Philip
In answer to your topic title question, yes, the 18th is a good hole. Not a great one, IMHO, due to the blindness of the second shot, but quirky enough and hard enough to never lose interest. It is also definitively the hardest one on the course relative to "par." This is confirmed by tournament play where the average score, even for relatively elite fields is rarely less than 5 (the hole is 456 yards). Quite frankly, I doubt if hit that green in regulation as much as 10% of the time even when I am playing at my very best.
As to your question for me, I think that the southerly winds (behind you going out) are far easier than the northerly ones, for a number of reasons, including:
1. The front 9 is harder, and a wind behind makes holes like 4, 7 and 8 shorter and ones like 2, 3 and 6 less intimidating. Into the wind, you are hitting longer clubs to smaller targets, and it is easy to get on a "bogey train" that never seems to be rady to stop.
2. On the back 9 (as you say) if you play downwind you have to be much more precise (and often very creative) to hold greens like 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15 (much less get close to a front pin).
This is just my opinion, of course, and other players with other games and other experiences might differ.
Sean, you are right that the 10th (148 yards) gets very quirky with a stong northerly (downwind) shot, but I would not call it silly, nor would I call it "overbunkered." If there were not any fronting bunkers, the downwind shot would be a simple pitch and run. As it is, when it is firm and fast and down wind and the pin up front, the best strategy is to hit a hit a high spin shot that lands 5 yards short of the bunkers and hope that it bounces over them and then stops. Even if you are end up in a bunker, if you have decent technique the 2nd shot is actually quite easy.
Cheers
Rich