Perhaps the reason for the seventeenth's handicap rating -- 14 men's, 11 red/gold -- is because it is a short par 5.  The yardages are 471 (blue), 471 (white), and 420 (red/gold).

There are a lot of "unflat," troubled places to be on this hole -- starting with almost anywhere on the right hand side of its narrow fairway.  Drift to the right with a fade, push, or slice, and you will almost assuredly be blocked by trees of every kind and dimension.  There's also a water hazard buried in those trees. 

OB and sand traps await the unwary to the left.  So the challenge is to keep the ball in play on this hole that demands "position" and is the closest thing to "target" golf that Lake Wildwood offers.

Nor is all the trouble over once the green is reached.  While the green is large, it is also severely sloped from back to front.  Depending upon pin placement, a three-putt is always a definite possibility.  If this hole were a par 4, it would most certainly compete to be the most difficult hole on the course.  Given its par 5 nature, it still competes for the most intricate and interesting hole on the course.

Patty Sheehan, Dana Dormann, Tracy Hanson, Dina Ammaccapane, Pat Hurst, Janice Moody, or the fabulous Julie Inkster, all great San Jose State pros, would probably love the challenge of this hole!