Tongo
Journeyman Pro
Thought of some others near me:
Wellow (if you start on the Ryedown loop first)
Leckford New
Wickham Park
Furzeley
Wellow (if you start on the Ryedown loop first)
Leckford New
Wickham Park
Furzeley
Par 3 Openers
- Thread starter shortgame
- Start date
Ross61
Challenge Tour Pro
I remember playing that in the middle of summer about 30 years ago. Tough start when you don’t know what is up the top. I seem to remember some of the holes had sloping fairways. Being summer I was landing my ball as far right of the fairway as possible only for it to roll off the left side into the rough.
PhilTheFragger
Provider of Entertainment for the Golfing Gods 🙄
spongebob59
Journeyman Pro
My old place Dartford started with a par 3. Just over 200 yards, no bunkers but trees all down the left and oob all down the right. Always happy to walk off there with a 3 or 4.
IanM
Journeyman Pro
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- May 18, 2009
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- Monmouthshire, UK via Guildford!
Liphook?
West Cornwall was fun into the wind. They took the old medal tee out of play as the adjoining houses were getting hit
West Cornwall was fun into the wind. They took the old medal tee out of play as the adjoining houses were getting hit
Yant
Head Pro
Off the top of my head;
Knole Park
Purley Downs
Thetford
All though par3 openers.
Knole Park
Purley Downs
Thetford
All though par3 openers.
Only ones that spring to mind for me are;
Boat of Garten, which is about 190 off the white, TBH its easier than it was, they moved the green slightly and took a couple of bunkers and a tree out
The other is Torvean up the road from me, 175 off the white. I always struggled with it while i was a member, but then i was off 12- down to 8 and wasn't a good iron player. plus they had no net or practice ground to do any warm ups like the other post. This hole will be consigned to history is a couple of years as they are getting a new course built and losing all but 16 and 18, to a new road and canal bridge.
Boat of Garten, which is about 190 off the white, TBH its easier than it was, they moved the green slightly and took a couple of bunkers and a tree out
The other is Torvean up the road from me, 175 off the white. I always struggled with it while i was a member, but then i was off 12- down to 8 and wasn't a good iron player. plus they had no net or practice ground to do any warm ups like the other post. This hole will be consigned to history is a couple of years as they are getting a new course built and losing all but 16 and 18, to a new road and canal bridge.
Marshy77
Journeyman Pro
Unless its blowing a gale and it's a driver to hopefully somewhere near the green!!! Tough start but a cracking course.
Skipton has a par 3 start, pretty straight forward maybe 140/150 yards but OOB left.
Not keen on par 3 starts, prefer a steady par 4 to get you into the swing of things.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
The 1st at Whitecraigs is a bit of a tester as it has out of bounds tight down the RHS and straight into the car park. Just what you need if you are nervously standing there having had a dose of the s****s previous time out.
They have planted trees down that side since I last played it (30yrs ago) to make it less daunting and to protect the car park. Without the trees it was a mare. Still - a good ol' s***k will see you hurtling towards the car park not 50yds away and praying for a deflection off a tree.
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Another local course I often play, Rickmansworth, has a par 3 opening hole as well. While it's only 133 yards, it's a tricky one because the green is very much higher than the tee so you have to take a bit of extra club to get it up there.
Give me a nice, wide, medium length par 4 opener any day.
AmandaJR
Money List Winner
Bourn (Cambs) starts with a Par 3. Not that tough - bit of water to carry but a fairly mellow start. Agree the good thing is it spaces the groups out from the 1st hole rather than the group behind taking their tee shots too soon!
Thetford is a nice Par 3 which is a reasonable challenge as the green is well protected and tricky. Plus club selection adds doubt as it's an elevated tee which is tree protected so hard to assess wind etc.
Thetford is a nice Par 3 which is a reasonable challenge as the green is well protected and tricky. Plus club selection adds doubt as it's an elevated tee which is tree protected so hard to assess wind etc.
Crazyface
Tour Winner
Alsager dodle downhill 170 ish wide open easy peasy.
Malkins Bank ditto above.
But Church Stretton is impossible. Three of us stood on the first tee trying to figure where the green was. One pointed to the green on the hill, and I laughed and said for him not be so stoooopid. Luckilly a bloke came wandering down the hill to the left with his clubs so we asked him. Good job we had decided to play stableford. No scores for any of us. Impossible. In fact the first three are par threes I think. All impossible holes for a first timer.
Malkins Bank ditto above.
But Church Stretton is impossible. Three of us stood on the first tee trying to figure where the green was. One pointed to the green on the hill, and I laughed and said for him not be so stoooopid. Luckilly a bloke came wandering down the hill to the left with his clubs so we asked him. Good job we had decided to play stableford. No scores for any of us. Impossible. In fact the first three are par threes I think. All impossible holes for a first timer.
drewster
Tour Rookie
Thetford starts with a friendly par 3 if I remember correctly. Decent track that !!
D
Deleted member 1147
Guest
It's the Cheshire course which starts with a par 3. The Nicklaus course starts with a short par 4 down the hill.
FuzzyDuck
Assistant Pro
My home club (Bishopswood) has a par 3 starting hole, around 165 yards slightly uphill. I tend to start my shots to the left because I usually have a slight fade, however if it's too far left the line of fur trees will eat the ball.
Alton has a long opening par 3 (200 yards or so) where the green is hidden over a ridge.
Alton has a long opening par 3 (200 yards or so) where the green is hidden over a ridge.
Jacko_G
Blackballed
1ST at Whitecraigs wasn't a bad opening hole, very gentle, usually a 9 iron or so from memory. I usually detest starting with a par 3, Largs Kelburne and Whitecraigs sort of buck that trend for me as I enjoy both courses very much.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
I have always said that if I designed a course (fat chance) I would start it with a really tough par 3 because that hole would then set the pace of play for the hole course and you should then never have to wait on a shot again.
Where I play, Yeovil, we have a fairly tough par 3 second (5th most difficult hole on the course) and very often you will start off at a brisk pace just to sit on the bench at the second with ,sometimes , another group waiting for the green to clear.
Where I play, Yeovil, we have a fairly tough par 3 second (5th most difficult hole on the course) and very often you will start off at a brisk pace just to sit on the bench at the second with ,sometimes , another group waiting for the green to clear.
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the 1st on the old course at Walton Heath is a 230 yarder off the back tees but a mere 195 off the club tees.
no doubt i will end up cursing it when i play there in December while i'm off work for a few weeks.
no doubt i will end up cursing it when i play there in December while i'm off work for a few weeks.
shortgame
Tour Rookie
Forgot that one, yeah pretty basic gentle opener
Mad isn't it
On our first visit the first player up set up to fire at the wrong green (18th?). Like you we couldn't believe the first green was up and over on the right. Think we managed a point between the 3 of us though
It is fun to play though for the views and a laugh. But not in a medal on a windy day
FuzzyDuck
Assistant Pro
Mistaken about Alton, it's the 10th that is a par 3 240 yards. However since it is a 9 hole course the 1st is to the same green but from a different tee (280 yards) and is actually a par 4.
