There’s Growing Popularity in Par 3 Short Courses

Mostly pros, not many cons to fast growing golf segment

Guest column by Ray Hearn, President

Raymond Hearn Golf Course Designs, Inc.

We all know golf has seen an increase in the number of people entering the game – and this was happening even before the surge to another level that followed the Covid-19 pandemic. We also recognize the three-headed dragon that has hampered the industry to some degree – time, expense and difficulty – is still keeping some people away from the game.

For those looking for something with some wow factor to infuse into their golf facilities, the par 3 short courses work and fit seamlessly. For those especially concerned with the three-headed monster, the par 3 course helps solve that puzzle, too.

We think a par 3 development can serve in multiple ways, one being the tricycle to the bicycle or even training wheels to try out and grow the game. Get on, learn to ride, and then move forward. A par 3 course also takes less time to play and is less expensive than playing an 18-hole course. Families and friends ranging from elementary school age to retirement are all welcomed.

There is also the crown jewel of a possible hole-in-one awaiting golfers of any skill level at each of the numerous holes. Par 3s add excitement. It’s that simple… and they are really fun. That’s a dynamite combination in business and entertainment.

Par 3s on a full-sized course also prove to be a great differentiator – to players, owners and course raters. Many top amateurs and professional golfers talk about and measure a course’s uniqueness, attractiveness and playability of what’s typically four-to-five par 3s in any 18-hole round. Often times a par 3 is a courses’ signature hole. This fascination with shorter holes can multiply even more on a short course full of all par 3s.

In addition to helping golfers in many ways, a par 3 course helps our expanding client list. A par 3 course is less costly to construct, uses less land, less irrigation, less fertilizer, and there is less to maintain overall.

With both the golfer and the client in mind, we feel the key to success with a par 3 course is to make them special in design, friendly to the golfer, attractive and alluring. Along with that they have to be interesting enough that the better golfers want to use them to hone their short games which allows a facility to get all the golfers A to Z engaged in the experience.

We’ve found that when a par 3 is added to an established facility with 18, 36 or more holes, there is a higher chance of it being successful. They are adding something else for their current customers and potentially drawing in a new audience.

The proof of course, is in the pudding. We strongly believe two of our most recent projects will soon prove very productive in 2024, and both are in Michigan – the 9-hole course for BOYNE Golf at The Highlands at Harbor Springs, and at the Inn at Saint John’s for the Pulte Family Foundation in Plymouth (a unique seven-hole par 3 course and a Himalayas-style putting course in addition to a new championship 18-hole course).

We are having fun doing this, and while not trying to reproduce a replica of any great green from the golden age of course design, we are adding the fun, strong flavor of some par 3 gems on select classic designs. At Saint John’s and at The Highlands, golfers will find perhaps a classic Redan or Postage Stamp green adding to the fun.

Come to think of it, I can’t find any ‘cons’ to par 3 short courses.