Both finishing holes at my home club are brute par 4's. It certainly makes sure you don't let your guard down playing the last hole!
Mark
That's for damn sure. But it does go to show you that a great finisher is a great finisher regardless of length. The Wissahickon 18th is more or less a par 5 for me, and I still think it's one of the best finishing holes in the Philadelphia area.
On that note, 18 at Merion East is a monster, but I don't think I'd be able to find too many people who would deny that it's a fantastic finishing hole.
Elsewhere, you have a hole like 18 at Garden City - a very challenging par 3 - that is also fantastic. Likewise for the crazy 18th at Yale. But on the other hand, you have rather tame par 5s at places like Piping Rock and Creek Club (although both are uphill, the Creek substantially so, neither is particularly difficult) which I also really liked.
I guess the takeaway tor me is that, whether the last hole is long/short/easy/difficult, the more important thing is that it fits in with the rest of the course and leaves a favorable impression.