Golf's Finest Par Threes: The Art and Science of the One-Shot Hole

Golfers wanting to know the colourful stories behind names like Alcatraz, Biarritz, Cleopatra, Dell, Eden, Postage Stamp, and Redan can now turn to the only book ever devoted exclusively to the par-three hole. In Golf’s Finest Par Threes Tony Roberts and Michael Bartlett have assembled what they call a “an exemplary collection of the most spectacular, historic, challenging, and unusual one-shot holes on the planet.”

The heart of the book is the authors’ list of the 100 greatest par threes in the world, chosen from thousands they’ve seen during more than 30 years profiling and photographing golf courses. These are designated as gold and silver, and arranged by design and geographical categories such as links, island and peninsula, blind, drop shot, and more. Striking photography and fact-filled profiles combine to reveal the distinct character of each hole.

Golf’s Finest Par Threes also explains how the greatest course designers — notably, Macdonald, Colt, Tillinghast, MacKenzie, Ross, Thomas, Jones, Fazio, Nicklaus, Dye, and Doak — have created par threes. A closing section offers new perspectives on the one-shot hole: “Best Sets” and “Out-of-the-Box” threes, historic shots on par threes, and more.

Golf’s Finest Par Threes is a beautifully packaged tour of golf’s great short holes, one guaranteed to inform, entertain, and provoke vigorous debate about what makes a par three superior and memorable.

Tony Roberts’ photographs have been published in every major golf magazine, and his photos have graced over 300 covers. He is the two-time winner of Golf Photographer of the Year Award from the International Network of Golf. Roberts lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. Michael Bartlett is the author of a number of collections of sports stories and books about golf, including The Golfer’s Almanac and Bartlett’s World Golf Encyclopedia. He has been editor at Golf Canada, Golf Journal, and Golf magazine. He teaches journalism and is a freelance writer based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Together, Roberts and Bartlett have collaborated on two books: The Golf Book and The Estancia Club. Acknowledged as the deans of American architects, Pete Dye and Alice Dye, authors of the foreword, have teamed together for 50 years to create some of the world's most challenging and highly praised golf courses.