Why in golf course design are par 3's getting longer? carn't the pro's handle 120 yards or less anymore?

Question

all par 3's are now getting 170 plus yardage, even up to 237 yards, for a pro, longer irons and distances are very easy! for them. apart from the par 3 postage stamp hole 131 yards, is this the shortest par 3 on the pro tour?

Answer 1

If you're referring to holes on PGA tour, because they're trying to make it more difficult for the pros.  They don't have to make it longer, they can also make the green smaller, protect it with water or hazard, or OB (cliffs, etc).

If you're referring to holes on courses regular people play, then you should move up tee box, to shorten the distance, if you can't handle it from the back tee.

Personally I like my par three between 120 to 170 as that's my PW to 5 iron range.  Anything longer than that I struggle a little.

Answer 2

It's a mixture of the obsession with length and the concern about technology. In fact, for most of the professional tour golfers these days, 200-220 yards is a five iron which nullifies a lot of the difficulty mentioned previously. However, the postage stamp at Troon and the Pebble Beach par three mentioned earlier, gives them the willies! so why don't they just make them more difficult rather than adding length? there is a par three at Silloth, which can play anything from a sand wedge to a three wood depending on the wind!

Answer 3

The statement may be true for newer courses which want to attract either PGA or USGA events. The pros have no say in the lengths. The decisions are made by the developer of the course and the course architect. Short holes are the result of land configurations which the architect wants to fully utilize.

Answer 4

Another comment about par 3's. For the duffer like me, it can be disheartening that they put so much junk between the tee boxes and the green. Depending where you are, you can be hitting over water, sand and desert, weeds, etc. I'm not even going to talk about elevation changes, especially when you have to it to a green higher than you are.

Answer 5

the 7th at pebble beach is 106 yards.

Answer 6

I wish there were more short par 3's as well.

Answer 7

It is harder to hit consistently if you use a longer club. And golf has evolved to a power game.