L
eave it to a guy who had one of
the most aggressive risk-reward
approaches to golf ever to de-
sign one of the greatest risk-reward
holes in the Coachella Valley.
We're talking, of course, about the
par-5 finishing hole at Classic Club,
designed by legendary player and
course architect Arnold Palmer.
And while Palmer bares his soul
throughout the layout, it's the 18th that
provides the true show-me-what-you-
got moment.
"The 18th hole is picturesque and
unique in several ways," said Classic
Club Superintendent Tony Spannaus.
"You begin with a choice of five differ-
ent tee pads, all elevated to feature a
panoramic view of several holes, the
clubhouse and a lake containing differ-
ent species of waterfowl. You immedi-
ately appreciate how important your
tee shot is when you notice four fair-
way bunkers to your left, and two to
the right with a slightly larger than
four-acre lake lining the entire length
of the fairway and green to the right
as well."
The scintillating par 5 plays 564
yards from the tips, 526 from the blues
and 483 from the whites. This hole has
temptation written all over it. And de-
cision making is paramount.
Spannaus sets the stage: "After suc-
cessfully navigating all the hazards off
the tee, you are then faced with your
second challenge: Do you go for the
dogleg-right green, which can require a
long shot over the lake, or do you play
it safe and lay it up in front of two
more bunkers designed to give each
player specific risk-reward scenar-
ios? All of these factors come into play
and present golfers a unique opportu-
nity to test their limits of skill and com-
fortability all in one beautiful hole."
Perhaps the most captivating thing
about the 18th is that there are so many
different ways to approach it.
"You could play this hole 18 differ-
ent times and strategize it a different
way each time," Spannaus says. "It is
truly one of the great finishing holes in
golf."
GREAT GOLF HOLES
BOOK
A TEE
TIME
FINISHING TOUCH
The King's go-for-broke style is on full display at the 18th hole
C L I C K H E R E TO TA K E A N E X C LU S I V E CO U R S E TO U R O F C L A S S I C C LU B
DID YOU KNOW? Charley Hoffman eagled the18th
hole in the final round on his way to winning his first
PGA tour event in 2007 at the Bob Hope Classic.
The 18th is a classic
risk-reward hole.
