Golf courses all over the world feature amazing golf holes, but some are undoubtedly more famous than others. Whether it’s the 18th hole on St. Andrews or the 7th on Pebble Beach, some golf holes simply stand out.
As the head golf instructor at Tell Me More Golf, and in this article, I will share our list of the most famous holes in the game of golf.
This list isn’t meant to rank the holes in a specific order, as everybody has different opinions of which hole takes the number one spot, number two spot, etc. It’s also not a ranking of the best holes.
Instead, you can view this article as a general guide to what holes are the most famous.
Under each featured hole you’ll find the course’s fee and location, as well as a link to their website.
#1. 7th Hole Pebble Beach
Course Fee: $625
Location: California, USA
Pebble Beach is a bucket list course for most golfers out there, and while the course features several amazing holes, the 7th is probably the most well-known.
The short par 3 might not look that challenging, but the swirling winds from the Pacific Ocean crank up the challenge. The hole is mostly known for its beautiful backdrop featuring stunning views of the Pacific.
Many visitors struggle with hitting a good shot here as the excitement is simply too large. Everybody standing on the tee box imagines a hole in one of golf’s perhaps most beautiful holes.
Pebble Beach features other holes that easily could’ve made this list, such as the 18th, but we chose to only include the 7th.
#2. 18th Hole St. Andrews Old Course
Course Fee: $380
Location: Fife, Scotland
St. Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world, and it also features some of the most breathtaking and exciting holes.
The town of St. Andrews is extremely beautiful and special, and on the 18th hole, you’re playing with the city as a backdrop where you’re overlooking the Royal and Ancient clubhouse. This hole can be quite scary to play though, as you’ll have many people watching you play.
When you’re on this hole, you’ll feel the vast amount of legends that previously walked it. The green is tricky, and if you find yourself in one of the perhaps too-harsh bunkers you’ll be very lucky to walk away with a par.
In short, there is no other hole with a greater history than this, meaning it’s a must-play for all devoted golfers.
#3. 17th Hole TPC Sawgrass
Course Fee: $450
Location: Florida, USA
The 17th on TPC Sawgrass is one of the best holes in golf, especially from a competition standpoint.
The hole features an island green that even pros find challenging to hit and stick. Many amateurs have tried playing this hole, and we’d say that very few make it on the first try because of the nerves on the tee box.
TPC Sawgrass’ 17th features a stadium-like atmosphere where countless videos of pros have gone viral. Because of this, this hole is perhaps the most recognizable hole in all of golf, and we encourage all players to give it a try. And just like with Pebble’s 7th, just imagine making a hole-in-one here.
#4. 16th Hole TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course
Course Fee: $199
Location: Arizona, USA
TPC Scottsdale is one of the best courses in the US, and the 16th hole deserves a spot on this list.
The 16th hole features amphitheater surroundings that are packed with fans during the WM Phoenix Open, and it’s the hole where Tiger Woods made a famous early-career hole-in-one.
Once again, the stadium-like scenery creates an electric and thrilling experience during competitions that very few holes in the world can match. This, combined with the fantastic hole design and quality, makes it a must-play.
#5. 16th Hole Cypress Point Golf Club
Course Fee: $420
Location: California, USA
Along the rugged coastline of California’s Monterey Peninsula, you find Cypress Point Golf Club. It’s one of the most beautiful courses in the world, but the 16th hole is extra special.
In many ways it’s similar to Pebble’s 7th hole, with the Pacific serving as a stunning backdrop being the most notable.
The 16th at Cypress Point is a par 3, and it’s a hole where accuracy is more needed than ever with a small green guarded by annoying bunkers.
All in all, the breathtaking scenery is enough to make it an extraordinary hole, and the impeccable design and quality of Cypress Point elevate it even further.
#6. 17th Hole St. Andrews Old Course
Course Fee: $380
Location: Fife, Scotland
We tried not to make more than one hole from the same course on this list, but with St. Andrews, the 17th also had to be mentioned.
The 17th is known as the “Road Hole,” and just like every other great hole on St. Andrews, it features a combination of legendary history, stunning scenery, and a great design.
This hole is by many known as the hardest hole in the world, and that’s for many reasons. It’s a long 450 yard par 4 that often becomes significantly longer because of the harsh winds.
To play this hole well, you need to hit a great tee shot to a blind dogleg-right fairway, with great emphasis on hitting the fairway. After that, you can hit into the narrow green guarded by the so-called Hell Bunker.
But despite its great difficulty, we encourage everybody with the ability to play St. Andrews to enjoy every bit of this fantastic hole.
#7. 13th Hole Augusta National
Course Fee: $525
Location: Georgia, USA
Augusta National is one of the best golf courses in the entire world, and the 11th, 12th, and 13th are extra special known as the “Amen Corner.” We chose to feature the 13th as we believe it to be slightly more special than the others.
The 13th is a dogleg-left par 5 named “Azalea.” On this hole, you play with a beautiful backdrop of majestic pines. To perform well on this hole, you need a strategically placed tee shot and an approach shot that sticks the well-guarded green.
While there isn’t anything extremely special on this hole, it epitomizes the elegance, quality, and challenge of Augusta National.
#8. 4th Hole Royal County Down
Course Fee: $420
Location: Newcastle, Northern Ireland
At 200 yards plus, the 4th hole on Royal County Down is one of the most challenging par 3s in the world. Distance isn’t the only issue here, as accuracy is a must since the green is guarded by gorse and bunkers, as well as featuring a tricky front-to-back roll.
This hole truly embodies Northern Irish golf with stunning views of the Mourne Mountains and the heather-covered slopes.
The 9th hole on Royal County Down, which is also one of the most photographed and famous holes in the world, is also terrific, but we chose to feature the 4th as it’s generally more challenging.
#9. 18th Hole Wentworth West
Course Fee: $460
Location: Surrey, England
Wentworth Club is one of the most exclusive golf clubs in the UK, and the West Course is both the most beautiful and the host of DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship. This par 5 offers many ways to play it, and you finish in a stadium-like atmosphere that gets the blood pumping.
The green complex is one of the most beautiful and well-kept ones in the world, but the bunkers will definitely impose a harsh challenge if you find yourself in one of them. The rest of Wentworth West is also great, but on the 18th, everyone can imagine themselves as a tour pro.
#10. 13th Hole North Berwick
Course Fee: $250
Location: East Lothian
The 13th hole at North Berwick in Scotland is known as the “Pit,” and it’s a legendary golf hole full of history. It’s known for its adjacent wall that closely guards the green, making you unable to perform the classic bump-and-run which is the standard chip shot on links courses.
On this par 4, bunkers aren’t the issue as there aren’t any around the green. Instead, you need a good drive that sets you up with a short iron into the green. Because there’s a wall guarding it, rolling one up there won’t work well.
Conclusion:
There are many amazing golf courses all over the world, and there are even more fantastic golf holes. Some of these holes stand tall as icons telling their part of the sport’s rich history.
In this article, we’ve featured some of the most famous ones, but it can easily be said that there are way more extraordinary holes out there, no matter if you’re in the UK, the US, or elsewhere.
The 7th on Pebble Beach with the Pacific as a backdrop is probably the most famous one, with TPC Sawgrass’ 17th closely up there.
We encourage all golfers with the ability to do so to experience some, if not all, of these holes, so you can find out for yourself which one you like the most.
