jitzy
New member
Two of the toughest courses I've played were Bethpage Black a few weeks after the open and Eisenhower Red 2 days after a senior event.
Toughest course you've played
Been a while for me. Played it 92. Winds at 25/35 most of time. Tough test of golf.
How lucky are we to have so many great, historic, clubs steeped in tradition all within 2 hours.
Atxpkrgolf
Active member
Hardest course on the planet, KoOlau Golf Club. After that, Oak Tree National and Whistling Straits
When I lived in WI I played Whistling Straits twice, both times the Straits course. It thoroughly and completely whipped my a$$ both times. First time we played from the Green tees, second time the Whites. Didn't matter, 8 holes or so along Lake Michigan, wind coming from 8 or 9 different directions 
. Beautiful but exhausting course.
. Beautiful but exhausting course.
Ole Gray
Mayor of the Woodshed
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2008
- Messages
- 31,292
- Reaction score
- 100
- Location
- Watkinsville, Georgia
- Handicap
- Average
PGA National in West Palm Beach Florida. The first year we played it the winds were howling and my little 94 felt like a 74.
JRod
Well-known member
Crow Valley CC. The scorecard doesn't look like much but when you get on legit 13 stimp greens it's an entirely different ballgame. Been so long since I have played there.
Agent Jay
Grandaddy Alumni
Colbert Hills in Manhattan, KS...from the tips, with a lot of wind! It plays to 7525 from the tips, and you have to place your shots in the fairways, or you have some nasty side hill lies, even in the fairway. Add in the wind and makes it even harder. First time I ever played it from the tips, I shot a 94. Keep in mind that was when I was still playing to a 1 handicap, too. The next few times, were not as bad, as I now had a seen the course once.
Spivey
Active member
So a question to the forum -
Take wind out of the equation. Are the hard courses truly tough? Any coastal course can play tough with wind, but what golf courses are truly difficult without wind?
Take wind out of the equation. Are the hard courses truly tough? Any coastal course can play tough with wind, but what golf courses are truly difficult without wind?
Philly Golf Guy
#PGG
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2012
- Messages
- 9,103
- Reaction score
- 7
- Handicap
- USGA 14
Yes, many. Most desert courses, like PGA West Stadium, don't rely on wind for its difficulty. Same with a course like Pine Valley, wind doesn't factor in. Or Muirfield Village. And the list goes on. Harbour Town, Bethpage Black, Cog Hill 4, etc.
Spivey
Active member
I agree - It seems that many courses mentioned in this thread are tough with the wind. So what are the toughest courses you have played without the wind?
I played PGA West Stadium. It was tough, but not incredibly so. I have played tougher courses. I am sure that you have as well. What are they?
Philly Golf Guy
#PGG
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2012
- Messages
- 9,103
- Reaction score
- 7
- Handicap
- USGA 14
Pasatiempo, a local Gil Hanse design called Inniscrone (before it was tamed down by ownership), Harbour Town, another local called Broad Run by Rees Jones and Silver Rock in La Quinta immediately come to mind. Wind isn't a factor with any of them, most of the time if at all.
Carey
Member
I came in here to see if anyone else agreed with me on this and you did. In addition to what you mentioned it has many blind shots and forced carries.
It was a windy day June but I barely broke 100. Hopefully when I play it again in a couple weeks I can put up a number in the 80s
Pkielwa
New member
Mystic Creek GC in El Dorado, AR! 7800 yards from the Black tees, 7100 from Blue, and many side-hill lies in the fairways, along with multi-tiered greens that run 12 on the stimp. Crazy difficult, but fun to face the challenge!
VegasMav
Cigar Posse Member
The Club at Hokuli'a-Members Only.
My wife was on Wheel of Fortune and won a trip to the Big Island. Met up with a good friend who lives there and he took me out for a round on this scenic and beautiful course. Honestly can't remember what I shot because I was having too much fun. Tough course.
My wife was on Wheel of Fortune and won a trip to the Big Island. Met up with a good friend who lives there and he took me out for a round on this scenic and beautiful course. Honestly can't remember what I shot because I was having too much fun. Tough course.
Last edited:
Nighthawk117a
Active member
For me the course that come to mind are Ko'Olau, Bethpage Black and Lake of Isles North and South. For Ko'Olau the conditions make it tough. Its in the rainforest and when I played there it was raining on and off. There are some forced carries and blind tee shots as well.
Bethpage I never seem to be accurate at all off the tee and that is very punishing there. I personally dont think the greens are that difficult but the rough is thick, there is fescue everywhere and if you miss the fairway by enough you are screwed for your next shot. I'm playing there next week and I actually expect to play much better than previous attempts.
For lake of isles its all forced carries that are stupidly long. Take out the carries and the courses are still tough but 240 yards forced carries are brutal. I felt that the north course was a little more challenging but to be fair conditions were worse when I played the north compared to the south.
Bethpage I never seem to be accurate at all off the tee and that is very punishing there. I personally dont think the greens are that difficult but the rough is thick, there is fescue everywhere and if you miss the fairway by enough you are screwed for your next shot. I'm playing there next week and I actually expect to play much better than previous attempts.
For lake of isles its all forced carries that are stupidly long. Take out the carries and the courses are still tough but 240 yards forced carries are brutal. I felt that the north course was a little more challenging but to be fair conditions were worse when I played the north compared to the south.
I played it twice, once with my A-game and once with my F*** game and the difference in score was astronomical.
Tadashi70
Well-known member
Played the tips at southern dunes and at 7300 yards, fast greens and layout. It ranks as one of the hardest I have played. I hit more long and mid irons then I ever have. Long iron into hard fast greens means lots of long puts on difficult greens.
DawgDaddy
Old Coot
I've said it before on THP but the toughest course I have ever played is Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee, it is like they buried two or three elephants under each green. Tough track with lots of sand on every hole. The first time I played it I was in 11 bunkers, several when I had landed on the green and the contours fed the ball into a bunker.
SaffaClint
New member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2013
- Messages
- 2,732
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
- Handicap
- +2.3
St. Andrews old course, Scotland.
Durban Country Club, South Africa
2 of the toughest I've ever played.
Durban Country Club, South Africa
2 of the toughest I've ever played.
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2013
- Messages
- 74,887
- Reaction score
- 88,506
- Location
- Ponte Vedra, Florida
- Handicap
- 11.9
Two awesome courses right there!
As of right now it's Pinehurst #2. I have a feeling later this month I'll be saying the Champions Course at PGA National.
Toughest local course is hands down The Grove. Norman design and it's private but I'm lucky to have a close friend that works there as one of the assistant pros.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Toughest local course is hands down The Grove. Norman design and it's private but I'm lucky to have a close friend that works there as one of the assistant pros.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Spivey
Active member
Played there last weekend. Other than a 2-3 club wind, the desert, narrow fairways, no flat lies, rough like velcro, and quick, undulating greens, I did not think it was that bad! I played w a few members, they said I did OK for my first time - I shot 94.