Before The Hype Starts: Par 3 Holes Better Than Sawgrass's #17

It's time for the annual lovefest for "the greatest par 3 hole in golf" -- TPC Sawgrass's #17.  The peninsula* green that is 17 is indeed a tough par in tournament form, but I think that it is a hole where marketing has created a myth that doesn't exactly jibe with the truth. You can’t open a golf magazine or watch a tournament on television without seeing it: Sawgrass’s #17, the vaunted “island” green that causes heart palpitations in every pro on the planet, Tiger Woods included. And this you see over and over again.  One might think that this is the ultimate challenge in the game, and that it is the pinnacle of golf design.  With all due respect to the PGA Tour and designer Pete Dye, it is neither.

Sawgrass #17 is a tough hole, to be sure, and in tournament form, with hard, slick greens, par or better will surely raise a smile out of any player, not matter their position on the leaderboard this week, no matter their standings in the Official World Golf Rankings. 

But is it what its marketing implies — the “toughest” Par3 hole in tournament golf? Probably not. 

There are many worthy challengers all over the world for the mythical title of “the world’s toughest par 3″ and some of them have a longer and far more illustrious resume, offer tougher conditions and in big tournaments can do more damage to a scorecard even to players who are at the top of their form.

Part 1: The Non-US Contenders

Here are some Non-US par 3′s that are the equal of Sawgrass #17.  Some are more picturesque, and were built long before the idea or necessity of a "signature hole" became de rigeur in golf course design.

The Postage Stamp (via St. Andrews Golf Tours)

No. 8 at Royal Troon, Scotland: “The Postage Stamp” - There are legendary holes in golf, not only for what has happened there, but also because the hole itself has changed the game. The”Postage Stamp” is among the most replicated par 3s the world over, and the original is no picnic — despite its postcard-like beauty.

The hole earned its name when Willie Park described its green as “a pitching surface skimmed down to the size of a postage stamp.” A mere 123 yards from the championship tees, the hole’s  genius does not rely on length — it is a master’s test of accuracy in the ever-present winds makes it one of the most feared par 3s on the entire planet.

No. 11 at The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland – There are only two Par 3 holes on The Old Course, and this one can cause a trainwreck for any player, as history has proven time and again.

Here at the “High” hole, Bobby Jones admits he experienced perhaps his lowest point in golf at the 1921 Open Championship, taking four shots to get out of the vicious “Hill” bunker before picking his ball up and quitting the Open. “Hill” has equally vicious co-horts: Strath” and “Cockie” are worth avoiding as well and can be round enders in their own right.  Unlike a water hazard, there is no drop area away from these bunkers to offer a chance to save bogey or par, in fact, it’s possible to settle in and spend quite a long time trying to hack a ball out of the hellish triumvirate of bunkers.

No. 14 at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland - “Calamity” can be a player’s worst nightmare: you have tohit the ball long, playing it smartly into the ever-present wind and quite long besides.  Playing more than 210 yards over a steep slope of tall grasses, “Calamity” could be renamed “Catastrophe,” because that’s exactly what happens to many players in tight matches there.  A nervous swing can be their downfall and often is.

#4 Royal County Down (via Golf Club Atlas)

No. 4 at Royal County Down, Northern Ireland- Henry Colt made perhaps his finest addition to this course when he redesigned the fourth hole htere.  It plays gently downhill over a grove of gorse to a small, crowned green with the Slieve Donard Hotel spire and Mountains of Mourn as an ominous backdrop. The only “safe” place to miss — in front of the green — is invisible from the tee and the eye can only see trouble everywhere and even beyond.  This can cause the hand to sweat, the heart to quiver and the numbers to go astronomically high — remember, a lost ball in the gorse sends one back to the tee to face the shot all over again — and a second lost ball, well, that’s death to any player’s round.

* Note: islands are parcels of land completely surrounded by water.  Sawgrass #17 is connected to land and therefore is a peninsula.