Most difficult course you have played?

[stlglfr]

Not as famous or with as much fanfare as others but Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville, IN was the toughest I've played... 7,754 yards, 78.1 rating, and 142 slope from the tips. I was on my college team and played with some teammates. We are all 300+ drivers and struggled even getting to some of the fairways. Not to mention 230+ yard par 3's all carry over water. This was a few years ago so not sure how the course is now. Beautiful links course with a crazy amount of bunkers and fescue.

[vtnerf]

Not extremely difficult, but the circumstances were...
Late July several years ago we played Bsyside Resort, a Jack Nicklasu signature design. First month it was open. Temp was 104 when we teed off. One of the guys said he wanted to play the plates, so we did. 7545 at sea level, 77.4/146 That long at sea level makes for a long day. The heat made it seem longer. Still not as brutal as Ballybunion.

[VOX]

Black Hall in CT. I have played Pine Valley, Augusta National, Kiawah, and Carnoustie, but Black Hall has my number.

[Jack929]

Public- ocean course- after the first hole I said to my self "what's the big deal about this place" ...then I went on to hitting low 3 irons in a crosswind for the next 4 hours

Private/overall -pine valley- only two par 5s (600+)and they are par 6s....toughest opening 5 holes in the world... One wedge approach (#8) and the ball is so far below your feet (rh) to that skinny crowned green, has to be the hardest 300 yd hole...240 carrys off every tee. Hanging lies w long irons. Impossible or unplayable chips...then you get to putt. Course is relentless

[11under]

There is a course near me called White Horse that play to a 146 slope and 75.0 rating from the tips. I have only played the tips once and it wasn't pretty.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='stlglfr' timestamp='1383850280' post='8115728']
Not as famous or with as much fanfare as others but Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville, IN was the toughest I've played... 7,754 yards, 78.1 rating, and 142 slope from the tips. I was on my college team and played with some teammates. We are all 300+ drivers and struggled even getting to some of the fairways. Not to mention 230+ yard par 3's all carry over water. This was a few years ago so not sure how the course is now. Beautiful links course with a crazy amount of bunkers and fescue.
[/quote]

The fescue is brutal on the course. It's not dense, but it sure wraps around the club handle. After a few failed attempts to hit out of it, I learned that you basically have to take a wedge and get back to the fairway. There's no trying to hit a 5 iron out of the stuff.

Also, the course is basically wide open, so the wind will definitely play havoc on your shots on windy days.

[jldavis73]

[quote name='stlglfr' timestamp='1383850280' post='8115728']
Not as famous or with as much fanfare as others but Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville, IN was the toughest I've played... 7,754 yards, 78.1 rating, and 142 slope from the tips. I was on my college team and played with some teammates. We are all 300+ drivers and struggled even getting to some of the fairways. Not to mention 230+ yard par 3's all carry over water. This was a few years ago so not sure how the course is now. Beautiful links course with a crazy amount of bunkers and fescue.
[/quote]

Yep. We played it on a breezy day, and hit 3 woods into one of those par 3's. OVER WATER. I'm not used to that!

[Texsport]

Medinah #3 from the tips - seemed like 8,000 yards. The tees weren't even mowed.

The member who we played with was laughing at us all day.

He related that they have a "hardest day" tournament for members. Back tees and pins in the toughest positions. No member has ever broken 100,

We had a cart and saw no cart paths, so we started down the left rough on the 1st hole. We were quickly informed that we were to travel down fairways in the cart, because they didn't want the rough to be beat down.

We also learned that when the Senior Tour had their Open there, they played several holes from the ladies tees.

The course is brutal with the added length of the back tees, because of the deep rough and no bale out areas anywhere. Just hit a pure shot or suffer the consequences - if you can actually find your ball in the ankle deep rough.

Texsport

[Scratchwho]

Oakmont..Hands down

[Major Duffer]

I have played a bunch of the courses already mentioned. They are all very difficult in their own unique aspects. When the wind is howling which is often, the Ocean Course is a beast.

But my number 1 most difficult is Wolf Run in Indiana. I spent 4 days there about 6-7 years ago and from the tips I don't think I came within 10 strokes of playing to my hcp. Very tough with rock hard greens.

[mringwelski]

Old Mac into a south wind.

[FSCMatt]

My top three can probably be in any order.

1) Oakland Hills Country Club
I played the tips that they put out. On about half of the tees there are another set of tees 30+ yards back. That course is just a monster. The rough is so thick. I had to hit a mid iron out of it most of the time.

2) The Dunes Club
I've caddied there for some time now so I know the ins and outs of the course and still can't score. Fairways are huge, but miss one and it costs you two shots. Miss a green and it will likely cost you a shot. It is such a fun course and it's hard to believe it's only 9 holes. It's by far the best match play course I've ever seen.

3) Butler National
That course will just eat your lunch. So long. I played the tips on the front nine once and played well and shot a 43 if I remember correctly. There just aren't a lot of scoring opportunities.

[WilCox]

Tobacco Road, NC

[RichieHunt]

I played Kiawah Island back when I was in college. We played it at about 7,100 back then and the wind was blowing hard.

However, I think I've played a course as difficult or even harder, despite it having a slope of 146.

It used to be called Laurel Canyon in Canton, GA. It's really a terrible place to design a course because it's on the side of the canyons.

Holes #4-#12 are the toughest stretch of 9 holes I've ever seen. But, it's not a 'reasonable' difficulty. I remember #12 you had to carry it about 240 off the tee and hit it into a landing area about 25 yards wide. Technically, if you ended up in the junk, you had to re-tee. But we would have been there all day so we dropped. I remember the 17th hole being a par-3 that was 175 yards, uphill. The kicker was it had 3 GIANT tiers in a green that was probably 25 yards long and each tier was about 10-feet long. I hit my iron well and found the middle tier. But, the pin was in the bottom tier. I barely tapped the putt and the only thing that prevented me from not going off the green is that I hit the cup dead center. The ball still rolled about 5 feet by. Afterwards, we tried to putt from the top tier to the middle tier. It couldn't be done, every putt would go off the green. Essentially, if you were above the pin, you almost had no chance of keeping your putt on the green.

It was utterly ridiculous.







RH

[Tipsy McHooker]

These are all pretty much ties: 1) Bull Valley CC in Mchenry County IL.,2) Purgatory in Noblesville, Indiana, 3) Old Corkscrew in Estero, FL.

[ptambou]

Bull Valley in Huntley, IL is pretty intense. Plays 77.2/151 from the tips at 7325. I think at one time it was ranked one of the 50th hardest courses in the US.

[daryguy77]

Would have to be the Scarlet Course at Ohio State.

[CDLgolf]

Bethpage black. Only played in once but it is by far the most difficult course I've played.

Thunder hill in Madison Ohio was also a pretty tough track when it was open.

[Neilvice]

[quote name='Dasenergi' timestamp='1382543783' post='8045921']
The Prince course in Princeville on Kuai it's a beast from any of the back 2 tee boxes. I thought they were kidding when they told our group full of single digit handicaps to play up. I highly recommend it to keep your mental game grounded. 76.2/140, 7400 yards that plays like 9000 with the wind.
[/quote]

+1
Some of the best views on the island so it takes some of the pain away, but that much wind mixed with RTJ greens makes for a long day.

Neil

[daryguy77]

I forgot that I had the pleasure to play Orchid Island in Florida about 5 years ago. It was very challenging and had water come into play on 17 of 18 holes. Fabulous course, and my Uncle was the club champion for a few years.

It is a Palmer design and the houses within the community are right on the course. You could walk from Uncle's driveway and be 20 feet from a tee box.

[thatboygaule]

Not the most difficult course but Rosslare golf lub played the most difficult during a junior tourny. It was 4*C in lashing rain with a constant wind speed of around 35 mph with gusts of 50 mph. It was unplayable . A stroke competition with some very good near pro amateurs , was one with a +13 85 . I shot 91 and came 10th

[SPIF]

I'd have to go with the Ocean Course at Kiawah from the tips. Absolutely brutal, especially the back 9. The Dye course at Colleton River Plantation, when the set it up for USGA events, may be close to as difficult.

I've played lots of courses that will eat your lunch when your off, but can be had when you're playing well, but these two just seem nearly "ungettable" to me. I've played the Ocean Course probably 15 times and only one round was a respectable number.

[super20dan]

the royal in st augustine fla. simply brutal. us open style bermuda rough. i bring a ginty wood just for this course.water on almost every hole. fairways slope toward the water so good drives roll into the water. waste-. areas 250+ to carry to fairways.britsh open style pot bunkers in the fairways etc. marble hard greens and agusta fast. google it and read the comments. it went bankrupt-wonder why?

[teehilden]

PGA National, home of the Bear Trap. 75.2 and 148. The wind is what made it so difficult.

[jparker390]

Myopia.

[Oliver Klozoff]

I've been fortunate to play many US courses that are among the toughest. Pine Valley, Pinehurst 2, Bethpage, PGA West, Oak Tree, Pebble, Royal New Kent, Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra, RTJ, Congressional, Spyglass, Baltimore Five Farms, Winged Foot, Oakmont, Riveria, PB Dye, etc. I've actually shot in the 60s on several of these, including a 65 at PB Dye and 66 at Sawgrass.

The toughest for me was Torrey Pines South from the tips. I think it's about 7600 yards, and the par 4s are brutes. The par 5s are unreachable. If you miss a green you will not get it up and down becasue a 8 foot putt is about impossible. The poa in the greens makes it so tough. I shot 78 and I played pretty darn well. I doubt I'd break 80 more than half the time from the tips on this course. Even at scratch I'd definitely move up a tee if I ever go back.

[heels1]

The Ocean course at kiawah island in late October just after the 91 Ryder cup and like a dumb a** wearing shorts!

[ryu123]

agree with 11under: White Horse (Kingston WA) is challenging; elevation changes, narrow greens, enough length, no real bailout areas

[one putz]

PGA West Stadium Course. Although Sandpiper gives me fits, have played 3 or 4 times and seems like there is always an ungodly amount of wind coming off the ocean when I happen to be there

[TomWishon]

[quote name='bigblue' timestamp='1382475496' post='8041733']
I am not sure of the slope but the hardest I have played is Carnoustie. It is not only a hard course but it is visually intimidating as well. A lot of the other difficult courses seem to have a couple of holes where you can take a breath. I felt at Carnoustie that every hole made you play as well as you can play. On my trip I also played The Old Course and Turnberry as well as some others but I was never intimidated on any of them like I was at Carnoustie.
[/quote]

I'll echo this. Had a chance to play it in 1999, just a week after Van De Velde's meltdown in the Open. Nothing mowed down yet, all the grandstands were still up. First 6, we thought, "hmm, this isn't that hard". Next 6, things started to get very serious. Last 6, unbelievably difficult and long and had all of us with our tails between our legs.