One of the most memorable holes on any golf course is the finishing hole. This is the last hole of the day and most likely the one golfers will remember most vividly. Some of the best finishing holes include water, sand and are quite long. Top names in the industry try to make a statement with their finishing holes. A phenomenal collection of dramatic and demanding finishing holes designed by architects like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf and Tom Fazio can be found in fabulous Las Vegas. Architects who design Las Vegas golf courses have often placed a par-5 as the finishing hole. This gives the designer the chance to challenge the golfer or entice the player to take a risk they normally wouldn't.
The following is a list of the Top 5 finishing holes in Las Vegas golf. Each of these holes gives the player an opportunity to make a great score or find a watery grave. Play these holes very carefully and you will finish up a great round with a good score.
Par-5 551 Yards
At first glance this doesn't seem like a very difficult hole, but the tee shot is the key to making a birdie on this hole. From the tee, the best shot is toward the right bunkers with a slight fade. From the tee it is hard to tell that the fairway drops 100 feet to the green. A well-placed tee shot can leave the player with a mid to short iron into the green.
The fairway on this hole is severely sloped which makes finding a flat lie an incredibly daunting task. The player will have a choice to make on the second shot - whether to go for it or not. There is a ravine that runs in front of the green and any missed shot will find the bottom of the canyon. The best place to miss the ball is over the green which is narrow but long. Be sure to take enough club on this hole. Hitting the green in two shots is a definite possibility.
Tom Fazio is one of the most in-demand architects in the United States, and he has designed a great finishing hole on the Lakes golf course at Primm Valley Golf Club. This long par-4 requires a tee shot that moves from left to right. The fairway slopes toward the lake on the right and any shot hit toward the left side will bounce toward the middle of the fairway. The best target off the tee is toward the bunkers on the left-hand side.
There is a bunker and lake on the right-hand side of the hole, but aim for the left side of the fairway and you should be fine. The approach shot to this green should be a mid to long iron into a fairly large putting surface. There are several tiers on this green so be sure to check the pin position before you hit the shot. Once again you need to aim left and there is a bunker and creek that border the left side of the green.
Silverstone Golf Club is known for their long par-5's and the 9th hole on the Mountain golf course is one of the longest. Although the length of the hole is the initial concern, the most intimidating thing on this hole is the lake that runs down the entire left side of the hole. The fairway slopes toward the water on the left so the best tee shot is toward the right side of the fairway. Any shot hit left of the middle of the fairway runs the risk of going into the water.
Hitting the ball in the fairway is only half the battle, the second shot requires an even more precise shot than from the tee. Closer to the green the fairway gets more narrow and slopes even harder toward the water. The fairways at Silverstone are very fast and the ball tends to roll quite a bit. Aim toward the bunkers on the right of the fairway and keep the ball as close to the cart path as possible for the best results.
This is a large green that has several undulations and the potential for a three-putt is high. The best position to this green is toward the middle of the green.
This long par-5 is bordered on the right side by Lake Las Vegas. From the tee, the best shot is left of the bunker in the middle of the fairway. The longer hitters may try to aim right of this bunker but most players should stay left. This green is very difficult to reach in two shots and players should choose a yardage they like to lay up to.
There are bunkers on the right of the fairway near the green. These bunkers are deep and will make hitting the green in regulation a challenge if you happen to find them. This green is surrounded by water on the right and behind the green. This green is very large and has lots of undulations.
This is a great par-4 that requires an accurate tee shot and approach shot. From the tee there are bunkers on both the right and left side of the fairway. The longer hitters will be able to carry the bunkers on the left, but most players will need to aim right between the middle of the bunkers. There is a slope between the bunkers that, if you can hit it far enough, will propel the ball down the slope and leave the player with a short iron to the green.
Most players will be left with a mid iron into this green. The lake on the left hugs the left side of green. This is a narrow green that is quite long with a bunker on the right-hand side. Aim for the right side of this green to make increase you chances of making a par.
