Hole #18 “Home”

621 Yards, 542 Yards, 480 Yards, Par 5

Charles Banks in 1925 “This is a long fellow. To relieve the tedium of the drag through a long hole where distance is the only commendation, this hole has been broken up into three distinct parts. The first shot should carry over a shoulder at the right and at the angle of the dog leg. By carry the brow of this shoulder and making a roll over, the ball is brought to a smooth area of playing ground for the second. The second play to the top of the hill which has been leveled off and cut down so as to make the green visible from the second play area. The shot is to the green on the third. Should the player desire to avoid the hill he may play around the right with a penalty of increased distance. The two playing grounds for the second and third shots are practically two greens to shoot at but of twice or three times the area of ordinary putting greens.”

Getting “home” is a severe test of blind shots, multiple options, and rugged topography. It is indeed a “natural” design and unique challenge!

Scott Ramsay notes about his recent work,“On number eighteen can be seen the most dramatic results of tree removal and the reduction of penal native grass. Now there are wide-open areas for both the first and second shots and multiple options for club selection and direction of play.” From the back tees, a long drive is needed over the shoulder of first hill to the lower fairway, tucked beyond the hill. The left edge of the fairway is marked by the third set of rare dawn redwoods. You can play the second shot to the top of an intimidating fairway plateau hill, from which you will have an equally steep downhill approach to the green. Or you can play the second shot to the right, aiming for the lower fairway channel. Ramsay is now keeping the grass on the side of the hill cut short so that second shots that find the hill will not settle but roll on to the lower fairway. The fairway itself has been widened to the right-side tree line, but all shots from this lower landing area are blind shots to the green.

There is a lateral brook near the eighteenth green onthe right side of fairway. A five-foot deep bunker running the length of its left side and a smaller bunker on the right side penalize errant approaches. The green itself is exceptionally large, testing the golfer to the final putt.