Long Par-3s Stink—And the Best Players in the World Agree

Long par-3s are one of the worst things in golf. If a designer has to make a par-3 longer than 180-190 yards, they’re not very good at their job. I’ve always felt that way.

Think of the best par-3s in golf: 12 at Augusta, seven at Pebble Beach, eight at Royal Troon. I could go on and on, but they all have one thing in common: they’re shorties, folks! The best par-3s in the world are short ones that rely on design, contours, and eye-candy to challenge top players and amateurs alike.

For those who agree with me, you’ll be disappointed with the par-3s we’ll see in a few weeks at Oakmont Country Club. They’re monsters. Especially the eighth, which will play at or around 300 yards. Yes, 300 f***ing yards.

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Honestly, that’s some of the stupiest shit I’ve ever heard. And let me tell you, some of the biggest names in the sport agree.

“I just think all the best par-3s are under 200,” Viktor Hovland said during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday at Muirfield Village. “You can maybe have it just over 200, but as soon as you start to take head covers off on par-3s, I just think it gets a little silly.”

Mr. Jack Nicklaus, the host of this week’s Memorial Tournament, called the yardage of Oakmont’s eighth “crazy.”

“I haven't played it since they lengthened it to be a short par-5,” he said with a smile. “I don't know how long it is. It's about 275 yards or something like that.” When a media member told him it was 299, he said, “Well that's crazy. But that's what they do.”

“I always liked to take—on a golf course I liked to have one par-3 in the 220 to 235 range. I liked to have two of 'em right in the 190 to 210 range. And then one usually somewhere shorter, 170 or shorter. I like to get a short par-4, a three, a longish one, and two middle ones. And then hopefully play in different directions so the wind conditions will be different.”

Justin Thomas is a fellow lover of short par-3s.

“Yeah, I couldn't tell you a par-3 over 250 yards that's good, I would say, architecturally,” he said on Wednesday. “Obviously, you have 16 at Cypress Point is pretty special, but I definitely think there's some potential viewing reasons that makes it, you know, a great hole. So I'm a big short par-3 guy. I think a lot of us and—a lot of players and people that watch golf are. Yeah, I just, that's my opinion.”

When asked specifically about Oakmont’s eighth, he said, “Yeah, that's not my favorite hole in the world. I think you could do some other things with that. But everyone's going to have to play the same hole and going to have to execute the same shots, and I would love four 3s on it right now if I could take it.”