If you’re a golfer, on many occasions, you must have wondered if there’s a Par 6 Hole in Golf. Well, the answer is yes.
Although most courses have par-3s, 4s and 5s, very few courses have a par-6 hole in the US, each measuring over 700 yards. While it is extremely rare, you can see 700+ yard holes in some championship courses. According to the United States Golf Association (USGA), any hole longer than 670 yards for men and 570 for women is a par 6 golf hole.
Par 6 holes are so rare that despite their experience of major international tournaments on prestigious courses, many golfers had never had the opportunity to face a hole more than 670 yards. Still confused? Here’s a detailed discussion to give you an insight into par 6!
Is there a Par 6 Hole In Golf?
Par 6 holes are not common today, extremely rare, especially in high-level golf tournaments like on the PGA Tour. And it is not just the distance that goes into assigning a par value to a hole. So, how long should a hole have to be today to be called a par-6?
According to the World Handicap System introduced in 2020, the USGA and R&A, par-6 holes have the following yardages:
- Holes 670 yards and longer for men
- Holes 570 yards and longer for women
Today, some other factors are included in assigning par ratings:
- Uphill or downhill while playing a hole
- Number of bunkers or penalty areas on a hole
- The narrowness or wideness of the hole and fairway
Along with the distance in yardages, these factors determine the so-called ‘effective playing length’ that assigns par value. Since the same distance can take longer to play by the same golfer in an uphill 450 yard than a downhill 450-yarder, it is important to add these factors into assigning par values.
So, if the hole’s effective playing yardage requires it, the measured lengths can be tweaked during the rating process of the course from the actual lengths (670+ yards for men and 570+ yards for women). Thus, a par-6 hole can be shorter than the USGA guidelines or longer than the par-6 minimum for a par-5 hole.
Meet the Longest Holes in the World: Par 6 Holes and Beyond
When talking about long golf holes, one thinks of a Par 5 of more than 600 yards and, surely, the worst nightmare for an amateur player with a medium handicap. However, these distances are far from entering the rankings of the most extensive, including the number of the pair.
The list below will surely answer your question: is there a par 6 hole in golf?
TPC Colorado Course
There’s a TPC Colorado course with Hole 13. When the Korn Ferry Tour decided to play there in the middle of 2019, they consulted how to play the hole through their social networks. One of the responses from a player on tour was, “Take an Uber to the 14th tee,” which was a great way to chart what this 773-yard par 5 is, making this the longest hole ever of history at a professional event in the United States.
Links at Kahite Golf Course, Vonore, Tennessee
This 808 yards golf course has hosted many state events and competitions since its inception in 2002. The 18th hole with 12 bunkers and the 808 yards par 6 9th hole are the two holes of this course that stand out.
Meadow Farms, Virginia
Then comes the Meadow Farms, Virginia, having multiple attractions. It has an island Par 3, a baseball field and one in which the green is over a waterfall. Enough to want to play the course with 27 holes divided into three 9-hole courses, the Island Course, the Waterfall Course, and the Longest Hole Course. Despite not belonging to the rotation of a professional tour, the latter has the title of the Longest Hole in the US, with its 12th hole, a par 6, which has the longest teeing distance of 841 yards, challenging for even the most experienced players.
Penati Golf Club, Slovakia
The Penati Golf Club, Slovakia, is a European course having 36 holes divided into two courts. One of them is the Legend course built to plans by Nicklaus Design and meets PGA world standards. So much so that in 2019 it hosted a European Challenge Tour tournament, turning Hole 15, a 783-yard par 6, into its main attraction, making it the longest hole played in Europe at a professional level. If the distance is not enough, it has 11 different tee boxes or exits to play.
Satsuki GC Sano, Japan
The next one is the Satsuki GC Sano, Japan, which falls in the Par 7 range. Satsuki holds the official record for the longest hole in the world, as the list has not yet been updated. Hole 7 of this course has an extension of 964 yards. That is, if you’re skilled enough to hit a 300-yard three-stroke streak, you’ll still be short of the green. If you think, “Never mind playing off the front tee,” don’t get too excited. It’s 884 yards for men, and ladies’ is 811. The plane ride to Japan will probably seem less strenuous than playing there.
Gunsan Country Club, South Korea
The last one in our list is the Gunsan Country Club, South Korea, a giant in the world of golf. The Club has 81 holes nine 9-hole courses and covers an area of almost 430 hectares. Within all this is the Jeongeup Course, where hole 3 is a Par 7 of an incredible 1,098 yards, that is, just over a kilometer (the stone that marks the start is written in meters and says 1,004 from black).
Thus, it exceeds the Japanese course by more than 100 yards; even if you play it from the front tee, you would still hit the longest hole in the world since it is 982 yards and, if you were wondering, the women’s tee is 933 yards.
It is worth mentioning that within the 81 holes, four of them are scored over 600 and a Par 6 of 723 yards. The field is 30% water and intervening in one way or another all the shots to add more difficulty.
We know the information above has answered the question: is there a par 6 hole in golf? Now you know some of the longest golf courses with 700+ yards.
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