The Par 3 discipline is a scaled down version of golf that came about to help with training and coaching, helping to focus on basic core principles such as technique and tactics. Playing a Par 3 course helps to hone and develop skills that will stand any golfer in good stead in the full form of the game, and in particular works on their short game.
The Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship is much like the Masters Par 3 in regards to the relaxed yet competitive atmosphere. However, it holds a very special place in the history of British golf and was played long before it became tradition in the Masters.
The British Par 3 Championship had its origins in the old Short Course Professional Championship which was played at the Palace Hotel, Torquay from 1933 to 1973.
The inaugural event was graced by a number of the game’s greats, with old Open Champions such as Alex Herd, Harry Vardon, JH Taylor and Bernard Hunt all coming out of retirement to join in the fun. Later, Peter Allis’ father Percy was a regular, as well as Sir Henry Cotton.
Sid Mouland, who won at Torquay in the 1960s, was the inspiration behind the tournament’s resurgence. Mouland, the professional attached to Nailcote Hall before his son Mark inherited his position, was forever regaling Rick Cressman, the owner of Nailcote Hall, with tales of the old Championship at the Palace Hotel. Rick’s ears pricked up at what he was hearing and when, in 1996, Sid thought that Nailcote Hall was in good enough shape to take over the championship, the rest, as they say, is history...
