Par 4 – 415 yards
The punchbowl is one of the most famous design concepts made famous in the United States by C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor. I would argue there is no more famous or special punchbowl than the 16th at National Golf Links of America. It’s really hard to say what the crescendo is when you play National. I could walk off the fourth green and be totally content, not really, but the point is the golf course keeps hitting you with memorable moments. The climb up the 16th is majestic and mind-numbing. The signature windmill sits above the green and is one of the most powerful landmarks in the world of golf. The fairway has width, but your eyeline makes you want to cheat the hole up the left side and that is a fatal mistake. Right center of the fairway is the ideal line to play to the highest point and to also get the most reasonable view of the depressed green that sits below in the hollow. You have the target at the rear of the green to give you perspective on your line and you know that anything around the perimeter of the green will gather toward the middle. The green has more pronounced slope from the rear of the green to the front. The climb up the fairway is dramatic and severe for the further left you venture. Make a point to look back as you crest the fairway toward the redan green on the fourth hole because it is one of the finest viewpoints on another jaw-dropping hole.