Magazine - Why We Need More Par-Three Courses

By Editor in Golf on 28th Jul 2010 19:00

Mike Keiser, who commissions everything at the Bandon Dunes complex in Oregon as a golf purist's fantasy, is building a fifth course to add to his famous four.

It's something you don't hear about much anymore—a par-three. "The baby boomers are getting older," Mr. Keiser said, "and the older they get, the less willing or maybe less able they are to play 36 holes in a day. But with a par-three course on the ocean as an afternoon activity or as an alternative to 18 holes—people say to me, hurry up and build it."

The golf industry is struggling, and many people in the game cite the same reasons: a round takes too long; the game is hard; maintenance budgets are through the roof; there are no places for beginners to play while they learn.

One remedy: more short courses. For the experienced player, 18 holes on a par-three or "executive" course—a slightly longer version that usually includes a few par-fours of less than 300 yards—provide a great practice session under game conditions. Improving your game around the greens is the best way to cut five strokes from your score; two or three hours at a short course is more valuable than whaling away with your driver on the range.

For the beginner, the shorter holes mean less frustration and more success. The golf bug bites only on the course; the reward for a good shot on the range is the chance to do it again, not a memorable par or birdie.

Yet short courses have struggled in the marketplace recently. According to the National Golf Foundation, executive and par-three layouts make up 9% of the nation's courses but accounted for 22% of course closings in 2009.

I learned the game at a nine-hole course surrounding a driving range. I spent many hot afternoons going around and around the place, even playing through a partial solar eclipse one summer. The course is long gone, but some of my lost Top-Flites are surely still there, quietly testing the half-life of Surlyn.

Read Full Article Here - online.wsj.com

—Sportswriter Jeff Neuman is co-author of "A Disorderly Compendium of Golf." John Paul Newport is on vacation. Email: golfjournal@wsj.com.

Read more articles in Golf, by Editor or from July 2010.