10 of the best - Par 3's in the world

Post by Sports Writer, Derek Clements

Great short holes stick in your mind - so much so that when you return to play them years later you can usually remember precisely what club you used, which way the wind was blowing and what you scored. Here, we present some of the best par threes in the game and a novelty hole that nobody who plays it will ever forget

Postage Stamp, Troon, 8th, Postage Stamp, 123 yards

It may be a tiddler, but it has wrecked many a card and ended the challenge of some of the world's top players in The Open. The tee is raised and you play over a gully to long, narrow green set into the side of a large hill. Two bunkers protect the left side of the green while a large bunker shields the approach. Any mistake on the right will find one of the two deep bunkers with near vertical faces - get in the wrong spot and you could be in there all day. Hit the green or else

Augusta, 12th, Golden Bell, 155 yards

It looks beautiful and not especially daunting. The problem is the wind. Standing on the tee, players are shielded from the breeze, so you need to have been paying attention to wind speed and direction before you get here. Even then, it may not help as it tends to swirl. The green is very narrow, which means you have no margin for error with your tee shot. If you don't hit it far enough, you end up in Rae's Creek. Hit it too far and you are in among the pine needles at the back of the green. Tom Weiskopf put five balls in the water in 1980 on his way to a 13

Kiawah Island, Ocean Course, 17th, 221 yards

Remember the War on the Shore? Remember Mark Calcavecchia? He was so distraught after his misfortunes on this hole against Colin Montgomerie that even though the USA won the Ryder Cup, he skulked away and cried on the beach. The tee shot is all carry over water. There are oak trees and dunes behind the large green. There is a small bailout area to the left of the green with water running right up to the front and round the right-hand side.

TPC Sawgrass, 17th, 137 yards

One of the most famous holes in golf - and all because it is played to an island green. Like the 12th at Augusta, this hole can be seriously affected by the wind. We have lost count of the numbers of golfers who have thrown away the Players Championship after coming to grief here. If the flag is at the front of the green and players decide to go for it, there is a real danger of seeing backspin drag the ball back into the water. And if you catch the back of the green you are almost certain to take three putts. Howard Clark famously holed in one while demonstrating the hole for Sky TV viewers

Kingsbarns, 15th, 212 yards

A great par three, that is both beautiful and fraught with danger. Due to the vagaries of the wind and tides, in the space of a few minutes it can change from being a relatively benign hole to a monster. It is bad enough that the green is surrounded on three sides by water, but on a rough and windy day you will also have waves to cope with. A classic golf hole - one of the very best in Scotland
Doonbeg, 14th, 111 yards

It may only be a wedge in calm conditions, but the green is narrow. Miss it to the left and your ball will be swalled up by thick rough, leaving a horrendous pitch across the green - with a huge drop off the right edge to the beach below. There is also trouble at the back. Oh yes, and you daren't be short either as you will be faced with a towering pitch

Pebble Beach, 7th, 106 yards

The 7th hole at Pebble Beach is one of the most iconic in the game. At 106 yards it is the shortest in major championship golf. The green is set on a cliff surrounded by the Pacific, and is protected by six bunkers. It looks easy, but the setting gets into the heads of golfers and many golf balls end up in the ocean, never to be seen again. Legend has it that in the early days, one pro went with the safest club in his bag off the tee - his putter - while another famously recorded a hole in one. With a three iron.

Royal Course, Vale do Lobo, 16th, 240 yards

The 16th hole on the Royal Course at Vale do Lobo has probably been the subject of more photographs than just about any other in Europe. Yes, it is a thing of beauty, with the Atlantic Ocean nearby. Very nearby. Make no mistake though - this is one heck of a golf hole. It measures a 240 yards and unless you hit your very best shot you will be in serious trouble

Lawsonia Links, Wisconsin, 7th, 160 yards

According to local myth, there is a railway boxcar buried beneath the plateau green. The hole requires a short iron for the better player, but for golfers of all standards this is a pretty intimidating short hole. If you misss the green short or right it's like trying to pitch the ball to the top of a sharp-peaked mountain

Port Royal, Bermuda, 16th, 235 yards

This is truly one of the most spectacular holes you will ever play. There are four tees, but from the back it is a substantial 235 yards. You tee shot needs to be hit across the ocean to a green perched high above the water on a peninsula. The small green is well protected by bunkers and when the wind blows even the best in the world will be tested to the full

TPC Scottsdale, Stadium Course, 16th, 162 yards

The thing that makes this par three stand out from so many others is that it's the one that features big, noisy crowds during the Phoenix Open. Imagine standing on the tee surrounded on all sides by 15,000 baying golf fans, most of whom have spent the day drinking beer, and then being able to pull the trigger and find the target. Or, as Francesco Molinari did this year, find the hole with your tee shot. About as intimidating as it could ever get

Cypress Point, 16th, 240 yards

Set at the exclusive and very expensive course near Pebble Beach in California, the 16th can wreck your scorecard. It requires a 230-yard carry over the Pacific Ocean, which would be difficult enough without having to contend with the prevailing crosswinds that seem to blow no matter what time of day you play the hole.

And the novelty factor...

Legend Golf & Safari Resort, 19th, 437 yards

Yes, you read it right. Legend Golf and Safari Resort, in Entabeni, South Africa, features a 19th hole that measures 437 yards but is a par three. The reason? The tee sits almost 500 yards above the green (which is in the shape of Africa), providing stunning views of the region. The only way to get to the tee is by helicopter, which comes as part of your green fee. The first player to achieve a hole in one here will win $1,000,000.

Now, we know that you won't agree with all on this list, maybe you don't agree with any, but which Par 3 would you include? Please comment below and let us know!