Denver's Newest Tourist Attraction: The 274-yard Tee Sign!

It used to be folks would send you a photo of the Arnold Palmer first tee plaque at the wonderful Cherry Hills Country Club, but now it's absurd yardages for par-3s that have become the affection of cell phone cameras.

Even worse, with the altitude and all the Pilates work the field has been doing, there will be plenty of irons hit there.

From a reader at the U.S. Amateur host site, where play began today (Sean Martin previews):

Comments

[cbob]

Is this a trial run for an Open?

I'm surprised the USA thinks they can get the course long enough. Right now it is 7409 yds, par 71. At 6,000 feet or whatever, I'd think 8,000 would be their aim.

[JT]

A 274 yard 5 iron, makes sense.

[CT]

Just a flip compared to #8 at Oakmont in ''07... Still, one shot gets you on the green. Sounds like a par 3 to me

[GinGHIN]

It's always been the worst hole at CHCC. Flat, boring. They had to add a lot of length and this was one of the few places they could tack on 30 extra yards.

[Pasaplayer]

Bomb and gouge--driver and a wedge. Now I get it.

[BurnFlogan]

By the way I understand you would take roughly 27 yards off that for true distance, correct? Either way it's a poke.

[Ray]

We have a 252 yard par 3 with some deep traps at Hollow Brook Country Club in Cortlandt Manor NY.

[GinGHIN]

We had a 275 yd par 3 at our course just a few miles from Cherry that replaced a wonderfully designed, "short" 185 yarder. The new hole was universally disliked. It's now the practice area, and we've reverted to the former hole. Long par 3s without a lot of design (vis-a-vis 17 at Merion or 14 at Pine Valley, which are awesome) are awful.

[Steve]

I'm a 16. I'm thinking 2 shot hole. One putt par or two putt bogey.

[johnnnycz]

Cool...a drivable Par-3....what will the deep thinkers at the USGA think of next????

[OWGR Fan]

Yawn. A par 3 in the 1930 US Open played 262 yards at Interlachen. Without jacked up balls and clubs and not at a mile+ in elevation. The world survived. :-)

FWIW Palmer designed (or put his name on) a 273 yard par 3 at The Palmer Course @ Oglebay Resort in Wheeling West Virginia that is fairly narrow, plays slightly up hill and has no bail out left or right. Elevation is a little less than 1200 feet. Total train wreck of a hole.