32 Of The Best Finishing Holes In Golf

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

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

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

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

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

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 climaxes with the closing hole from the latter. It’s a medium length par 4 whose chief defence is a sea of irregular bunkers meaning that the only approach to the two-tier green is through the air.

Royal Troon - Old Course, Scotland

Everything at Royal Troon, host of the 2024 Open Championship, is impressive and on a grand scale - from the stately clubhouse to the expansive and superbly manicured course itself. The 8th - the Postage Stamp - is a deservedly world-famous short hole, while the tough par-4 closing hole has witnessed great drama over the years including the titanic battle when Henrik Stenson narrowly beat Phil Mickelson in 2016.

Pinnacle Point, South Africa

If you want a setting to distract you from your golf, then the par-5 18th at Pinnacle Point is just the job!  The club is situated by Mossel Bay on the southern coast of South Africa, and the finishing hole runs down to the green from right to left along the clifftops that themselves are lined by a bunker that is well over 300 yards long - a breathtaking finish.

Killarney - Mahony’s Point, Ireland

Although Killarney is better known for its championship Killeen Course, Mahony’s Point is not much shorter and also has some spectacular holes. The closing par-3 is superb, and is without doubt one of the most attractive short holes in Ireland. With Lough Leane hugging the right-hand side, four greedy bunkers to the left and framed by pine, it’s an idyllic short hole worth the green fee on its own.

The Bluffs, Grand Ho Tram, Vietnam

Some 50 miles to the south-east of Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in the country, The Bluffs is a spectacular course with views out over the Pacific Ocean. Running through the towering, sandy dunes that separate the beach from the national forest, it was designed by Greg Norman and opened for play in 2014. The 18th is a real monster (in a good way), the longest par 4 on the course and uphill all the way.

Riviera Country Club, USA

Host of many top-level championships including the US and US Senior Opens, the PGA Championship and the Los Angeles Open, Riviera Country Club is a fabulously green oasis surrounded by suburbia on the western side of the city. To finish, there is a blind drive from way below the fairway before an approach to a superbly-sited green in a natural amphitheatre below the clubhouse.

Trump International Scotland

This fabulous Martin Hawtree design opened for play in 2012 and has already earned a worldwide reputation for its superbly-manicured rollercoaster ride through spectacular dunes. Each hole at Trump International Scotland is separate and memorable, and the par-5 closer from an elevated tee offers a thrilling but very difficult test that will keep you in your toes. There are bunkers left, bunkers right and bunkers centre!

Valhalla, USA

The great Jack Nicklaus has designed many exciting golf courses, and this private club in Kentucky opened for play in 1986. For many years it was owned by the PGA of America before being purchased by a group of members in 2022. It is a thrilling layout that has hosted the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup, and it climaxes with a par 5 that has a choice of fairways for the lay-up.

Wentworth Club - West Course, England

Few famous golf holes have seen as many changes over the years as the snaking par-5 18th at Wentworth. Indeed, it would be hard to know whether its original architect, the legendary Harry Colt, would now recognise the hole, as the approach is bisected and the green bordered by a stream that provides maximum drama. The course has hosted many top-level championships over the years and is the home of the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship.

Real Valderrama, Spain

Host of the 1997 Ryder Cup and granted royal status in 2014, this is one of the most exclusive and prestigious clubs in Europe. The fairways are lined with trees, and the immaculate greens are unusually small. The bunkers are deep and filled with a coarse, grainy sand that is uniform throughout. While the two par 5s at the 4th and 17th are perhaps the most memorable holes, the 18th is a superb par 4 that eases its way right to left and up the hill towards the stylish clubhouse.

K Club - Palmer North, Ireland

The K Club has two very interesting courses, a fabulous hotel, and every type of leisure activity on offer. The Palmer North staged the emotional 2006 Ryder Cup, and it runs through magnificent trees with water frequently in play. In a dramatic finale to the 2016 Irish Open, Rory McIlroy hit his 5-wood very close - 252 yards over water - to set up a closing eagle.

Abu Dhabi - National Course, UAE

The National Course at Abu Dhabi is not only a visual feast but also an excellent test of golf that was used to stage the season-opening HSBC Championship on the DP World Tour from 2006 to 2021. Winners included Paul Casey, Ricky Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton, and the par-5 final hole is played left of a lake and over many bunkers to a green in front of the iconic clubhouse with its amazing falcon-shaped frontage.

Leopard Creek, South Africa

This Gary Player design scores in every department, both as a test of golf and as a visual treat. There are many water features and a fair chance of spotting crocodile, hippo, antelope and buffalo, either on the course or by the river running alongside several holes. The closing hole is an extremely attractive par 5 played to an island green.

Muirfield Village, USA

Situated in Dublin, Ohio, this is the home of the Jack Nicklaus Memorial Tournament and the course opened for play in 1974 with an exhibition match featuring the great man and designer himself. The closing par 4 is the toughest hole on the course and is a dogleg to the right with trees and a creek on the left, before a gentle climb to a well-protected green.

Quail Hollow, USA

This lovely course in North Carolina was originally designed by George Cobb in 1961, aimed at capturing the beauty and challenging terrain of the local Piedmont region. Both Arnold Palmer and Tom Fazio have made changes, and the closing hole is extremely well protected by an intrusive stream that lines the left side of the fairway all the way to the green.

The Golf Course at Adare Manor, Ireland

A few years ago in the west of Ireland, Adare Manor took the bold approach of closing the course and hotel for a complete, no-holds-barred refurb. The result of Tom Fazio’s work is probably the finest conditioned course in Europe, one that will host the 2027 Ryder Cup. It will make for a perfect venue with dramatic water features, plenty of risk and reward, and a pristine and beautiful parkland setting. The par-5 18th is a real stunner running alongside the river before crossing to a green overlooked by the beautiful hotel.

Emirates - Majlis Course, UAE

Regular host of the Dubai Desert Classic, the Majlis Course is one of three at the Emirates Club. It is a consistently strong design from start to finish without any weak holes, and while one of the most photographed is the 8th with desert all the way down the right and an amazing skyline, the closing hole is perhaps a better hole with a 90-degree turn to the left before an aerial approach over water to a double green shared with the 9th.

TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course, USA

If you can survive the thrills and spills of the famous par-3 17th at Sawgrass, an equally daunting prospect awaits on the par-4 finishing hole. It’s a beautiful but tough two-shotter that is lined very tightly by water all the way on the left, up to and alongside the green. In the 2022 Players Championship, former world number one Adam Scott pulled his tee shot left, not once but twice, on the way to carding an eight!

Le Golf National - Albatros Course, France

As evidenced in the 2018 Ryder Cup and the staging of many French Opens, the Albatros Course near Paris is one that is packed with drama, risk and reward. It was one of the first built specifically with spectators in mind, and with water claiming plenty of victims at the 15th and 17th, there is no let-up at the closing hole which is played to what is effectively an island green.

The Belfry - Brabazon Course, England

If ever there was a fitting finale for the Ryder Cup, this is it. To shorten the second the drive must carry trees on the left while the safer line is the wide bunker at the end of the fairway. The approach has to fly Moxhull Pond to a massive three-tier green which, depending on pin position, can mean a four or even five club difference. This is a classic finishing hole where anything can happen, and frequently does.

Marco Simone, Italy

The 2023 Ryder Cup was a contest that became very dramatic when perhaps it shouldn’t have, and key to the developments at various points over the three days was the excellent par-5 closing hole. The thickness of the rough meant that hitting the fairway was essential in order to reach the green in two, and with any approach going left likely to find a watery grave, there were several strategic misses to the right!

Carnoustie Links - Championship Course, Scotland

The Championship Course at Carnoustie is one of the best and toughest links in the UK, a supreme test of golf and a links for the connoisseur that is distinguished by its superb, revetted bunkering. There are plenty of highlights such as Hogan’s Alley and the Spectacle bunkers, and an amazing sting in the tail with the two closing par 4s where you must cross the Barry Burn no fewer than five times. If you want a definition of drama, think Jean Van de Velde and the final round of the 1999 Open!

Barnbougle Dunes, Australia

Tasmania is an island state off the south-eastern coast of the Australian mainland where Barnbougle Dunes can perhaps best be described as a contemporary take on traditional links. It is blessed with a stunning setting in the dunes that enabled the creation of a dramatic, exciting and fulfilling test of golf, and the closing hole plays over a rumpled fairway where the sea winds will add to what is already a strong challenge.

Jumeirah Golf Estates - Earth Course, UAE

With more than 100 bunkers, 20 lakes and two meandering streams, the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates is the established home to the climax of the Race to Dubai, the DP World Tour Championship. Designer Greg Norman has described the closing four holes as ‘the most challenging mile in golf’, and the closing hole, a par 5, pretty much sums up risk and reward with a snakelike stream meandering up the fairway and beside the green.

Augusta National, USA

The course that has hosted more Majors than any other has thrown up some dramatic finishes over the years, with a severely uphill par 4 at the heart of it all. A tight drive through the pines is followed by an elevated approach and anyone who witnessed it will never forget Sandy Lyle’s bunker save in 1988, or Jon Rahm’s need for a provisional tee shot as recently as the 2023 Masters en route to victory.

Pebble Beach Golf Links, USA

Pebble Beach is one of the most instantly recognisable courses in the world and a regular host of the US Open. The holes that border the ocean are wildly dramatic, with the eighteenth a picture-perfect par 5. The left-hand bunker that protects the approach is a mere 140 yards in length, while two trees on the right frequently come into play and the beach lines every one of the 543 yards.

Whistling Straits, USA

Pete Dye’s amazing creation at Whistling Straits hosted the 2021 Ryder Cup and is renowned for its extravagant and abundant bunkering. The closing hole is a par 4 of 520 yards - if that is not an oxymoron - with both the drive and the approach (in practice, the third shot for most of us!) played over deep, hostile jungle. As beautiful as it is demanding!

St Andrews - Old Course, Scotland

There is virtually nothing that can be said about the Old Course that has not been said before! It is arguably the most famous golf course in the world, an ever-present on golfing bucket lists and a must-play of the highest order. There is more atmosphere and history than any course has a right to exude, with the closing hole played over the Swilcan Burn and Bridge, and then the Valley of Sin back into the town, serving as an appropriately spine-tingling climax.