The ten Hardest Holes You’ll Ever Face in Golf

If golf has boss ranges, these are the ultimate bosses. Here’s a countdown of a number of the hardest, most terrifying, and most talked about holes on the planet. Each has a brutal design, a wealthy historical past, and the form of problem that may crush even the very best gamers on the planet. I’ll share what makes them so punishing, the tales that made them well-known, and what you’ll be able to count on should you ever get the possibility to play them.

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Augusta Nationwide, Par 3 twelfth

On the scorecard, it appears to be like easy. Simply 150 yards over Rae’s Creek to a shallow inexperienced. However the wind swirls unpredictably, typically doing the alternative of what it did on the eleventh and thirteenth. Miss quick and your ball is moist. Miss lengthy and you’ll face a depraved chip again towards the creek. That is the nerve heart of Amen Nook and the place the place tournaments have unraveled. Jordan Spieth made a quadruple bogey right here in 2016. For normal golfers, a double bogey is a probable final result. Enjoying it in any respect is sort of not possible since Augusta Nationwide stays probably the most unique membership on the planet. Fortunate for all of us, there are many different standard golf programs in Georgia.

Oakmont Nation Membership, Par 3 eighth

One of many longest championship par threes ever utilized in a U.S. Open, typically stretched past 250 yards. The inexperienced is slim, topped, and slick. Misses kick into deep bunkers or thick tough, and two placing isn’t any assure. The finest golf course in Pennsylvania, Oakmont defines powerful golf, and this gap embodies its character. For the on a regular basis golfer, treating it like a par 4 is the one smart method. Oakmont is non-public, so an invite from a member is the one means in.

Bethpage Black, Par 4 tenth

Over 500 yards from the again tees, this can be a par 4 that seems like a par 5. The tee shot at Bethpage Black calls for accuracy by way of a hall of tough, and the inexperienced is agency and closely defended. It opens the again 9 with punishment that by no means feels honest. Bogey is a stable rating. Double bogey is frequent even for single-digit handicaps. The excellent news is that Bethpage is a public course, although demand is sky excessive. New York residents can play for $65 to $80, whereas non-residents can pay nearer to $150 to $200. The well-known warning signal on the primary tee lets you already know what you might be moving into.

Winged Foot West, Par 4 18th

One other of the finest golf programs in New York, the 18th at Winged Foot West deserves a point out. Lengthy, uphill, and unforgiving. The tilted fairway makes placement troublesome and the inexperienced rejects pictures like rain off a roof. Go too far proper off the tee and you might be within the bunker. Miss the method and you might even see your ball roll again down the false entrance. That is the outlet the place Phil Mickelson double bogeyed within the 2006 U.S. Open, handing the championship away. If a Corridor of Famer made a multitude of it, the remainder of us have little likelihood.

Carnoustie, Par 4 18th

The Barry Burn snakes throughout the golf green after which once more in entrance of the inexperienced, ready to seize golf balls. The wind compounds the problem, and the touchdown zones demand laser accuracy. In 1999, Jean van de Velde stood on this tee with a 3 shot lead and left with a triple bogey, ultimately dropping in a playoff. Carnoustie is public, with inexperienced charges beginning round $300 in low season. Peak season costs are larger, however so is the possibility for barely kinder climate.

Royal County Down, Par 4 ninth

Northern Eire delivers one of many hardest holes in hyperlinks golf. The tee shot launches from an elevated field by way of towering dunes right into a slim fairway. The method is simply as merciless, right into a inexperienced that tilts towards the ocean and hides behind a dune. Add gorse and summer season wind, and bogey turns into a decent end result. This course is commonly ranked among the many finest on the planet. Costs rise in the summertime, however the further value is price paying to keep away from the worst of the climate.

Kiawah Island Ocean Course, Par 3 seventeenth

A part of the very best golf course South Carolina, Kiawah Island’s seventeenth gap ranks among the many hardest ever holes in golf. Water hangs subsequent to a slim inexperienced uncovered to Atlantic winds. Miss quick or proper and you might be moist. Miss left, and you might be in sand or thick fescue. The 1991 Ryder Cup, dubbed the Battle by the Shore, noticed this gap wreck the scorecards of the world’s finest. It was additionally the place Phil Mickelson secured his PGA Championship win in 2021 on the age of fifty. Except you hit the inexperienced, a double bogey is ready. Kiawah is public, however the worth is steep at round $500 per spherical.

TPC Sawgrass, Par 3 seventeenth

On paper, it’s a wedge or a 9 iron. In actuality, it’s a wedge into an island. The nerves, the wind, and the historical past mix to make this certainly one of golf’s most well-known quick holes. It’s the place Tiger Woods made his “higher than most” putt, and the place amateurs like Anthony Spagnolo have set notorious information, together with a 66 on this gap alone. The fee to strive it your self is no less than $600, and it would be best to convey further balls.

Whistling Straits, Par 3 seventeenth

Lake Michigan guards the left, and tough hillsides guard the appropriate. A pot bunker in entrance provides insult to harm. This gap was a turning level in a number of PGA Championships and within the 2021 Ryder Cup. Bogey is attainable should you hit the big inexperienced, however one mistake can undo your whole spherical. Public entry is obtainable at about $500 per spherical, with caddies advisable for the very best likelihood at survival.

Pebble Seaside, Par 4 eighth

Brief in size however terrifying in execution. The tee shot leaves you on the sting of a cliff, gazing a second shot over the Pacific Ocean to a small sloping inexperienced. Distance management and spin are every little thing. Jordan Spieth famously risked his life right here in 2022, saving par from the cliff’s edge. Pebble Seaside is public however costly, at about $1,000 per spherical. The historical past, the views, and the adrenaline make it unforgettable.

Right here’s a breakdown of the programs and the international locations you’ll want to go to if you wish to play them.

These holes are golf’s ultimate bosses. They’ve turned main championships, crushed the desires of amateurs, and created a number of the recreation’s most iconic moments. They’re additionally reminders that golf isn’t nearly distance. It’s about nerves, precision, and the willingness to tackle a problem that historical past says you’ll in all probability lose.