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

[saevel25]

I like courses that end in a par 4 or par 5. I don't like par 3 endings, well I don't like par 3's much at all anyways, so I am biased.

As for difficulty, anything in the top 6 hardest holes on the course. I don't like easy finishing holes, it just seems bland to me. I rather finish on a hole with character.

[jetsknicks1]

I like courses that end in a par 4 or par 5. I don't like par 3 endings, well I don't like par 3's much at all anyways, so I am biased. As for difficulty, anything in the top 6 hardest holes on the course. I don't like easy finishing holes, it just seems bland to me. I rather finish on a hole with character.

Yup. One of my favorite courses has the toughest finishing hole. 555 yd par 5, water on both the left and right off the tee, big bend to the right on the second shot, if you don't get the ball to turn at all, you're in the rough and if it turns to much you're in the woods. 3rd shot to a green, very well guarded by bunkers. I've played this course probably 30 times and have only parred it once. A total bear of a closing hole but my favorite hole on the course.

[rkim291968]

Yup. One of my favorite courses has the toughest finishing hole. 555 yd par 5, water on both the left and right off the tee, big bend to the right on the second shot, if you don't get the ball to turn at all, you're in the rough and if it turns to much you're in the woods. 3rd shot to a green, very well guarded by bunkers.

I've played this course probably 30 times and have only parred it once. A total bear of a closing hole but my favorite hole on the course.

Good for you!

For many aging players, by the time they get to 18th hole, they are beat.  More so, if they happen to be walking the course.  Yesterday, my playing partners (late 50s?) broke down at 2nd 9 as tiredness set in.  They started OB'ng their drives, and keep hitting provisions.   All of sudden, we ended up holding up the group behind.   Unfortunately, the toughest 3 holes on the back 9 on this course were 16, 17, and 18 and 18th having handicap rating of 1.   I don't think they were in talking mood by the time we shook hands at 18th hole.   This is one reason why I voted for par 3 for the last hole.   Yup, I am aging, too.

[PirateJim]

I didn't answer the poll.  While it is an interesting question to argue over beers, with regard to PGA tournaments, I think that it is important to remember that for 51 weeks out of the year the courses that host tour events are really golf courses that regular folks play.  I don't want to encourage course designers to build every course with an easy final hole.  Golf courses are supposed to have their own character, and I think a rather challenging final hole is part of the deal.

If the PGA/USGA wanted to make the final hole easier they can easily do that for the week of the tournament.  But I'm betting they won't.

[jetsknicks1]

Good for you! For many aging players, by the time they get to 18th hole, they are beat.  More so, if they happen to be walking the course.  Yesterday, my playing partners (late 50s?) broke down at 2nd 9 as tiredness set in.  They started OB'ng their drives, and keep hitting provisions.   All of sudden, we ended up holding up the group behind.   Unfortunately, the toughest 3 holes on the back 9 on this course were 16, 17, and 18 and 18th having handicap rating of 1.   I don't think they were in talking mood by the time we shook hands at 18th hole.   This is one reason why I voted for par 3 for the last hole.   Yup, I am aging, too.

I can't tell if that "Good for you" is sarcastic or not. Either way, I'm no spring chicken, I just don't like ending the round with a par 3.

[David in FL]

I can't tell if that "Good for you" is sarcastic or not. Either way, I'm no spring chicken, I just don't like ending the round with a par 3.

You could even argue that if you end with a par 3, you've walked/played more distance by the time you get to the 18th tee box than if you're ending with a par 5.....

As another old guy, I don't see the justification either, but then, to each his own.

[boogielicious]

I didn't vote because there was no choice for all of the above.  I like how each tournament has different ending holes.

[MS256]

Good for you!

For many aging players, by the time they get to 18th hole, they are beat.  More so, if they happen to be walking the course.  Yesterday, my playing partners (late 50s?) broke down at 2nd 9 as tiredness set in.  They started OB'ng their drives, and keep hitting provisions.   All of sudden, we ended up holding up the group behind.   Unfortunately, the toughest 3 holes on the back 9 on this course were 16, 17, and 18 and 18th having handicap rating of 1.   I don't think they were in talking mood by the time we shook hands at 18th hole.   This is one reason why I voted for par 3 for the last hole.   Yup, I am aging, too.

Hmmm. I'm not sure what kind of "late 50s" players were in your group but barring injuries there is no more reason to not be in walking shape in the late 50s than at any other age. There are lazy people at every age. An out of shape 30 year old recently asked me how old I was and I told him 57. He said "I hope I get around as good as you when I'm 57."

I told him he was actually going to gain ground over the next 27 years to do that.

[Spitfisher]

Our 18th is a par 5 and requires 3 well struck accurate shots, <600 yards, dogleg, with the final 200 yards being uphill to an undulating fast green, Hazard areas, water abound-great finishing hole especially if you have a match tied up....

[Robster 7]

I dont mind how it finishes but I'd prefer not to open with a par 3. That always feels a bit weird to me.

[Robster 7]

I don't mind how it finishes but I'd prefer not to start with a par 3. That always feels a bit weird to me!

[rkim291968]

I can't tell if that "Good for you" is sarcastic or not. Either way, I'm no spring chicken, I just don't like ending the round with a par 3.

No sarcasm intended.  I meant if you like it that way, more power to you.

[jetsknicks1]

No sarcasm intended.  I meant if you like it that way, more power to you.

Cool. Hard to tell sometimes just by reading. :-D

[rkim291968]

Hmmm. I'm not sure what kind of "late 50s" players were in your group but barring injuries there is no more reason to not be in walking shape in the late 50s than at any other age. There are lazy people at every age. An out of shape 30 year old recently asked me how old I was and I told him 57. He said "I hope I get around as good as you when I'm 57."

I told him he was actually going to gain ground over the next 27 years to do that.

This particular pair was riding cart but faded badly at back 9.   Unfortunately, the course's last 3 holes are 3 of the toughest, 18th hole being 1 handicap ranked.

Regardless of what shape a golfer is in, I like easy 18th hole to end on a positive note.   Perhaps, when I get to a level to par any hole at any given time, I don't mind finishing on handicap 1 hole.  That will be the day.

[WUTiger]

Most golf courses don't host pro tournaments. So for the No. 18 hole, it depends on who's planning it.

Public golf course managers like for the final hole to be easy: If Joe Everyman finishes with a par - or a birdie - he's more likely to play our course next time. (An owner told me this, I don't know how true it is).

Some courses built before World War II had a "round wrecker" final hole, supposedly to challenge the golfers. The Meadowlake public course in Enid, OK, once had a brutal No. 18: 240-yard par 3 across the lake, with deep bunkers on sides and back. Old timers (in 1980s) told me half the players would pick up after dumping balls into the lake on No. 18. Course eventually changed its finish to a crisp, and dry, 380-yd. par 4.

Normandie Golf Club in St. Louis, build by Robert Foulis circa 1901, is the oldest public course west of the Mississippi. He put in a par 3 No. 18, about 250 yds. from the back tees. Lots of players will lay up to avoid deep greenside bunkers, and then try for up and down. Green is nice and smooth once you get on it.

As far as tournament courses go, a stern No. 18 can be birdied by a good shot from the pros. But, pin-hunting incurs a risk, and you can get a bogie or worse if you miss. Also, an easy No. 18 would probably increase the likelihood of a three- or four-way playoff on Sunday.

[misty_mountainhop]

Think the 18th should be the easiest? When was the last time you saw a good finish at the 18th on St. Andrews during a British Open? Maybe Daly and Rocca? With that exception, it's the most boring finish I can think of.

Whether it's a par 3, 4 or 5, I think it needs to be a good risk/reward hole. Birdies there for the brave maybe but penalties for not pulling it off.

[Fourputt]

I think that the closing hole should be a strong hole, whether par 4 or par 5 doesn't matter (never a par 3).  It should be a hole which can result in a range of scores depending on how well or how poorly it's played.

The home hole at my home course is a par 4, 421 from the middle tees.  It's a sharp dogleg left, offering the opportunity to cut off a lot of length, but with a 6 foot high mound topped by 2 bunkers on the inside of the dogleg, there is some risk if you don 't clear them, while hitting too far and going through the fairway brings a grove of spruce trees and a very reachable water hazard into play.  Laying back too far leaves a 200 yard shot to a green with water left and right.

This is what I call a great finishing hole.  Par is a good score, and a birdie will give you about a shot and a half on most of the field.  Even a bogie isn't a bad score there.  I've made everything from birdie to triple bogey on that hole during competition.

[MS256]

Our last hole is a very easy hole IF you hit two good shots and there's really only one way to play it. The first shot is anything between 180 and 210 yards with water on both the left and the right. The second shot is between 140 and 160 yards all carry across the pond.

Sort of a weird hole because any low handicap golfer has no problem at all making a par most of the time with occasional birdies but most high handicap golfers are very unlikely to par the hole and very likely to make double bogie, or triple bogey, or worse.

It probably has the biggest differential in score from good to poor players of any hole on the course. In our double low ball choose up games it's absolutely imperative that both the A and B players make par on the hole because the C and D players are so unlikely to help.

So in this case the hole is an easy hole and nothing to dread at the end of the round for good players but not so for other players who find it the downfall of what could have been decent rounds almost every time.