In 2023, Spargo moved its home base to Button Hole Golf Center in Providence, RI. The par 3 course here is money, and boy, have I had fun adventuring around it.
Straight 1–9 is a blast, and we’ll venture into the ghost holes I’ve found another time. In summer, it’s the four-wedge kit. In fall, winter, and spring, you might need as much as an 8 iron depending on the wind (for reference, my 8 iron maxes out at 145–158). It’s a wonderful, light walk, and I really enjoy hitting short, lofted clubs with some real-time shots.
My kit for this is pretty basic day to day:
- 46°: Titleist Vokey SM10, 10F
- 50°: Titleist Vokey SM11, 12F
- 54°: Titleist Vokey SM11, 12D
- 58° or 60°: Ping Eye 2 or TaylorMade Hi-Toe
I grew up playing a 60° and love it around the greens, but I find the 58° gets me the full-swing yardage I like. This is where I do my most “tinkering.” I absolutely love the wedge game and playing around the greens.
But back to Button Hole. It’s one of those soul-filling walks. The score doesn’t matter, and kids are learning the game all over. But the shots matter: flighting a wedge into the wind so it lands pin high, with the pond right and trees and a natural area left. These aren’t fall-asleep wedge shots. You realize par 3 golf is all you need: a few wedges, the flatstick, some fun holes, and an imagination.
I’ve grown to love every hole out here, from the gentle handshake of the 80-yard 1st to the downhill 7th, with its awesome kidney-shaped green and a very interesting back-right section. There isn’t a ton of slope on the greens, which makes the walk fun, imagining the further possibilities. But again, it doesn’t matter. This course isn’t meant to impress the architecture aficionado. It’s a gentle reminder of how simple all this is.
