Best golf holes in Southern California

Finishing touch

10/8/2020

The 18th hole at SeaCliff Country Club offers the ultimate risk-reward

Congratulations to Adam Brady for winning the first week of SoCal Golf Insider's Favorite Hole Contest and taking home a dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls! There are still three more weeks to go to make your submission for a chance to win. Here is Adam's pick and his submission on the 18th hole at SeaCliff Country Club in Huntington Beach, and information on how you can enter, too:

My favorite hole in Southern California is one that has left me shaking my head so many times, but it's still such a great finisher.

It's the par-5 18th at my home course, SeaCliff Country Club in Huntington Beach. I'm a huge fan of risk-reward holes, and this one is the ultimate. Off the tee, it's a demanding drive that needs to be needled between a large pond on the left and three fairway bunkers to the right.

The safe play would be to hit a fairway wood off the tee to stay short of the trouble, but that leaves a long layup with more water looming left and out of bounds right.

Longer hitters who hammer a drive are offered the opportunity to try for the green in two, but you must fly it all the way over the water that cuts in front of the green and avoid pushing it into the pond on the right.

The smart strategy is to play it as three shots to the green, but even a successful layup leaves a demanding approach to one of the most treacherous greens on the course, if not the county.

No two-putt here is guaranteed and even becomes more precarious with some of the tougher hole locations on this triple-tiered green.

A par here is a fantastic score and a more than satisfying way to finish your round.

Enter our Favorite Hole Contest!

Tell us your favorite golf hole in Southern California and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls!

Fill out the entry form below and provide a description of the hole and why you like it. We’re picking four winning entries (one per week) during the month of October. Plus, we’ll feature the winning entries on SoCalGolfInsider.com.

See official rules below.

Official Contest Rules:
• Participants must submit entries for their favorite Southern California golf hole online and fill out the entry form in its entirety. Hole can be at any public or private golf course.
• Participants agree that if they win, their submission will be featured and their name will appear and be announced on www.SoCalGolfInsider.com.
• No purchase is necessary to enter.
• Contest is open to anyone 18 years old and older in the United States.
• The contest begins Thursday, October 1, 2020, and the entry deadline is Monday, October 26, 2020 at 5 p.m.
• Participants may make multiple entries.
• All eligible entries will be judged by SoCalGolfInsider.com staff, which will select one winning entry per week, based on which submissions we think are the best.
• SoCal Golf Insider is awarding 1 dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls per week for four weeks until the contest expires. The retail value is approximately $50 per prize. Prize may not be redeemed for cash or any other considerations. Odds of winning are .1% based on 1,000 entries.
• In the event there are two of the same holes submitted, only the entry that is selected and published on SoCalGolfInsider.com will receive a prize.
• SoCalGolfInsider.com reserves the right to use and publish non-winning entries after the contest expiration date and without awarding additional prizes.
• Prize will be awarded through U.S. mail with postage paid by SoCalGolfInsider.com.
• A list of the winners will be available and/or announced on the SoCalGolfInsider.com website on or before Thursday, November 5, 2020.
• Inside Golf Media, which publishes SoCal Golf Insider, is the sponsor and promoter of this contest and is located in Aliso Viejo, CA 92656.
• Entrants agree to receive future promotional emails from SoCal Golf Insider and may unsubscribe at any time.