WORLD’S HARDEST COURSES (YOU CAN PLAY)

ALL YOU really need to know is this Oregon-housed gem was designed by Tom Doak.

Simply put, that means it is at least two things: spectacular and difficult. 

Carved out of towering sand dunes along the rugged Pacific Ocean coastline, and with some holes running through forest, this really is place that challenges your whole game.

With a large part of the course running along the ocean, the weather also plays a part in its difficulty. The views, however, are anything but hard on the eye.

THERE’S a good chance you haven’t heard a lot about The Pines course at The International in Massachusetts.

For what it’s worth, this formerly members-only Robert Trent Jones-designed course finds its brutality in the form of length.

In fact, at 8325 yards (7612m) from the ‘Tiger Tees’ – including a 656-yard closing hole – it’s the longest course from tip to tip in the United States.

The course’s slope rating sits at 155, which makes it crazy tough, too. 

Sound like fun?

We agree.

A MAGNIFICENT course on Hawaii’s island of Oahu, Ko’olau Golf Club is one of the most challenging in the world – especially from its back tees.

Carved out of Hawaiian jungle, wayward shots are instantly lost to the wilderness. Bring twice as many balls as you think you’d need. Then double it.

The opening and closing holes – like many views here – are simply epic. The 18th is truly a beast of a par-4, requiring two long shots over sheer ravines to get on the dancefloor.

Come for the views, not your score.

CRAZY strong winds off the Atlantic Ocean make this formidable Pete and Alice Dye-designed layout even more challenging.

This beauty will take you on a 7356-yard trek from the back markers along the oceanfront and up and down windswept sand dunes.

Not only will you battle the elements, but also a ton of huge bunkers scattered throughout the South Carolinian marvel.

Spectacular views offer some reprieve to your mind. Some.

NOT only is the Old Course at Ireland’s Ballybunion regarded as one of the finest links layouts in the world, it’s also open to anyone who wants to play it for a lazy €230. Think that hurts?

Wait till you play it. Yet despite how incredibly difficult Ballybunion is for most players, it is otherwise a truly magnificent romp through nature in one of the most picturesque regions in the world.

Forget the number of balls you lose in the gorse rough – this is everything we love about golf.

STICKING to the coastline, we next take you to a course found in a more tropical locale – The Whitsundays.

Many golfers head here in search of playing a round in paradise, only to find they’re traversing through hell.

With a number of blind shots from the tee and even into greens (and dense shrub bordering every hole), you will go through your Titleists in a heartbeat. Did you miss it long, left or right? You’ll never know. Take a breath and look around. Serenity now!

GENUINELY among a small handful of courses competing for the most stunning views in the world, Cape Kidnappers is a must-play for any golfer.

Yes, it is damn tricky with steep cliffs, massive undulation, narrow fingertip holes with sheer drops into the Pacific Ocean either side, and knee-deep thick rough.

Oh, and severe winds coming off the ocean.

But who cares. This place is sublime.  

We’ve never heard a person complain about a round here.

Neither have you.

AMATEURS and professionals worldwide don’t sing the praises of Pebble Beach Golf Links without reason. It really is catnip for golfers.

Another worldwide bucket-lister with spectacular panoramic views, Pebble Beach is a difficult course for the amateur – mostly because it’s hard to swing with your head up.

Narrow fairways and small, sloping greens add to the difficulty level, and if the wind happens to be up on the day, the course transforms into an angry beast.

Being the No.1 public course in the United States allows for premium pricing, and at US$550 a round (roughly AUD$800) it certainly is that. Simply put, Pebble rocks.

Want tough? Try the Ailsa course at Trump Turnberry, the scene of epic Opens past including the 1977 Duel in the Sun battle between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, as well as Greg Norman’s first major championship victory in 1986.  

Set along the stunning Ayrshire Scottish coast, it is a true links course with open fairways, masses of undulation and knee-deep rough, and susceptibility to ever-changing winds. And, of course, slick sloping greens that will test the mind of any standard of golfer.

The experience will cost you around £200 for 18 glorious holes, or about £120 for guests of the hotel.

IF THERE’S one course designer who revels in the misery of others on his layouts, it has to be Pete Dye.

The Stadium Course is proof of that. The most difficult of courses found at PGA West (with a 150 slope rating, if you don’t mind), it truly is one of the toughest challenges in the golf world.

This is far from your lazy, cruisy Sunday round. Rather, it’s a high-octane, adrenaline-filled romp of precision golf – miss and a watery grave likely awaits your ball. Feel like having your pants repeatedly pulled down? You can book online for US$169.

OPEN, rugged and windswept sums up what awaits you at Whistling Straits.

Running along the Lake Michigan shoreline, the Straits course – which played host to the 2004, 2010 and 2015 PGA Championships – is a particularly tricky layout for the amateur golfer.

Massive sand dunes, wasteland areas, large pot bunkers, and near-always windy conditions makes this visual beauty an utter beast year round.

Reminiscent of Irish and Scottish layouts, it looks to be the perfect venue to host next year’s Ryder Cup.

HOME to the ‘most feared shot in golf’, TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course is more than a one-trick pony. That said, when a 137-yard par-3 makes the knees of the world’s best players start to knock, you know you have a monster on your hands.

Of course, Pete Dye has to be involved in something this sadistic. As the course’s architect, Dye has created some of the game’s most iconic moments at the 17th island hole, but the closing hole might be equally as formidable. You, too can bash yourself up for four and a half hours here, and it’ll only cost you US$500.