Top Ten Hardest Public Golf Courses
Mastering the game of golf takes a lifetime but there are courses that push even seasoned professionals to the limits of their talent and training. Some courses offer layouts littered with sand traps and water hazards, while others frustrate golfers with impossibly long drives from the tee box to the green. Whatever your level of play, these tough golf courses will offer a challenge that will not soon be forgotten.
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Northeast/East Coast
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1. The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, South Carolina is considered the toughest course in the nation by both Golf Digest magazine and ESPN.com. The 7,400 yard long course has the highest course rating and Slope Rating, as judged by the U.S. Golf Association.
www.kiawahgolf.com
2. The International in Boston, Massachusetts is the longest course in America at 8,300 yards. The shortest hole is a 280 yard par 3, while the longest hole is a par 6 that stretches over 700 yards. This course will take you all day to finish, and many golfers opt to stay overnight at the nearby lodge and spread their round over two days.
www.theinternational.com
3. Bethpage/Black, located in Farmingdale, New York, offers a course more than six miles long that twists and turns past large bunkers and hard-to-find greens that promise to leave even seasoned golf professionals guessing about the next hole. No carts are allowed, so be prepared to do a lot of walking.
www.nysparks.state.ny.us
4. Tot Hill Farm Golf Club in Asheboro, Pennsylvania features a very unique course dotted with large boulders, mountainous drops and holes that stretch over very unconventional golf terrain. When taking shots you will have to account for jagged rocks and sheer cliff faces that threaten to derail your golf ball.
www.tothillfarm.com
Midwest
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5. Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin is an old bombing range that was converted into a modern golf course. This renovated Army practice air raid field is sprinkled with hundreds of bunkers ranging in size from a beach ball to a golf shop ready to catch any golf balls that fly even a tiny bit astray.
www.whistlingstraits.com
6. Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, Michigan, also known as "The Bear", was designed by legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus as a commission. With shots over water hazards, four lakes and a slop rating of 148 (out of a possible 155), this 7,000 yard course is one of the toughest in the Midwest.
www.grandtraverseresort.com
7. Noblesvile, Indiana is home to the appropriately named Purgatory Golf Club. This course is a challenging 7,700 yards long and will take several hours to complete. It also features thick rough that is over a foot high in some spots, as well as more than 100 bunkers.
www.purgatorygolf.com
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West Coast/Southwest
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8. The PGA West Stadium course located in La Quinta, California was specifically designed to psychologically challenge the best golfers in the world. PGA West Stadium has hollowed out hills for bunkers, fairways designed like ski moguls and frustratingly uneven greens. This course was considered so difficult that it was removed from the PGA tour schedule in the late 1980's.
www.pgawest.com
9. Pebble Beach, California is home to the famous Spyglass Hill Golf Course. The major enemies on this relatively short course (6,900 yards) are the thick fog that obscures your view of the green and a thick forest that blankets the back half of the course.
www.pebblebeach.com
10. Wolf Creek Golf Club in Mesquite, Nevada offers you the opportunity to play on a course crafted on a beautiful desert landscape. Challenge yourself with high dunes and over steep cliffs while taking in gorgeous views of the unobstructed Nevada skyline.
www.golfwolfcreek.com
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References
- Photo Credit golf image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.com
