Whats the hardest course you have ever played?

[handyquacks17]

Played PGA national champions course 2 weeks after the honda in a consistent 20 mph wind. Played the tips. Just a very tough course. Birdied 17 on the bear trap which felt great

[greyman09]

Shinnecock two weeks after the open. 

[ssf301]

The Ocean Course in Kiawah with the wind up.  Not that bad when it's calm, but brutal when the wind is blowing.

[Mullenboy]

On 10/30/2021 at 6:54 AM, greyman09 said:

Shinnecock two weeks after the open. 

Shinnecock is right up there for me also.  I played several months after one of the US Opens so conditions were back to normal and still.... my thought after the round was "all this course takes is non-stop perfect shots."  It is brutal.  Friends tell me it's fun from short tees.  I guess I can see that.  But wow....

[YMark]

On 11/2/2021 at 10:03 AM, ssf301 said:

The Ocean Course in Kiawah with the wind up.  Not that bad when it's calm, but brutal when the wind is blowing.

 

I'm playing there in February. Here's to hoping for a calm day.

[Yoshifan151]

Western 9 at Braemar deserves a mention too. Absurdly narrow target golf.

[mogc60]

The Nicklaus course at Promontory. Park City, UT. 7800 yards and honestly a great drivers course but the stupidest greens I’ve ever played on. Repelled shots rather than received them. 

[Mob]

A few tough ones:

 

Merion East- Members tees are around 6100 yards (par 71), and yet somehow I had hybrids into several of the par 4 greens.  You have to be able to play a lot of different types of golf shots out there.  I never score well out there but keep hoping every time I go back.  One of my top 2 favorite golf courses.

Pine Valley- Kicks my butt every time.

Wolf Run (Zionsville, Indiana)- now closed.  What a shame.  Beautiful and punishing at same time.  Very natural and rustic with significant elevation changes.

Victoria National- A lot of water and some tight fairways

Pfau Course at I.U. in Bloomington - only a couple of years old.  Similar to Wolf Run but not as naturally pretty.

[mci711]

1 hour ago, Mob said:

A few tough ones:

 

Merion East- Members tees are around 6100 yards (par 71), and yet somehow I had hybrids into several of the par 4 greens.  You have to be able to play a lot of different types of golf shots out there.  I never score well out there but keep hoping every time I go back.  One of my top 2 favorite golf courses.

Pine Valley- Kicks my butt every time.

Wolf Run (Zionsville, Indiana)- now closed.  What a shame.  Beautiful and punishing at same time.  Very natural and rustic with significant elevation changes.

Victoria National- A lot of water and some tight fairways

Pfau Course at I.U. in Bloomington - only a couple of years old.  Similar to Wolf Run but not as naturally pretty.

 

I mentioned the Pfau Course early in this thread. Glad someone else thinks so ha! That course killed me. I think it will soften up over the years, but when I played it it was really firm and missing a fairway basically meant a lost ball. 

[thechief16]

Another vote here for Whistling Straits.  I've played tougher conditions (Doonbeg in 25mph and rain before they did work to soften it, or Baltusrol 3 weeks before the PGA with rough up and greens fast), but I found the Straits, as a course itself, just brutal due especially to the tiny bunkers all over the place that frequently didn't give you even a decent chance to advance the ball in the direction of the hole (either from the fairway or around the greens).    

[vandyfan]

Is there a "Whats the easiest course you have ever played (that is good)" thread? Would be down for that. 

[Rosco1216]

Spirit Tees at whispering pines was pretty damn tough. But I was struggling with nerve pain in my back and hip at the time and back was locked up. Still, 7500 with extremely soft/tight, not matured fairways with bermuda greens running at 13.1 when you’ve always played bent. I looked silly. 

[clm18958]

Musgrove Mill in South Carolina. If you are in the area you have to go play it if you can get on.... Not the longest course ever but it's diabolical.

Lots of elevated greens and they're tiny. Might hit 3 drivers there all day. Just a natural, beautiful course with no frills. They had the ACC championship there a few years ago and some of the highest scores I've seen posted from a college event were from there. 3 handicap and still haven't broken 80 in 12 rounds there. 

[jjr]

Bayonet from the tips back in the 90's was all you could handle, damp,wind and overhanging tree limbs. It was called bayonet because every tee shot felt like you had a bayonet up your A**.

Combat corner holes 11-15 were brutal if you didn't hit it deep and straight.

 

Olympic Lake from the tips ( before the clearing of many many trees) in the morning was brutal too!

[finleysg]

I agree with many here about Spyglass. Played it in sunshine and no wind from 6400 yards and fired a smooth 86.

 

I didn't find PGA West to be as hard as I expected, but Silverock, which is in the same neighborhood, is a bear. Going to play it for the third time next month -- one of my favorites in that area.

[hammergolf]

On 1/3/2022 at 4:52 PM, Rosco1216 said:

Spirit Tees at whispering pines was pretty damn tough. But I was struggling with nerve pain in my back and hip at the time and back was locked up. Still, 7500 with extremely soft/tight, not matured fairways with bermuda greens running at 13.1 when you’ve always played bent. I looked silly. 

Played there once, it is ridiculous from the back tees.

[hammergolf]

On 1/5/2022 at 6:34 PM, jjr said:

Bayonet from the tips back in the 90's was all you could handle, damp,wind and overhanging tree limbs. It was called bayonet because every tee shot felt like you had a bayonet up your A**.

Combat corner holes 11-15 were brutal if you didn't hit it deep and straight.

 

Olympic Lake from the tips ( before the clearing of many many trees) in the morning was brutal too!

I remember they used to host The Monterey Peninsula Classic from 2000 - 2003. Hardly anyone in the field would break par. One year -3 won the event and only 4 players broke par for the week. I played it once in 2010 (when I was a +2),  and shot 76 and to this day it’s one of the best ballstriking rounds I’ve ever had.

[Chip Out Sideways]

If this is not cheating I have 3:

 

1) Carnoustie - off the championship tees!!! We arrived - starter says one of the few days you are allowed to play the championship tees!!! I played well until 16, 17, 18...

2) The now closed course at Monte Mayor in Spain. Simply the most narrow course I have ever played, plus fast and sloppy greens. It was cut through a mountain - if you missed a narrow fairway you lost a ball in a 'hazard'. I believe the housing estate is still being built but the course is no more

3) The Nicklaus course at St Mellion. Again very tight and in parts outright intimidating.

[caniac6]

On 1/3/2022 at 9:55 PM, clm18958 said:

Musgrove Mill in South Carolina. If you are in the area you have to go play it if you can get on.... Not the longest course ever but it's diabolical.

Lots of elevated greens and they're tiny. Might hit 3 drivers there all day. Just a natural, beautiful course with no frills. They had the ACC championship there a few years ago and some of the highest scores I've seen posted from a college event were from there. 3 handicap and still haven't broken 80 in 12 rounds there. 

We went there with a bunch of old guys, and stayed in one of the cottages. I think I shot an 86 the first day, but came back with a 79 the second. I voted for MM early in this thread as the hardest course I’ve played. It was hard, but I thought it was fair.

[ShupeSC]

Watching average golfers try to play old corkscrew in fort Myers is funny… but if the wind gets up it kicks my but.  77/151 

[jamgam]

On 9/1/2021 at 4:21 PM, jholz said:

I haven't been around that much...but the Links Course at RTJ Grand National always kicked my a** from the tips. 75.2/142 and 7311 yards long.

 

Some really tough holes out there - like #18. 470 yard par four with an approach over water to a very shallow, elevated green. The only miss is long - and that ain't no picnic either. 

 

I've played that one a few times.  From one up from the tips and it's still hard.  lol

[jholz]

26 minutes ago, jamgam said:

 

I've played that one a few times.  From one up from the tips and it's still hard.  lol

 

The scary thing is, I've seen dudes from the cart barn absolutely tear that course up. I think Chucky Three Sticks still holds the course record with a 62.

 

It was also pretty humbling seeing the pros tear up the Lake during the brief period it hosted the Barbasol Championship.

[SteelieD]

Ko’olau in HI. Absolutely brutal. Quit keeping score. 
 

Gorgeous tho. Too bad it did not survive Covid. 
 

https://protected.networkshosting.com/depsor/DEPSpages/graphics/Koolau.pdf

Edited January 9, 2022 by SteelieD
Typo

[CUBuffaloes]

Ko'olau. Too bad that course has closed.

 

[PixlPutterman]

10 hours ago, CUBuffaloes said:

Ko'olau. Too bad that course has closed.

 

That place looks insane, hopefully it gets revived one day

[mumbles236]

For me so far its been Pinehurst #2. My lasting memory from my most recent round there is hitting a little flip wedge into the green for my 3rd shot on the par 5 5th hole. I clipped it nicely and flew it right over the pin and my pitch mark was about 6 feet from the hole. Instead of having a nice makeable birdie putt, my 4th shot was about a 45 yard pitch played from over by the white tee box for the 4th hole. A lot of shots there that sure look good turn out to not be good enough and are severely punished for being found wanting.

[BG5]

Blackwolf Run by far and I have played alot of amazing courses

[DoughBack18]

Agree with all the Bethpage Black votes; crazy tough and a brute to walk on top of that. Its just a massive golf course. There were only 2 birdies on the day in our foursome (4 single digit handicaps).  Makes you really appreciate how good the pros are. 
 

A couple other nods-

Seaview Bay course in NJ, they place the Shop Right LPGA event there. You can make it easier by playing 220ish shots off the tee all day, but if you get aggressive and miss at all you are in waist deep fescue (read- lost ball). If you do keep it in play, you’ve got Donald Ross greens waiting for you.

 

Royal New Kent in VA, Mike Strantz design so it has the usual visual intimidation. I think it was ranked as the 14th hardest course in the country at one point (remember them having t- shirts saying that). Lots of long doglegs and some huge bunkers. Tough but a lot of fun to play!
 

[YMark]

On 1/16/2022 at 6:13 PM, mumbles236 said:

For me so far its been Pinehurst #2. My lasting memory from my most recent round there is hitting a little flip wedge into the green for my 3rd shot on the par 5 5th hole. I clipped it nicely and flew it right over the pin and my pitch mark was about 6 feet from the hole. Instead of having a nice makeable birdie putt, my 4th shot was about a 45 yard pitch played from over by the white tee box for the 4th hole. A lot of shots there that sure look good turn out to not be good enough and are severely punished for being found wanting.

 

I know that feeling. Number 8 is just as bad IMO.

[StudentGolfer4]

10 hours ago, YMark said:

 

I know that feeling. Number 8 is just as bad IMO.

@mumbles236

 

Hahahah this if fantastic. I know exactly what you guys are talking about! 
 

Had a member of our group never actually get his ball to come to rest on #8. Back pin and be missed back left. Our caddie mentioned a day or two earlier he saw a player on in 2 and walk off with 7. Apparently third putt went off the green. Four shot didn’t get on the green. And you can imagine the rest.  
 

On 5 I was pin high right about 2 paces off the green and managed to putt off of the green. My ball also came to rest near 4 tee. 
 

#2 is hard to describe to people who haven’t seen it. Off the tee it’s fairly easy. The native areas give you a good chance to recover and my group lost 1 total ball. Into the greens is more difficult but not because bunkers or water. And then around the greens is frightening. I think I was nervous the entire round whenever my ball was in motion on the green. 

Edited January 18, 2022 by StudentGolfer4