Top Par-3 Holes Among 2025 USGA Championship Venues

There is little argument that the slate of venues hosting USGA championships in 2025 are among some of the finest in the country, if not the world. Cypress Point Club, Oakmont Country Club, The Olympic Club, Bandon Dunes, Erin Hills, Plainfield Country Club and Monterey Peninsula Country Club all are top 100 layouts, and a few of the others, including Atlanta Athletic Club, San Diego Country Club and Trinity Forest aren’t far behind.

These sites can not only boast that they have hosted the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and PGA Tour and/or prestigious amateur events, but also feature a plethora of great holes.

There are even two venues in 2025 that finish with par-3 holes: The Omni Homestead Resort’s Cascades Course (U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur) and Oak Hills Country Club (U.S. Senior Amateur).

For this piece, we’ll just focus on the “short” holes as there are no shortage of world-class par-3s on these layouts. Here’s a look at nine of the top par3s, plus a few that just missed the cut.

Cypress Point Club (No. 16)

This 222-yarder might be one of the most famous par-3 holes in the world, and it’ll be center stage during the 50th Walker Cup Match in September. It’s certainly one of the most photographed, right there with its Monterey Peninsula neighbor, the par-3 seventh at Pebble Beach, No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass, No. 12 at Augusta National and No. 8 at Royal Troon. Just the tee shot over a portion of Pacific Ocean to a green that sits on the edge of a peninsula is enough to strike fear into the best of ball-strikers. The vision of 1921 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and course developer, Marion Hollins, the 16th was originally going to be a par 4 until Hollins convinced course architect Alister MacKenzie that women could make the necessary carry with a driver. Even the best golfers need to hit a hybrid or long iron to reach the green complex that is protected by rocks, ocean and ice plants.

Cypress Point Club (No. 15)

Often overlooked by the par 3 that follows, the short 15th hole begins one of the greatest three-hole stretches in the game (the dogleg-right par-4 17th is equally breathtaking). The 15th only measures 135 yards, but some feel it’s prettier than No. 16. The hole is surrounded by bunkers, ocean rocks and cypress trees, and offers a much easier birdie opportunity than the brutish 16th.

The 14th hole on the Dunes Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club is one of the most spectacular par-3s anywhere. (USGA/Kirk H. Owens)

Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Dunes Course (No. 14)

Not many venues in Pebble Beach can say it has a par 3 that sits on the other side of picturesque and historic 17-Mile Drive. The 14th on the Dunes Course, which is hosting the 38th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, offers one such hole. As visually appealing as the two par3s at Cypress Point, this medium-length par 3 features a back tee (170 yards) that snugs the coastline and sits just steps from a spot where daily visitors gather for breathtaking scenic photos. The green abuts the rocky coastline and is protected by a pair of bunkers. Players can bail out to the left but could be faced with a tricky recovery from a sandy waste area.

The eighth hole at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, site of the 125th U.S. Open, can be stretched to play 300 yards. (USGA/Fred Vuich)

Oakmont Country Club (No. 8)

During the 2007 U.S. Open, then-USGA CEO Mike Davis made the conscious decision to move the tee markers back on the downhill eighth hole at Oakmont Country Club, so it measured 300 yards, a first for a par 3 in the major championship. Davis repeated the decision in 2016, and the current setup team of Jeff Hall, John Bodenhamer and Scott Langley could do it again for the 125th edition. The hole, which normally measures just more than 250 yards, was designed to play as an extremely long one-shotter, with plenty of room for golfers to run up tee shots to this large green complex. While the hole doesn’t feature any water or breathtaking views, it’s always one of the most challenging par3s in major-championship golf.

The challenging par-3 third on the Lake Course at The Olympic Club offers a view of the distant Golden Gate Bridge from the tee. (USGA/Fred Vuich)

The Olympic Club (No. 3)

On a clear day – and you always hope for one in foggy San Francisco – the iconic Golden Gate Bridge can be seen from the teeing ground on the downhill par-3 third of The Olympic Club’s Lake Course. Outside of the view, this 258-yarder (from back tees) is one of the most challenging and difficult on the five-time U.S. Open venue (Olympic is hosting the 125th U.S. Amateur in August). Recent renovations have seen the green expanded in both the back right and left quadrants, while the back bunker has returned after it was removed in 2016. The wind can also play havoc with tee shots, especially when the ball soars above the tree line.

The ninth at Erin Hills is one of the great par-3 holes in major championship golf with its bunkering and challenging green complex. (USGA/Fred Vuich)

Erin Hills (No. 9)

Originally, the “Bye Hole” at Erin Hills was a means to get golfers from what is now the eighth green to the current 10th tee. But when the USGA decided to put the short, downhill hole into play for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links instead of using the “Dell Hole” (then No. 7), the ninth at Erin Hills officially became part of the course routing. The “Dell Hole” has since been bulldozed, while the short ninth (it will measure 139 yards for the 80th U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally) has become one of the more popular at the Wisconsin resort. While the tee shot requires just a wedge – or at most a 9-iron – the undulated green complex requires precision, or balls will be repelled into one of the bunkers or collection areas. It would not be surprising to see as many “others” as birdies at the ninth in late May.

Plenty of danger lurks for any offline tee shots at the par-3 second hole at Bandon Dunes. (USGA/Bill Hornstein)

Bandon Dunes (No. 2)

After a relatively benign opening par 4, the second at Bandon Dunes ratchets up the intensity with an uphill par 3 that can measure as much as 220 yards (likely a little shorter for the 125th U.S. Women’s Amateur in August). The prevailing wind blows in and often from the left. Such gusts can send shots short of the green or the common resting area for shots: a collection area to the right. Tee shots that do find the putting surface will find a severely undulated green to challenge even the most astute putters.

The surrounding desert that includes a plethora of saguaro cacti provide a picturesque backdrop at Troon Country Club's 15th hole. (USGA/Kirk H. Owens)

Troon Country Club (No. 15)

Course designer and major champion Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish created one of the most picturesque par-3 holes in the state of Arizona. The club’s signature hole, the 139-yard 15th perfectly blends into its desert surroundings of rocks and saguaros. The multi-tiered green requires precision off the tee as well as deft touch once your ball finds the putting surface. The 44th U.S. Mid-Amateur will be the third USGA championship conducted at Troon C.C.

Two distinct bowls come into play on the par-3 17th hole at Trinity Forest Golf Club. (USGA/Darren Carroll)

Trinity Forest Golf Club (No. 17)

One of the more unique holes on the Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw design is the 17th hole. Measuring 125 yards for the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur, the par 3 plays to a green that is split into a pair of bowl-like sections. The left bowl is about twice the size of its neighbor to the right. The eighth is just one in a collection of four challenging par-3s at this relative newcomer to championship golf.

Honorable Mention

Plainfield Country Club (Nos. 6 and 11)
San Diego Country Club (No. 3)
Atlanta Athletic Club, Riverside Course (No. 11)
The Broadmoor, East Course (No. 4)
The Omni Homestead Resort, Cascades Course (No. 18)
Oak Hills Country Club (No. 18)
Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club (No. 3)

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.