I couldn't agree more with Jason. Let the middle and higher handicappers (the most important customer group) have some fun.
Three good finishing holes I'd like to mention:
1) Tom Doak's 18th at St. Emilion (France) an uphill Par 4 at 369 meters with a tricky but exciting green
2) The 18th at Lazne Kynzvart GC (Czech Republic) - forget the backtees, it's a 200 m carry - a Par 4 at 438 m (white) or 326 m (yellow) over a lake with the majestic castle just behind an inviting green. Choose your box carefully and enjoy
3) The 18th at Habsberg GC (Germany) a 510 meter Par 5, and, as Sir Sean Connery once said in a narrative, all downhill as every finishing hole should be :-).
If I may ad: I like inviting opening holes too. Nothing beats a good start and my favourite is the 1st at Streamsong Blue. You walk from the first green with a smile and all is well.

As an golf course architect, it seems to me that if a 450 yard hole par 4 from the tips is too hard for a finishing hole then maybe you shouldn't be playing from the tips. A middle tee for this hole may only make it 375 yards or so which should be reasonable for an average golfer, and a forward tee may play only 325 yards or so. I think a scratch golfer who is playing a nassau and has pressed wants the last hole to be challenging to settle the bet. The 15-handicapper who might be playing for fun, may want to go out with a par or birdie so that beer will taste even better at the 19th hole. That is where the design comes into play as you are trying make each hole a "one-size-fits-all." Through the use of angles off the tee, location of bunkers and hazards, mounds and slopes in the fairways and roughs, and orientation of the green, an owner/developer who understands the game and is willing to let the architect use a little extra land to accommodate lines of play, a course can be designed to be enjoyable or challenging depending on which tees you choose to play.

It's a modern evolution from the professional men's game to have the card-wrecking 18th. It really wasn't always this way and ought not to be if we're going to consider the game of golf fun..

I am not a fan of Par 5 holes at 1, 9, 10 or 18 as it creates such an imbalance and usually inserts a dreaded delay. I played Pasatiempo as a home course for a time and was also a member of Boston Golf Club each having a Par 3 finisher. That certainly is better and more fun, but first hole gentle handshakes and 18th finishers from Golden Age design where a medal score was not so important are my preferred way to go.

If I must be very specific, without water where a ball is lost, not too short, not too long, not requiring an aerial approach and/or a mandatory long shot in with a medium par/medium bogey sort of manner (A take off on RTJ Sr. and his 'Hard Par Easy Bogey'). Such a hole can be bunkerless, have interesting ground contours and have a green with lots of short grass nearby - but of the nature to make the handicap golfer have some sense of relief and the best players a true sense of doubt.

One of the best short par four finishing holes had to be the 18th at Inverness in Toledo.

I agree 110% with your comments. It can be so discouraging to finish on a bogey or worse on a few of the courses. Having Links at Greystone in my backyard, the 18th can be penal as it always plays into the wind, and you have the added benefit of a gallery watching as you struggle!!

Par 3 18th hole at Niagara Falls Country Club, Home of the Porter Cup

I am an avid golfer and lover of the game. I believe that the golf builders / promoters build the courses for the Professionals and not the common golfer. For the most part, they are too long and narrow and tricky and certainly not built for the enjoyment of most common golfers. The industry would grow if it were to build these courses or amend/adjust these courses to enjoyment of the common golfer who have faithfully and financially supported Golf over the years.

I’ve been fortunate enough to play several of the ones you’ve mentioned here.

Harbour Town will always rank very high for me because I was mesmerized watching that hole on TV for years before I ever got the chance to play it. I can still remember hearing Pat Summerall say on the CBS broadcast, “Calibogue Sound on the left… condominiums on the right.”

I liked the Scottish closers you mentioned: The Old Course and North Berwick are pretty simple holes and were memorable to me more for the theatre of playing back into the town. Conversely, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns are very difficult pars.

In the U.S., Kiawah’s Ocean Course, Whistling Straits’ Straits, Doral’s Blue Monster, the Highland Course at Primland, And the Golden Horseshoe’s Gold, the Ocean Course at Hokuala are all tough pars as well.

Pleasant finishers, in my opinion, are found at Kapalua’s Plantation Course, Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands, Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek) and Sand Valley.

Some lesser-known tracks with tremendous finishing holes that I’ve played are Spring Creek in Zion Crossroads, VA, RTJ Trail @ Silver Lakes (Heartbreaker), and RTJ Trail @ Ross Bridge and Fallen Oak.

The picture at the top of the article, is the 18th hole at Bigwin Island, on Lake of Bays in Ontario, Canada. Why didn't you mention it in the article, or even caption the picture? It is a fantastic Par 5 finishing hole.

Harder and longer is just stupid and puts off most golfers and frightens away those who might otherwise take up the game more.