Hole 18 is a dramatic and challenging finishing hole. The tee shot is fairly straight forward. The fairway is narrow, and kicks to the left. There is out of bounds on the left side, and trouble on the right. Note that there is a bit of slope in the landing zone, back-right to front-left, that may leave the player with an imperfect stance if you land exactly on it, but it can add extra length to a standard draw.

Before you take your approach shot, remember to look to your left. The view from the fairway here one of the best on the course, and one of the least appreciated.

Now, the approach shot is where most of the strategy is. A long, well placed tee shot can make the approach fairly straight forward. If you miss the center though, there are trees on each side of the fairway that may force you to move the ball in the air. If you’re on the slope in the landing area, the lie can also be trouble, as you very well may be playing the ball above your feet.

However, if you have a long shot in, or a tree is in the way, you can actually play a running shot over or off the back of the mound in front of the green. A low shot, about 15 yards short of the green and right-of-center, should kick forward, off that mound, to the middle of the green. It’s a trick to pull off, but an absolute stunner when it works.

At the green you may have a gallery as players often sit at the picnic tables after the round.