While the Masters has its version of a Par 3 Contest, imagine taking that concept and instead of cutting holes down to size, the course is created from the most difficult par-3 challenges on Tour.
It would be the Ultimate Par 3 Contest.
Based on the 2019 scoring averages, we can create such a course – for the most part – where each hole holds top rank as the toughest to break par on for PGA Tour professionals.
You’d better bring all of your clubs because a few of these might not be reachable with that trusty 3-iron!
No. 1 – Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
2019 Scoring Average: N/A
You’re not going to find many golf courses anywhere in the world that open with a par 3. So, we’re going to have to bend the rules (just a tad) and tee off our Par 3 Challenge from one course that actually does have a par-3 opener – Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, site of the 2012 British Open. The 205-yard first was the 13th-easiest hole on the course back then, but hitting a tee shot that avoids some of the deep bunkers – three on each side of the green – can be the difference between a par to start your round…or an immediate over-par spiral.
No. 2 – Corales Golf Club
2019 Scoring Average: 3.225
Although the tee shot will be downwind, the control required to reach the 239-yard second hole at Corales Golf Club is no easy task. Bunkers protect the green on both sides, and the undulating, linear green leaves a lot of chances to make a three-putt (or worse).
No. 3 – Bethpage State Park (Black Course)
2019 Scoring Average: 3.322
The third hole at Bethpage Black was the second-toughest par 3 in 2019. The 230-yard test requires golfers to control a long iron over a frontside bunker while not flying the green, or landing in the back and letting the downhill slope take care of the rest. This was the toughest par 3 during the 2009 U.S. Open, too, and its track record remains fierce.
No. 4 – Augusta National GC
2019 Scoring Average: 3.207
The 240-yard fourth at Augusta National – known as Flowering Crab Apple – was the 16th-most difficult par 3 in 2019. Protected by bunkers on both the left and right front, golfers need to control a long iron – or fairway metal/hybrid – while dealing with crosswinds and the sloped green. A three or less here for the average golfer would feel like being fitted for a Green Jacket.
No. 5 – PGA National (Champion Course)
2019 Scoring Average: 3.183
We’re heading to the Honda Classic location for the fifth hole, a lengthy 217-yard par 3 that was re-designed by Jack Nicklaus. The tee shot must carry the water while avoiding going long and landing in the large back bunker. The winds gusting off the water add in an extra element of difficulty, one that helped make this par-3 the 22nd most difficult in 2019.
No. 6 – Sheshan International Golf Club
2019 Scoring Average: 3.221
While we’d all like to have Louis Oosthuizen’s good fortune from 2019 on the 200-yard sixth hole at Sheshan International GC, the 15th-most difficult par 3 normally presents a few challenges – water and sand being two of them – so making par would probably feel like a hole-in-one.
No. 7 – Club de Golf Chapultepec
2019 Scoring Average: 3.275
It looks simple enough, almost peaceful, but this 235-yarder is a real test. It was the seventh-toughest par 3 in 2019, with tour professionals struggling to make a par at the WGC – Mexico Championships. The target is protected by sand and a lake – and to make things much more difficult, there is a giant tree in front of the wavy green. A three here for the average player would be monumental.
No. 8 – TPC Sawgrass
2019 Scoring Average: 3.224
TPC Sawgrass is no stranger to difficult par-3 tests, and the 237-yard eighth is no exception. It’s another 230-plus-yard monster, holding rank as the 14th-most difficult par 3 in 2019. Protected by bunkers on the front, sides and back of the green, the tee shot needs to be both long and accurate. And if you decided to get it in the fairway area, and hope for a good roll…a small bunker awaits there, too.
No. 9 – Monterey Peninsula CC (Shore Course)
2019 Scoring Average: 3.277
The 223-yard ninth at Monterey Peninsula CC’s Shore Course is a monster. Golfers will need to carry their tee shot over a hazard and a few bunkers while dealing with the sea breeze. The target is narrow, too, adding to the difficulty. Depending on where the hole is cut on the green, this test can play upwards of 250 yards!
No. 10 – CC of Jackson
2019 Scoring Average: 3.084
The 223-yard 10th at the Country Club of Jackson – located in Jackson, Mississippi – will (theoretically) be the easiest hole on our Par 3 Challenge. But it can play close to 240, depending on where the hole is cut, and the pros who played at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2019 struggled to make par. Bunkers protect the green on both sides, and when factoring in the winds, the average golfer might be going fairway metal off the tee.
No. 11 – Corales Golf Club
2019 Scoring Average: 3.23
Hopefully, you brought all of your clubs – because this one might require a fairway wood, if not the driver. The 265-yard 11th at Corales Golf Club is longer than some par 4s! There is sand protecting the green in the front right and back left, but the real test is the strength (and accuracy) required for the tee shot to reach the putting surface. Golfers put down a two at the 11th around six percent of the time.
No. 12 – Muirfield Village GC
2019 Scoring Average: 3.188
We’re heading to just outside of Columbus, Ohio for the 12th hole. The 184-yard test at Muirfield Village GC was the 22nd-most difficult par 3 in 2019, and it’s another water-filled task on this challenge. Golfers will need to deal with bunkers in the front and back of the green while making sure not to go swimming with their tee sot. The two-tiered green means that any subtle inaccuracies can easily result in a three-putt.
No. 13 – PGA West Stadium Course
2019 Scoring Average: 3.225
Heading out west to the Palm Springs, California area, the 13th hole at the PGA West Stadium Course is a nightmare for those who like to draw the ball (or fade it, lefties) off the tee. Golfers must carry the ball over the water – that also lines the left side of the 195-yard par 3 – to a tiny target. The tendency to go right is challenged by bunkers and rough that will make for a difficult second (that will have the water sitting in the background).
No. 14 – Harbour Town GL
2019 Scoring Average: 3.15
The par-3 14th at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, is our next stop – and it’s a tough one. Ranked the 34th-most difficult par 3 in 2019, the 192-yard hole forces golfers to deal with water, a crosswind that blows toward the water, and low-hanging trees near the green. Getting out of here with a three will be challenging – even the pros struggle to do so.
No. 15 – East Lake GC
2019 Scoring Average: 3.233
At over 200 yards, the par-3 15th at East Lake is not your typical island green test. The landing area is larger than Sawgrass’ 17th (by about 2,000 sq. feet). Still, the added distance makes precision way more difficult – not to mention that golfers must worry about trajectory, so if they hit the green, the ball doesn’t just skip through the putting surface and go for a swim.
No. 16 – Royal Portrush GC
2019 Scoring Average: 3.247
The 16th at Royal Portrush is known as ‘Calamity Corner’ and for a good reason. Even though there isn’t a bunker in sight, failing to carry the 230-plus yards from the tee box to green will leave golfers in deep chasms some 50 feet below the hole. Who knows what the causal enthusiast would shoot (assuming the ball is ever found). It was the most challenging par 3 during the 2019 British Open.
No. 17 – Sheshan International Golf Club
2019 Scoring Average: 3.338
You expected the iconic 17th at TPC Sawgrass, right? While that island green is probably the most famous par 3, the 212-yard 17th at Sheshan International was far more difficult in 2019. In fact, it was ranked the most difficult. The small target – that slopes toward a quarry to the right and bunkers to the left – requires a perfect tee shot. Par here would be incredible.
No. 18 – The Old White TPC Course at the Greenbrier Resort
2019 Scoring Average: N/A
And finally, we’ve arrived at the 18th hole of our Par 3 Challenge. Like the first hole, there aren’t many par-3 finishers in golf – so, once again, we need to stretch the rules just a tiny bit. But the 18th at The Old White Course at the Greenbrier Resort has everything we need for the perfect finishers (beyond the fact that it’s a par 3). The Allegheny Mountains make for an excellent backdrop, the horseshoe ridge in the middle of the green makes for a challenge, and the shorter yardage (175) means that most off us can keep the hybrids and fairway metals in the bag.
Well, we can always head back to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to try our luck on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, too.
