Hole 18 - Finish with a Par 5, 4 or 3?

[Mr. Desmond]

My Club's finishing hole is a Par 5 and it plays as a 3 strokes (unless you can carry 300 yds off the tee).

I would never like to see a finishin ghole as a Par 3. Played one nice course with a Par 3 18th hole and it was absolutely strange... din't like it at all (and it was a very short par 3)

I think Passatiempo finishes with a par 3.

It was different.

[Golfingdad]

I think Passatiempo finishes with a par 3. It was different.

Really want to play there. Someday. ;) Don't know if everybody remembers, but the last, last time they played the US Open at Congressional (not Rory's, but Ernie's) it finished on a par 3. But they made a unique change since then, flipped the tee and green, called it #10 and bumped everything else back a hole so the current 18 was the old 17.

[BuckeyeNut]

Whether the finishing holes are difficult, easy, or somewhere in between.............there is no superior design or best way to finish.

This is what is great about golf....every course is unique!    IMO....this variety is partly what makes the game great!  Every course offers a unique set of challenges.   Whether the finishing holes are where you need to make birdies or hang on to your pants and hope to survive doesn't matter......

I didn't even vote because I don't care...... I enjoy both kinds of courses.  (those with difficult finishes and those with birdie opportunities down the stretch)

[VOX]

Really want to play there. Someday. ;)

Don't know if everybody remembers, but the last, last time they played the US Open at Congressional (not Rory's, but Ernie's) it finished on a par 3. But they made a unique change since then, flipped the tee and green, called it #10 and bumped everything else back a hole so the current 18 was the old 17.

Top 12 courses in the US that end with a par three. Misquamicut should be in the top three

http://theaposition.com/robertfagan/golf/courses-and-travel/4902/dozen-best-american-golf-courses-finishing-with-a-par-three

[Always an 80]

If the score is tight you are juiced on eighteen. A five or a tough four would be equally cool. I agree that a five is probably more merciful but still requires both the skill and the nerves on Sunday. I think the par five is better. More room to recover but more opportunity to fall apart. Classic.

[Foursum Golf]

Top 12 courses in the US that end with a par three. Misquamicut should be in the top three

http://theaposition.com/robertfagan/golf/courses-and-travel/4902/dozen-best-american-golf-courses-finishing-with-a-par-three

Some nice looking courses on there! Sandpiper looks great.

[azgreg]

To me whether it's a 3, 4, or 5 is irrelevant. To me the 18th is a bring you back hole. It should be one where it's possible to post a number.

[mdl]

I answered par 5 cause I thought we were talking about for ourselves.  For pro tourneys, I agree a variety of finishing holes can fun interesting, depending on the lineup coming down to the wire and the spread of scores.  I answered par 5 for myself cause my scoring average over the long run is near par on par 5s and much over par on other holes, and I like to finish with a birdie :)

But really any interesting hole is fine with me.  Interesting can be relatively easy too, but there should be some risk or something other than just, wide open, weakly or unprotected easy green.

[Desert Driver]

Which Do I Prefer for a Closing Hole, par 5, par 4 or par 3?

I like both par 4's and par 5's as finishing holes, but not par 3's. A par 3 finishing hole has an odd feeling to it and I haven't come across one yet that doesn't seem out of place.

Each course should  have its' own character or personality and an ebb and flow to play. How that play ends should fit in with the flow of the course.

JMO

DD

[dave s]

Yep.  Nothing more fun than the uphill 440 yard ball-buster par-4 to finish a round ... with a 5 or worse!

Give me a nice risk-reward par 5 where I can make birdie or double and I'm happy either way.

dave