Course Review – Tour 18
Tour 18 in Dallas has been a staple of the Dallas-area golf scene since the mid-‘90s. Think of Tour 18 as an interactive trip around the golf world. It features replica holes of some of the most famous designs in American golf. From Doral’s Blue Monster, Oakmont’s church pews and Amen Corner, these 18 holes are a great trip to places most mortal golfers will likely never see.
As you prepare for your round, hit the clubhouse for a quick snack or cocktail before you check in and stock up on some Tour 18 merch. The putting green is large and will give you a great idea of the speed of the greens you are about to see. There is a driving range with some nice turf to loosen up, but I wouldn’t mind seeing a few more targets to fire at if you plan on using the range for practice.
The opening hole is a great amuse-bouche to what you will encounter for the remainder of your round. Borrowed from Cherry Hills Country Club just south of Denver, this hole is where Arnold Palmer famously drove the green in the final round of the 1960 U.S. Open to come from seven shots back and claim the only U.S. Open title of his illustrious career. For those of us who will likely never have the opportunity to see this private club in person, this one is a downhill short par 4 that offers a great chance to put a scoring club in your hand and potentially start your round off with a birdie or stress-free par.
After No. 8 from Baltusrol comes the 18th at Doral, which anyone will tell you can lead to a watery demise before your round ever really gets going. Avoid missing left off the tee to keep your nugget dry and play for the middle of the green. A par is a great number here. No. 4 is a replica of the John Daly burst-onto-the-scene with his 1991 PGA Championship win as a sixth alternate. This par 5 is gettable with a good tee shot, but the green is like nothing you have ever seen. A crescent moon shape with a large bunker left, miss on the wrong part of the putting surface and there is no telling what kind of look you might have for your initial putt. It’s a comical green that will really test your short game, should you miss it.
No. 7 features the same water that was on the left side of the 18th at Doral on the third hole. As you turn the other way, that water now makes up the left side of the 18th hole from Harbour Town, which offers one of the widest fairways you will ever see. The real trouble here is the approach shot, which can play a mid-iron or longer with water on the left and a huge bunker short of a tiny green. Hit the green in regulation, and you will almost certainly be in the driver’s seat among your group.
As you prepare to make the turn, strap in for one of the most heart-pounding holes in all of golf. The ninth at Tour 18 is a recreation of No. 17 at The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. It is undoubtedly one of the most famous par 3s on the planet and a highlight of this layout. Playing at just 132 yards from the tips, it won’t be much more than a short-iron for most players, but water surrounds the green on all sides, so anything just a little off is likely going to result in splashdown. If, for some reason, you catch this one on a breezy afternoon, the nerves intensify, making this a shot where almost anything can happen. Even finding the green doesn’t guarantee a par, as a severe slope on the putting surface makes two-putting tough if you don’t find the proper section. With greens fees at Sawgrass running near $800, this is a much cheaper way to find out if you have what it takes to hit the green on this stunning par 3.
No. 10 is the famous “church pew” hole from Oakmont. Oakmont has been the host site for more major championships than any other course in the country. Known as the “Oakmonster,” this hole is arguably the most famous on the property, with its distinct bunker left of the fairway landing area. Avoid it, and you will still be faced with a difficult, uphill blind shot that can be tough to judge. It’s not the toughest hole on the course if you can hit the fairway, but par is still a great score with the dramatic uphill second shot.
No. 12 is one of the most debated holes in the country. Taken from the sixth at Riviera, this par 3 has a bunker in the middle of the green. Yes, that’s right, a bunker that sits right in the middle of the putting surface. Depending on pin position, although it only plays 170 from the tips, it can be a real bear. Miss on the wrong side, and you will be forced to putt around the bunker, or (per local rules) take a drop on the fringe and chip over it. On Tour, you will see guys actually chip on the putting surface, which is frowned upon at Tour 18 so they can keep this green in tip-top shape.
A trip to the top-rated course in the country awaits at the 13th. Pine Valley’s 17th hole is not as recognizable as some of the others you see at Tour 18, mainly because this mysterious New Jersey track is rarely seen by anyone but members. This is nothing more than a long iron off the tee. But miss short on the approach, and you are unlikely to find a friendly lie, with a waste area lined with wire grass and thick rough. Be sure to take plenty of club to avoid coming up short.
Up next, you’ll stick a tee in the ground for the longest hole on the course: the 625-yard behemoth par 5 that replicates the 16th at Firestone. It’s a true three-shot par 5, but it’s relatively open, so you can swing away off the tee. Should you somehow think going for the green in two is a pertinent play, be aware of the water that guards the green short and right. It would be wise to lay up to a good wedge number to increase your chances of a birdie and decrease the opportunity for a big number.
The final stretch at Tour 18 is a recreation of the most famous trio of holes in American golf. Augusta National’s “Amen Corner” was coined by legendary sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind, who used it in a 1958 Sports Illustrated piece when trying to find the most suitable name for the area of the golf course in which a crucial moment of the tournament happened. He was inspired by the jazz song “Shoutin’ in that Amen Corner” by Mildred Bailey. The average Joe has little to no chance to ever play at Augusta National, which makes this stretch at Tour 18 as close as you will likely ever get.
No. 16 is a replica of “White Dogwood” at Augusta, which is a tough par 4 that trundles over a hill off the tee before presenting an approach shot from a hanging lie to a green guarded by a small pond on the left. The manual scoreboard to the left of that pond looks like the one at Augusta and features the last Masters final tournament scores.
No. 17 is the second stanza of Amen Corner, the famous 155-yard hole named “Golden Bell.” The winds don’t swirl quite as profoundly as they do in Georgia, but this is still a tough iron shot with a narrow green guarded in front by a sand trap and a creek and behind by a pair of bunkers. Your iron must be precise to walk away with a par here. It’s a great little par 3 and one that requires your full attention.
To finish the day, you walk to the tee box of “Azalea,” Augusta National’s signature par 5. This hard dogleg left can be a bit of a struggle for righties who like to play a cut shot. Should you be able to sling a draw around the corner, this leaves a very reasonable chance to go for the green in two, potentially setting up a closing birdie. Should you favor the right side of the fairway, laying up to a good wedge number might be the smarter play to take the creek short of the green out of play. It’s an iconic hole by every metric, and one that offers a great finish to the Tour 18 loop.
Tour 18 has seen its share of struggles condition-wise over the last few years, but I am happy to report that the greens were as good as we have seen them in quite some time. They are receptive, yet frisky, when above the hole. Bunkers are solid, although there is talk of some bunker updates in 2025, so we look forward to that. Fairways and tee boxes are much improved from our last visit, with several holes having some recent sod work that have really improved conditions. Overall, Tour 18 is really making a great comeback. There are still a few spots here and there that could use some improvement, but I can truly say that this is the best version of Tour 18 we’ve seen in quite some time.
Tour 18 was once a shining star on the Dallas golf scene, and with continued TLC, I think it is on the fast track back to being a true winner to play again and again. Where else can you see Amen Corner, Oakmont, TPC Sawgrass and Harbour Town all in the same place? There is only one answer, and that’s Tour 18. Regardless of what you may have heard, the course is still fun and engages your imagination unlike any daily fee course in the area. As it continues to improve, add it to your list and enjoy the experience. It’s worth it.