Finishing round with flurries and birdies

BRYCE ALDERTON

Golf tournaments are often won or lost on the back nine, specifically

holes 14-18.

The knees wobble, the hands wrapped around the club tighten and

every shot seems magnified 1,000 times whether a trophy or lunch for

friends is on the line.

These five holes can bring out the best and, unfortunately, worst

in golfers, depending on the circumstances.

But in this case, we are speaking only of the best because this

week concludes the Newport-Mesa Dream Round, a mythical 18-hole jaunt

spanning all 10 courses in this newspaper’s coverage area.

The fourth in a four-part series begins with the par-4 14th at

Newport Beach Country Club followed by the 15th, one of the few par

4s at Newport Beach Golf Course.

Stops at Pelican Hill Golf Club and Newport Beach Country Club

precede the grand finale, the par-3 175-yard finishing hole at Mesa

Verde Country Club.

While selecting holes to fill each spot were a joy, deciding on

the 18th was especially intriguing, and difficult.

The 18th is often a course’s gem, the one hole golfers remember

and the one that comes to mind first.

And several finishing holes are designed as such -- appealing to

sight as much as a golfer’s skill.

Think of either 18 at Pelican Hill Ocean South or North courses or

the finishers at Santa Ana Country Club or Big Canyon Country Club?

Professionals and amateurs polled for this series routinely

mentioned the 18th among the best holes at his or her particular

course, making selection slightly more complicated.

But the sheer grandeur of Mesa Verde’s par-3 capper, with the

plush clubhouse sitting atop a hill overlooking the gentle, but

intimidating pond that weaves its way through the emerald grass,

could not be denied.

Out of bounds awaits left, causing nerves to flutter even more

than the anxiety only hitting over water on a par 3 -- especially the

finishing hole -- can elicit.

Not to mention the added pressure of knowing friends could be

sitting on the veranda, watching every putt and ready to capitalize

on any mistake you make to provide fodder for future jokes.

It is the perfect stage for a finishing hole and one we in the

Daily Pilot sports department felt was ideal to conclude this fantasy

adventure.

Here are the final five holes of his ride, which we hope you

enjoyed.

Here’s to birdies and eagles!

*Note: Yardages measured from white tees.

Hole 14 -- Newport Beach Country Club

Par 4, 377 yards

The third longest of the five par 4s on the back nine, this fairly

straight hole requires a precise tee shot if one hopes to score a par

or birdie. Head golf professional Paul Hahn advises hitting the tee

shot left center of the fairway, which will leave a downhill approach

to an elevated green. Don’t be short, or the ball is likely to roll

down the hill, Hahn said.

Hole 15 -- Newport Beach Golf Course

Par 4, 316 yards

An uphill hole that heads into the wind, making it play more like

340 yards, Newport head professional John Leonard said. An 80-yard

long lake juts into the right side of the fairway. The left side is

wide open. Leonard recommends using a driver off the tee, one of the

only opportunities one gets on the course. Go too far left, though,

and you may find yourself in the 16th hole. A bunker to the right of

the landing area and green gobbles up wayward approach shots.

Hole 16 -- Pelican Hill Golf Club (Ocean South)

Par 3, 166 yards

Yet another hole with the Pacific Ocean providing a

visually-stimulating silhouette for a backdrop. The hole is fairly

straight, but golfers must clear a canyon with their tee shots --

often hit into a slight breeze -- to a green that sits on a bluff.

Like many par 3s at Pelican, this hole features six different tee

boxes, altering angles and elevations for shots hit toward a generous

green. Bunkers guard both left and right sides of the green. A

forgiving landing area short of the green provides a chute for

golfers to roll shots onto the green.

Hole 17 -- Newport Beach Country Club

Par 3, 158 yards

A visually-stimulating hole with an elevated tee that requires a

shot over a lake fronting a large, two-tiered green. The tee shot

requires precise placement to avoid three-putting. Take enough club

because the wind, which tends to blow from right to left, can knock

down shots, Newport Beach Country Club head professional Paul Hahn

said. Judging the wind can be tricky because it sometimes seems

still, Hahn said. If the hole is cut on the upper portion of the

green, anything hit right will either roll back to the front of the

green or catch the bunker. The green features a severe slope from

left to right.

Hole 18 -- Mesa Verde Country Club

Par 3, 175 yards

One of the most picturesque par 3s around, with many hazards to

strike snippets of anxiety in golfers of every skill level. Oh, and

not to mention the amphitheater that surrounds the hole from the

elevated clubhouse where your buddies can watch your every swing. The

hole measures 200 yards from the blue tees and is often played into a

wind, which can mean a two-club length differential, Mesa Verde head

professional Tom Sargent said. Golfers must hit over a lake onto a

green that is surrounded by strategically-placed bunkers. Hit too far

left and out of bounds awaits. “A double bogey awaits on every shot,”

Sargent said. The green severely slopes from left to right, toward

the water. Sargent said outside a tournament the hole isn’t too

difficult, but when a championship is on the line, “it becomes the

hardest hole.”