[J_McKenzie]

In Georgia, the 18th at the University of Georgia golf course has to rank near the top.  The par-4 hole plays around 480 yards from the tips and a long accurate drive still leaves a lengthy approach- mid to long iron/hybrid or fwy. wood into a narrow and strongly contoured green.  The fairway is generous in width, yet it is tough to hit due to the natural right to left slope of the landing area.  Really long hitters can carry the crest of the hill and possibly reach a flat area, but most will have a slightly downhill, hook lie, hitting to an elevated green.  Hard but not penal- a good par 4.5.   

View from the start of the landing area, probably 210-220 yards out:

[Deucie Bies]

In FLorida, #18 at Doral's Blue Monster?

An argument could be made for TPC Sawgrass, the 4th toughest hole on the PGA Tour this year, and 2nd toughest finishing hole (Oakland Hills was 1st).  Blue Montster's closer was #6 toughest finisher for the year.   All '08 data only.


Stats here and here

Good point Scott.  I may have to revise my choice.  I threw out Doral very quickly, but there is no doubt that 18 at TPC Sawgrass is also very difficult.

As for Michigan, Oakland Hills #18 would have to rank up there as a par 4, but luckily for the average golfer it is a par 5.

In Illinois, I don't remember #18 at Olmpia Fields being particularly easy.

Tough finishers, but OH and OF are both private.

My bad.  I forgot that the topic was public courses!  Going back to Florida, what about Bay Hill's 18th?  I blieve Bay Hill is semi-private.

[Phil McDade]

Oh, wait, I just noticed that this thread is about public finishing holes.

The Honourable Company of Reverse Jans Golfers is an extremely exclusive club...so nevermind...

...but isn't the hour nearing for the Brigadoon by the Bahai House to rise again....?

[Will MacEwen]

Two that come to mind in BC:

Meadow Gardens.

Par 5 where you must lay up to an island and then hit your approach to an island green.  They may not technically be islands (ithmus/peninsula), but they play like it.

Morningstar is a 445 yard (from the next to back tees) par 4 into the prevailing wind, with a creek and marsh right,  a waste area left, and an elevated green with very little depth.  Often into the wind.

[Patrick Boyd]

18 at Bandon Trails takes the cake for Oregon.....18 at Pac Dunes can occasionally eat your lunch as well depending on the wind.

[Bill Satterfield]

Another one for you California boys to consider is Trump National L.A. with the 512 yard par four finisher there; especially after The Donald got done bunkering the snot out of it.

[Tom Huckaby]

Another one for you California boys to consider is Trump National L.A. with the 512 yard par four finisher there; especially after The Donald got done bunkering the snot out of it.

Now THAT is more like it.  I have yet to have the pleasure of playing this course, but that was more what I figured the winner would come home - remember I asked for stupidly hard.

Good call by Tim L re Industry Hills - Ike in this vein also.

TH

[Bill Satterfield]

I haven't begun to play anywhere near enough courses in Texas to have much of a vote, but of what I've played down there the 18th at Redstone (Tournament Course) is a beast.  The wind was blowing so hard the day I played it that I couldn't even reach the green in two (488 yard par 4).  In fact, while I was typing this I decided to lookup how the PGA Tour faired on it, and it actually finished as the 3rd most difficult finishing hole on tour with a 4.389 average.

[Andy Troeger]

In Wisconsin, probably Blackwolf Run's 18th at the River Course.

I hesitate to bring up the 18th at Whistling Straits -- it's a hard hole, but several posters have described it as silly, unfair, and not very well designed, among other attributes.

I would have thought the final at the River was easier than the Meadow Valleys, and both significantly easier than the awful 18th at the Straits.

Regarding New Mexico, ironically most of the 18th holes on the better public courses aren't that tough. Black Mesa's is a shortish par four that's one of the easier holes to birdie to me, UNM has a short par five, Cochiti a par five, Paa-Ko's finisher is tough but not unreasonably so. Given all that--I'd go with Twin Warriors. Its the long, tough, prototype finisher of a par four.

[Will MacEwen]

18 at Bandon Trails takes the cake for Oregon.....18 at Pac Dunes can occasionally eat your lunch as well depending on the wind.

I am a Bandon in the winter guy.  18 at PD in winter wind is a beast.

[Brad Tufts]

In MA, the 18th at Pinehills-Nicklaus is about 465 with a pond fronting the left half of the greeen, and it plays into the wind...

[Carl Rogers]

Tidewater Virginia Sleepy Hole golf course site of a few LPGA events in the 80's.

The 475 yard 18th is a profoundly difficult and picturesque finisher to a better than average muni- public access course.  The green is slam up against the Nansemond River.  It requires 2 carries over wetlands and no real baleout area for the approach shot ... a real score card wrecker.

[Ronald Montesano]

18 at Bandon Trails takes the cake for Oregon.....18 at Pac Dunes can occasionally eat your lunch as well depending on the wind.

I am a Bandon in the winter guy.  18 at PD in winter wind is a beast.

18 at Bandon Trails?  Seriously?  Can't imagine it.  Sorry.  18 at Pac Dunes is much more demanding than 18 at the Trails.

[David Stamm]

I think the 18th at Barona makes a strong case. That hole is a bear without wind, and it usually plays into one in the afternoon.

[Matt_Ward]

In New Mexico -- a better case can be made with the 18th at Pinon Hills - plays slightly uphill, into the general prevailing wind, well bunkered and plays to a yardage of 471 yards.

The 18th at Twin Warriors is simply long with little meaningful detail.

In Florida -- hard to beat the 18th at TPC/Sawgrass -- the H20 literally HANGS in your face. The 18th at Doral is a good call -- but the Ponte Vedra hole has my vote.

[TX Golf]

The 18th at PGA West is no walk in the park.... 440 yards with water all over the place... off the tee and into the green.

[Kyle Harris]

For Florida, I'm going to go way off the beaten path and name the 18th at Babe Zaharias Golf Course in Tampa as the most difficult. It's a reverse camber dogleg right with OB through the fairway and inside the dogleg. The tee shot MUST be a fade or a very high draw contending with overhanging limbs. From there, depending on the placement of the tee shot, there is an uphill approach with a 5-6 iron to a crowned green.

While I understand the 18th at Sawgrass to be difficult in trying tournament conditions, this hole plays difficult regardless of the tee being played.

[Andy Troeger]

I forgot about Pinon, but that's another fair call. I had the 9th and 18th switched in my mind--the holes are parallel and the 9th is a rather odd par five with some cross hazards.

In terms of difficulty it would seem they are pretty comparable though. Neither one of them are my favorite finisher, but they're both plenty challenging. Pinon Hills is probably the better hole.

[Scott Sander]

Central Indiana nominees:

Fun/hard
Bear Slide - par 4 - elevated tee looks down on a tree-lined fairway that all but demands a loong fade to leave you an uphill second over a diagonal hazard creek to a flat green set into a huge punchbowl.  It's all about the drive - too far left or right and you're blocked out.

Over-the-top/hard
Coffin - Wonderful layout ruined by a completely ridiculous tee shot on 18.  There is virtually no way to play the back tees unless you have a tight 240 yard draw in your bag.

Where-the-heck-did-that-come-from/hard
#18 at an early Dye called Sahm is completely, wonderfully out of scale with the rest of the course.  It is a long, brawny uphill beast to a huge (for the course) green.  It seems like something from one of his ballyhooed courses - but Sahm is a $17 muni on a somewhat cramped piece of property.

Exhausting/hard
Kampen - #1 Handicap hole on what's probably the hardest public track in the state.  At this point in the round you are bushed from the battering Kampen delights in delivering.  Then you face a looong par 4 with bunkering up the entire left side and final 100 yards of the right side.  And the greenside bunkering is close to cruel.  Honestly it's not a "hard" bogey... but a birdie is nigh on impossible.

Gimmicky/hard
#18 on the Black Bart course at Woodland Bowl is a skeeball game.  You cannot imagine how difficult it is to putt a pink ball with a rubber-headed putter into the center hole of a skeeball ramp.  What a joke.

[Mike Fowler]

In Arkansas it's Village Creek Resort. The course opened for public play yesterday. Hole is a 570 yard uphill par 5 from the tips with a huge ravine all the way down the left side and a hill covered in deep rough on the right. Fairway averages 22 yards wide with no bailout on either side.  2 tiered hour glass green that is severely sloped back to front. It's located in Wynne, AR about 60 miles west of Memphis, Tn. The whole course is a monster. Designed by Andy Dye. Anyone ever heard of him??

[J_ Crisham]

In Illinois it will be the new and improved 18th at Cog Hill. I recall the 18th at Pine Meadows as being a stern hole as well.      Jack

[Scott Sander]

For Colorado I'll start the bidding with a nomination of #18 at Green Valley Ranch.  640 hard yards.  

It looks from this drawing that the grassy area right of the rightside fairway bunkers is playable.  It's not.  Or at least it was not when I played there last 4 years ago.  For mortals it's definitely a 3 shot hole, which means you have to pull off an extremely awkward second shot unless you flirt with the water left on your tee shot.  Cartpath is in the perfect spot to bounce shots a little left into unplayable area. Greensite is very interesting with many cool pin locations, but a lot of guys never make it there.  Lots of BiPSiCs recorded by playing partners here.

[Wade Whitehead]

From the back tees in Virginia, the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech wins in a landslide.

http://www.rivercoursegolf.com/hole/18.html

WW

[Tom Walsh]

In Missouri- the 18th at Normandie in St. Louis. 250 yard par three, OB left. Usually plays into a sw breeze in the summer. An excellent hole on an old classic. Tom

http://www.normandiegolf.com/?page=36450#18

[Shane Wright]

In Minnesota, 18 at Chaska Town Course -- par-5; sweeping right to left around a
wetland hazard from tee to green, pinched in by bunkers along the right side -- has to
be among the contenders.

It's a pretty hole, but no damned fun.

Dan - you need to play that hole more. 

Dan/Jason - Just my opinion, but if you are going to mention #18 at Chaska, I would have to throw #18 at Rush Creek into the equation.  I think it is a similar hole to Chaska's #18 only a much tougher drive and a more difficult approach to the green.  The 2nd shot is about equal difficulty.  I think Stoneridge #18 is tougher than both though.   

It is not that difficult.  Played conservatively it is a drive to a 75 yard wide fairway, a short iron to the 150 marker and a 150 yard approach to a green with plenty of bail out room right.   

The hole also is very fun.  I've won it by making birdie after reaching the fringe in two and have won it with a triple bogey.

I think the Classic, Stoneridge and the Wilds all have much more difficult finishing holes.

Jason --

I'll agree with you. If you play Chaska 18 the no-fun way, it's not that hard. (Definition of no fun: a par-5 hole that includes "a short iron to the 150 marker.")

I don't need to play it more, actually. I've played it a bunch -- the smart, no-fun way.

I forgot about Stoneridge. Agree completely that it's much more difficult. I don't even remember 18 at the Classic (have played it only once).

And yes, the Wilds is a tough 18 -- but not so tough as Stoneridge.

P.S. You should have seen how tough Oak Glen 18 was yesterday, at 35 degrees, with a northwesterly wind howling!

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