Think you’ve mastered the links? Think again. Around the world, there are golf courses that challenge even the most seasoned pros with brutal layouts, unpredictable weather, and terrain that seems designed to test both skill and sanity. From wind-swept cliffs to narrow fairways carved into mountainsides, these are not your average Sunday afternoon rounds. Welcome to the 10 most difficult golf courses in the world — where every stroke is a battle and par is a victory.
Most golfers don’t want to play an extremely difficult golf course every day. But every now and then, it’s exciting to test your skills against the toughest challenges the game has to offer.
So, what makes a golf course difficult? Sometimes, it comes down to poor design. I once played a course with a dogleg-right par 4 where you couldn’t hit your tee shot more than 125 yards. Then, the hole turned sharply right, requiring a 200-yard approach to an island green. No thanks.
However, most of the world’s truly great and challenging courses incorporate a mix of elements. While length is typically a factor, other features such as dense trees, thick rough, tall fescue, gorse, uneven lies, and adverse weather especially high winds are often a course’s strongest defenses.
In this article, we’ve highlighted 10 of the most difficult golf courses in the world. Many have hosted major championships, and all boast high course and slope ratings. Let’s take a look.
1. Bethpage State Park, Black Course, Farmingdale, N.Y.
The sign in front of the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York says it all:
“Warning: The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.”
And yes, it’s that tough. The 7,500-yard length on this par-71 layout is just part of the challenge. Originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1936 and updated more recently by Rees Jones, this municipal course packs a serious punch.
Located on Long Island, the Black Course has hosted PGA Tour events, a PGA Championship, and two U.S. Opens. At the 2002 U.S. Open, Tiger Woods was the only player to finish under par.
Whether you play from the back tees or even one set forward, you’ll face daunting carries just to reach the fairways. The bunkers are massive, the rough is punishing, the fairways are narrow, and the greens are exceptionally challenging. Even if you’re a single-digit handicapper, be prepared to card multiple double bogeys or worse. This makes it one of the hardest golf courses in the world.
2. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club, Lijiang, China
At 8,548 yards, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is the longest golf course in the world—if you don’t count Australia’s unusual Nullarbor Links, which features scattered holes stretching over roughly 850 miles. With its sheer length and extreme conditions, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain easily ranks among the most difficult courses globally.
Located in the Himalayas of China, it also holds the distinction of being one of the highest golf courses in the world, sitting at over 10,000 feet above sea level. Designed by Robin Nelson and Neil Haworth, the course is nestled in a valley beneath the towering Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which rises to an elevation of 18,360 feet.
Due to the thin air at such high altitude, oxygen is actually provided in the golf carts, a testament to the course’s physical demands. Among its many challenges is the 711-yard par-5 fifth hole, the longest on the course.
3. Dye Course at French Lick (Ind.) Resort
The Dye Course at French Lick is both a beauty and a beast. It’s incredibly scenic, especially on foggy mornings when it appears to float above the clouds. From the back tees, it stretches over 8,100 yards, with a daunting course rating and slope of 80.5/151. But regardless of which tees you play from, this course is exceptionally challenging.
The difficulty lies not just in hitting the fairways, but in holding them. Players must shape their shots to match the slopes of the fairways; otherwise, the ball will roll off into thick rough. The approach shots are no easier small, well-guarded greens with significant undulation demand precision and finesse.
This is definitely not a course for beginners. Even seasoned golfers can expect to shoot 5 to 10 strokes or more above their handicap. Need proof? During the 2015 Senior PGA Championship, with the course set at just over 7,000 yards, a dozen professionals failed to break 80 in at least one round. And those guys know what they’re doing.
4. TPC Sawgrass PLAYERS Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra, Fla.
This course serves as the home ground for PGA Tour players and hosts their championship event so naturally, it’s designed to be extremely difficult. To play well here, you need plenty of length, the ability to carry the ball over water repeatedly, shot-shaping skills in both directions, and precise accuracy.
No hole highlights the importance of accuracy more than the iconic island green 17th. Even the world’s best golfers can post big numbers here, especially when the wind picks up. The par-4 18th is equally punishing, widely regarded as one of the most difficult finishing holes in golf, with water lining the entire left side and trees crowding the right.
There are a few scoring opportunities just not many. The par-5 16th is one of them, though even it presents a challenge with water running down the right side on the approach. Still, it’s a reachable hole.
Unlike many of the other courses on this list, moving up a tee box here can actually improve your chances of success—making it slightly more forgiving without sacrificing the challenge.
5. Carnoustie Golf Links, Dundee, Scotland
How difficult is Carnoustie Golf Links? Just ask Frenchman Jean van de Velde, who held a three-shot lead heading into the final hole of the 1999 Open Championship—only to make a triple bogey. Van de Velde actually had to get up and down from a bunker on the 18th just to force a three-man playoff, which Paul Lawrie won (Justin Leonard was the other contender). Remarkably, Lawrie made up 10 strokes in the final round to claim the title.
As for the course itself, Carnoustie has hosted The Open eight times and is renowned for its brutal difficulty. The fairways are narrow, the rough is thick and punishing, the bunkers are deep and nearly impossible to escape cleanly, and the wind coming off the North Sea is a constant factor often gusting to gale-force strength. And then there’s the infamous Barry Burn on the 18th hole, which played a central role in Van de Velde’s historic collapse.
6. The Dragon at Nakoma, Clio, Calif.
Another Robin Nelson design to make this list is The Dragon at Nakoma Golf Resort & Spa and believe it or not, it’s not as difficult as it once was. That said, it’s still a formidable challenge. A few years ago, the course underwent some changes, including softening the greens, which was much needed. I recall hitting what felt like a perfect approach on the first hole, only to watch the ball roll off the green not once, but three times as I struggled to get up and down.
But the true difficulty of this stunning High Sierra course lies elsewhere. The sloping fairways often tumble into wooded areas, demanding exceptional accuracy off the tee. The approach shots aren’t any easier either. Shot-shaping is critical here, and only players with precise, well-struck iron shots will be able to hold the elevated, well-protected greens.
In short, The Dragon remains a test for even the most skilled golfers being one of the toughest golf courses globally.
7. Straits Course at Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisc.
Many people mistake this Pete Dye masterpiece for a links course, thanks to its fescue-covered terrain and lakeside holes but Whistling Straits is anything but traditional links. You won’t be running the ball up onto the greens here. Instead, you’re faced with over 1,000 bunkers many of them deep pot bunkers that are notoriously tough to escape and significant length. This Ryder Cup and PGA Championship venue stretches to a massive 7,800 yards from the tips.
The Straits Course at Whistling Straits stands as one of Dye’s greatest achievements. More than a million cubic yards of earth were moved to transform a flat, barren site into a dramatic layout featuring elevation changes, undulating greens, and imaginative holes with sweeping views of Lake Michigan.
While the course may look more intimidating than it actually plays, don’t be fooled—it’s still a formidable challenge, with a course rating/slope of 77/151. The closing stretch is particularly brutal, featuring the 249-yard par-3 17th and the 520-yard par-4 18th, a dogleg left that demands you navigate around and over all kinds of trouble.
Do you this that you are tough enough to handle this one of the most challenging golf courses?
8. Royal County Down Championship Links, Newcastle, Northern Ireland
Some consider the Championship Links at Royal County Down the best golf course in the world. It’s certainly one of the most challenging, especially when the weather turns blustery as I can personally attest. The course features heather and gorse, numerous deep bunkers, and domed greens on holes that twist and turn in every direction. On a calm day, it’s tough; add a strong two-club wind, and it becomes a true test of skill.
At least it’s a classic links course, which means you can keep the ball low and run it into openings an essential strategy when battling the wind. There are also several blind shots, making a knowledgeable caddie not just a luxury, but a necessity for first-timers.
As for its history, the course was originally designed by Old Tom Morris and opened in the late 1800s. Harry Colt later renovated and enhanced it in the 1920s. Over the years, Royal County Down has hosted numerous Irish professional and amateur Opens, as well as the Senior Open Championship three times.
9. The stadium Course at PGA West, La Quinta, Calif.
When a golf hole is nicknamed “Alcatraz,” you can bet it’s going to be punishing and that’s exactly the case at the Stadium Course at PGA West, another notoriously tough design by Pete Dye. “Alcatraz” is the par-3 17th hole, featuring an island green surrounded by rocks and water. Sound familiar? It’s a nerve-wracking shot that demands precision and it’s immediately followed by an arguably even more difficult finishing hole.
The 18th is a 439-yard par 4 that requires a tee shot over water, with even more water running down the entire left side of this dogleg left. It’s a demanding end to an already grueling round.
As for the rest of the course, there’s little respite. Massive, punishing bunkers many of the pot variety plenty of forced carries, and complex green designs keep players on their toes throughout. Like TPC Sawgrass, however, moving up a tee box or two is highly recommended to make the course more manageable and enjoyable.
10. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island (S.C) Golf Resort
Another Pete Dye masterpiece, this one with significant input from Alice Dye The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island is both breathtaking and brutally challenging. It famously hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup, dubbed the “War by the Shore,” where Bernhard Langer missed a six-foot putt that would have secured a tie. The U.S. team’s narrow victory that year helped ignite the modern era of intense Ryder Cup competition.
What makes this links-style course especially tough is the relentless wind blowing in off the Atlantic Ocean, combined with Dye’s trademark design elements: heavily guarded greens, treacherous bunkers, and countless opportunities to lose a ball. From the championship tees, the course stretches nearly 7,800 yards, with a slope rating of 155 and a daunting course rating of 79.1.
Other courses that warrant consideration
While our list focuses on ten of the world’s most difficult golf courses, there are a few others worth checking out that could easily earn a place in the conversation.
Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand is widely regarded as one of Tom Doak’s greatest—and toughest—designs. With dramatic coastal cliffs, strategic bunkering, penal hazards, and frequent wind, it’s as visually stunning as it is demanding.
Île aux Cerfs Golf Club in Mauritius offers a tropical test of skill. Located on an island in the Indian Ocean, the course weaves through jungle mangroves, sandy stretches, and water hazards, all framed by breathtaking ocean views.
The Palm Course at Saujana Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, nicknamed “The Cobra,” is another formidable challenge. Built on a former oil palm plantation, it features elevation changes, jungle-lined fairways, and deep ravines—especially on the notoriously difficult front nine.
Each of these courses brings its own unique set of challenges and is well worth a look for anyone seeking the ultimate test of golf.
The Palm Course at Saujana nicknamed “The Cobra” was built on a former oil palm plantation. It features significant elevation changes, dense jungle lining the fairways, and challenging ravines to carry. The front nine is said to be even tougher than the back. And let’s be honest: any course nicknamed “The Cobra” is bound to be lethal.