The best and most memorable 18th hole you've played - TOC or another?

[Thomas Dai]

Time to bookend the thread entitled "The best and most momorable 1st hole you've played - TOC or another" - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59803.0.html - with thoughts on the best and most memorable 18th hole you've played.

Any nominations other than the 18th at TOC........................or the 18th at Kington!

atb

[Rob Marshall]

Has to be the 18th at Pebble Beach. Iconic.

18th at Harbor Town is pretty good. WIDE open off the tee but the 2nd shot is a beauty.

[Mark Pearce]

Kington.

[Josh Tarble]

In my opinion, I think the 18th hole is the hardest to get right.  It seems like most are either a let a down or over-the-top.  Some 18th holes I like (and these are all over the board in their styles)

Harbor Town
TPC Sawgrass
Streamsong Red
Kinglsey Club

[Kevin_D]

My 3 favorites are all around Philly:

Merion
Stonewall Old
Gulph Mills

[Rich Goodale]

Memorable

1.  Pebble Beach

The creme de la creme

Runners-up

--Elie
--Half Moon Bay-Old Links
--Lanark
--TPC Sawgrass

The Best

1.  Pacific Dunes

Similar to #1 at Sand Hills, but better in many ways, firstly because it is a last hole and not an opener.  Multiple ways to play the hole-- ranging from cowardly to hubristic, each of which is likely to end in a 6.  As any great 18th should be, it ends in an ampitheater, in front of your fellow competitors and friends and even a few hangers on.

Runners-up

--Olympic Club (Lake)
--Southerndown
--Monifieth
--Silloth

[Mark Jackson]

Like others, the most "memorable" 18th hole that I have played is Pebble Beach with its picturesque and iconic setting, but the best is probably Riviera with its demanding, uphill tee shot and second shot to the green set in the amphitheater below the massive clubouse. I always enjoyed watching the pros play the 18th at Riveria and it did not disappoint when I had my opportunity to play the hole.

[Tim Passalacqua]

18th on the Lake course at Olympic Club.  The entire setting is amazing.  From the tee, it looks like a big hole, but it's only measures 330.  The fairway dips down and then climbs up to the green perched on a hillside.  The green sits in a massive amphitheater with the clubhouse towering in the background.  You can picture the thousands of fans crowded around the green for a major and feel the history of all the upsets and heartbreaks that happened here! 

[Jeff Taylor]

NGLA
TPC Sawgrass
North Berwick

[Thomas Dai]

Checked back in to see progress only to notice that although I commenced the thread I didn't nominate any holes! Whoops!

Best - nomination - 18th at Carnoustie - tough, brutal
Honorable mention - 18th at Muirfield

Most memorable - 18th at TOC - simply special
Honorable mention - an outsider - the very downhill par-3 18th at Dartmouth GCC

A hole that looks interesting purely from my TV viewing is the 18th at Royal Dublin. Perhaps those who've played it could say if it's as impressive as it appears on screen.

atb

[Will Lozier]

I love the 18th at St. Enodoc!  A tough, beautiful hole in a lovely setting.

[Jimmy Muratt]

A few favorite 18th holes that haven't been mentioned:

Sand Hills
Garden City Golf Club
Dismal River Red
Old Town Club

[Paul Dolton]

I really like the 18th at Wallasey and at Sountherdown.

[Ryan Coles]

Best: Saunton East

Memorable: St Andrews Old

[David Whitmer]

The most memorable 18th I have ever played would be The Old Course, strictly because of the setting and all the champions that have been crowned on that green. Second would be Muirfield, because of the great clubhouse behind the green, and all the great champions that have been crowned there (I believe, with Mickelson winning there last year, the last seven Open Championship winners at Muirfield are all hall of famers). I get a kick out of playing courses that have produced so much golf history.

The best 18th hole I have played may very well be Inverness Club. For a short hole, it affords plenty of options from tee to green, and I have made anywhere from a three to a six there.

[Carson Pilcher]

My first inclination was to say Olympic Club.  It struck me first as a great finishing hole.

However, I have one memory that I hold dear.  I took my Father over to play TOC one time with me.  When trying to describe the beauty of The Old Course, I sometimes say, "On one day, you can hit driver and then a flip 60* wedge into #18, then the next week, you hit driver - 4 iron and come up short"!!  Well, I had my Father with me when I came up short with the 4 iron.  It was late in the day and the sun was setting.  There were people on a balcony at Rusacks and people lining the green.  I took a wedge and pitched a 50 yard shot that landed on the green and then took the break on the back-left pin and dropped gently into the cup for a great end to the round.  All of the crowd started cheering and clapping.  I felt just like a champion walking up to the green with a tip of the cap to the folks cheering.

I have also played there leading up to The Open.  Pretty neat to play it with the grandstands already installed and the yellow scoreboards surrounding you.

[henrye]

A few of you have chosen the 18th at Sawgrass as a favourite.  For me, it's like teeing off at the end of a runway with a sculling canal running down the left side.  I understand the difficulty, but not the merits.

[Chris DeToro]

TOC is always hard to beat

I tend to like Bethpage Black's 18th

Here are a couple others that I've found memorable:

The Country Club
East Lake

[Josh Bills]

1. NGLA

2. Pebble Beach
3. Shinnecock

[Alex Miller]

It feels weird to say the same answers as the 1st hole thread, but NGLA and TOC?

Clubhouse/town interaction and the setting of both make those 1st and 18th holes magical!


From TOC- I made par off the scaffolding  .

[Ryan Taylor]

1. TOC
2. Pebble
3. Old Mac

Most disappointing...Royal County Down

I'm surprised for the love shown to #18 at Kingsley. #10 feels like a natural opener. Ending on #9 would seem more fitting for Kingsley. (quirk)

[Chris DeToro]

Interesting thought on Kingsley.  Personally, I like the routing as is--I think 18 is a very strong hole and a potential card ruiner after a good birdie opportunity on 17. 

[Nick Spears]

Best TPC Sawgrass or Whistling Straits. Toss up for me.
Most memorable Streamsong Red. As you're teeing off looking at what resembles a snow covered mountain with all the white sand, you really can't believe you're in Florida.

[Adam Lawrence]

Checked back in to see progress only to notice that although I commenced the thread I didn't nominate any holes! Whoops!

Best - nomination - 18th at Carnoustie - tough, brutal
Honorable mention - 18th at Muirfield

Most memorable - 18th at TOC - simply special
Honorable mention - an outsider - the very downhill par-3 18th at Dartmouth GCC

A hole that looks interesting purely from my TV viewing is the 18th at Royal Dublin. Perhaps those who've played it could say if it's as impressive as it appears on screen.

atb

Royal Dublin's home hole is, in my experience, utterly unique. I've never seen anything like it. It's also, I think, magnificent, if you don't mind OoB as a hazard. Hit your tee shot close to the OoB, and you have a reasonable chance to get home in two and make your four; the more you avoid the OoB, the less chance you have of reaching in two. My only qualm with the hole is the extent it favours the long hitter.

[Jason Thurman]

Best TPC Sawgrass or Whistling Straits. Toss up for me.

Why Whistling Straits?




Pebble Beach is the answer. In retrospect, the hole is probably more "really good" than "best." But when you stand on that tee, it's hard to believe there's a better hole anywhere (unless you happen to look back toward the 6th).