Hardest Public Golf Courses by State
The highest-slope course on Stymie's state-by-state public lists is Pfau Indiana University Golf Course in Bloomington, Indiana, with a slope of 155 and a course rating of 80.2 from the Tournament tees. It is a public course, open to all golfers. 50 states have at least 3 courses and a page of their own.
Hardest public course in each state
Top 10 checked public courses in the US
| Rank | Course | State | Access | Slope | Course rating | Tee | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pfau Indiana University Golf CourseBloomington | IN | Public | 155 | 80.2 | Tournament | 7,908 |
| 2 | Kiawah Island Golf Resort - The Ocean CourseKiawah Island | SC | Resort | 155 | 79.1 | Championship | 7,820 |
| 3 | Bethpage BlackVillage of Muttontown | NY | Municipal | 155 | 77.5 | Blue | 7,465 |
| 4 | TPC SawgrassPonte Vedra Beach | FL | Resort | 155 | 76.8 | TPC | 7,271 |
| 5 | Royal New Kent Golf ClubProvidence Forge | VA | Public | 154 | 76.8 | Invicta | 7,440 |
| 6 | Lakota Links Golf CourseNew Castle | CO | Public | 154 | 73.0 | Black | 7,003 |
| 7 | TPC of Myrtle BeachMurrells Inlet | SC | Public | 154 | 74.3 | Black | 6,915 |
| 8 | Old Works Golf ClubAnaconda | MT | Public | 153 | 76.4 | Slag | 7,705 |
| 9 | Cog Hill Golf & Country ClubLemont | IL | Public | 153 | 78.0 | Black | 7,554 |
| 10 | Primland Golf ResortLaurel Fork | VA | Resort | 153 | 75.1 | Black | 7,053 |
How these lists are built
Each course is ranked by the highest slope rating from its men's tees. Women's ratings are used only where a course publishes no men's rating. Only regulation 18-hole courses are included; nine-hole courses are left out.
Only courses whose public access Stymie has checked against the club's own site or another named source are listed. Private clubs are left out, which is why these lists differ from the all-courses state rankings. A state gets its own list once it has at least 3 checked public courses.
In each state, courses are checked in order from the highest slope down, and the list stops at the first course whose public access has not been checked yet, so nothing here skips over an unchecked course. The national top 10 draws only from those state lists. 9,463 US golf courses have a slope rating on file, and Stymie has checked access for 957 of them so far.
Resort courses may require a stay and semi-private courses limit public tee times, so call ahead.
Hardest public golf courses FAQ
What is the hardest public golf course in the US?
Of the courses on Stymie's state-by-state public lists, Pfau Indiana University Golf Course in Bloomington, Indiana has the highest slope rating, 155 from the Tournament tees. It is a public course. Each state is checked from the highest slope down, and its list stops at the first course whose access has not been checked, so a state that has not been checked far enough may not appear yet.
Why are private clubs left out?
Because most golfers cannot book a round at one. A stored access label alone is not reliable enough to separate public from private, so a course is listed here only after its access has been checked against the club's own site or another named source.
Which states have a list?
50 states have at least 3 courses on their list. More states are added as access checks are completed.
How is difficulty measured?
By slope rating, which measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer. It runs from 55 to 155, and 113 is standard difficulty. Each course is ranked by the highest slope from its men's tees, and only regulation 18-hole courses are included.