Despite the best intentions of everyone involved, golf fans and golf course nerds will never stand on common ground as far as the 18th hole on the West Course at Wentworth is concerned.
£3 million was spent to revamp the entire golf course in 2010, with a brook added to the front of the 18th green, creating a water hazard and an elevated putting surface. This was the work of Ernie Els’ design team, overseen by the ex-Wentworth owner Richard Caring.
During the 2010 tournament, Els was openly hurt by the criticism of the golf course changes, with the 8th and 17th greens also being daggered. These holes became extremely tricky for tour professionals to score on, let alone club members.
More millions were pumped in to return the course towards its original design in 2017, which was worked on by Ernie Els design and European Golf Designs. 29 bunkers were removed, and every green was stripped of the old turf and reseeded.
The 18th hole is just over 500 yards. It is a dogleg right, which asks players to hit their tee shots over the trees on the corner. There are fairway bunkers visible off the tee, and bunkers further up the hole, which don’t really come into play.
While the professional stars can conquer it in two shots with relative ease, it’s more of a struggle for members and visitors. Does it just descend into a case of driver, wedge, wedge?
We’ve given you a small guide to how and why the course and the 18th hole appear as it does today, but what does NCG’s team make of it? Dan Murphy and Matt Chivers throw in their two-pence…
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18th Hole Wentworth debate
It might work for the professionals, but what about the rest of us?
In the 21st century, the 18th at Wentworth can be thought of as a par 4 trapped in the body of a par 5. Back in the day, it was a sporty finish, writes Dan Murphy.
For the pros, it was a chance to save the day with a closing eagle while the rest of us could dream of a birdie.
The stream on the angle of the dogleg has always been there, but previously, that was the hole’s most dangerous hazard.
Even with the angle, it is barely 500 yards long. That isn’t long enough for tournament play these days, but Wentworth understandably wanted to retain the excitement of a closing par 5.
It proved impossible to move either the tee (houses and a road) or the green (space for tournament infrastructure), so the chosen solution from Ernie Els was to create a water hazard short and left of the green.
That was initially deemed too severe and was softened to what we have today. It’s now a hole that neatly divides the pros from the rest of us.
They can get home with a fairway wood and a mid-iron, or lay up with three successive 9-irons. We just have to lay up – even if we can make the carry, we can’t stop the ball on the green from over 220 yards away.
The 18th complements the booming popularity of Wentworth
I understand why the 18th on the West agitates the golf course enthusiasts among us, writes Matt Chivers.
Even I was shocked at the course’s apparent transformation into a PGA Tour venue, removed from the typical style of golf in Leafy Surrey, when I was at the event in 2024.
I’ll approach this debate from a different angle. Wentworth is a hugely popular event, one that sells out on championship days, holds music events and other entertainment vehicles like the celebrity pro-am.
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The18th hole is a significant feature of the tournament’s popularity. The green is surrounded by grandstands and hospitality tents. A stadium par 5, if there is such a thing.
The vast majority of spectators don’t dissect the strategy of a hole at pro event. They sit contentedly and watch the stars tackle it, knowing they’ll likely never have the chance to play it themselves. The 18th is probably one of the most memorable holes that UK golf fans can visit in the calendar year.
And the spectators have been treated to great excitement in recent years. Billy Horschel beat Rory McIlroy in 2024 with an eagle in a playoff, and in 2023, Shane Lowry held off the challenge of McIlroy and Jon Rahm, who were both gunning for eagles on the final hole.
I’m looking at the 18th through the lenses of its role as a professional golf hole, as opposed to how you and I would play it. But I think that’s how tournament attendees view it. It is a finishing hole that harnesses the imagination of fans on the ground, which deserves praise in my book.
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