I'm not necessarily defending the 18th at WS -- I think there are several better holes there. But I'm struck by the criticism of a hole that seems to have some merit. How does it play?
Phil, I'll use some quotes from the Straits Course web site to support my view.
Hole 18 - Dyeabolical
"A well struck tee shot down the right side will surely find the fairway, but will leave a mid to long iron for the approach to the green."
This is the only option for most players--that is, from tee to green, it's a single-option hole. It might as well be a water-lined corridor. If you hit it in the rough off the tee, your only option is to lay up. Good drive or not, you have a mid to long iron approach, and not much room for error around the green (see below), so the hole is generally a binary outcome--disaster or "glad to make a 5."
"A more aggressive line off the tee to the left leaves a shorter approach but demands at least a 270 yard carry over sand dunes and bunkers."
This is nonsense for most players, obviously. I recall an area on the left that could be made into an optional landing area with a shorter carry. But they let the rough grow knee-high over there...
"The downhill landing area must be considered to avoid a shot that travels too far and must stop short of sand dunes and a drop-off to Seven Mile Creek."
Irritating. If you're going to move a jillion yards of dirt, why would you build a hole with a downhill landing area that PUNISHES the player who reaches it, rather than REWARDING him? The first time I played the hole (from the 413yd green tees) my caddy suggested driver, and I guess I outwitted him and hit a good one, which ended up going through the fairway. Can't remember which way the wind was blowing, but looking at the yardage guide I can see that driver wasn't a very good idea with that downhill landing area. In subsequent plays, I have just laid back with a 5-wood, necessitating an even longer approach.
"Even though the approach is downhill, swirling winds surrounding the green complex forces players to play an extra club into the green which demands a forced carry over Seven Mile Creek, guarding the front side of this huge green."
An extra club? So now I'm hitting a fairway metal instead of a 4-iron? With all the trouble, the wind, and a long club, it's difficult to “take dead aim” at most of the possible pin placements. Sane people are generally making a cautious play out to the right, which might be OK except there's little room for error over there too, with a steep slope full of gaudy unnatural bunkers behind the green and pinching the bottom of the cloverleaf. (check the flyover on the web site to see what I mean).
"The green is more than 18,000 square feet with quite a bit of undulations to negotiate."
Why not reduce the size of the green, blow up the bunkers behind the green and instead make the right side and behind the green a bail-out area with a difficult up and down? As it is, the hole is kind of a blunt instrument, with no subtlety, no fun, just tight-sphincter golf. I think the rest of the Straits Course holes, with the possible exception of #5, have a better risk-reward type design.
Thanks for giving me a reason to get that off my chest!
