No. 3 at Caledonia: A par 3 with a three-tiered green
Many players indicate that No. 3 at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club is where the real challenge of the course begins. A mid-sized par 3 measuring 187 yards from the back tees, be sure to bring your best swing for No. 3 when you play it with Caledonia Golf Vacations. The hole is not a gimme, not even for the best players.
From the tee, No. 3 is all carry with no room on the left and very little on the right. A ginormous waste area bunker — which course designer Mike Strantz is so well known for — runs from the teeing area down to the front of the green and then all the way around the green’s right side to the back of the putting area. Meanwhile, the hole is tree lined to the left and a pot bunker protects the green’s left side. All of this creates not only an intimidating tee shot but also an impressive visual that contrasts against the green grass and towering Southern pines. Strantz is a master of designing memorable par threes, and this one fits right into that legacy.
The hole’s most notable feature is its three-tiered green complex, with three distinct levels climbing from the front of the green to the back, almost like a staircase. What Strantz has done with this is create multiple pin placements which lead to knee-knocking putting scenarios. The real challenge of the hole lies in the fact that hitting it above the hole is no good at all, but rarely is hitting it below the hole, either. No. 3 really begs players to hit it exactly hole high, and if you don’t, a three-putt, four-putt or, yes, five-putt is not out of the question.
Controlling carry with an iron and putting effectively is what No. 3 at Caledonia is all about. The challenge here is very real and so, too, it is with the next 15 holes to follow.