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8th, Postage Stamp – 123 yards, Par 3

A case could be made to say that the ‘Postage Stamp’ is the most famous par 3 in the world of golf which would be quite a claim bearing in mind its miniscule vital statistics.

However, it was felt that the green used to be larger and had lost some of its area at the front as a result of looking at old photographs of the hole and assessing the contours of the green surrounds on the ground.

That has resulted in the green being mown out slightly further at the front to allow the flag to be located even closer to the front bunker.

The other minor adjustment to the hole illustrates another example of restoration. The slope running away from the Coffin bunker down onto the left side of the green was felt to have become steeper over the years as a result of a build up of a sandsplash from the regular play from the bunker. The slope was softened and more flag positions result.

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The hole name… (Postage Stamp)

Originally called “Ailsa” because there is a perfect view of the rocky islet of that name, from the tee. The smallness of the putting surface accounted for the current name when William Park, writing in “Golf Illustrated”, said, “A pitching surface skimmed down to the size of a Postage Stamp.

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Hole changes

Green mown out further at the front
Slope on the green running away from the Coffin Bunker softened

Architect Martin Ebert explains..

“We all know about the Postage Stamp and always look forward to watching how it plays. If you had to name the most famous par 3 in the world, the Postage Stamp might be it, possibly over the 12th at Augusta and Sawgrass’ 17th?

“We’ve mown out the green closer to the front bunker so a pin can be even closer to it and also so balls will trickle into it. By now the mildness of the challenge of the early holes is long forgotten.”

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Tom Irwin

Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.