Canterbury's finish must rank with the best in the game, in my opinion.
When David Wigler and I played the course last week, I struggled to find the right word to sum up these holes. I kept coming back to "unpretentiuous". You won't find beautiful seaside drama a la Cypress Point or Pebble Beach. Nor will you find beautiful clubhouse views over looking the 18th green a la Shinnecock or Oakmont. Finally, Canterbury really doesn't have "famous" finishing holes like those found at Merion or Pine Valley.
In boxing they often say "pound for pound". If golf has an equivalent "shot for shot" quality, then the finish at Canterbury ranks right there with the more famous venues mentioned. #15 is a short par 4 with a dramatically elevated, multi tiered green with the appearance of a false front, all combining to make club selection for the approach very tricky. #16 is 611 yard par five that seems to go on forever when viewed from the tee. Actually the furthest point you can see is the rise of a hill which is still about 100 yards from a delightful green setting. Next you play a 230 yard slightly up hill par 3 with a small target given the length of shot required. The home hole is an uphill 440 yard par four.
Regarding Canterbury as a whole, I’ve always felt it was a very solid golf course, though not exactly the most exciting venue you might visit. The Canterbury experience is a bit like playing Pinehurst for the first time: the aesthetics of the course won’t impress. If you come looking for the “wow” factor, you’ll go home disappointed. While Pinehurst makes up for this with sophisticated green complexes, Canterbury really can’t, in my opinion.
But, Canterbury is worthy of a special visit if you just like seeing land with lots of interesting movement and natural places to locate tees, landing areas and greens. The property is simply excellent for a golf course. I’ll bet if you sent a topo to five or ten architects concealing the location, your phone would soon be ringing off the hook.