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Worst Finishing Hole You've Played

ArmyGolf

ArmyGolf

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The last two rounds I've played were at a course with an 18th hole that I DESPISE. It's a tough, scorecard-destroying, option-less hole.
353 Yard Par 4 from the Blue Tees.

- Your Tee shot must make it to the RED line if you want a shot at the green for your approach.
- Anything that carries past the BLUE line is going to bounce and roll through the fairway and OB.
- WHITE line is the 150 marker.
- Cutting the corner? It requires the PERFECT drive with just the right amount of fade on it. I've only seen 1 successful attempt from the Blues with the other dozens of attempts ending OB or in jail.



What's your least favorite finishing hole that you've played?
 
My vote is for #18 at Royal New Kent in Virginia. While the hole can play tough I vote for it as the worst finishing hole because it is almost completely out of character with the preceding 17 holes. The course is pure links then 18 comes up and it's time for carnival golf, as much as I like this design #18 just distracts from it everytime.
 
This sounds very much like my least favorite finishing hole also.

Its at a fine course near me, Riverwood, which I enjoy until I get near the 18th. A dog leg right of about 400 yards, the tee shot is through a chute of bushes which prevent trying to cut the corner unless you can hit a very strong fade. A shot to the left usually leaves a difficult lie and a shot of nearly 200 yards. The green is long and has some slope so a two putt is far from guaranteed. My typical result is double bogey.

I hate to leave a course with a finish like that. If it were anywhere else on the course it would be just as difficult but not as disappointing.
 
Two #18s on courses I play often. One is a short par 4 at the local CC. There is absolutely no reason to hit driver on this hole unless you play in a scramble and I hate it. I want to be forced to hit driver on the last hole. If it was a 400 yard hole instead of a 300 yard hole, I'd love it.

The other is an uphill dogleg left with a giant pine tree in the middle of the fairway. If you don't hit it high, you have to try to draw it around the tree, but if you leave it out right you're in the pines. The second shot is usually 150+ yards up the hill into a two-tiered green guarded by two bunkers. Go over and you're probably going to hit it on the other side of the green on your chip shot. Leave it short and the ball will run back down 20 yards down the FW. I don't think it qualifies as worst, but it's just really hard. I've had some good rounds ruined by that stinker.
 
Mine is a finishing hole, but not the finishing hole. It is number 17 on the River Marsh course in Cambridge, Maryland. It is not overly long par 3, but not considered short either. It requires a total carry over water with no real available bail out. Whenever, I play this course, my buds and I continuously comment that 17 is coming. River Marsh is a great golf course, it is an enjoyable course until you reach 17. Most times its take the five and move on.
 
I am not a fan of #18 at my home course. 424 yard par 4 at Bemidji Town & Country Club. Need to hit a big perfect draw with the driver off the tee to have any chance at birdie. Big trees to clear on the left side of the dog leg and if you get it too far left you are in the water. You can hit it through the fairway with a hybrid and if you do decide to play it safe you are looking at well over 200 into the green. If you hit it too far off the tee or to the right you likely only have a punch shot due to the trees.

View from the box:

18a_zpsfcb592d2.jpg


Approach shot:

18b_zps3c134e01.jpg


From the green lookng back to the fairway:

18c_zps7b4009ed.jpg


Blurb from the course website:

PRO TIP
This great finishing hole requires a long tee shot either with a draw or one that carries the trees on the left. This will leaver a mid-iron into a long, bunkered green. Par is always a good score.
 
NoLine said:
My vote is for #18 at Royal New Kent in Virginia. While the hole can play tough I vote for it as the worst finishing hole because it is almost completely out of character with the preceding 17 holes. The course is pure links then 18 comes up and it's time for carnival golf, as much as I like this design #18 just distracts from it every time.
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Royal New Kent is my favorite course that I have played. 18 is tough with the shot into the island green that plays below your tee shot unless you really hit one down to the edge of the water and then you have a level shot to the green. There is nowhere to miss on the second shot or your are in the water. Not to mention you must drive over water off the tee. I actually like the hole because it can make or break a great round. I have had good times and bad on it.
hole18.jpg
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Lynchburg14 said:
Royal New Kent is my favorite course that I have played. 18 is tough with the shot into the island green that plays below your tee shot unless you really hit one down to the edge of the water and then you have a level shot to the green. There is nowhere to miss on the second shot or your are in the water. Not to mention you must drive over water off the tee. I actually like the hole because it can make or break a great round. I have had good times and bad on it.
hole18.jpg
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I agree on the difficulty my complaint is that it is out of character with the rest of the design. I've played it at least a dozen times and have always wondered why Stranz punted on that hole. On any number of other deigns that hole wouldn't have stood out but after playing links golf for 17 holes that hole is an odd way to finish.
 
Indian Springs in Evesham, NJ. There's nothing special about it. Not easy, not difficult, not pretty. It's ugly, it's dull and as uninspiring as a golf hole can be which is why I hate it as a finishing hole. Blah!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
NoLine said:
I agree on the difficulty my complaint is that it is out of character with the rest of the design. I've played it at least a dozen times and have always wondered why Stranz punted on that hole. On any number of other deigns that hole wouldn't have stood out but after playing links golf for 17 holes that hole is an odd way to finish.
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Yeah I guess I never thought of it like that. It does stick out compared to the rest of the course.
 
The worst ones for me are the totally unmemorable ones. So, chances are if I don't remember what the last hole is, I probably think it's a crap hole haha.

One I don't love around here is the last hole at Sudden Valley. 388 from the blues, 361 from the whites. It's similar to the one you've shown, Curt, in that you have a narrow tee shot with a certain distance you have to get out to, but if you hit it through the fairway you're in deep rough or even in a hazard:

SV_18_zpsd71faefc.jpg


It's around 200 - 220 to get to the 150 depending on the tee placement of the day. Same deal - if you don't get to the dotted line (anywhere from 150 to 200 yards away, depending on angle), you have no line to the green, but if you drive it through the fairway, things become incredibly difficult as well. Oh and if you wussy out and hit a 5 or 6 iron just to make sure you place it correctly, now you are rewarded with a 200 yard approach. And the tee shot is so damn tight to begin with because the trees are hugging in really close on the right. I don't think I've ever scored well on this hole. It's just a really rough close to a great course.
 
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Without recalling a specific course, I can almost guarantee that my most despised finishing hole will be on a Nicklaus course.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Mine is the 18th hole at the Olivas Links in Ventura, CA.
It is a 493 Par 5 hole. Not a difficult hole at all.
I had a few chances to shoot in the 70s there but I always seem to get in my own head. Last time I played there, all I needed was a par to shoot 79 but ended up with 81.
 
Here is the worst I have ever seen, the 18th hole at the Wigwam Heritage course. 541 yard par 5.

Because of the sand straight away and the dog leg at the 240 mark, you are forced to hit an iron or short hybrid off the tee, but you need to do so perfectly so you can hit your second shot through the chute. Dont pull your tee shot though or you will go left. If you go long off the tee your in a wasteland and you'll need to clear the water on the right, as long as you dont hit one of the 60 year old trees.

Your second shot needs to get through a narrow chute. Hopefully it doesnt leak left to the sand up ahead.

Even after you hit a great second shot, your guaranteed a mid iron into the small sloping green. Walking away with par feels like an eagle.

LnnsO0d.png
 
The 18th hole at Willow Park GC here in Calgary. I played it once about 8 years ago. It's a 180 yard par 3 that has no hazards, flat and wide open with a huge green. Just a complete let down and boring finishing hole.
 
Worst Finishing Hole You've Played

Speedliner said:
Indian Springs in Evesham, NJ. There's nothing special about it. Not easy, not difficult, not pretty. It's ugly, it's dull and as uninspiring as a golf hole can be which is why I hate it as a finishing hole. Blah!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...

I know that hole - boring straight away hole with the only trouble being a shallow creek that shouldn't be in play and if it is you could likely hit out of it.

That used to be the 9th hole before they reversed the 9's in the 90's.
 
ArmyGolf said:
The last two rounds I've played were at a course with an 18th hole that I DESPISE. It's a tough, scorecard-destroying, option-less hole.
353 Yard Par 4 from the Blue Tees.

- Your Tee shot must make it to the RED line if you want a shot at the green for your approach.
- Anything that carries past the BLUE line is going to bounce and roll through the fairway and OB.
- WHITE line is the 150 marker.
- Cutting the corner? It requires the PERFECT drive with just the right amount of fade on it. I've only seen 1 successful attempt from the Blues with the other dozens of attempts ending OB or in jail.



What's your least favorite finishing hole that you've played?
Click to expand...

Man, Curtis, that looks tough. I don't know that I've ever seen a course where part of the actual course you are playing is considered OB. No place to miss right or left off the tee. Short leaves you blocked out by trees.


Here is mine. The 18th at on the Mountain Course at Mirror Lake. The red box at the top is the green. The black mark is the 150. The blue area is about 215 to center of green. Thats the most likely landing area for most drives. A really good drive will get you the 150 however its a dangerous drive with a narrow 25 yard width fairway to hit where the fairway pinches in. Anything going left off the tee will find the water hazard along the left of the fairway as it slopes away on that side. Its a very tough hole that has ruined several good rounds of mine over the years. Takes a good drive and a very good second to find the green. I've got a lot of balls in the bottom of the lake!

Mountain18_zps2f8ddd6c.png
 
cpljohnst said:
Man, Curtis, that looks tough. I don't know that I've ever seen a course where part of the actual course you are playing is considered OB. No place to miss right or left off the tee. Short leaves you blocked out by trees.


Here is mine. The 18th at on the Mountain Course at Mirror Lake. The red box at the top is the green. The black mark is the 150. The blue area is about 215 to center of green. Thats the most likely landing area for most drives. A really good drive will get you the 150 however its a dangerous drive with a narrow 25 yard width fairway to hit where the fairway pinches in. Anything going left off the tee will find the water hazard along the left of the fairway as it slopes away on that side. Its a very tough hole that has ruined several good rounds of mine over the years. Takes a good drive and a very good second to find the green. I've got a lot of balls in the bottom of the lake!

Mountain18_zps2f8ddd6c.png
Click to expand...

I had a decent score going until I hit what I thought was a good drive here. Dropping my next shot in the water didn't help either. Haha
 
cpljohnst said:
Man, Curtis, that looks tough. I don't know that I've ever seen a course where part of the actual course you are playing is considered OB. No place to miss right or left off the tee. Short leaves you blocked out by trees.


Here is mine. The 18th at on the Mountain Course at Mirror Lake. The red box at the top is the green. The black mark is the 150. The blue area is about 215 to center of green. Thats the most likely landing area for most drives. A really good drive will get you the 150 however its a dangerous drive with a narrow 25 yard width fairway to hit where the fairway pinches in. Anything going left off the tee will find the water hazard along the left of the fairway as it slopes away on that side. Its a very tough hole that has ruined several good rounds of mine over the years. Takes a good drive and a very good second to find the green. I've got a lot of balls in the bottom of the lake!

Mountain18_zps2f8ddd6c.png
Click to expand...




I actually think 18 on the Lake Course at Mirror Lake is tougher. Definitely tougher if you play a draw off the tee!




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Miller Time said:
Two #18s on courses I play often. One is a short par 4 at the local CC. There is absolutely no reason to hit driver on this hole unless you play in a scramble and I hate it. I want to be forced to hit driver on the last hole. If it was a 400 yard hole instead of a 300 yard hole, I'd love it.

The other is an uphill dogleg left with a giant pine tree in the middle of the fairway. If you don't hit it high, you have to try to draw it around the tree, but if you leave it out right you're in the pines. The second shot is usually 150+ yards up the hill into a two-tiered green guarded by two bunkers. Go over and you're probably going to hit it on the other side of the green on your chip shot. Leave it short and the ball will run back down 20 yards down the FW. I don't think it qualifies as worst, but it's just really hard. I've had some good rounds ruined by that stinker.
Click to expand...

I know both of these holes well and the 2nd one you listed is the one I was thinking when I came into this thread. That pine tree is so much in play of us shot knockers that it makes this a very frustrating hole. The green is brutal and I have to hit a hybrid to a 6 iron into the green. That green is unfair for someone hitting more than an 8I IMO because as you mentioned if you are on the upper tier it is near impossible to even stop a putt on the green much less keep a chip on when the pin is on the lower tier. The lower tier about a quarter of the green with a quarter of the green being the slope between the upper and lower portions, and yes it is fast. It is a round killer for sure.
 
Miller Time said:
I had a decent score going until I hit what I thought was a good drive here. Dropping my next shot in the water didn't help either. Haha
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You hit a really good drive too. Just a touch to the right. It's so freaking narrow down past that pinch. Left is in the water, right gets you where you were behind some trees and a punch out.
 
ATLGolfer said:
I actually think 18 on the Lake Course at Mirror Lake is tougher. Definitely tougher if you play a draw off the tee!




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Click to expand...

Lake 18th is a tough hole too but there are options, especially on the 2nd shot.

You played 18 Mountain really well your first time. Long drive to the 150, on the green, two putts for par. Easy peasy!
 
cpljohnst said:
Man, Curtis, that looks tough. I don't know that I've ever seen a course where part of the actual course you are playing is considered OB. No place to miss right or left off the tee. Short leaves you blocked out by trees.
Click to expand...

I think that years ago they didn't have the white stakes there, but everyone was trying to cut the corner directly over the #12 tee box. It became a safety issue so they just made it OB to deter people.
 
ArmyGolf said:
The last two rounds I've played were at a course with an 18th hole that I DESPISE. It's a tough, scorecard-destroying, option-less hole.
353 Yard Par 4 from the Blue Tees.

- Your Tee shot must make it to the RED line if you want a shot at the green for your approach.
- Anything that carries past the BLUE line is going to bounce and roll through the fairway and OB.
- WHITE line is the 150 marker.
- Cutting the corner? It requires the PERFECT drive with just the right amount of fade on it. I've only seen 1 successful attempt from the Blues with the other dozens of attempts ending OB or in jail.



What's your least favorite finishing hole that you've played?
Click to expand...

This is similar to #18 at LaToretta Resort (formerly Del Lago) in Conroe, TX
LaToretta18_zpsb2d68afe.png


They now play it as a par-5; but it used to be the toughest par-4 finishing hole I've ever played. You had to hit a cut shot over 270 to get around the corner. A straight shot would be blocked out by the trees on the left, a shorter drive would never make the corner, and too big of a cut would find the trees on the right. Assuming you hit the perfect drive between 270-300 with the slight cut, you would now face a shot over water and sand to a green with 2 tiers - the center of the green slopes down 10 feet or more to the left. **BONUS** - it's always into the wind...
 
#18 at The Harvester in Iowa. Par 5 about 550 yards.

hv-hole18.jpg

I haven't played there in a couple years, but I heard they made it a lot easier and filled in the water areas that split the fairway. This takes 3 perfect shots to get on the green. Depending on the pin placement, that green is incredibly hard to attack.
 
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