The 10 hardest and 10 easiest courses on the PGA Tour in 2019-2020

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 relative to par, 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, excluding the majors which rotate.

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 2019 based on average number of strokes against par:

1. Sheshan International GC, WGC-HSBC Champions, par 72, 7261 yards, 1.256 strokes over par
2. PGA National (Champion), The Honda Classic, par 70, 7125 yards, 1.016 strokes over par
3. Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead), Valspar Championship, par 71, 7340 yards, 0.981 strokes over par
4. Colonial CC, Charles Schwab Challenge, par 70, 7209 yards, 0.86 strokes over par
5. Quail Hollow Club, Wells Fargo Championship, par 71, 7554 yards, 0.762 strokes over par
6. Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Arnold Palmer Invitational, par 72, 7454 yards, 0.378 strokes over par
7. Riviera CC, Genesis Invitational, par 71, 7322 yards, 0.199 strokes over par
8. Harbour Town GL, RBC Heritage, par 71, 7099 yards, 0.17 strokes over par
9. Pebble Beach GL, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, par 72, 6816 yards, 0.13 strokes over par
10. Muirfield Village GC, the Memorial Tournament, par 72, 7392 yards, 0.081 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. However, last year, Bethpage Black was toughest in the PGA Championship.

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 Invitational
8. TPC Southwind, WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
9. Muirfield Village Golf Club, the Memorial Tournament

Easiest courses on the PGA Tour

These are the 10 easiest courses on the PGA Tour in 2019 based on average number of strokes against par:

1. La Quinta CC, Desert Classic, par 72, 7060 yards, 3.282 strokes under par
2. Nicklaus Tournament Course, Desert Classic, par 72, 7159 yards, 2.942 strokes under par
3. Keene Trace Golf Club, Barbasol Championship, par 72, 7328 yards, 2.411 strokes under par
4. Torrey Pines (North), Farmers Insurance Open, par 72, 7258 yards, 2.16 strokes under par
5. Plantation Course at Kapalua, Sentry Tournament of Champions, par 73, 7518 yards, 2.076 strokes under par
6. Detroit Golf Club, Rocket Mortgage Classic, par 72, 7340 yards, 1.887 strokes under par
7. Sedgefield CC, Wyndham Championship, par 70, 7127 yards, 1.825 strokes under par
8. Stadium Course, Desert Classic, par 72, 7113 yards, 1.762 strokes under par
9. El Camaleon GC, Mayakoba Golf Classic, par 71, 6987 yards, 1.753 strokes under par
10. TPC Summerlin, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open , par 71, 7255 yards, 1.631 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