GOLF - On the hole, this is par-three heaven

Golfers who wish every hole was a par three, now have a reason to get up in the morning.
Whangarei Golf Club will launch its par-three, nine and 18-hole course with a free introductory day for non-members tomorrow.
Forget those forever embarrassing five-over par fives that lurk on every course - because you can - every hole is a par three.
The idea for the par-three course came from former board member Rodney Dickens, who thought it could be popular in Whangarei. The rest of the club agreed and got in behind it, administration manager Miles Bentley said.
"The whole idea around the par-three course is to ease people into golf, the game is a hard one for beginners to pick up but if you're playing par-three holes it is a lot easier and you don't need so many clubs, either," he said.
"We're really targeting people of a young age and think it will give them a good introduction to golf, where they can go and play a round but not on a full-length course."
The par-three course is laid out on the existing course and simply means that an extra tee will appear, in the rough, on each of the course's 18 holes. That means there will be two nine-hole par-three courses, or an 18-hole par-three course for the avid beginner.
Par-three courses are increasingly appearing overseas, particularly in America, Europe and South Africa.
"We're hoping that the idea will be a big hit next summer, particularly on Friday afternoons, where nine holes should be popular and we probably will put on barbecues and so on," Bentley said.
The club will offer a hugely discounted yearly membership fee for the nine-hole course of $150 for seniors and $40 for juniors, or golfers can simply pay green fees for an outing.
The fees will apply only to the par-three course when it is open on Fridays and Sunday afternoons. If demand is high, the club will look at extending the days the nine-hole tees are in action but, for now, the plan is simply to establish the idea before next summer.
The free introductory day for non-members starts at 11.30am, at the golf club.