3’s satisfy that and scratch that golf itch. This is why par 3 courses are so important for the sport. Anyone can tee it up, have a great time and be done pretty quickly.
On top of that, playing par 3 courses are very affordable too. The longtime gripe with golf has been that it’s too expensive to play. That’s been my feeling as well for a long time. This is part of what made me fall in love with public, nine hole and par 3 courses because they’re accessible (although there are plenty of expensive 18 hole public tracks, to be fair).
You don’t need a lot of clubs either when playing a par 3 track. A couple of irons, a good, versatile wedge and a putter will do it. So think about that; the typical amount of clubs for a full 18 hole course is 14 clubs but when you play a par 3 course, you can cut that all the way down to five. Truly amazing and yet another reason why these shorties are so great.
Another thing about par 3’s that are special are simply the fact that they’re very memorable. Yes, there are tons of awesome par 4’s and 4’s that are memorable but there’s probably more iconic 3’s than any. Most signature holes on courses are 3’s and some of the most photographed holes on the planet are 3’s. This is a testament to their greatness and design. The aforementioned 17th at Sawgrass, 7th at Pebble and 12th Augusta are among those constantly photographed holes.
Then you have incredible, breathtaking par 3 tracks like Top of the Rock, Threetops and the Palm Beach Par 3 that are all open to the public to play and enjoy. Not to mention, the former two we mentioned are part of beautiful resorts for you to chill at too. There are plenty of great options out there, most open to the public.
There’s also a new league called the “Grass League” where city-based teams battle it out under the lights at the awesome Grass Clippings Rolling Hills course in Arizona. This could be a league that sticks around for a long time, especially since it’s getting TV coverage via Peacock so golf fans all over can enjoy the action.
Overall, par 3’s are a special part of the golf world in many different ways whether you’re a golfer, golf fan, course designer or someone who just wants to enjoy a fun, affordable experience outdoors, these holes check every kind of box you can think of, and with more par-3 and pitch-n-putt courses popping up, the greatness of these holes will continue to shine.
