The 10 hardest and 10 easiest courses on the PGA Tour in 2016-2017
PGA Tour

The 10 hardest and 10 easiest courses on the PGA Tour in 2016-2017

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Of the 48 or 49 courses the PGA Tour plays each year, there are some that stand out as the hardest, most difficult, by far. More often than not, many of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour come from major championship host venues. And while many believe Augusta National plays easy compared to some of the other major courses, it turns out to be one of the hardest.

Then there are the easiest courses on the PGA Tour, averaging at least one full stroke under par per round on the average.

So, what are the hardest courses on the PGA Tour? And, by extension, which are the easiest courses on the PGA Tour? Let's take a look by the numbers.

Hardest courses on the PGA Tour

These are the 10 toughest courses on the PGA Tour in 2017 based on average number of strokes against par:

  1. Quail Hollow, PGA Championship, par 71, 7600 yards, 2.468 strokes over par
  2. Augusta National GC, The Masters, par 72, 7435 yards, 1.887 strokes over par
  3. Royal Birkdale GC, Open Championship, par 70, 7156 yards, 1.852 strokes over par
  4. TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, Quicken Loans National, par 70, 7107 yards, 1.458 strokes over par
  5. TPC Sawgrass, The Players, par 72, 7189 yards, 1.291 strokes over par
  6. Erin Hills, US Open, par 72, 7741 yards, 1.204 strokes over par
  7. Colonial CC, Dean & DeLuca Invitational, par 70, 7209 yards, 1.154 strokes over par
  8. Glen Oaks Club, The Northern Trust, par 70, 7346 yards, 0.995 strokes over par
  9. Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Arnold Palmer Invitational, par 72, 7419 yards, 0.89 strokes over par
  10. TPC San Antonio AT&T Oaks, Valero Texas Open, par 72, 7435 yards, 0.853 strokes over par

For each of the last five years, the hardest course on the PGA Tour by scoring average had been the U.S. Open host course that year. Even with a supposedly easier Erin Hills in 2017, it was still the sixth-toughest.

Looking at the courses that appear in the top 10 most frequently, here are the toughest regular PGA Tour courses based on their combined strokes over par:

  1. Torrey Pines (South), Farmers Insurance Open
  2. TPC San Antonio (Oaks), Valero Texas Open
  3. PGA National (Champion), The Honda Classic
  4. Innisbrook (Copperhead), Valspar Championship
  5. Harbour Town Golf Links, RBC Heritage
  6. Firestone C.C. (South), WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
  7. Riviera Country Club, Genesis Open
  8. TPC Southwind, FedEx St. Jude Classic
  9. Muirfield Village Golf Club, the Memorial Tournament
  10. Trump National Doral (Blue Course), WGC-Cadillac Championship

Easiest courses on the PGA Tour

These are the 10 easiest courses on the PGA Tour in 2016 based on average number of strokes against par:

  1. Plantation Course at Kapalua, Tournament of Champions, par 73, 7452 yards, 2.625 strokes under par
  2. La Quinta CC, CareerBuilder Challenge, par 72, 7060 yards, 2.365 strokes under par
  3. Sea Island Resort (Plantation), The RSM Classic, par 72, 7058 yards, 2.237 strokes under par
  4. Conway Farms GC, BMW Championship, par 71, 7208 yards, 1.884 strokes under par
  5. Coco Beach Golf & CC, Puerto Rico Open, par 72, 7506 yards, 1.769 strokes under par
  6. RTJ Trail (Grand National), Barbasol Championship, par 71, 7302 yards, 1.705 strokes under par
  7. TPC Kuala Lumpur, CIMB Classic, par 72, 7005 yards, 1.702 strokes under par
  8. Waialae CC, Sony Open in Hawaii, par 70, 7044 yards, 1.691 strokes under par
  9. Glen Abbey GC, RBC Canadian Open, par 72, 7253 yards, 1.629 strokes under par
  10. El Camaleon GC, OHL Classic, par 71, 6987 yards, 1.391 strokes under par

Looking at the courses that appear in the top 10 most frequently, here are the easiest regular PGA Tour courses based on their combined strokes under par:

  1. Kapalua Resort (Plantation Course), Tournament of Champions
  2. La Quinta C.C., CareerBuilder Challenge
  3. Torrey Pines (North), Farmers Insurance Open
  4. TPC Deere Run, John Deere Classic
  5. TPC Louisiana, Zurich Classic
  6. Coco Beach C.C., Puerto Rico Open
  7. TPC Summerlin, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
  8. Sheshan International, WGC-HSBC Champions
  9. TPC Kuala Lumpur, CIMB Classic

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is the founder, owner and operator of Golf News Net.

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