The five toughest holes on the PGA Tour according to the stats

Courses

James Richardson
August 30, 2024

The difficulty of a golf hole can be subjective.

But when it comes to the PGA Tour there is a mountain of statistical data which tells us which holes the professionals find toughest to play.

Here we reveal the top five toughest holes on the entire PGA Tour by statistics.

5. No 12 at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course)

The Par 4, 504-yard 12th at Torrey Pines South sports a generous fairway that invites players to be aggressive off the tee. Anything less than a well-struck drive won’t allow this green to be reached in two. The ideal position for those who miss the putting surface is short, since the green, which runs some 35 yards deep, is receptive to uphill chip shots.

Because the Farmers Insurance Open is split across two Torrey Pines courses, this hole saw less action than most on the PGA Tour but still witnessed 10 double bogeys and an average score of 4.406.

4. No 9 at TPC Twin Cities

The 502-yard par-4 ninth at TPC Twin Cities is one of the most difficult to get a read on but also one of the most satisfying holes to conquer for PGA Tour professionals. The devilish Arnold Palmer-crafted hole saw just 28 birdies across four rounds of the 3M Open this July.

As a whole TPC Twin Cities isn’t the most challenging layout on the PGA Tour but its ninth hole ruined plenty of scorecards this year with an average score of 4.415.

3. No 11 at Royal Troon

Walking to the tee you have time to ponder over the difficulties of the long and dangerous 11th hole at Royal Troon.

The railway runs parallel to the hole on the right for its entire length, with a hooked drive almost certainly lost in thick gorse. A long second shot waits, with the railway just a few yards off the green to the right. The 11th was rated the most difficult hole in the 2024 Open Championship.

2. No 10 at Vidanta Vallarta

The Greg Norman-designed Vidanta Vallarta Course at Vidanta Nuevo Nayarit-Vallarta is generally known as an exciting and fun layout that isn’t overly challenging as wide landing areas off the tee give way to large undulating greens although most are protected by cavernous bunkers.

During the 2024 Mexico Open this hole caught out more than a few players with 24 scores of +2 or worse carded across the four rounds.

1. No 18 at Quail Hollow Club

The 18th at Quail Hollow measures 492 yards and its dominant feature is the small creek which runs down the entire left side of the hole.

That creek plays a role off the tee and on the approach shot. Off the tee, it encourages players to back off and hug the right side. But not too far to the right as a bunker 290 yards away penalises shots that leave the fairway. Players might think a brave play up the left side would result in an advantage, but it does not. The green’s angle favours those who play down the right side of the fairway. As a result, the hazardous left-hand strategy does not pay off very often. The average score of 4.5 puts this hole at the top of PGA Tour scorecard killers.