Short Par 4s "Once played - never forgotten"

Niagara golf is a wonderful mix of older and new designs that include a dozen or so outstanding short par-4s – no “gimme” fours, mind you, but holes that tempt big hitters, challenging them to make their best swing (on the first try). And, fairly for shorter hitters (and that’s most of us), each offers a strategic option less demanding off the tee.
	Not every Niagara golf course has one, but a short par-4 (less than 300 yards - white tees) adds to the playability and challenge of any course. The possibility of driving the green on a par-4 piques the interest of the most jaded golfer and certainly longer hitters. To be fair though, there must also be a penalty for failing to do so and opting to take a more conservative, 2-shot route to the pin. Essentially that is what "risk-reward" golf is all about - playing it safe, laying up and settling for a par, or "going for it", trying for an eagle or birdie, and risking penalty strokes - maybe the ruin of an otherwise good round.
While golf courses are getting longer, the inclusion of a short par-4 is becoming the norm, probably because today's golf-pro-designers better understand the challenge and risk-reward values that such holes add to any layout. Having said that, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Niagara's newest championship course - Thundering Waters GC, designed by John Daly, perennially one of the longest hitters on the planet - includes two outstanding short par-4s.

Freedom Oaks GC # 18 Hunters Pointe GC # 7 Legends - Ussher’s Creek # 5 Links of Niagara # 5 Long Beach CC # 3 Niagara Falls GC # 13 Peninsula Lakes - Hillside # 1 Port Colborne CC # 5 Riverview GC # 12 Rolling Meadows G&CC # 8 Royal Niagara GC - Escarpment # 9 Sawmill GC # 7 Sparrow Lakes GC - Sparrow # 17 Thundering Waters GC # 7 Thundering Waters GC # 11 Twenty Valley G&CC # 6 Whisky Run GC – Fox # 2