Top Golf Courses Offer Simple, Faster Alternatives for Less Serious Players

Par three courses and laid-back etiquette are all the rage in an effort to attract casual golfers.

The Cradle at Pinehurst Resort (Pinehurst Resort)
The Cradle at Pinehurst Resort (Pinehurst Resort)

Par three courses are now par for the course.

To attract more casual golfers and rookies, many prime golf resorts are offering quicker and less intimidating courses, The Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Take the nine-hole short course is called the Cradle at Pinehurst, one of the top golf destinations in the country. Just 789 yards long, it’s a course that encourages children to play. Other par three courses around the country offer all sorts of interesting experiences — including llamas and goats used as caddies.

“If such departures from tradition strike ‘true golfers’ as a sacrilege, Pinehurst author and historian Chris Buie begs to differ,” writes the WSJ‘s John Paul Newport.  “He noted that whimsically titled events called “frolics” were popular among American golf’s early devotees. In one such competition at Pinehurst called ‘monkey golf,’ each player carried a single club and catcalls during backswings were actively encouraged.”

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