Not all golf courses are created equal. Some courses can be more beginner friendly, while others are a true test of skill and strategy – even for the pros.
Round two of the 2024 Masters showcased how difficult Augusta National can be, especially with strong winds, with only eight out of the 89-player field shooting under par.
According to golfing stats guru Justin Ray, the field had the highest scoring average in round two of the Masters since 2007. It was also just the fourth time in 30 years that the field average was higher than 75 in the second round.
Despite being one of the biggest tests in professional golf, Augusta National doesn’t have an official course rating (playing difficulty of a course for the scratch golfer), which makes it hard to compare how tough it really is.
So what is officially the hardest golf course in the world? Based on course rating, the most difficult is thought to be the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina.
Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, designed by Pete Dye, is so challenging that it has earned the nickname ‘The Marquis de Sade’ after the French writer of torture whose name became synonymous with sadism.
It has a course rating of 79.6 and is capable of being played up to 7,900 yards from the back tees. The Ocean Course was even a brutal test to some of the best players in the world at the 1991 Ryder Cup, which saw holes won with scores as high as double bogey.
The course also hosted the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2021, and is considered to be right up there with the best public courses in the US.
Eight-time Open venue Carnoustie Golf Links in Dundee, Scotland is also known as one of the toughest courses on the planet with a 75.2 course rating. It was labeled “Carnasty” after a particularly difficult Open Championship in 1999. While it officially measures 7,421 yards, it can play a lot longer due to wind from the North Sea.
Ko’olau Golf Club in Hawaii, Whistling Straits in Wisconsin and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club in China are others with high course ratings and have also been ranked as some of the most difficult courses on the planet by experts.
