The 20 hardest holes in our data
Not the longest holes, and not the ones with the worst score over par — the holes that cost players the most strokes compared with every other hole on the same course. Built from real, shot-by-shot tracked rounds.
Not the longest holes, and not the ones with the worst score over par — the holes that cost players the most strokes compared with every other hole on the same course. Built from real, shot-by-shot tracked rounds.
| # | Course | Hole | Par | Metres | Difficulty (strokes) | Times played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Birkdale (Southport, England) | 1 | 4 | 436 | +2.05 | 3 |
| 2 | Bude And North Cornwall Golf Club (Bude, United Kingdom) | 9 | 4 | 396 | +1.93 | 3 |
| 3 | Keimola Golf Club Oy - Saras course (Vanda, Finland) | 10 | 4 | 390 | +1.34 | 3 |
| 4 | Sunnyside Country Club (Waterloo, United States) | 14 | 4 | 356 | +1.14 | 3 |
| 5 | Legends Club (Prior Lake, United States) | 8 | 3 | 0 | +0.95 | 3 |
| 6 | Gosforth Golf Club (Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom) | 11 | 3 | 126 | +0.93 | 3 |
| 7 | Bude And North Cornwall Golf Club (Bude, United Kingdom) | 6 | 4 | 332 | +0.93 | 3 |
| 8 | Bude And North Cornwall Golf Club (Bude, United Kingdom) | 8 | 3 | 155 | +0.93 | 3 |
| 9 | Keimola Golf Club Oy - Kirkka course (Vanda, Finland) | 5 | 4 | 360 | +0.89 | 6 |
| 10 | Himos-Patalahti Golf (Jämsä, Finland) | 6 | 4 | 360 | +0.88 | 3 |
| 11 | Sunnyside Country Club (Waterloo, United States) | 15 | 5 | 477 | +0.81 | 3 |
| 12 | Fågelbro Golf & Country Club (Stockholm, Sweden) | 11 | 4 | 320 | +0.80 | 7 |
| 13 | Espoo Ringside Golf (Espoo, Finland) | 1 | 5 | 480 | +0.79 | 3 |
| 14 | Svartinge Golfklubb (Stockholm, Sweden) | 16 | 4 | 420 | +0.75 | 35 |
| 15 | Royal Birkdale (Southport, England) | 2 | 4 | 383 | +0.72 | 3 |
| 16 | Royal Birkdale (Southport, England) | 6 | 4 | 470 | +0.72 | 3 |
| 17 | Keimola Golf Club Oy - Kirkka course (Vanda, Finland) | 15 | 3 | 175 | +0.72 | 5 |
| 18 | Torrey Pines | 11 | 3 | 150 | +0.70 | 6 |
| 19 | Sahalee Country Club | 8 | 4 | 407 | +0.68 | 4 |
| 20 | Abbekås Golfklubb (Abbekås, Sweden) | 10 | 4 | 340 | +0.68 | 4 |
How difficulty is measured
Difficulty = strokes above what a hole on that course normally costs a player. We take a hole’s average score over par and subtract the course’s average over par per hole. A +0.80 hole costs the field almost a full extra stroke compared with a typical hole on the same course.
Measuring against the course itself means a par 3 that wrecks scorecards on an otherwise gentle course ranks higher than a long par 5 that merely plays to its length. It also cancels out who happens to play each course.
Only courses with at least 3 tracked rounds, and only holes played at least 3 times, are included. The list updates as new rounds are logged.