Stars of the show

Jeremy Ellwood attempts to narrow it down to a handful of his most memorable par 3s from the thousands he's played over the last 45 years

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For many, the par 3s are the real stars of the golf course show, and very often the most memorable holes as a result. I'll admit that, over the course of the years, I have probably written "a fine quartet of short holes" or "a cracking collection of par 3s" a few too many times for literary comfort, but in my defence, it is precisely because they are so often a course's most memorable holes.

They come in all shapes, lengths and sizes, from the well-protected to the seemingly defenceless, boasting targets that range from large and inviting to virtually invisible. Yet despite their 1,001 different guises, the scoring prospects generated by good or bad tee shots on the most cleverly designed par 3s can be poles apart. Strike it well and a birdie putt awaits; miss it in the wrong place and you can kiss goodbye to not only par, but bogey as well.

Clearly this is very much the case on the treacherous 12th, Golden Bell, at Augusta National. I've not had the pleasure, but we all know what havoc is wreaked here every year as the swirling breeze, Rae's Creek and a dauntingly shallow green sow a degree of doubt that even the very best struggle to filter out, despite only being armed with one of their shortest irons.

It's a similar story on the shorter, island-green 17th at Sawgrass, which needs no introduction for even the most infrequent PGA Tour watcher, with fans perhaps guilty of gleeful rubbernecking if the wind is up as the leaders approach.

Again, that’s a hole I've not yet had the pleasure (if that’s the right word) of playing, and this article is really a look back at some of the most memorable par 3s I have played, so where better to start than with Royal Troon’s world-famous ‘Postage Stamp’ 8th, which represents perhaps the most hazardous 123 yards in Major Championship golf.