Short PAR - 4s
At the heart of all great short par-4s is the interesting choice to be made on the tee. As a rule, if you decide to eschew the challenge and play the ‘easy’ tee shot the pitch will be pretty demanding. It works the other way too. With that in mind, we asked our Top-100 Courses judging panel to cast their votes on the best short par-4s (measuring 340 metres and less) in Australia and here are the 100 best to be found.
TASMANIA BARNBOUGLE DUNES 271-metre, 4th hole
A brilliant risk and reward hole dominated by a colossal bunker – one of the largest on the course – lying directly in line with the green on the corner of a slight dogleg and cut out of a high sand dune. Dunes also surround the putting surface, which slopes markedly from right to left. Big hitters, who can clear the aforementioned bunker, will get some assistance from the slope beyond to get their ball close to the flag.
BARNBOUGLE DUNES 321-metre, 15th hole
Laying alongside, but separated by sand dunes from, the Forrester River, the 15th covers remarkable natural terrain. The generously wide fairway features dozens of small bumps and hollows, while the right third of the fairway – oering the most direct route to the green – is a narrow high ledge. The green sits slightly above the fairway with deep bunkers right and a steep drop-o left.
BARNBOUGLE LOST FARM 253-metre, 3rd hole
The second of two short par-4s early in the round, the 3rd is lined by scrub-covered dunes but it is designer Bill Coore’s use of the natural terrain that raises the bar here. The wide fairway rolls over a plateaued dune cutting in from the right of the hole, which brings into play the green and a long bunker for those adventurous types taking aim at the green from the tee.
BARNBOUGLE LOST FARM 263-metre, 14th hole
The highest dune on the course casts a morning shadow over the 14th fairway as it descends towards the beach. As the sun rises, every little nook and cranny of the wide fairway is exposed, as is the full depth and size of the two fairway bunkers at the base of the dune. The deep, narrow green is slightly raised above the fairway and is just metres from the back of the beach.
CAPE WICKHAM LINKS 340-metre, 1st hole
It has been described as one of the most spectacular opening holes in world golf. It is hard to argue the claim. Cape Wickham’s opening gambit looks tougher than it really is … as long as you don’t carve your drive right and over the cli ’s edge. The beautiful bumps and hollows across the wide fairway ensure no two approach shots are the same.
CAPE WICKHAM LINKS 329-metre, 5th hole
With the summer easterlies behind you, this is a driveable two-shotter and the fairway bunkers left of the wide landing area. But, into the wind, a wide range of clubs can be used to get from tee-to-green. Again, the terrain is crumpled in parts and adds to the intrigue of what your second shot will oer.
CAPE WICKHAM LINKS 327-metre, 10th hole
One of the most memorable (in a long list) of Cape Wickham holes where the experience of beautiful surrounds and great golf combine. The fairway, bordered by long fescue left and right, cascades from the tee down to the green on the edge of the Southern Ocean. Hitting the steeper downslope from the tee will leave a short iron or wedge in hand for the approach shot into a green that has two distinct levels.
CAPE WICKHAM LINKS 295-metre, 12th hole
Of the quartet of Cape Wickham short fours featured here, this might be the best of them. The reward for hitting driver and taking aim at the green is huge, but the risks are also high. The slight dogleg left features a fairway that cambers toward the ocean left and the closer you get to the green, the steeper the slope becomes.
KINGSTON BEACH GC 311-metre, 2nd hole
The tee sits high above the fairway and presents a view of the second half of the hole
and the winding Browns River as it meets the Derwent River well beyond the green. Heavily wooded scrub lies left of the fairway, while trees line the right of the straight avenue to the green, which is protected by two bunkers short left and right as well as out-of-bounds long.
LAUNCESTON GC 312-metre, 12th hole
A narrow corridor created by tall trees left and right dominates the view from the tee as the hole rolls across uneven ground and a gully before reaching the fairway, which veers slightly right. The closer you get to the green the narrower the landing area as three bunkers encroach diagonally from the left, making you cautiously play away from them. This, however, then forces you to hit over another bunker short right and pull up short of a lake, at the bottom of slope left of the putting surface. Wonderful hole!
OCEAN DUNES 280-metre, 2nd hole
A superb risk-and-reward par-4 from designer Graeme Grant that starts from one of four tees terraced above the edge of the ocean. Called ‘Outcrop’, the first half of the hole is as wide as a football field by the ocean. A massive, wide bunker carved out of a sand dune narrows down the route to the green and also hides the green beyond. Lay-up to the wide fairway and you have a blind second shot, while taking a risk from the tee can leave only a slightly obscured view of the putting surface.
OCEAN DUNES 271-metre, 13th hole
Beyond the digging of bunkers out of the ground, very little earth was moved in the creation of this wonderful short two-shotter. Bunkers on the crest of a hill dominate the playing line towards the green beyond. The second shot here is into an infinity green with the Southern Ocean filling the backdrop.
NEW SOUTH WALES & ACT BONNIE DOON GC 268-metre, 8th hole
The choice of two paths awaits on this tee with dangerous bunkers splitting the two-levelled fairway. The left side is open and leaves a short, elevated shot up the hill onto the green, while the big hitter might choose to take on the right side of the fairway, hoping to catch the hill, which will feed your ball towards the green and a chance of birdie.
BONNIE DOON GC 293-metre, 12th hole
Walking up onto the tee brings the Sydney CBD skyline into view, o into the distance to the left. To the right and below, lies the 12th hole that asks several questions of shot and club choice before you have even made a swing. The smart play is a long iron to the bottom of the hill and short of the fairway bunkers will leave you a short approach into a wide green.
BONNIE DOON GC 310-metre, 16th hole
From this elevated tee players can choose two playing lines to the green. The longer hitter will want to take driver over the scheme of fairway bunkers on the right and leave a short wedge into a small narrow and bunker-protected green. Shorter hitters should play to the fat of the fairway and attack the green from there.
BONVILLE GOLF RESORT 331-metre, 2nd hole
While this hole can be played from the 346-metre back markers, many of our judges felt the risk-and-reward of pegging up from the white markers (331 metres) made this very good hole just a little better. Played across the slope of a hill from an elevated tee to a fairway heavily lined by tall flooded gum trees, the hole turns right around a bunker and up to a green terraced into the side of a hill.
CONCORD GC 266-metre, 13th hole
This is rated No.18 on the Concord scorecard but, as a result of a Tom Doak redesign that opened for play in 2018, it is one of the most fun to play. From the tee, long drivers can reach the large horseshoe-shaped green, which wraps around a small deep bunker that should be avoided at all costs. The key for the rest of us is to leave your approach on the correct side of the green to have any chance with the putter, but this is reliant on finding a good position o the tee.
COOLANGATTA & TWEED HEADS GC – RIVER COURSE 314-metre, 13th hole
Standing on the 13th tee there is only one question the hole asks of you: “Can you hit the fairway?” Missing the narrow fairway, heavily lined by trees and scrub, oers little respite or chance of making par. From the fairway, the approach to the deep, narrow and elevated green is treacherous as the wind o the river can push these high-flying shots wide of the target.
EASTLAKE GC 249-metre, 14th hole
Known as the ‘Big Dipper’, the 14th is shorter than most holes featured here but it plays slightly longer than its 249 metres because most of the journey to the green is uphill. A fairway bunker, left and well short of the green, can catch longer drives, while shorter drives will leave a semi-blind approach to the elevated green.
ELLERSTON 308-metre, 8th hole
The shortest par-4 at Ellerston presents a blind tee shot over the crest of a hill and it is important to select the right club for the shot. A driver can see your ball run through the end of the fairway and into a deep, grassy ravine short of the green. There are seven bunkers surrounding the putting surface, with short and right being the only ‘good’ miss.
MONASH CC 315-metre, 13th hole
The huge bush rock in the centre of the fairway provides players a platform from which to hit their approach shots to the green below. The aggressive line is well left of the Bahai Temple (on the hill in the distance) and over trees left of the fairway, which will leave a short pitch to the green.
MONASH CC 314-metre, 18th hole
Recently renovated, the 18th provides a spectacular finish where your tee shot is played across a waterfall to a sloping fairway
with tall overhanging trees left and bushland to the right. The green is protected by sand left and right so correct club selection for an approach from well below the green is challenging.
MOORE PARK GC 310-metre, 12th hole
Played from an elevated tee to a narrow fairway, the tee shot is all about club selection. Go to long and you can run out of fairway, as it veers left and then right around a massive bunker. The green features a huge tier and leaving your approach shot on the wrong level will make birdie, or par, unlikely.
NAROOMA GC 330-metre, 2nd hole
The cli -top par-3 3rd hole quite rightly grabs all the headlines at Narooma, but the journey to reach that hole is just as spectacular. The tee is perched high above the start of the fairway, which climbs gradually and bends left around the cli top. Anything from a long iron to a wedge may be needed to cut across the bend, and a deep bunker, to hit the putting surface. Taking the safe route to the right of the green can also find a bunker well short.
NEW SOUTH WALES GC 323-metre, 14th hole
The 14th is a beautiful natural hole that could not be reproduced anywhere else in the world. Your drive must carry the impenetrable shrub gully that lies between the tee and fairway, which sits at a 45-degree angle to the approach of your ball and features a high mound traversing the fairway. From here there is no margin for error and the pitch up to the small green is arguably the most demanding shot you’ll face inside 100 metres.
NEWCASTLE GC 326-metre, 11th hole
The 11th gives the impression of being easy as you stand on the tee. From a tee enclosed by trees, the hole opens up as it gently rolls toward the green. A fairway bunker well short of the green, and set near the right edge of the fairway, can be easily found as the rolling short grass feeds balls into it and will, ultimately, lead to a hard-fought par, bogey or worse.
RANDWICK GC 330-metre, 2nd hole
Location, location, location … this can be just as important for golf as it is for real estate. Randwick is a short par-54 course and its little 2nd hole is simple yet exciting to play. Played along the edge of a cli with uninterrupted ocean views, the fairway cambers left toward the water as the hole veers slightly right up to a small, bunkerless green.
ROYAL CANBERRA GC 289-metre, 7th hole
Played slightly uphill from the edge of Lake Burley Grin, the left side of the wide fairway is the best route to the green, but a carefully placed bunker adds an element of risk. An approach from the right of the fairway is dicult to get close to most pin positions here.
SHELLY BEACH GC 333-metre, 6th hole
The spectacular seaside setting – where the left edge of the fairway is separated from the beach by scrub-covered dunes which are outof-bounds – leaves this par-4 well-exposed to the wind. The fairway rolls gently south and can play much longer when the wind is up, but this takes a shallow fairway trap and some encroaching trees out of play for many.
ST MICHAEL’S GC 340-metre, 14th hole
A redesign of this hole in recent years has made this a much better hole. The addition of fairway bunkers right of the gently rising fairway and the exposing of sandy wasteland left and closer to the green makes you think more about your strategy for the hole. Into a strong wind, the second shot for many players is a blind one.
STONECUTTERS RIDGE GC 320-metre, 5th hole
Plenty of questions asked on the tee here. The wide fairway is flanked by wetlands to the right and is pinched in by fairway bunkers left and right of the landing zone. The conservative play is to lay up short of the bunkers and head for the green over the edge of the hazard. It is a narrow entry into the green, which is surrounded by three bunkers and lots of short grass to feed mis-hits away from the putting surface.
THE AUSTRALIAN GC 319-metre, 3rd hole
A lake is the key feature of this hole. The water hazard cannot be seen from the tee and can be reached by longer hitters, especially downwind. There are two fairway bunkers right and these need to be skirted to get the best possible line into the two-tiered green,
which sits obliquely to your approach and slopes toward the water on the lower level. THE LAKES GC
314-metre, 10th hole
The back nine at The Lakes begins with one of the most treacherous short two-shotters in the land. A heavily grassed and treed sand dune lines the left of the hole and a steep slope down to marshland, which is out-of-bounds, flanks the right edge of the fairway. The narrow fairway squeezed between these two hazards (and some fairway bunkering) is exposed to the wind, creating further complications.
THE LAKES GC 290-metre, 13th hole
The perched, narrow green of this downhill two-shotter has been controversial since coming into play after a redesign more than a decade ago. The fairway is generously wide but the best line into the green is alongside the pond near the right edge of the short grass. If you miss this ideal narrow corridor into the green, you will need to hit a brilliant pitch to have a chance at making birdie.
THE VINTAGE GC 336-metre, 15th hole
This is an underrated oering in the run back to the clubhouse at The Vintage. Standing on the tee, the view is dominated by a lake left and deep Greg Norman and Bob Harrison-designed bunkers right with the fairway winding between. The right half of the green is secreted behind a mound, which dictates that the best line into the green is from the left … near the water.
VICTORIA BARWON HEADS GC 299-metre, 1st hole
Barwon Heads’ opening hole eases you into the round with a generously wide fairway that narrows the closer you get to the green. A drive finishing short of the second fairway bunker left will leave a slight uphill shot to a wide green with a false front, so there are plenty of demands on correctly judging the distance of the approach.
COMMONWEALTH GC 303-metre, 17th hole
Length means nothing and accuracy from the tee is everything here, simply due to the shape and slope of the green. The best angle of approach is from the right edge of the fairway, having avoided the trees and shrubs that encroach from the left about 50 metres short of the angled green.
CURLEWIS GC 308-metre, 3rd hole
From the tee perched above the fairway, you can see the green as well as all the trouble en route. Big hitters will also note they can carry a massive fairway bunker on the right of the fairway by taking an ‘as the crow flies’ route to the green. But any aggressive play from the tee is fraught with danger as an out-of-bounds fence is just metres from the left edge of the fairway.
FLINDERS GC 272-metre, 4th hole
Flinders Golf Club is an underrated gem of the Mornington Peninsula and its most famous hole, the 4th known as the Con hole, was designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie during his 1926 Australian visit. There is no water or sand here, just two deep gullies – or cons – that need to be carried with the tee shot, and the second by a short iron approach.
HUNTINGDALE GC 314-metre, 8th hole
Sand, and plenty of it, is the defence here. The fairway gets tighter the closer your ball gets to green. Fairway bunkers left and right are easily reached, while four more massive bunkers ring the deep, narrow green. Earlier in the round, take note of the pin position so as not leave yourself an impossible putt on a very dicult putting surface.