Executive Golf Courses: The Best Short Courses Worldwide
Discover the best executive golf courses and short courses worldwide, from par-3 gems at Pinehurst to Abu Dhabi and Tasmania. Play them all with Hole19.
Executive Golf Courses: The Best Short Courses Worldwide
Golf does not always need 18 holes and five hours. Executive golf courses, the shorter layouts built around par 3s and short par 4s, are the fastest-growing corner of the game, and some of the best architects alive are now building them next door to the world's most famous resorts. They are cheaper, quicker, more sociable, and far tougher on your wedges than most golfers expect.
Here are 12 short courses worth a detour, spread across the USA, the UK and Ireland, Continental Europe, and Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Every one is mapped on Hole19, so you can walk to the first tee already knowing your yardages.
What is an executive golf course?
An executive golf course is a shorter layout built mostly from par 3s and short par 4s, usually playing to a par between 27 and 68. Rounds take two hours or less, making them ideal for beginners, families and time-poor golfers.
Why short courses are booming
The maths is simple. A short course costs less to build, less to maintain, and less to play. That means green fees a group of mates can actually afford, and tee times that fit into an evening rather than swallowing a whole Saturday.
There is a playing argument too. Roughly two thirds of your shots in a normal round happen inside 100 yards, and an executive course is essentially a two-hour drill in exactly that part of the game. You hit approach shots to real greens, under real pressure, with a real scorecard. Nothing on a practice ground replicates that.
Resorts noticed. Pinehurst, Pebble Beach and Barnbougle all commissioned short courses from architects who normally build championship layouts, and they are now among the most talked-about golf experiences at each property.
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Executive golf courses in the USA
America invented the modern short-course revival, and these three show the range: a nine-hole par 27, a coastal classic reborn, and a full 18-hole par-54 executive layout in the desert.
The Cradle sits within Pinehurst Resort's sandhills
Pinehurst Resort (The Cradle), Pinehurst, North Carolina
Gil Hanse squeezed nine holes into ten acres of sandy scrub and created what many golfers now call the most fun stretch of ground in American golf. It runs to 789 yards, par 27, with bold greens, exposed bunkers and music playing while you play. Walk it twice in an afternoon, then argue about it all evening.
Originally laid out in 1957 and reimagined in 2021 by Tiger Woods' design team, The Hay packs nine par 3s into the Monterey Peninsula, including a tribute to Pebble Beach's famous cliff-top seventh. A 20,000 square foot putting green sits alongside it. It is the most affordable way to hit a golf shot at Pebble Beach, and the most relaxed.
Desert golf near Mountain Shadows, Paradise Valley
The Short Course at Mountain Shadows, Paradise Valley, Arizona
This is a proper 18-hole executive course, a par 54 designed by Forrest Richardson beneath Camelback and Mummy Mountains. Rugged desert terrain, dramatic mounding and rising ridges mean club selection genuinely matters on every tee. It holds a 4.9 rating from Hole19 golfers, which puts it in rare company.
Britain and Ireland have been playing short golf for over a century, long before anyone marketed it. Scotland, England and Ireland each offer something different.
Nine holes, par 30, and by far the cheapest way to hit a shot at the Home of Golf. The Balgove was built for families, children and beginners, but it still gives you links bunkers and a signature double green to negotiate. The practice facilities next door are among the best in Scotland.
The quieter sibling of St Enodoc's celebrated Church course, Holywell runs to 4,082 yards over 18 holes: nine par 3s, nine par 4s, par 63. James Braid had a hand in the original routing, and the Cornish dunes do the rest. Proper links golf, half the time, and the sea views come free.
Cruit Island's clifftop holes overlook the Atlantic
Cruit Island Golf Club, County Donegal, Ireland
Nine holes of clifftop links on the very edge of the Atlantic, and one of the great value rounds in Ireland. The sixth is played across an inlet with the ocean churning below, which is the sort of hole most resorts would build a hotel around. Wind management is the whole game here.
Playing more than one of these on a trip? Hole19's course search covers more than 42,000 golf courses, so you can plan the whole route, check every scorecard and save your tee shots to the same round history. Download Hole19 free and start mapping your next golf trip.
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Executive courses in Continental Europe
Europe's resort belt has quietly built some of the most scenic short golf anywhere, often attached to championship venues you already know.
Pine Cliffs sits above the beach at Albufeira
Pine Cliffs Resort, Albufeira, Portugal
Nine holes perched 200 feet above the Atlantic, threaded through Algarve pinewood by Martin Hawtree. The par-3 sixth, nicknamed the Devil's Parlour, asks for a carry of almost 200 metres over a ravine to a narrow green, and it is worth the trip on its own. Late afternoon tee times here are close to empty.
Le Golf National (L'Oiselet), Magny-les-Hameaux, France
You can play short golf on the same site that hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup and the 2024 Olympic tournament. L'Oiselet is a nine-hole par 32 running to 1,955 metres, with minimal rough and a genuine variety of shots. It is the friendliest introduction to a venue the professionals find brutal.
Kyle Phillips built two championship courses on this stretch of Sicilian coast, then added a nine-hole par 3 that borrows the same Mediterranean views. It is the ideal warm-up before the Links or Shore courses, or a complete round in its own right when the afternoon heat arrives.
Floodlights, mountain backdrops and coastal dunes: this is where short-course golf gets most inventive.
Desert links golf in the UAE
Yas Links Abu Dhabi Golf Club (Par 3), Abu Dhabi, UAE
Nine holes, par 27, 910 yards, with views over the Arabian Gulf and floodlit practice facilities that let you play once the desert heat drops. Kyle Phillips designed it as part of the Middle East's first true links complex, and the academy alongside is one of the best in the region.
Black Mountain Golf Club (Par 3), Hua Hin, Thailand
Black Mountain regularly tops rankings of Thailand's best golf, and its nine-hole par 3 sits at the foot of the same mountain scenery. Pristine greens, short-game areas next door, and a clubhouse that makes it very easy to stay for a second nine.
Bill Coore routed 14 holes, 12 par 3s and two par 4s, across the coastal dunes at Barnbougle. The wind off Bass Strait turns a 120-yard shot into a puzzle, and the whole thing takes about two hours. It is the purest argument going that short golf is real golf.
Browse the full catalogue on the Hole19 Discover Courses hub to see which short courses are already mapped near you.
Barnbougle Dunes was an unforgettable experience, the natural dunes and rolling fairways right along the coast create a dramatic, authentic links-style course. The constant wind off Tasmania's north coast made every shot a challenge, forcing me to rethink strategy hole by hole. The ocean views combined with the immaculate greens make this one of the most memorable courses I've ever played.
Mafalda Gil
How long does a round on a short course take?
Most nine-hole par-3 courses take 75 to 90 minutes for a fourball. An 18-hole executive layout like Mountain Shadows takes around two and a half hours. That is roughly half a standard round, which is why short courses fit an evening after work.
Are executive courses good for beginners?
They are the best possible starting point. Shorter holes mean fewer lost balls, faster play and less pressure from the group behind. Beginners build confidence with wedges and putters before they ever need a driver.
Treat it as a scoring test, not a warm-up. Use the Hole19 GPS rangefinder to get an exact number to the pin rather than eyeballing it, because on a par-3 course the difference between 118 and 132 yards is the difference between a birdieputt and a bunker shot.
Log every hole on the digital scorecard, and turn on Shot Tracker so each wedge gets recorded. After a handful of rounds, Advanced Stats will show you which yardage band you actually leak strokes from, and Otto AI, the assistant in the Intelligence tier, will talk you through what to practise next. Hole19's Intelligence tier comes with a 14-day free trial, so you can test that whole loop across a couple of short-course rounds before deciding.
Most executive courses play to a par between 27 and 68. A nine-hole par-3 course is par 27, an 18-hole par-3 course is par 54, and mixed layouts of par 3s and short par 4s typically land between par 58 and par 68.
Do short courses count towards a handicap?
It depends on the course. Layouts with an official course rating and slope, such as St Enodoc's Holywell course, can be used for handicap purposes. Pure par-3 courses often are not rated, so check with the club before submitting a card.
Which is the best short golf course in the world?
The Cradle at Pinehurst and Bougle Run at Barnbougle are the two most commonly cited, both designed by architects behind major championship venues. The Hay at Pebble Beach and the Yas Links par 3 are the strongest picks for scenery.
Play them, then track them
Executive golf courses give you the best part of the game in a fraction of the time: wedges, putts, pressure and a card that still counts for something. Whether it is nine holes at St Andrews or 14 in the Tasmanian dunes, the shot-by-shot data is where the improvement hides.
Join the 4.8M+ golfers already using Hole19. Download the app free, find your nearest short course, and see what two hours of golf can do for your scoring.
Join 4.8M+ golfers worldwide today. Download now!
Hole19 is the leading golf app for tracking scores, navigating courses with GPS precision, and unlocking performance insights.
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