Some PGA Tour golf courses are notoriously challenging, while others have a few holes scattered throughout that consistently ruin a scorecard. We analyzed PGA Tour stats from 2024 to identify the hardest holes players faced this season. Unsurprisingly, the scoring average for each of these holes is over par. Here are some key takeaways:
Royal Troon’s 11th hole ranks as the third hardest overall, but a deeper dive into the stats reveals more. In 2024, 16 players recorded scores worse than a double bogey on this hole. No other hole on this list saw more than five scores worse than a double bogey. Despite this, there were 27 birdies at Royal Troon’s 11th, which helped improve the overall scoring average.
Seven courses on this list feature more than one of the 30 hardest holes on the PGA Tour in 2024. Three courses had three or more: Pinehurst Resort (No. 2), Royal Troon, and Augusta National. Each of these courses hosted a major championship in 2024, raising the inevitable question: is it the course design or the tournament conditions that make these holes so challenging?
Finally, you’ll notice that all of the hardest holes on the PGA Tour in 2024 are either par 4s or par 3s. Specifically, 26 of the 30 toughest holes were par 4s, while the remaining four were par 3s. That extra stroke on par 5s seems to provide enough cushion to make scores more manageable.
Here are the 30 hardest holes on the PGA Tour in 2024:
| Course | Hole | Par | Average Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quail Hollow Club | 18 | 4 | 4.500 |
| Vidanta Vallarta | 10 | 4 | 4.446 |
| Royal Troon | 11 | 4 | 4.426 |
| East Lake Golf Club | 1 | 4 | 4.425 |
| TPC Twin Cities | 9 | 4 | 4.415 |
| Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) | 12 | 4 | 4.406 |
| Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (No. 2) | 2 | 4 | 4.398 |
| Torrey Pines Golf Course (North Course) | 18 | 4 | 4.397 |
| Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (No. 2) | 8 | 4 | 4.396 |
| Augusta National Golf Club | 11 | 4 | 4.386 |
| Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (No. 2) | 4 | 4 | 4.376 |
| Augusta National Golf Club | 18 | 4 | 4.366 |
| The Riviera Country Club | 12 | 4 | 4.363 |
| TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course) | 4 | 4 | 4.359 |
| Royal Troon | 12 | 4 | 4.357 |
| TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course) | 1 | 4 | 4.353 |
| Hamilton Golf & Country Club | 11 | 4 | 4.344 |
| Colonial Country Club | 5 | 4 | 4.342 |
| Royal Troon | 5 | 3 | 3.340 |
| Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (No. 2) | 6 | 3 | 3.328 |
| The Riviera Country Club | 15 | 4 | 4.325 |
| Port Royal Golf Course | 16 | 3 | 3.312 |
| Muirfield Village Golf Club | 18 | 4 | 4.312 |
| Quail Hollow Club | 17 | 3 | 3.309 |
| Augusta National Golf Club | 5 | 4 | 4.302 |
| Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge | 9 | 4 | 4.299 |
| Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course) | 16 | 4 | 4.294 |
| Memorial Park Golf Course | 14 | 4 | 4.291 |
| Colonial Country Club | 9 | 4 | 4.290 |
| Sedgefield Country Club | 14 | 4 | 4.285 |
| Augusta National Golf Club | 17 | 4 | 4.285 |
Robert Dillon
2 years ago
Hardest hole I have played is #14 At Cape Cod Country Club mostly due to the approach shot. Green perched on a hill, no bail out possible. Very small target usually hitting from 100 to 150 yards in.