Ranked · 6 courses · reviewed June 2026

The Best Short Courses and Par 3 Layouts at Top Resorts

The short course has become the soul of the modern golf resort, the place the day ends with a beer in hand, a wedge, and more fun per hole than the championship layout next door. Here are the six best at the world's great resorts, ranked, with our verdict on each and why it matters to your trip.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: The Cradle Short Course, The Cradle Short Course, via Google

How we chose them

A great short course is not a throwaway. The best are designed by the same architects who built the headline courses, on the same wonderful ground, with green complexes every bit as clever, just played with a handful of clubs and a fraction of the time. They have quietly become the reason groups stay an extra night, the place a serious trip becomes a joyful one. We weighed the quality of the design and the green complexes, the drama of the setting, the sheer fun of the round and the strength of the resort around it, then ranked accordingly. Every entry sits at a destination resort worth the journey in its own right.

Every fact here, the designers, the years, the hole counts and the indicative green fees, was checked at the time of writing in June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Short course fees and access often depend on whether you are a resort guest, and rates move with the season, so treat the numbers as a guide and always confirm directly before booking. The verdicts are ours. If you want one of these resorts built into a trip, with the big course, the short course and the lodging handled, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The 6 best short courses and par 3 layouts at top resorts

The Cradle, Pinehurst Resort

Gil Hanse, 2017 · North Carolina · 9 holes, about 790 yards

The course that lit the modern short course craze, Gil Hanse built The Cradle in 2017 on a sandy parcel beside the Pinehurst clubhouse, nine holes from roughly 56 to 127 yards over rumpled, native sandhills ground. It is walking only, music drifts from the porch, and the full sized Sandhills greens give it real bite despite the lengths. Hanse himself has aced it more than once. No nine holes in golf deliver more pure joy, and at the home of American golf it is the perfect end to any Pinehurst day.

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The Sandbox, Sand Valley

Coore and Crenshaw · Wisconsin · 17 holes, par 3

The most architecturally ambitious of them all, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's seventeen hole Sandbox sits among the rolling dunes of central Wisconsin, with holes from about 40 to 140 yards. What sets it apart is the variety of the green complexes, a Biarritz, a Redan, a Lion's Mouth and more, miniature lessons in golf architecture you can play in an hour. It is firm, fast and endlessly replayable, the ideal warm down after a day on Sand Valley's full courses and worth the trip on its own.

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Bandon Preserve, Bandon Dunes

Coore and Crenshaw, 2012 · Oregon · 13 holes, par 3

The original destination par 3 course and still one of the best, Coore and Crenshaw's thirteen hole Bandon Preserve opened in 2012 high on the dunes above the Pacific, tumbling down toward the sea with ocean views from almost every tee. Holes run from short pitches to full long irons in the wind, and the setting is simply spectacular. Better still, proceeds support a local conservation fund, so the round does good as well as delights. An essential part of the Bandon experience and many golfers' favourite hour on the property.

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The Hay, Pebble Beach

Tiger Woods and TGR Design, 2021 · California · 9 holes

Tiger Woods's reimagining of Pebble Beach's historic short course, reopened in 2021 across the road from the famous first tee, nine holes designed to be played with any club in the bag, and including a faithful replica of Pebble's celebrated par 3 seventh. A sprawling putting course rounds out the offering. It is the only short course on this list set at one of the world's most storied resorts, which makes it the ideal way to taste Pebble's ground without a championship green fee. Fun, family friendly and steeped in history.

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The Nest, Cabot Cape Breton

Rod Whitman and Dave Axland · Nova Scotia · par 3

The newest addition to the great Cabot resort on the wild Cape Breton coast, The Nest is a par 3 course laid out by Rod Whitman and Dave Axland on the high ground above Cabot Cliffs, with some of the best views on a property already famous for them. It delivers the thrill and the firm, links style ground of a full round in a fraction of the time and with a handful of clubs. A glorious way to fill an evening between rounds on Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs, on one of the most dramatic stretches of coast in golf.

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Threetops, Treetops Resort

Rick Smith, 1992 · Gaylord, Michigan · 9 holes, par 27

The grandfather of the modern resort par 3 course, Rick Smith's Threetops opened in 1992 in the forested hills of northern Michigan and is one of the most awarded par 3 layouts in North America. Dramatic elevation changes send tee shots plunging to greens far below, and from 1999 it hosted the televised ESPN Par 3 Shootout, where Lee Trevino's ace once won more than a million dollars. It remains a thrilling, scenic nine and the centrepiece of a Treetops stay among five full courses.

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Designers, opening years and hole counts verified June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm guest access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Where they are, and indicative costs

These six sit at destination resorts across North America. The Cradle is at Pinehurst in North Carolina, The Sandbox at Sand Valley in central Wisconsin, Bandon Preserve on the Oregon coast, The Hay at Pebble Beach in California, The Nest at Cabot on Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, and Threetops at Treetops near Gaylord in northern Michigan. Each is part of a wider resort built around full championship courses, and the short course is the bonus that turns a golf trip into a great one. Many are walking only and most give priority or better rates to resort guests.

Item	Indicative 2026	Notes
Short course green fee	Around 50 to 150 US dollars	Often discounted or unlimited for resort guests
Resort full course green fee	Around 150 to 700 US dollars	Pebble Beach sits at the very top of this range
A stay and play package	Varies widely by resort and season	Lodging plus rounds, short course often included

Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.

Plan your golf resort trip

Tell us which resort tempts you and roughly when. One concierge arranges the big course, the short course and the lodging, costs the whole trip to the head, and replies within one working day, with no obligation.

Resort short course questions

What is the best resort short course in the world?

The Cradle at Pinehurst, Gil Hanse's nine hole gem from 2017, is the one that started the modern craze and our number one for sheer joy per hole. The Sandbox at Sand Valley runs it close on architecture, and Bandon Preserve wins on setting. Our ranking weighs design, setting, fun and the strength of the resort together.

Are these short courses worth playing on a serious golf trip?

Absolutely. The best are designed by the same architects as the headline courses, on the same superb ground, with green complexes every bit as clever. They are where a trip becomes social and joyful, played in an hour with a few clubs and often a drink in hand. Most experienced groups now build at least one short course round into every resort visit.

Do you need to be a resort guest to play them?

It varies. Some, like Bandon Preserve and the Cabot and Sand Valley short courses, give priority and better rates to resort guests, and a few are guest only at busy times. Others, including The Hay at Pebble Beach, are more openly public. Tee times for the short courses are usually easier to get than the championship courses, and a concierge can secure them as part of a package.

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, opening years and hole counts verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.