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The 5 Scariest Holes in Golf (And Pro Tips to Conquer Them)
By Brendon Elliott, PGA
Published on
The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.
Even the world's best golfers face shots that haunt their nightmares. From island greens that swallow golf balls whole to cliffside drives over crashing waves, professional golf has its share of horror stories.
This Halloween weekend, let's explore the scariest shots in golf and learn how you can survive when these monsters appear on your home course.
The Island Green of Doom: No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass
The Terror: The 17th at TPC Sawgrass is golf's version of a haunted house. A 137-yard par-3 with a green completely surrounded by water. No escape. No mercy. Since 1982, over 120,000 golf balls have met their watery graves here. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Sergio García have all watched their balls sink into the abyss.
When You'll Face It: Any shot over water to a small green becomes your personal nightmare. A pond guarding a par-3. A creek lurking before the green. Same psychological warfare.
How to Survive: Commit fully or perish. Take an extra club. Smooth 6-iron instead of forced 7-iron. Pick a specific target, not just "somewhere safe." Tentative swings are death. Visualize success and trust your swing.
Exorcise Your Demons: On the range, create a "gate" with alignment sticks you must fly the ball through. Start wide, then narrow it. Build the precision to defeat water hazards.
The Cliffside Horror: No. 8 at Pebble Beach
The Terror: The 8th at Pebble Beach demands a tee shot over a chasm with the Pacific Ocean crashing 100 feet below. The landing area looks impossibly small. The wind howls like a banshee. One mistake sends your ball screaming into the rocks.
When You'll Face It: Forced carries over ravines, canyons, or deep hazards where the visual terror exceeds the actual danger.
How to Survive: Focus on your landing area, NOT the graveyard below. Use "spot landing." Pick a specific spot in the fairway and visualize your ball there. Take a confident club, even if it means laying back to 3-wood or hybrid. Never try to "help" the ball up. That causes topped shots straight into the monster's mouth.
Exorcise Your Demons: Master your pre-shot routine. Practice your full routine before every range ball: visualize, practice swing, commit. When terror strikes on course, your routine becomes your protective spell.
The Sidehill Nightmare: No. 4 at Torrey Pines South
Collin Morikawa on No. 4 at Torrey Pines South.
The Terror: This 490-yard beast plays downhill with a severe slope that sends balls careening into trouble. Players are left with sidehill lies. Ball above feet. Ground tilting sideways. Balance vanishing like a ghost.
When You'll Face It: Hilly courses breed these nightmares. Ball above your feet goes left. Ball below your feet goes right.
How to Survive: Ball-above-feet: aim right to account for the draw, choke down slightly, stand more upright. Ball-below-feet: aim left, maintain knee flex, focus on balance above all. Accept reduced distance and make a smooth, balanced swing.
Exorcise Your Demons: Find sloped practice areas and hit shots from various lies. Or practice at home with one foot on a board to simulate the slope. Build the balance to stand firm when the ground turns against you.
The Do-or-Die Grave: No. 18 at Bay Hill
Bay Hill's 18th Hole (Photo courtesy of Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge)
The Terror: Bay Hill's finishing hole has claimed countless championships. The approach must carry water all the way to the green. No bailout. No second chances. Champions like Rory McIlroy have conquered it. Others have watched their dreams drown.
When You'll Face It: Approach shots where water or hazards guard the entire green front, demanding a perfect carry.
How to Survive: Know your CARRY distances, not total distance. If you need 145 yards of carry, use the club that carries 145, even if it usually goes 155 total. Aim for the middle of the green. The middle is always a good miss. Make a committed, aggressive swing. You cannot guide the ball over water.
Scottie Scheffler on No. 18 at Bay Hill.
Exorcise Your Demons: Practice carrying to exact yardages. Place markers on the range and note where balls first land. Know your true numbers so confidence replaces fear.
The Pressure Putt: No. 18 at Mission Hills
The Terror: The 18th at Mission Hills has witnessed LPGA legends tremble over crucial putts with majors on the line. Annika Sorenstam, Patty Sheehan, and Jennifer Kupcho have all faced this pressure cooker, knowing one mistake could haunt them forever.
The 18th green at Mission Hills has seen some heartbreak.
When You'll Face It: Every golfer faces pressure putts. To win a match. Break 80. Save face in front of friends.
How to Survive: Use a rock-solid routine. Read from multiple angles, pick your line, and TRUST it. Take practice strokes while looking at the hole. Once over the ball, focus only on your stroke, never the outcome. Breathe deeply and make your normal stroke.
Exorcise Your Demons: Create pressure in practice. Set consequences. Miss three 6-footers, you must make five straight before leaving. Practice with stakes. Learning to execute under pressure is your ultimate protection spell.
Your Survival Guide
These nightmares don't discriminate. Tour pros feel the same fear you do. They simply train to execute despite the terror.
Your survival plan:
- Build a bulletproof routine. Your safe space under pressure.
- Practice the uncomfortable. Face your fears on the range.
- Know your numbers. Knowledge banishes fear.
- Commit fully. A committed swing with the wrong club beats a tentative swing with the right club.
The best players don't avoid fear. They've prepared for these haunted moments. With practice and the right mindset, you can survive these terrors too.
Now go conquer those monsters lurking on your course.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. Read his recent “Playing Through” on R.org and his stories on Athlon Sports. To stay updated on his latest work, sign up for his newsletter and visit OneMoreRollGolf.com.
