For many, par 3s are the real stars of the show on the golf course, and very often the most memorable holes as a result.
I’ll admit that, over the course of the years, I have probably written “a fine quartet of short holes” or “a cracking collection of par 3s” a few too many times for literary comfort, but in my defence, it is precisely because they are so often a course’s most memorable holes.
As for that figure of nearly 5,000, I applied similar maths to those I used when I wrote this story for Golf Monthly a little while ago: I’ve Played 19,200 Golf Holes Around The World And This Is My Favourite Of The Lot.
Assuming roughly a quarter of all holes I’ve played have been par 3s, then somewhere between 4,500 and 5,000 should be about right, but it’s not a precise science and I have neither the time nor inclination to work out the exact number!
Par 3s come in all shapes, lengths and sizes, from the well-protected to the seemingly defenceless, boasting targets that range from large and inviting to virtually invisible.
Yet despite their 1,001 different guises, the scoring prospects generated by good or bad tee shots on the most cleverly designed par 3s can be poles apart. Strike it well and a birdie putt awaits; miss it in the wrong place and you can kiss goodbye to not only par, but bogey as well.
Clearly this is very much the case on the treacherous 12th – Golden Bell – at Augusta National. I’ve not had the pleasure, but we all know what havoc this hole wreaks every year as the swirling breeze, Rae’s Creek and a dauntingly shallow green sow a degree of doubt that even the very best players struggle to filter out, despite only being armed with a short iron.
The short par-3 12th at Augusta probably causes players more problems than any other hole
(Image credit: Getty Images)
It’s a similar story on the shorter, island-green 17th at TPC Sawgrass, which needs no introduction for even the most infrequent PGA Tour watcher, with fans perhaps guilty of gleeful rubbernecking if the wind is up as the leaders head down the stretch.
Viewed from this angle. it’s easy to see why 17 at TPC Sawgrass is such a nerve-jangler
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The shortie
Again, that’s a hole I’ve not yet had the pleasure (if that’s the right word) of playing,…
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