Picked by our panel of golf pros
Anyone who’s ever stood over a three-foot putt with a round of drinks on the line can scarcely imagine the pressure of facing such a putt when there’s $1.2 million at stake—and ten or twenty million people watching on television, some of whom are secretly hoping you choke. As if that wasn’t enough weight on the pro golfer’s shoulders, the holes that the pros play are not known for being pushovers.
The factors that make for a difficult golf hole are as countless as the ways a once-a-week player can duff a shot. Ominous water carries and endless deserts of sand can intimidate. Deep rough and glass-like greens can frustrate. And sometimes, certain holes just seem destined to come between the player and a decent score. As six-time PGA Tour winner Steve Pate said, “There are certain holes that just get me every time. On face value, they shouldn’t be difficult, but for me they always are.”
See our slideshow of America’s Ten Toughest Golf Holes.
Peter Jacobsen
Winner of the 2004 U.S. Senior Open; 2003 Greater Hartford Open; 2005 Ford Senior Players Championship. 1985, 1995 U.S. Ryder Cup teams. President & CEO of Peter Jacobsen Productions and principal in Jacobsen Hardy Golf Course Design.
Mark McCumber
Winner of 10 PGA Tour victories. On the international circuit, winner of the 1988 World Cup in Australia. President of Mark McCumber & Associates.
Steve Pate
Winner of six PGA events. Played on the 1991 and 1999 Ryder Cup teams. Voted 1999 PGA TOUR Comeback Player of the Year. Principal in Pascuzzo & Pate Golf Course Architects.
Joe Rassett
All-American from Oral Roberts University, with seven collegiate victories. Semi-finalist in the 1979 U.S. Amateur. Co-leader of the 1983 U.S. Open (Oakmont). Director of Golf at Longboat Key Club.
So what are the ten toughest golf holes in America? We asked four pros who’ve spent considerable time—with considerable success—on the tour to name the most difficult holes they’ve encountered. Considering that the pros face over 500 golf holes in a year on tour (participating in 30 events), it’s surprising how many of the same holes showed up on our panel’s respective lists. The top hole that came up is the eighth at Pebble Beach, a 416-yard par-4 that proceeds south along cliff sides overlooking Monterey Bay. “It’s easily the most scenic as well as the hardest hole in the world,” said 2004 U.S. Senior Open winner and seven-time PGA Tour winner Peter Jacobsen. “Even without the wind and rain that you’ll sometimes find there, it’s tough.”
Another hole that was consistently mentioned is the twelfth at Augusta National, a seemingly benign 155-yard par-3…except for the wind. “You’re hitting at a tiny target, and if the wind is blowing (and it often is), you just don’t know how far it is,” offered Steve Pate.
The fifth hole at Pinehurst #2 (site of the 2005 U.S. Open) is another hole that strikes trepidation into even the most gifted players. “You have a downhill tee shot to a severely sloped fairway, which makes it a hard fairway to hit,” Peter Jacobsen said. “The uphill second shot is to one of the historic tabletop Pinehurst greens that run away from the cup in all directions.”
One of the glories of golf is that on any given day, you can hit at least one shot just like a pro. Pray to the golf gods that you save that shot for one of these fabulously difficult holes.