The best par 3s in North America

There are some par-3 holes that are so legendary, they can be the catalyst for a golf trip. Pete and Alice Dye perfected this phenomenon with the one-of-a-kind 17th hole at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. It was a marvel of construction on this swampy section of north Florida and has since been copied (at times by Pete Dye himself) many times over all over the world.

There are many other well known par 3s in North America that practically sell the golf destination on their own. Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s effort at Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii was a prime example of his "signature hole" concept. The third hole, since revamped by Rees Jones, plays up to 270 yards and is all-carry over crashing waves. The elder Jones crafted what can be described as northern Michigan's signature golf hole as well, the severely downhill sixth hole on the Jones Masterpiece at Treetops Resort in Gaylord. It spawned not only the title of the resort but four more courses and one of America's best summer golf getaways.

Other par 3s are marvels in construction. Tom Fazio built a must-see-to-believe effort on the Mountain Course at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Ariz. Coeur D'Alene Resort in Idaho built a floating, moveable island green accessible only by boat. Other par 3s have natural settings so rare -- like Edgewood Tahoe's par-3 17th, Pebble Beach Golf Links' seventh and Pacifico at Punta Mita Golf Club's "natural island green" -- that practically all the architects had to do was lay the sod.

This collection of images features some of the most thrilling par 3s in a variety of golf destinations throughout North America. Do you have any favorite par 3s that are worth the price of a golf trip alone? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @golfadvisor.