There are various factors that make for a great 18th hole; its tough but fair challenge, its memorable visual appearance, the drama it can provide, the smile it may put on your face or its history and the memories of a great climax to a match or tournament. This whirlwind tour of some of the best finishing holes in golf looks at a variety from all categories, with some that tick all of the boxes.
Blue Canyon Country Club – Lakes Course, Thailand
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Thailand is renowned for its scenic golf, and Blue Canyon Country Club is conveniently located adjacent to the international airport on the popular holiday island of Phuket. The Lakes Course opened for play in 1999 and is one of two spectacular designs by Japanese architect Yoshikazu Kato. Its closing hole is a super-tough par 4 played to a green fronted by a beautiful but not surprisingly very magnetic lagoon.
Hankley Common, England
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Covering a vast acreage of very beautiful heathland, Hankley Common is a wonderful course in the Golf Monthly Top 100 that is also a strong but very fair test of golf. The meandering design reflects the architectural genius of both James Braid and Harry Colt, and the many highlights include the superb and very demanding closing hole which is approached over a deep and wide valley of sin that needs no assistance of any manmade bunkering.
Harbour Town, USA
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With its iconic lighthouse standing guard on the horizon, the 18th at Harbour Town is one of the most recognisable holes on the PGA Tour. Your tee shot must fly over an expanse of marshland to a fairway that borders the Calibogue Sound, before an approach that must carry a long bunker to the green. Anything left is only going to be bad news!
Durness, Scotland
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One of the most extreme courses on the British mainland in terms of location and access is this fabulous 9-holer on the far north-western coast of Scotland. Its lunar landscape setting is other-worldly and memorable, and the thrilling par-3 closing hole along the clifftop and over a rocky inlet will have your camera working overtime. Durness Golf Club is the very definition of a hidden gem.
Royal Melbourne – East Course, Australia
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Although it’s the West Course that regularly tops the charts in Australian golf and often further afield, the East is certainly not far behind. Indeed, for tournament play, a composite course is frequently used and this…
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