Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports
Not all golf courses are created equally, and there are going to be some easy weeks and some difficult weeks on the PGA Tour. These were the most difficult courses that pros had to tackle on the 2024 PGA Tour Schedule.
15. TPC Sawgrass – Ponte Verdre, Florida
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The Players Club Sawgrass near Jacksonville may look picturesque, but that doesn’t make playing it any easier. The course was primarily built on swamp land, meaning natural obstacles like marshes and waste bunkers create unforgiving hazards.
14. Vidante Vallerta, Vallerta, Mexico
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Vidante Vallerta has been the home of the Mexican Open since 2022. The course is difficult for a variety of reasons including very tight fairways and water hazards on 11 holes. Vidante Vallerta also favors players who hit the ball long.
13. Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida
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This course was owned by legendary golfer Arnold Palmer until his death in 2023 and it is known as being very challenging for all golfers. One issue is the way that the rough is mowed toward the tee boxes, making it easier to trap shots.
12. Spyglass Hill, Pebble Beach, California
Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Considering Spyglass’s difficulty, it seems a little unfair that it was the site of the AT&T ProAm. The first part of the pirate themed course features Pacific Ocean views, but the second part of the course features unforgiving forest terrain.
11. Castle Pines Golf Club, Castle Rock, Colorado
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Castle Pines was the site of the 2024 BMW Champion. PGA Tour players are like well-oiled machines and just by nature of being located in high altitude Colorado, the course throwns them off their game. Castle Pines is among the country’s longest courses at 8,130 yards.
10. Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky
Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Valhalla, a private club in Louisville, was the host of the 2024 PGA Championship. In 2021, the clubs grass was replaced with Zeon Zoysiagrass. This meant groundskeepers needed to do less watering and use fewer chemicals, but it also made the course faster and firmer, making precision much more difficult.
9. Hamilton Golf and Country Club, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
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The 2024 RBC Canadian Open was held at the Hamilton Country Club, a 100+ year-old course considered among Canada’s best. The course design makes it especially challenging, with plenty of bunkers and hills.
8. TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
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This course, designed by Arnold Palmer and Tom Lehman, has been the home of the 3M Open since 2003. The most challenging hole is the 9th, which is a 502-yard par four that also features a water hazard in front of a super shallow green.
7. Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
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The home of the Wells Fargo Championship, Quail Hollow is set at 600 feet above sea level. In addition to the elevation, the course is known for its last three holes, called the Green Mile. The nasty stretch features tight fairways and devastating water hazards.
6. Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports
Some courses are challenging because they require long shots, but the Colonial Country Club, the host of the Charles Schwab Challenge, is the opposite. While the course is 7,209 yards long, it prioritizes accuracy over length.
5. Torrey Pines, San Diego, California
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Torrey Pines is the home of the Farmer’s Insurance Open and is considered to be as tricky as it is beautiful. Two things make the course so tough: the thick kikuyu grass that makes up many of the roughs and the swirling and unpredictable winds.
4. Royal Troon, Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland
Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports
Royal Troon was home to the Open Championship in 2024 and was tough as usual, with only nine players finishing under par. The Scottish course is challenging for many reasons, including very narrow fairways, deep bunkers and a prevailing wind.
3. Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
This course was founded by Jack Nicklaus and the Golden Bear named it after the Scottish course where he won the 1966 British Open. And Nicklaus had control over the course, often making changes to make it more difficult like lengthening holes and adding bunkers.
2. Pinehurst Resort & Country Club Course 2, Pinehurst, North Carolina
Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY Sports
There are 10 courses at Pinehurst, but it is number two that is considered to be both the best as well as the most difficult. The most famous feature of the course are its crowned greens that can force seemingly good shots off to the side.
1. The Augusta National, Augusta, Georgia
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The fact that the Augusta National is so iconic adds an extra bit of nerves to every player who tees off. In addition to the nerves, the players also have to deal with a course that demands precise shots and subtle changes in elevation.
