'So Nervous'... The Hole Players Fear the Most

TPC Sawgrass 17th Hole: The Notorious "Death Hole"
TPC Scottsdale 16th Hole: The "Golf Liberation Zone"
Firestone South Course 16th Hole: The "Monster Hole"

The skills of professional players are outstanding. When they grab a wedge, they place the ball close to the hole, creating birdie opportunities. However, not all courses are easy. There are holes that even players on the PGA Tour fear.

The most representative hole is the 17th hole (par 3) at TPC Sawgrass (par 72, 7,256 yards) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It is the battleground of The Players Championship (total prize money $25 million), known as the fifth major, which opened on the 13th (local time).

The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, where the fifth major tournament, The Players Championship, is held, is known as the "Death Hole," with a total of 973 balls having been lost there so far.

The 17th hole is 141 yards long. Tour players can target it with a pitching wedge. However, many players collapse here. The green is only 24 meters in diameter. On the island green, the wind changes direction and strength moment by moment, causing major disasters. More than 50 balls are lost here every year, earning it the notorious nicknames "Death Hole" and "Devil's Hole." So far, a total of 973 golf balls have been lost.

Bob Tway (USA) scored 12 strokes, 9 over par, on this hole in 2005. He is the protagonist of a "historic disaster." An Byeong-hun also made an octuple bogey, losing 8 strokes in the first round in 2021. He said, "The 17th hole is tricky when the wind blows. However, since it is a hole where birdies can be made, large scores appear. It's interesting." In 2023, 58 balls were lost, and 47 last year. Martin Laird (Scotland) suffered a nightmare on the 17th hole (136 yards) on the final day last year. He sent his tee shot into the water twice and finished the hole in 7 strokes, a quadruple bogey, 4 strokes over par.

TPC Scottsdale (par 71) in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the WM Phoenix Open is held, is also formidable. This tournament is called the "golf liberation zone." It is the only golf tournament in the world where drinking and loud cheering are allowed. Galleries cheer while drinking beer and do not hesitate to boo if they dislike a shot. Cheers erupt everywhere even as players set up.

The 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, the battleground of the WM Phoenix Open, is the only "golf sanctuary" where spectators are allowed to drink alcohol and shout loudly.

The highlight is the 16th hole (par 3). A huge three-tiered stand that can accommodate up to 30,000 people is installed. It resembles the Roman Colosseum. When players step onto the tee box, a giant screen zooms in on all their movements, and the gallery shouts as loudly as hooligans. It is a relatively easy hole at 163 yards where a 9-iron can be used to aim for a birdie, but unexpected shots come out under tension.

The Marion Golf Club East Course (par 70) near Ardmore, Pennsylvania, USA, is also not easy to conquer. It gained notoriety by hosting the US Open, the national title of the United States, five times including 1934, 1950, 1971, 1981, and 2013. It is a difficult course with 131 bunkers added to the narrow fairways. Situations where the strength and direction of the wind cannot be predicted often occur. The 17th hole (par 3) is 246 yards long. The rough is so long that the ball is sometimes invisible. If you stray from the fairway, escaping is urgent. Even saving par is not easy.

The 16th hole of the South Course at Firestone Country Club, where the 2014 Bridgestone Invitational was held, stretches an impressive 667 yards and is known as the "Monster Hole." Photo by Firestone CC

The 16th hole (par 5) at Firestone Country Club South Course (par 70) in Akron, Ohio, USA, where the 2014 World Golf Championships (WGC) Bridgestone Invitational was held, is also challenging for golfers. The length reaches a whopping 667 yards. It even has the nickname "Monster Hole." There is a bunker lurking at the 290-yard IP point, and a small creek lies on the right side of the fairway on the way to the green. The water hazard protects the green like a fortress. It is a par 5 hole where reaching the green in two shots is fundamentally blocked.

The 17th hole (par 3) at PGA West Pete Dye Stadium Course (par 72) in La Quinta, California, USA, where the American Express was held last January, is also difficult. It is a famous course designed by world-renowned course designer Pete Dye (USA). It is notorious as a difficult course with numerous water hazards and deep bunkers over 6 meters. The reason the PGA Tour CareerBuilder Challenge was held there in 2016 after 29 years since the 1987 Bob Hope Classic is because players complained when the average score exceeded 74 at that time.