When most golfers think of the best finishing stretches of holes in professional golf, iconic courses such as TPC Sawgrass, Augusta National and Pebble Beach instantly come to mind. Whether you’re discussing holes 16, 17 and 18 at Sawgrass, the entire back nine at Augusta National or Nos. 17 and 18 at Pebble Beach, each group of holes have three things in common: they’re memorable, challenging and produce timeless thrills.
Those are the ingredients to any great golf hole. When they come in succession and culminate with a compelling 18th hole, however, that’s when you know a course has a killer finishing kick.
Click on the image for each hole to see a flyover video.
In Texas, there’s one course that stands above the rest in this regard. The final six holes at Whispering Pines in Trinity, home of the 109th Texas Amateur, are without question the best finishing stretch of golf in the Lone Star State. In fact, the voters who decide the Dallas Morning News’ Top 100 Golf Courses rankings recently selected the overall Best 18 Holes in Texas for 2018. The finishing stretch at Whispering Pines – all six holes! – made the revered list. The remaining 12 “Best Holes” in Texas are spread among the other 940+ courses in the state.
The DMN voters also produced a list of the 18 Most Beautiful Holes in Texas; five of the final six holes made the grade. Only the par-3 16th fell short of this year’s Most Beautiful list.
In the drone videos above, Whispering Pines Head Professional Chris Rowe supplies the narrated tour with the secrets of how to play each hole. Rowe has been at his post as Head Pro since 2004. A serious player and renowned instructor, he has played Whispering Pines more than 500 times.
So it stands to reason Rowe knows the course’s intricacies better than most. His regard for the final six holes is understandably lofty. It’s not just his opinion, either.
“We have Golf Digest course raters come here from all over the country, and they all think it’s one of the best finishing stretches they’ve ever played,” Rowe said. “It’s probably one of the finest final stretches of the Top 100 courses in the U.S.”
Whispering Pines came in at the 55th position in the most recent Golf Digest Top 100 rankings. The Chet Williams-designed beauty also ranked 28th in Golfweek’s Top 100. In rankings closer to home, Whispering Pines for 2018 was voted the No. 1 course in Texas by the 90 panelists in the Dallas Morning News Top 100. It’s held the top spot in the preeminent course rankings in Texas for 11 of the past 13 years.
Plano’s Will Zalatoris also has a unique perspective. More than just about anyone, he’s able to speak on the brilliance of Whispering Pines, as well as the white-hot competitive intensity of the Texas Amateur.
Zalatoris won the Texas Amateur at Brook Hollow Golf Club in 2014. He also won two gold medals at Whispering Pines during the 2015 Spirit International Amateur Championship. He said he loves the golf course because it’s unlike anything else in Texas. Zalatoris contends, rightfully so, that the 109th Texas Amateur will come down to who can best survive the final six holes at Whispering Pines.
“The finish will be the most crucial part in all four rounds,” said Zalatoris, who is in his rookie year on the Web.com Tour after a standout career at Wake Forest. “Hole 15 is a short par 3, but it still has teeth to it, especially if there’s wind. It’s tough to judge the wind on that hole. If you miss the island green even a little, you can be in big trouble. No. 16 is just a beast of a par 3 – 220 yards all carry over water. Hole 17 is a good par 5, and No. 18 is all you can ask for in a really difficult par 4.
“So starting from about the 13th hole, scoring on the way in will be the most crucial part of the golf course each day. On the first 12 holes, you’ve still got to hit good golf shots, but you’re going to get your chances for birdie. On the final six holes, you have to hit really good golf shots – and make a few putts – to get or keep a good round going. It’s just so easy to make big numbers on those last six holes.”
The action gets underway on June 14. To find out who masters Whispering Pines’ award-winning final stretch of holes, follow the TGA on Twitter, Facebook or visit our website.
