Long Par 3's - How long is too long?

[rosecott]

I think our first should be adjusted. On medal day it's 216 yards off the whites. If it came midway through your round it wouldn't be so bad but first hole! Gorse left and right, trees on the left, kidney shaped bunkers left and right narrowing the front of the green and slopes back to front and they often put the flag on the top tier back left. Majority of golfers play for a four but it's just not a fun hole

For crying out loud, you get 2 shots on it - what more do you want?

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I think any par 3 over 200 yards defeats the object of being a par 3 for most amateurs imo.

By that reckoning a 400+ yd par 4 defeats the object of being a par 4. Long par 3s are good, golf isn't supposed to be easy

 

[HomerJSimpson]

ah...

I've only played the course once but that hole played a lot easier than it's length suggests, and I didn't feel that the shorter ones (at SI 7 and 8) should have been swapped with it. The SIs on that course are set with reference to 'difficulty', but what you will frequently find is that a hole such as this will play an average about 4 against a shorter hole with challenges that plays an average of a little more ie SI done on difficulty isn't the absolute difficulty of making par (or hitting the green) but the average scores on the hole relative to par.

As a member for a good number of years it was a hole that filled me with dread. Granted it plays downhill and so shorter than the yardage and the ball does bound on. However it is still a tight drive and you are usually going in with three or 5 wood. The green is sunken and so it makes a pitch in tricky too. Definitely a potential card buster

 

[Joff]

You'll have a shot... Shouldn't be an issue!

 

[rosecott]

I have heard of a par 3 at Luton Hoo that is 261 yards off the whites. That seems rather long!

Yes - too long. CONGU says that the range for par 3s stops at 250 yards and the range for par 4s starts at 220 yards.

 

[Bucket92]

Anything over 220 I think

 

[MashieNiblick]

One of my favourite holes is the 13th at East Berks. 213 off the back tees, slightly up hill. Two large bunkers guard the front right and a smaller bunker guards the left side. The green is pretty tricky too. SI 7. It is a superb hole.

 

[Piece]

No probs with a very long par 3. 250y fine. As long as it's balanced with a short par 4... Which leads to the obvious question - how short can a par 4 be?!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

One of my favourite holes is the 13th at East Berks. 213 off the back tees, slightly up hill. Two large bunkers guard the front right and a smaller bunker guards the left side. The green is pretty tricky too. SI 7. It is a superb hole.

It's a great whole but man it's tough, take a 4 and move on there.

 

[bobmac]

Which hole is easier...
A 250 yd par 3 off the yellows
Or
the same hole off the white tees at 260 yd par 4

 

[ScienceBoy]

Which hole is easier...
A 250 yd par 3 off the yellows
Or
the same hole off the white tees at 260 yd par 4

Depends on the green, tiered, sloped or flat? I would play both holes in the same way so it comes down to how easy the last few yards are around the pin.

 

[bobmac]

Depends on the green, tiered, sloped or flat? I would play both holes in the same way so it comes down to how easy the last few yards are around the pin.

It's the same hole played off different tees

 

[Imurg]

Depends what you're playing.
Medal = doesn't matter as you add up the numbers at the end.
Stableford = 260 yard par 4. More chance of getting par or nett par...
Matchplay = depends on how well the otehr guy's playing....

 

[Fish]

This is one of Bob's trick teasers, they'll be the same!

 

[Andy808]

If the average club golfer has to take a driver to get close it's too long IMPO.
We have 2 that are knocking on 200 yards and both are par 4s the second time around with only about 40 yards added. The first is our first hole and was changed around about 10 years ago from being the tenth to the first. When it was the tenth it played a lot lower than it does now.

 

[bobmac]

Stableford = 260 yard par 4. More chance of getting par

Wouldn't it be easier to get a 4 or net 4 if you played it off the yellows 10 yards shorter?

 

[HickoryShaft]

Wouldn't it be easier to get a 4 or net 4 if you played it off the yellows 10 yards shorter?

Ignoring the par 4 / par 3 issue for a moment , the whole point of the thread (I think), is that if it was truely short enough to hit the green with a mid iron - even a long iron it should play easier than something that you are forced to take the longest club in your bag for.

After all - the majority of tips on driving is to aim for the wider part of the fairway - if thats not possible then is a driver the right club?

I think that the par 3 / par 4 debate is also an issue as we are (mostly) trying to play to as close to par as possible so if it's an easy par 4 then yes it is a very different approach to an extra long par 3 - one you are almost guarenteed to loose a shot to par - the other you are more likely to hold onto a par for the hole. The approach that both give you the same score at the end is somewhat bogus as I would rather be 18 over par and match my handicap than 19 over and loose a shot to handicap.

 

[Imurg]

Wouldn't it be easier to get a 4 or net 4 if you played it off the yellows 10 yards shorter?

If it's a 250 yard par 3 and I don't get a shot then I need to score a 3 to get 2 points in S/Ford
If it's a 260 yard par 4 I can take 4 and still get 2 points

I'd probably play it the same regardless as 10 yards at that distance doesn't really make a difference.

 

[bobmac]

I'd probably play it the same regardless as 10 yards at that distance doesn't really make a difference.

Many would though. They think it's a tough hole as a par 3 and would try and play it as such and be disapointed with a 4
Tell them it's a par 4 and they'll think it's an easy hole and be happy with a 4

 

[Imurg]

Agreed
And in Medal, as we said, it'll make no difference.
Stableford is much more reliant on the par of the hole than anything else.