Par-3s may be the shortest holes in golf but they distill the game down to its purest point-and-shoot pin-seeking essence. Players simply choose their angle of attack, plant their tee in the ground, lock in on the target and fire away. Land on the green and a birdie opportunity knocks. Off target but still in the vicinity—par is still doable.
Part of what makes these holes such a blast is the green is reachable in one shot, meaning every time a player steps foot on the tee, there’s a legit chance at golf’s lotto ticket jackpot—a hole-in-one.
Yet, until recently, par-3 courses lacked a unifying voice. Ronan Galvin, CEO of swaggy bag maker Sunday Golf, has filled that void by establishing the Par 3 Golf Association (P3GA).
“I’m more passionate about par-3 golf than I am about full-length golf courses,” he says. “Sometimes it’s viewed as the adopted stepchild of the golf industry and people overlook it. I like to say it’s half the cost, half the time, twice the fun.”
Galvin is a natural advocate for the cause. His company was the first to market a golf bag specifically tailored to par-3 courses. The Loma, the lightweight six-club carry bag that put Sunday Golf on the map, is named after an executive course in San Diego where Sam Snead once served as head pro back when ‘The Slammer’ was serving in the Navy.
