Anyone play a course that has a par 3 opener?

[jmtbkr]

Just wondering...

[Jimjam651]

Yeah there are a few over here in the UK 

 

The Addington & Knole park in the South of England and Royal Lytham in the North

 

The Addington & Knole were both designed atleast in part by JF Abercromby who particularly enjoyed 'one shot holes' and his courses would often have 6 par threes

 

 

[Beenerpro]

Yep. My first assistant pro job out of college was at April Sound Resort and Country Club on Lake Conroe, Texas. We had 3 nines, Red, White and Blue nines. The Red nine was a short course. The members played White to Blue as the 18 hole course. The very first hole of the White nine was a par 3 of about 150 yards.

 

 

[Springsteennut]

I played one a long time ago. I think it was in Geneva Illinois. If I remember right it was 150 yards over water. Not a fun way to start without warming up.

[tatertot]

Yes ... 200 from the "regular" tees ... great way to slog up the tee sheet, slow the day down and get everything off schedule right off the bat. Not as bad as reachable par 5s, but close.

[soccerjay]

Been to most of the ones around here and did not see any par 3 openers, quite the opposite with mainly par 5 hole 1 

[puresurfr]

Pacific grove in Monterey had  a opening Par 3 but im not sure if they rerouted it after the remodel.  The Back 9 is known as poor man's pebble Beach

[TwistedSister]

the course i grew up playing has one nine that starts with a PAR 3 and the other side ends with a PAR 3.  For most of my life the side starting with a PAR 3 has been the BACK nine.  But for a short period the sides were flipped meaning the course started and ended with a PAR 3.

[Ephemerlol]

A local muni has an opening par 3 at around 115 yards.  Its a short course with no par 5s though.

[mizuno player]

Played a course that stared and ended in 3 pars. Very interesting. 

[TwistedSister]

19 minutes ago, mizuno player said:

Played a course that stared and ended in 3 pars. Very interesting. 

As per my post... Ours did it for a while... didn't last long though...

[deadsolid...shank]

1 hour ago, Beenerpro said:

Yep. My first assistant pro job out of college was at April Sound Resort and Country Club on Lake Conroe, Texas. We had 3 nines, Red, White and Blue nines. The Red nine was a short course. The members played White to Blue as the 18 hole course. The very first hole of the White nine was a par 3 of about 150 yards.

 

 

I just played there last month. That first hole sure plays longer than 150 yards.  In laws live on the 5th hole. 
 

One of the small local towns starts their nine holer with a par three. Courthouse & Jailhouse Rock Golf Course.  Bridgeport, Nebraska. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by deadsolid...shank

[Moonlightgrm]

Ludlow Country Club located in Ludlow, Massachusetts opens with a par-3 from an elevated tee. If you play it from the middle of the tee box back to the tips, you cannot see the green. From the tips, the hole plays 225 yards. From the middle of the tee box, it plays 195 yards. The tee box is very long and the player cannot see the green until he moves closer to the front of the tee box where the hole plays 165 yards. 
 

The course is a Donald Ross design built in 1921. 

[Hawkeye77]

The course where both my Grandpas played started with a 150 yard par 3 with a tiny green, but it wasn't the quirkiest of the layout.  Just a nice little 9 holer where the farmers could back their pickups into the ditch and drive their carts out if they didn't want to store them there. 

 

Took my oldest there for fun several years ago (it's not too far from Iowa City) - still seemed like an odd way to start. Darned if someone didn't recognize me in the restaurant when we were done, lol, from all the years I'd visited many, many years before.

 

Played a lot of rounds there growing up on vacations and when I lived on the farm a few summers.  

 

A family from that town who also had a connection to New Mexico took in Nancy Lopez when she was an am and she lived with them in the summer and they took her to tournaments.  My dad's dad and I were behind her and them  one afternoon - he knew she was supposed to be good at golf but it didn't really mean much beyond that at the time, she was still in college.  On the 8th hole he kept crowding up a bit just because he thought I'd want to be closer to have a look at a pretty girl, lol. He was quietly sly.

 

Lot of memories at that course, thanks for making me think of them.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[MaxRylie222]

4 hours ago, Markrip said:

I played one a long time ago. I think it was in Geneva Illinois. If I remember right it was 150 yards over water. Not a fun way to start without warming up.

I think it was tanna farm in geneva if I’m correct, 1st hole was a par 3 over water and yes my first shot was straight into the water lol.

[4x4GGG]

I learned to play golf on a course with a 3 for the first hole. 

 

Three Little Bakers in northern Delaware. I don't remember the yardage but I remember playing anything from a 9 to a 6 on it depending on the wind. Great way to start the round as it spaced everyone out perfectly. 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Two spring to mind. One was West Bowling in Bradford, W. Yorks, which no longer exists. From the back tees, it was a long downhill par 3. I remember turning up just in time on the tee for a junior tournament, and whacking a 2i on the green in front of a bunch of parents. Three-putted for the bogey, though.

 

The other is one of the courses at The Berkshire, outside of London. There are two courses, Red and Blue, and one of them starts with a long par three over a sort of depression filled with heather. It also plays into the prevailing wind. You do NOT want to be short in that heather. From what I remember, there is a bit of a bail-out area on the left.

 

Incidentally, some posters have mentioned courses that end with a par 3. I really dislike par 3 finishing holes, but one exception is Northcliffe, also in Bradford, which has a lovely little par 3 18th hole hitting down a valley; the same valley you have to hit over on the first hole.

[elwhippy]

Royal Lytham. A really tough start. 

[rodinho]

Yup. My home club is the oldest 9 hole golf course in the world. 180 yard par 3 to start.... And it's blind!! 

[tannyhoban]

A couple of the public courses around here start out with par 3's. One does it on both nines. Played both many times over the years. It's a different way to start the round.

 

[GHIN n Juice]

Rose Park GC in Salt Lake City starts with a par 3.  The tee box is right next to the practice green.  Always nice to have an audience when you start ur round, lol.

[manku]

Westchester Muni next to LAX does...

 

As does Westchester CC (former PGA stop) in Westchester NY.

 

That is where is similarity ends!

[596]

Not the opening hole, but the ending hole is just as bad.  Tee shot is straight at the clubhouse and the parking lot just to the right of that.  175 uphill from the middle tee.  Can't see the green at all.  If you leave it left and short it's in a trap, with a nice skulled shot out of that trap that will hit the clubhouse.  Ask me how I know!!  I hate that hole.

[tatertot]

10 hours ago, rodinho said:

Yup. My home club is the oldest 9 hole golf course in the world. 180 yard par 3 to start.... And it's blind!! 

Musselburgh?

[Springsteennut]

18 hours ago, MaxRylie222 said:

I think it was tanna farm in geneva if I’m correct, 1st hole was a par 3 over water and yes my first shot was straight into the water lol.

I seem to remember second or third helpings of breakfast balls when I played there.

[rodinho]

3 hours ago, tatertot said:

Musselburgh?

No, not a million miles away from it. Cupar GC. 

[mizuno player]

On 5/1/2021 at 7:28 PM, dhacker56 said:

As per my post... Ours did it for a while... didn't last long though...

Yeah. This course probably can't change. The land near the club house is very tight. Then it goes on the other side of a creek if memory serves me. Then it opens up a bit. 

[TwistedSister]

1 minute ago, mizuno player said:

Yeah. This course probably can't change. The land near the club house is very tight. Then it goes on the other side of a creek if memory serves me. Then it opens up a bit. 

What does the other side start with? 

[mizuno player]

Just now, dhacker56 said:

What does the other side start with? 

Hmmm. I can't remember. But definitely not a par 3. It doesn't come back. It's way out from the clubhouse. I can't think of how they could change it. 

[TwistedSister]

Just now, mizuno player said:

Hmmm. I can't remember. But definitely not a par 3. It doesn't come back. It's way out from the clubhouse. I can't think of how they could change it. 

Neither side comes back to the clubhouse?