what is the most difficult golf course in america

What is the most difficult golf course in America?

• THE OCEAN COURSE. KIAWAH ISLAND / S.C. / 7,356 YARDS / PAR 72. …
• THE INTERNATIONAL (THE PINES) BOLTON / MASS. / …
• KOOLAU GOLF CLUB. __KANEOHE / OAHU / HAWAII / 7,310 YARDS / PAR 7__2. …
• PGA WEST (STADIUM COURSE) …
• OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB. …
• BETHPAGE STATE PARK GOLF COURSES (BLACK) …
• TOT HILL FARM GOLF CLUB. …

Full Answer

What is the hardest golf course in the US?

• LA QUINTA / CALIF. / 7,266 YARDS / PAR 72. ...
• OAKMONT / PA. / 7,255 YARDS / PAR 71. ...
• FARMINGDALE / N.Y. / 7,386 YARDS / PAR 71. ...
• ASHEBORO / N.C. / 6,543 YARDS / PAR 72. ...
• HAVEN / WIS. / 7,362 YARDS / PAR 72. ...
• PINE VALLEY / N.J. / 6,999 YARDS / PAR 70. ...
• SANFORD / N.C. / 6,554 YARDS / PAR 71. ...
• MAMARONECK / N.Y. ...
• HOBE SOUND / FLA. ...
• SCOTTSDALE / 7,412 YARDS / PAR 72. ...

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Where to experience the hardest golf hole in the world?

• TPC Sawgrass No. 17. One of the PGA Tour’s shortest and most interesting holes is the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, home of THE PLAYERS Championship.
• Augusta National No. 12.
• Coeur d’Alene No. 14.

Which state has the best golf courses?

What are the top 10 public golf courses in the United States?

• Pebble Beach Golf Links. Pebble Beach, Calif. (
• Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Pacific Dunes) Bandon, Ore. (
• Pinehurst (No. Pinehurst, N.C. (c)
• Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Old Macdonald)
• Whistling Straits (Straits)
• Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Bandon Dunes)
• Shadow Creek.
• Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Sheep Ranch)*

What are the top 10 golf courses in the US?

Top Ten Golf Courses in the US

1. Augusta National. – Augusta National isn’t home to The Masters without reason. ...
2. Pebble Beach. – Located in Pebble Beach, California, this course ranks near the top of every “official” list of public courses.
3. TPC Sawgrass. ...
4. Harbour Town. ...
5. Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort. ...
6. Pinehurst No. ...
7. Pacific Dunes. ...
8. Shinnecock Hills. ...

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What is considered the most difficult golf course in the United States?

Ocean CourseAmerica's 50 Toughest Golf Courses. Pete Dye's Ocean Course tops our eclectic new ranking of America's 50 Toughest Golf Courses. Opened in 1991 before the Ryder Cup—and dubbed Looney Dunes for the mishaps there—the Ocean Course has the highest combination of Slope Rating (155) and Course Rating (79.6) in America.

What is considered the most difficult golf course in the world?

The South Course At Torrey Pines Golf Course — San Diego, California. While all the courses on the U.S. Open rotation are challenging, the South Course at Torrey Pines is among the most demanding.

What is the most prestigious golf course in the world?

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is the oldest and most prestigious golf club in the world. It is based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, and is regarded as the worldwide "Home of Golf" founded in 1754.

Which golf course has the most difficult greens?

Oakmont is known by many as the toughest golf course in America, bringing a mix of deep rough, penal bunkering everywhere, and one of the scariest sets of greens in the world, combining extreme slope and hellacious speed to bring golfers to their knees.

What handicap is a 100 golfer?

a 28What is your handicap if you shoot 100? If you shoot around 100 for 18 holes, your handicap is roughly a 28 (100-72 = 28).

What is the number 1 golf course in America?

PEBBLE BEACH (Calif.) Pebble Beach has been the No. 1 course ever since we introduced the 100 Greatest Public in 2003.

What is the most expensive country club in America?

National Golf Links of America — Southampton, New York Andrews. The invitation-only club comes with an initiation of $150,000, plus $10,000 in yearly dues, according to Forbes.

What country has the nicest golf courses?

Scotland. Topping our list of the best countries to play golf is Scotland. Which comes as no surprise as it also tops the list of the most exclusive golf courses in the UK. Often described as the home of golf and looked up to as an iconic location to play the sport, Scotland tops the list with locations such as St.

25. Woodcrest Country Club

Cherry Hill, N.J. Yardage: 6,528 | Slope/rating: 138/71.9 Architect: William S. Flynn, Rees Jones, Ron Forse What they're saying: "Long rough, narrow fairways and well bunkered greens. The course favors right handed golfer hitting a draw." - bambiklr

24. Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort

Kiawah Island, S.C. Yardage: 7,356 | Slope/Rating: 144/77.3 Architect: Pete Dye What they're saying: "You'd better bring your a game when you play this challenging course." - DukeSams

23. Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort

Hilton Head Island, S.C. Yardage: 7,110 | Slope/rating: 148/75.6 Architect: Jack Nicklaus, Pete/Alice Dye What they're saying: "Excellent design tight varied and hard! This is as challenging as it gets don’t let the lack of overall distance fool you. Lots of bunkers and trees. Top notch Dye design." - ThomasGram

22. Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort

French Lick, Ind. Yardage: 8,102 | Slope/rating: 148/80.0 Architect: Pete Dye What they're saying: "My score was a good 10-15 shots higher than my hcp. Fun weekend in the land of Larry Legend." - Bigbluenation

21. Pasatiempo Golf Club

Santa Cruz, Calif. Yardage: 6,521 | Slope/rating: 143/72.4 Architect: Alister MacKenzie What they're saying: "This is a great and very challenging golf course. It makes you think about every shot and placement of shots is key." - ngaudreau

20. Pinehurst No. 2

Pinehurst, N.C. Yardage: 7,588 | Slope/rating: 138/76.5 Architect: Donald Ross What they're saying: " This isn't a course for novices. You don't have to be single digit, but you do need to be able to stop the ball on these upside-down saucer-like Donald Ross greens." - MikeBaileyGA, Golf Advisor Staff

19. The Bridges Golf Club

San Ramon, Calif. Yardage: 6,861 | Slope/rating: 144/74.3 Architect: Johnny Miller, Robert Muir Graves What they're saying: "The Bridges is a very challenging course with forced carries and many ravines off the fairways. Some par 4s in the wind were very difficult for me to reach in two." - 55madman

What was the Black course like?

At one time, the Black was what public golf courses were like when we were kids, with hardpan fairways, crabgrass greens and pockmarked tees. After being revamped by Rees Jones for the 2002 U.S. Open, it's in much better shape, but still big and brawny--a 6 1/2-mile hike over hill and dale where no carts are allowed--with massive bunkers and tiny greens, several of them hidden from view, even from the center of some fairways. The Black's magic is that it makes us all feel like kids again, inadequate to the task. It's New York tough.

What is the name of Pete Dye's golf course?

Pete Dye, 81, has been torturing golfers for half his life, and the Ocean Course , strung along the Atlantic coastline with fairways and greens perched above sand, sea oats and sweetgrass, is perhaps his most Dye-abolical design. (Eight of our top 50 were created by the man they call the "Marquis de Sod.") The Ocean has the highest combination of Slope Rating (155) and Course Rating (79.6) in America, according to the U.S. Golf Association. With forced carries over marshes, endless waste bunkers and roll-resistant Bermuda grasses, the Ocean is a rare course that can bring tears and fears even to tour pros--it was dubbed Looney Dunes after multiple mishaps in the 1991 Ryder Cup. For the rest of us, it kicks sand in our face--literally when howling winds turn club covers into windsocks. Play it in the mornings when it's walking only. You can't cross the Rubicon in a golf cart.

What baits do Mike Strantz use?

Mike Strantz's rugged homage to Ireland's Ballybunion baits unsuspecting golfers with fishhook-shape holes, lots of sharp corners, crazy mounds and deep pot bunkers. You'll be in need of a Guinness after this one.

What is Mike Strantz's version of Pine Valley?

This is Mike Strantz's version of Pine Valley, as seen through a funhouse mirror. Bunkers become craters, greens become sinkholes. The sand hills are taller and more eroded, the pits are steeper and deeper. Some greens are three times as wide as they are deep, and others are twice as long as they are wide. What's not distorted is that there are five blind shots at Tobacco Road. That makes it cotton-pickin' hard.

How many bunkers are there in the 11th hole of the golf course?

Length isn't its only overindulgence: The fifth green is 91 yards long and takes more than an hour to mow, and the 11th, a modest 590-yard par 5, has 24 bunkers. If you plan to play it from the tips, be sure you have a three-day weekend.

What is the name of the third nine golf course in Alabama?

The names of the nines say it all. There's also a third nine, called the Mindbreaker. When we played here, we thought of some other names for these courses, too.

What golf course has the island green 17th hole?

5. OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB.

What is the USGA golf course rating?

From the Championship tees, the 79.7 USGA Course Rating is the third-highest in the nation. The Bogey Rating is 108.1 (fifth-highest) and the Slope Rating from the Championship tees is 153, though resort guests would be well-served to tee it forward.

What is slope rating?

The Slope Rating is the relative difference between both , essentially an indicator of how fast scores are rising on a given course for the non-scratch golfer). Yes, there will be some courses deemed slightly more challenging for scratch golfers and others perhaps considered a sterner test for bogey players.

Where is the sixth hole at Pikewood National?

There are more manageable tees at the Pines course, but for sadists or super long hitters, the back tees are as difficult as it gets in the sport. PIKEWOOD NATIONAL -- Morgantown, West Virginia. The sixth hole at Pikewood National called "On The Rocks.".

What is the beauty of the three rating systems?

The beauty of the three rating systems is that it provides a more complete picture of the relative difficulty of a course for a given golfer. You can't just take Slope Rating and use that as the equation for absolute difficulty. This is where the term "Target Score" comes into play.

How many yards is the longest golf course in the world?

The par-73 layout, built in 1954 and reworked by Robert Trent Jones in 1972, has long been considered one of the longest in the world. It plays to a whopping 8,325 yards from the Gold (or "Tiger") tees and features three par-4 holes in excess of 530 yards.

How many acres are there in Oak Tree National?

Built on a 640-acre countryside expanse, Oak Tree National's tough design is only compounded by Oklahoma's notorious winds. It was the site of the 1988 PGA Championship, the 2006 Senior PGA Championship and the 2014 U.S. Senior Open, where only four players shot below par.

How many yards is the par 5?

The par-5 finisher is 656 yards, yet there's an even longer par-5 on the property: the 674-yard third hole. There's also a par-6 hole that is 715 yards. When played from the back tees, The International is ranked as the hardest golf layout in the U.S. according to all three ratings.

What does the Carnoustie effect mean?

Riddled with fiendish pot bunkers the course has even become part of a phrase in 21st century warfare -- the Carnoustie effect meaning the "psychic shock experienced on collision with reality by those whose expectations are founded on false assumptions.".

How many bunkers are there in a golf course?

Yes, 967 bunkers on one course. That's an average of almost 54 per hole. Some of them are so small there's barely room for golfer and ball. Some of them are barely recognizable as bunkers, as Dustin Johnson found to his cost playing the final hole at the 2010 US PGA Championship with a one shot lead.

What is the Palm Course called?

Matt Turner/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images. The Palm Course at Saujana is so tough it's been nicknamed "The Cobra" and its fangs have tested many of the world's top golfers as it's hosted six of the last 13 Malaysian Opens, a co-sanctioned European/Asian Tour event.

How many yards is Jade Dragon Snow Mountain?

Courtesy Doug Knuth/Creative Commons/Flickr. The longest golf course in the world at 8,548 yards, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain includes a 711-yard par-five (and two more that measure over 680 yards), a 525-yard par-four and a 270-yard par-three.

What is the most famous golf course in the world?

The Ocean Course is one of the world's most famous courses. Andrew Redington/Getty Images North America/Getty Images. Top on our list has to be the Pete Dye-designed Ocean Course. Dye designs golf courses so difficult and torturous that he's earned the nickname "The Marquis de Sod.".

Where is Bethpage Black?

Bethpage Black, New York, United States . For the "highly skilled," or foolhardy, only. This course, one of five at Bethpage State Park in Long Island, New York, is so tough it has a sign by the first tee that reads "The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.".

Where is Whistling Straits?

Another Pete Dye-designed exercise in masochism, Whistling Straits is suitably located on the site of an abandoned artillery range on the shores of Lake Michigan. When current world No. 3 Lee Westwood first saw the course he said, "I'd been told there are 10 difficult holes and eight impossible ones.

What is the state bird of Oklahoma?

The official state bird of Oklahoma is the scissor-tailed flycatcher. The official state tree is the Eastern redbud. As for the state’s most elusive tee time, this is unofficial, but we’ll go with a club that has welcomed seven majors, most recently the 2007 PGA Championship, won by Tiger Woods.

What is Belle Meade?

Located in the tiny, tony city with which it shares a name, Belle Meade is a Southern bell of the old-fashioned sort, a green-eyed beauty of high-breeding, with a Donald Ross design and a colonial-style clubhouse that have served the well-to-do since the early 1900s. Do some cyber-stalking; it’s not hard to find a number. Trouble is, you’re bound to get rejected, just like you did that time you asked that debutante out on a date.

What year was Donald Ross designed?

Members of this private club enjoy ready access to an 1895 Donald Ross design, with ocean views along a postcard-worthy coastline, in a setting so pristine that it’s been designated as a nature sanctuary. Guess what else the members enjoy? Keeping the place to themselves.

What is idle hour?

Idle Hour. The very name suggests a life of leisure, undistracted by the worries of the working stiff. Not that the members here don’t have their struggles. Their highly exclusive layout was designed by Donald Ross, whose hump-backed greens often make it difficult to get up and down.

Where is Bidermann Golf Club?

Bidermann Golf Club, Wilmington. Not a whole lot has been written about Bidermann, and nobody at Bidermann appears to mind. Originally built on the home estate of Henry Francis Du Pont, the club began with just one member: Du Pont himself. In the years since, its ranks have expanded, but only so much.

Where is the Country Club of Louisiana?

Country Club of Louisiana, Baton Rouge. Down in the bayou, they’re usually laid-back. But they’ll batten down the hatches if you bang at the gate of this Baton Rouge redoubt, looking to get out on their Jack Nicklaus layout. A better way in might be ringing former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal.

When was Chicago Golf Club founded?

Chicago Golf Club, Wheaton. One of the five founding members of the United States Golf Association in 1894, and the site of the country’s first 18-hole golf course, Chicago Golf sure acts its age.

What golf course has the highest slope rating?

When played from the back tees, The International is ranked as the hardest golf layout in the U.S. according to all three ratings. It has an unrivaled 81.7 Course Rating, a 155 Slope Rating and a Bogey Rating of 112.2.

What is the easiest golf course in the world?

The easiest golf course in the world (and the most exclusive) Hailed as “the most exclusive golf course in the world”, Pyongyang Golf Course may also be the easiest on the planet (if reports are to be believed).

Are there any par 6 holes in golf?

Play the world’s only Par 6 that is so long it straddles two states. With more than 400 golf courses across North Carolina, visiting golfers have a wide variety of choices. But there’s only one place in the world where you’ll find a Par 6 hole so long that golfers tee off in one state and putt in another.

How far should an average golfer hit a 7 iron?

But what about more normal shots? As you can see, most golfers are hitting their 7-iron between 147 to 159 yards on average.

What does the slope mean in golf?

The USGA Slope Rating is a numerical value that indicates the relative difficulty of a set of tees on a golf course for a bogey golfer in comparison to a scratch golfer. … In order to calculate the slope rating, the difference between the bogey and scratch rating is multiplied by 5.381 for men and 4.240 for women.

What is the hardest hole on the PGA Tour?

Interestingly, nine of the top-10 toughest in 2020-’21 to date are from the West Course and the U.S. Open.

Do they paint the grass at Augusta?

Any patches of bare grass are painted green to disguise them. The water contains food dye to maintain its immaculate sheen. 2 – However, the bird song you hear during television broadcasts from Augusta is artificial, added by TV companies to make the course seem even more of a natural paradise.

What is the bogey rating at Quail Hollow?

The par-72 course holds a USGA rating of 77.2 from the farthest tees and a bogey rating of 104.6, which would be considered a solid score from those tees by an average player. The whole round at Quail Hollow is challenging, but the nightmare really begins at hole No. 16, where the three-hole closing stretch is dubbed “The Green Mile.” All three holes beg players to lose a ball in the water, as the greens are surrounded by a lake and a creek.

What is the par 70 at Oakmont Country Club?

Precision putting is the name of the game at Oakmont Country Club, where getting on the dance floor is where the fun really starts. This Pennsylvania landmark, which has been testing golfers since the early 1900s, is a par-70 layout with a USGA rating of 75.3 and a bogey rating of 101.1 from the non-professional tees, meaning average golfers have virtually no chance at a respectable score. While the fairways aren’t particularly tight, the rough comes into play often because of slopes, and the approach shots require a local caddie’s knowledge to hope for anything close.

What is the toughest course on the PGA Tour?

This USGA 76.4-rated course features tight fairways, dense roughs and greens that may prompt you to schedule an eye exam after you inevitably misread them. It shouldn’t surprise you that the West Course was rated as the toughest course on the entire PGA Tour schedule for the 2020-21 season.

How long is the South Course at Torrey Pines?

Open rotation are challenging, the South Course at Torrey Pines is among the most demanding. The length alone, which spans more than 7,800 yards from the black tees, makes it a test of physical endurance unlike many other courses used by the PGA Tour. The par-72 venue boasts a USGA rating of 78.8 and challenges players to stop their approach shots on greens that sit right against the edge of cliffs over the Pacific Ocean. Tight fairways and deep bunkers that seem unavoidable await anyone that plays at Torrey Pines South.

What is Pete Dye's slope rating?

Another of his notorious courses, this one part of the six PGA West venues in La Quinta, has a USGA slope rating of 148 from the black tees (remember, the maximum grade is 155).

How many holes are there in Bethpage State Park?

Long Island’s Bethpage State Park is home to five 18- hole courses, with some genuine challenges among them. The Bethpage Red Course has a brutal USGA rating of 74.4 from the back tees, but the Black Course’s rating of 77.5 beckons confident players from all over. Bethpage Black plays mind games with its challengers before the first tee shot is taken, thanks to an infamous sign that reads, “Warning: The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.”

How many strokes can you shoot on a 76.5 tee?

This nearly 7,600-yard monster boasts a rating of 76.5 from the U.S. Open tees, which means scratch golfers can expect to shoot at least four strokes over the par of 72. From the farthest tees used by regular players, its rating of 73.7 is a bit more manageable.