Cypress Point Club; Pebble Beach, Calif.
16th hole, 233 yards
Alister Mackenzie initially envisioned this as one of the world’s great driveable par 4s. Marion Hollins talked him out of it, but the same options that would have made it a fun par 4—drive the green or play safe—also help make it the world’s most famous par 3.

Lahinch Golf Club; Lahinch, Ireland 
5th hole , 154 yards
Totally blind and sandwiched between dunes, how can this possibly be exceptional for match play? Several of the master golf architects actually wrote about the anticipatory thrill of approaching a hidden green to find out who knocked it closest to the hole.

Royal Troon Golf Club (Old); Troon, Scotland
8th hole, 123 yards
The lay-up area—there really is one according to locals most familiar with the world’s most famous short one-shotter—is the front bunker or even in the rugged fescue grasses short of the green. Pin-high misses on the “Postage Stamp” are so wicked that some would prefer to lose the 7th hole just to see what their opponent does first.

TPC Sawgrass (Stadium); Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
17th hole , 137 yards
What options? Either hit the island green or head to the drop area, right? Actually, each of the quadrants on Pete Dye’s artfully designed green has a hole location that dangles just enough risk for the bold player seeking a birdie, along with room for a safe play that leaves a difficult two-putt.