TPC of Snoqualmie Ridge, host of Boeing Classic, stands above other TPC tournament venues

We all know about the TPC of Sawgrass, home of the island green and The Players Championship. The TPC of Scottsdale’s Stadium course, host of the FBR Open, has its own signature hole, the raucous par-3 16th that is home to thousands of partying, screaming fans.

But did you know there’s another TPC course on TV every year with a hole just as dramatic as those two?

The 14th hole at the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge in Washington state doesn’t get comparable fanfare, but I’m here to make believers out of anyone who will listen that it’s just as good, if not better. The course hosts the Boeing Classic Aug. 24-30.

The Champions Tour event has been a regular at the private course a half-hour east of Seattle for several years. Unfortunately, the 50-and-over crowd don’t always utilize the fabulous risk-reward element of the hole. From the 404-yard blue tees where most of the members play, it’s a deliciously fun 280-yard poke off of a ridge 80 feet above a horseshoe-shaped fairway, playing over a deep chasm to a green tucked hard against the forest. The landing zone seems smaller than the infield of a baseball diamond.

Most seniors don’t dare attempt to drive the green, instead opting for the safer 240-yard carry over the gulch and a cavernous bunker to the narrow bottleneck in the fairway, setting up a wedge to a slightly elevated green. But the members always ask ‘Did you go for it?’ when talking about their rounds. If you have to know, no I didn’t go for it, and yes, I put two balls into the wilderness. Now that I’ve seen the hole, I’m sure I would play it much better today.

It’s the best drivable par-4 I’ve ever played, or should I say, one of the best par-4s I’ve ever played, period. It’s a great hole on a wonderful course filled with them. Thirteen different TPC courses host the PGA Tour or Champions Tour, but none are as dramatic as Snoqualmie Ridge’s combination of a beautiful setting and dynamic layout.

To see it live, check out the Golf Channel twice daily Aug. 28-30. I’ll be watching, wondering who will be brave enough to hit a shot good enough to win a piece of the $1.8 million purse.