Imagine a golf course created from the most difficult par-3 holes on the PGA Tour.
While the Masters has its version of a Par 3 Contest, imagine taking that concept and instead of cutting holes down to size, the course is created from the most difficult par-3 challenges on Tour.
It would be the Ultimate Par 3 Contest.
Based on the 2019 scoring averages, we can create such a course – for the most part – where each hole holds top rank as the toughest to break par on for PGA Tour professionals.
You’d better bring all of your clubs because a few of these might not be reachable with that trusty 3-iron!
Which No. 18s are the best? The argument can very much teeter on the objective vs. subjective, so let’s see how these compare to your list.
If a golf course is considered a work of art, where 18 holes and all their surroundings come together on one canvas to form a unique experience, then the 18th hole would be the artist’s signature. The last of the round, a course’s finishing hole typically sets an iconic tone, the postcard shot of each specific course, if you will. It’s where majors (and money games) are won and lost, and where the final putt erupts in cheers and flashbulbs (or beers).
Which finishing holes are the best?
The argument can very much teeter on the objective vs. subjective, so the entire dynamic – from scoring average to history to layout – was considered when deciding that these 25 were some of the best in golf.
Pebble Beach
(David Cannon/Getty Images)
The final hole at historic Pebble Beach is one of the most recognizable in golf. From the Cypress tree in the middle of the fairway to the Pacific waves crashing against the sea wall, the par-5 18th has stood as the ultimate finishing hole. It’s wild to think it started out as an unremarkable par 4.
Every golfer has a dream course-or, more likely, dream courses. It’s part of golfing tradition, where you stand at the tee box of your local nine-hole spot or driving range (or maybe from the 19th hole) and pretend you’re limbering up from a …
Every golfer has a dream course—or, more likely, dream courses.
It’s part of golfing tradition, where you stand at the tee box of your local nine-hole spot or driving range (or maybe from the 19th hole) and pretend you’re limbering up from a historic course: St. Andrews, Pinehurst No. 2, Sawgrass, perhaps Pebble Beach or Augusta, and beyond.
And while the possibility of actually playing at some of the top courses around the world is a challenging goal—teetering on impossible—that doesn’t mean it’s a total shank back into reality. That we can’t, at least, take a virtual trip through some of the most exceptional 18 holes that golf has to offer.
Like, say, Riviera Country Club.
Nestled in Pacific Palisades, California, the nearly 100-year-old course is one of the most iconic in all of golf—from the famous members to the clubhouse to the residences that surround the course in the Santa Monica Canyon. This week, the PGA Tour will tee it up there for the Genesis Open.
Hopefully, they won’t mind if we (virtually) play through…
(Note: Yardages are from the Gold Tees)
No. 1: 503 yards, par 5
(Photo by Paul Mounce/Corbis via Getty Images)
It’s one of the best opening holes, and one look from the tee box explains why. Some 70 feet above the fairway, with the historic clubhouse behind you, this par 5 is an immediate test of skill (double-bogeys are not uncommon) that also displays an incredible panoramic view of the grounds.
