Every golf fan has heard the raucous crowds on TV at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole, where thousands of over-served spectators sit or stand for hours waiting for their favorite players at the biggest party in golf, the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
The short par 3 is enclosed by a temporary grandstand that seats 20,000 fans, and the pros generally love it or hate it.
“I love it, but it’s as annoying as hell. I think of playing the 16th the whole tournament,” says Emiliano Grillo.
If the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale is on a golf fans’ bucket list for must-see-in-person tournament golf, what are some of the others? The Road Hole at St. Andrews? The Island Green at TPC Sawgrass?
Here’s a few of our choices for bucket-list holes you should get to in person if you ever get the chance:
17th hole, Old Course, St. Andrews
Par 4, 495 yards
There’s a blind tee shot over the old faux coal sheds outlined by the boundary fence for the Old Course Hotel. Too often the road becomes a resting place for wayward approach shots. The perched green wraps around the Road Hole Bunker, the one must-avoid spot on the course.
3rd hole, Oakmont
Par 4, 426 yards
Oakmont’s famous church-pew bunkers come into play on Nos. 3 and 4. The bunkers are aptly named because 12 grassy berms inside a massive sand hazard look like pews in a church. According to the USGA, special rakes were once used for the church pew bunkers at Oakmont, making deep furrows in the sand, but that practice stopped with the 1962 U.S. Open.
18th hole, Bay Hill
Par 4, 458 yards
If you’ve watched the Arnold Palmer Invitational on TV, you already know about the pond guarding the putting surface. The “Devil’s Bathtub” annually ranks as Bay Hill’s toughest hole for the PGA Tour pros. There’s OB on the entire left side and to the right there’s thick rough. For players who get aggressive, there are bunkers left and long. Robert Gamez owns the most famous shot on the last, holing his 7-iron approach from 176 yards for eagle to win at Bay Hill in 1970.
3rd hole, South Course, Torrey Pines
Par 3, 200 yards
The signature par 3 has one of the best views in golf. Most fans will recall that Torrey Pines’ South Course was the scene of a dramatic 2008 U.S. Open playoff won by Tiger Woods over Rocco Mediate. The course was redesigned by Rees Jones in 2001 and in 2019.
18th hole, Kapalua
Par 5, 663 yards
One of the longest holes (if not the longest) on the PGA Tour schedule has stunning views and a massive slope that, if caught just right, will produce one of the longest drives you’ll ever hit.
17th hole, TPC Sawgrass
Par 3, 136 yards
The Players Championship. Penultimate hole. Island green. Safe or splash. What more is there to say?
18th hole, Corales
Par 4, 409 yards
Depending on the wind and which tee you play from, the finishing hole at Puntacana’s Corales Golf Course is equal parts beautiful and challenging.
18th hole, Old Course, St. Andrews
Par 4, 356 yards
If you’re playing the Old Course, you’ll never want to leave. You’ll also want to avoid the road that dissects the first and final fairway and the treacherous “Valley of Sin.”
14th hole, Carnoustie
Par 5, 476 yards
To carry the Spectacle bunkers or not. That is the question on this iconic championship hole.
7th hole, Pebble Beach
Par 3, 106 yards
The par-3 7th at Pebble Beach is the shortest hole on the PGA Tour at just 106 yards. At the 2010 U.S. Open, it played at 92 yards.
8th hole, Pebble Beach
Par 4, 428 yards
Don’t let it fool you. Despite a picturesque view, the par-4 8th hole at Pebble Beach features one of the most difficult approach shots you’ll ever face.
17th hole, Pebble Beach
Par 3, 208 yards
Let’s stay at Pebble, shall we? Bunkers in the front and back guard the green with a ridge in the middle on the penultimate hole. Precision off the tee is key.
18th hole, Pebble Beach
Par 5, 543 yards
Last but not least at Pebble, you’ll want to stay left of the tree in the middle of the fairway, and from there you have around 250 yards to reach the green in two. Feeling lucky?
12th hole, Augusta National
Par 3, 155 yards
Welcome to Golden Bell, the heart of Amen Corner. The par 3 is guarded in the front by Rae’s Creek and an abundance of azaleas at the back. Good luck.
10th hole, Riviera CC
Par 4, 315 yards
After making the turn, swing away on No. 10, one of the greatest short par 4s in golf.
10th hole, Winged Foot
Par 3, 190 yards
Architect A.W. Tillinghast called the 10th at Winged Foot the finest par 3 he ever built. He wasn’t wrong.
8th hole, Royal Troon (The Postage Stamp)
Par 3, 123 yards
Golf Illustrated’s William Park gave the par-3 8th hole it’s Postage Stamp name after writing that the hole has “a pitching surface skimmed down to the size of a postage stamp.” Mr. Park’s eloquent words still don’t do the hole justice.
18th hole, Harbour Town
Par 4, 472 yards
One of the most challenging finishing holes in professional golf also features one of the most iconic views: the lighthouse.
4th hole, Royal County Down
Par 3, 228 yards
Get your camera ready. And your A-game. This 228-yard par 3 is no joke.
7th hole, Crans-sur-Sierre
Par 4, 303 yards
The 7th hole is the crown jewel of the Severiano Ballesteros course at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Switzerland, and not just for the breathtaking view.
18th hole, Dinah Shore Course, Mission Hills
Par 5, 646 yards
The closing hole at the Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills, home of the LPGA’s ANA Inspiration, is a monster par 5 at 646 yards with an island green awaiting your approach.
4th hole, Spyglass
Par 4, 370 yards
Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s fingerprints are on more than 400 golf courses. He’s referred to No. 4 at Spyglass Hill his favorite par 4 he’s ever designed.
2nd hole, Evian Resort
Par 3, 163 yards
The downhill par 3 at the home of the LPGA’s Evian Championship features a 32-yard elevation change to a green surrounded by bunkers and full of slight breaks that’ll challenge the best of the best. But that view.
