What do you want from a closing hole?

[Deleted member 1147]

A lot of courses seem to have tough par 4's, but my favourite is a par 5.
I like the idea that I can still finish on a high, rather than trying to hold on.
I particularly don't like a par 3 to finish.

 

[Slab]

Yeah (even as a short hitter) I prefer to finish on a par 5 (luckily that's what I've got on the three courses I play most often)

 

[DannyOT]

Nothing too difficult, a good par 4 or 5 with a distance that gives average hitters a nice distance for their approach to the green.

It's always nice feeling like a good player by nailing your approach to the 18th in front of the clubhouse. Even if it is to make par for a round of 100.

 

[Neilds]

Depends on the round, sometimes I just want an easy hole to let me finish the turmoil and get me to the bar to drown my sorrows

 

[Imurg]

A birdie!
We have a birdiable (is that even a word?) Par 5 to finish.
Only 480ish yards but your drive pitches on an up slope, as does your 2nd shot ( different upslope) and then uphill to the green
2 good shots leaves me a wedge in and I can often get close enough for a decent birdie chance.
Works for me

 

[Smiffy]

Something slightly downhill is preferred ???

 

[Oddsocks]

A pint!

 

[fundy]

Risk reward, ideally a par 5 where I can make eagle and my oppo can make double, sadly usually ends up with me making double and them making eagle

 

[Orikoru]

I actually think a nice short-ish par 3 would be good to finish on. But I can't really think of any courses I've played that have that, to be honest. My club finishes with two fairly short par 4s, which is nice, as you have a decent chance of a morale-boosting par-par finish - this also gives you a bit of hope of finishing strongly when you're half way through the back nine and maybe struggling a bit.

I hated the 18th at my old club, it was a 370-ish par 4 but with a wide ditch running across the 200 yard mark (although at an angle, so if you fade it, more carry is needed). It's right on the cusp of what I could carry, so off the whites I couldn't risk it, I always had to lay-up and then leave myself a tricky 180-190 yarder to the green off a sideways lie. Whereas for anyone with slightly more carry than me with the driver, it was an absolute doddle - drive over the ditch and wedge to the green. Really annoying.

So anyone, the short answer to the question - anything that isn't too difficult, so you have hope of a decent finish. Anything difficult adds pressure of needing a decent score already before you get there, and then not messing it up.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

We've a par 5 finishing hole. Its often the most or second hardest hole. With thre prevailing wind you would need to be a very big hitter to get anywhere near in 2.

In the last monthly medal it played more than 2 strokes over par.

 

[bobmac]

Easy start, easy finish, brings you back for more.

 

[Beedee]

Ours is a 195 par 3. Green is about level with the tee, but there's a pond between tee and green meaning that there's a decent slope just in front of the green. There's also four quite big bunkers front, left and right of the green, so between the slope and the bunkers it's rare to be able to run one on to the green. Oh and some trees in play as well for a bad shot. The green is quite large and definitely has some slopes to consider. It's a tough one, but I really like it.

 

[GreiginFife]

We start with a reachable par 5 and end with a reachable par 5. So in theory should be the easy start, easy finish Bob mentioned.
Just looked at the hole averages for the YTD and both are playing over par. 1st is slightly over but the 18th is just shy of 6.

Its a wide enough fairway but with thick pine trees right and the car park left it can mess with your head. Decent drive will leave you about 220-230 in. Not easy but certainly doable.
Now you have thick pine trees right and OOB and the passing dual carriageway left with a much narrower fairway and the putting green behind... head mess time again.

But I like it, had everything from a 3 to a 9 on it ?

 

[Deleted member 1147]

My place finishes with a 400+ par 4, si 5.
It doglegs to the left and goes up hill all the way.
If you hit a straight drive it may run out of fairway and get blocked out by trees, or finish in long rough, so a 3 wood is needed.
Hit a good 3 wood and you have 160+ uphill to a raised green.

I have far more bogeys than pars on it, as do most, especially as the course is a long walk and the final hole up hill seems to knacker people.

 

[Dando]

a hole with lots of water near the green and a big patio where you can sit and watch people make tits of themselves

 

[Voyager EMH]

17th is a shortish par 5 and 18th shortish par 4. Just need to be straight on both to give a chance of wedge and a birdie putt.
But 15th is SI 2 - longest par 4 on back 9 and 16th is longest par 3 on the course 202 yards slightly up hill and you can't see green surface. Disaster awaits on those two when you have a good score going.
I think our course has an excellent closing 4 holes and final hole. 18th tee shot is downhill, but go left or right and your line to green could be blocked by trees. Shot to green is uphill with OOB over the back. (Don't thin that wedge or 9-iron!)

 

[Smiffy]

Our closing hole is a short par 4 SI15.
Elevated tee drops away quite steeply and then rises again to the green. A few bunkers to make it interesting.
The bigger hitters will have a go at it.
I'll just knock a drive down there, and as long as I miss the fairway bunker right it's just a flick with a wedge. Birdie is always on the cards.

 

[batchworth]

one of the worst finishing holes locally to me (in my opinion only), is Sandy Lodge Golf club. Its a small blind tee shot, par 3, that finishes almost round the back of the clubhouse, squashed in-between the car park and the side entrance to the gents toilets. It feels like they designed the course with 17 holes, and then remembered they needed to squeeze the 18th in somewhere

 

[patricks148]

I don't mind actually, less of a factor for me than the start. Nairn and Nain Dunbar both have par 5 finishes, Nairn s was quite easy at just over 500 down wind was a good drive and a mid or long iron if you got it in the right place, but alas When they did the course changes the stuck 3 bunkers across the fairway, with the gap only 15 paces between them at 250 off the tee, just made a 3 shotter for me, but big hitters can carry the bunkers 270 carry and hit a downslope and get a good kick down the fairway and have about mid iron or even wedge in.

 

[HeftyHacker]

As others have said, I'd prefer an easy par 4 or 5 to finish on a high.

Unfortunately at my place its a 450 yard par (SI 4) with houses (and therefore OB) right and a copse of trees left with knee high grass under it. It also generally plays slightly in and left to right of the prevailing wind.

It can make or break a round if you're chasing a score as its a difficult hole to really get after, a 4 is a great score on there.