Key Colony Beach Par 3 Golf Course Review

It’s the first week in April – you know what that means to a golfer?

It’s Masters week!

The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as The Masters), is one of the four major championships in men’s professional golf. The Masters is the first major of the year, and unlike the others, it is always held at August National Golf Club.

Masters tickets are considered the second-hardest to obtain in sports, trailing only the Super Bowl. Tickets – or badges – are cheap if you are lucky enough to be a patron or win the annual lottery. If you don’t get tickets directly from Augusta National, be prepared to spend thousands.

As you can guess, I didn’t get tickets this year, which means I have been watching it on my phone.

I really enjoy watching The Masters. There is something about holding the tournament in the same place every year that grounds the event in the sport itself. Rising stars and unknown hopefuls compete on the very same pitch that hundreds of legends before them did! And as the first major tournament of the year, there is a ceremonial importance to holding it in the same place.

The schedule for the week of The Masters is full with practice rounds and the Par 3 contest, as well as four days of players competing for victory.

Besides watching the honorary starters tee-off to start the competition, (this year it was Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player) I also enjoy watching the Par 3 Contest.

In fact – it is high on my list of fun things to watch during the week.

For me, of all the traditions at The Masters, none is more endearing than the annual Par 3 Contest. This beloved event is above all a family affair. Wives and girlfriends, children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews – all happily serve as caddies. The sight of toddlers, outfitted in miniature Augusta National jumpsuits, toting a light bag or tending a flagstick more than twice their height just makes me smile.

So….in honor of The Masters Par-3 competition, Marc and I decided to play the local Par-3 course here in Marathon Key, Florida.

Just 5 minutes from the RV Resort where we are staying is Key Colony Beach Par 3 Golf Course. This 9-hole Par-3 Golf Course is located in Key Colony Beach, FL. It is a public golf course that opened in 1959. The course measures 962 yards from the longest tees.

Par three golf is as pure as it gets. Playing this form of a shorter and more targeted golf is all about accuracy.

Because I knew it was a short course, I only brought 3 clubs – 7 iron, pitching wedge and putter, and Marc only brought two clubs – sand wedge and putter. Throughout the round, I took my time and seriously worked on my short game.

I found the course to be in good shape and the prices just can’t be beat for the location.

The greens were a bit smaller and more difficult to hit.

It become very obvious to me early in my round that I couldn’t afford to be off target. And playing this form of shorter and more targeted golf meant that Marc, who is an especially long hitter, didn’t have the usual advantage over me for this round.

At first I thought it would be more of a “pitch-n-putt” golf. However, the presentation of the course is great and has all of the features of a normal course except the length.

The tee boxes have grass mats to tee from, but that did not have a negative impact on my tee shots.

It’s no secret I think golf is the best sport in the world and the fact that it is so challenging is a real part of the appeal. I love, in a sadistic way, pitting myself up against the elements and tough courses to see what I am made of.

However, it doesn’t always have to be that way.

And playing this par-3 course was all of the most fun parts of the sport concentrated into an abbreviated form.

You can’t make tee times at Key Colony Beach Par 3 Golf course. Every player is a walk-on. At the club house we were greeted by Kevin – a very helpful starter. He was welcoming and proud of his home course.

I enjoyed our short round and would urge everyone who’s in the area to give Key Colony Beach Par 3 Golf a try.

Based on our score card evaluation, I would give

Key Colony Beach Par-3 Golf Course a Par.

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting

Written By Kathy Festa

COURSE REVIEW SCORE CARD

Course:  Key Colony Beach Golf

Type: Public Golf Course

Date Played: 05 April 2023