In the 2022 season, the Fortinet Threat Score showed us exactly what the world's best were facing on the DP World Tour, allowing us to see which holes tested the professionals to the limit.
It also allowed us to build our own fantasy courses from the 810 holes spread over 45 different layouts and the results are incredible.
• A course made up of the 18 hardest holes would measure 8693 yards and be a par 72 featuring 18 par fours. The average score over this course was over 80 (+8) and it includes three 18th holes and three 17th holes.
• A course made up of the 18 easiest holes would measure 9478 yards and be a par 89 featuring 17 par fives and one par four. The average score over this course was under 78 (-11).
• A course made up of the easiest holes by number would measure 9086 yards and be a par 87 featuring 15 par fives and three par fours. The average score over this course was under 77 (-10).
Fortinet Threat Score – The ten toughest holes on the DP World Tour in the 2022 season
Here, we have compiled a composite course of the most difficult holes by number on the DP World Tour in the 2022 season. A par-71 layout measuring 8506 yards and featuring no par fives, four par fours over 500 yards and just the one par three.
It features three holes from Augusta National Golf Club, two from The Country Club, Brookline and two from the Twenty Ten Course at The Celtic Manor Resort, with 11 holes from Major Championship courses or Ryder Cup venues, including 2023 host Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
With a scoring average of approaching eight shots over par, this course is not for the faint-hearted - even among the best professional golfers in the world.
The Course
Par: 35-36-71
Length: 4122-4384-8506 yards
Scoring average: 78.85 (+7.85)
1 - Augusta National Golf Club
445 yards
Par 4
+0.30
The Masters traditionally marks the first Major Championship of the season and the first - Tea Olive - proved to be the toughest opening hole on the DP World Tour schedule in 2022. The drive is uphill and there is a slight dogleg to the right, while approach shots are played to an undulating green. None of the top-five finishers managed to play the hole under par, with their combined score totalling four over. Will Zalatoris was the only player in the top ten to play the hole under par, with only 17 birdies made across the week emphasising why it ranked as the fourth hardest hole on the course.
Next toughest: Emirates Golf Club, Par 4, 469 yards, +0.27
2 - Firethorn Course, Randpark Golf Club
503 yards
Par 4
+0.67
The Joburg Open was the first event of the DP World Tour era in November 2021. For many players, the par-four second on the Firethorn Course at Randpark Golf Club proved the hardest hole they faced all season. In a tournament reduced to 36 holes due to inclement weather, only nine birdies were recorded with no eagles or better on the hardest hole of the campaign. In total, 158 bogeys or worse were made across the three days of golf that could be played at the season opener. Thriston Lawrence parred the second hole in both rounds as he claimed the first of two titles on Tour in his rookie season. Despite going double bogey-bogey across both rounds, Yannik Paul managed to finish in a share of eighth place.
Next toughest: Bernardus Golf, Par 4, 432 yards, +0.42
3 - Doha Golf Club
235 yards
Par 3
+0.36
There were three par threes in the 30 toughest holes last season. Doha Golf Club accounted for two of them, while the 215-yard par-three second at The Country Club, Brookline in the U.S. Open proved the most fiendish. At the 2022 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, the third was the hardest hole of the week, producing a mere 15 birdies across the four days of competition. Tournament winner Ewen Ferguson was one under par on that hole, birdieing it in the opening round. The highest score was made by Grant Forrest in the third round, with the Scotsman registering a quadruple-bogey seven.
Next toughest: Yas Links, Par 4, 442 yards, +0.30
4 - Green Eagle Golf Courses
488 yards
Par 4
+0.53
Widely regarded as one of the toughest examinations on the DP World Tour, Green Eagles Golf Courses - host venue of the Porsche European Open – boasted two of the ten hardest holes in the 2022 campaign. The fourth, a 488-yard par four, was the hardest hole on the course at last year’s edition. Tournament winner Kalle Samooja played the hole in one over par, missing the fairway once across the four rounds as he made a bogey in the first round. Of the top ten and ties on the leaderboard at the end of the event, nobody managed to play the fourth under par. The hole also produced 58 double bogeys or worse – eight more than the next highest across the week.
Next toughest: St Andrews, Old Course, Par 4, 465 yards, +0.27
5 - Augusta National Golf Club
495 yards
Par 4
+0.33
We return to Augusta for the second time in our composite course of toughest holes in the 2022 season, with the par-four fifth under review. With only 13 birdies yielded and 95 bogeys or worse, it is easy to understand how it proved to be the third hardest hole of the event. Tournament winner Scottie Scheffler parred the hole all four days. Only Zalatoris and Cameron Smith in the top ten were under par on the hole for the week, with the former making birdie in both the third and fourth rounds.
Next toughest: Stadium Course, PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness, Par 3, 208 yards, +0.22
6 - Green Eagle Golf Courses
475 yards
Par 4
+0.51
Just one hole separated the toughest and second toughest at Green Eagle Golf Courses last season. The sixth played half a stroke over par across the week. Over the four rounds of play, 25 birdies were made by the field - only the par-three 13th saw fewer birdies. Samooja birdied the sixth in both the third and fourth rounds as he landed his maiden Tour win. In comparison, his nearest challengers Wil Besseling, Richard Mansell and Victor Perez all parred the hole on each day. Other than Samooja, Marcel Schneider was the only player in the top ten to be under par on the sixth.
Next toughest: Galgorm Castle, Par 4, 456 yards, +0.36
7 - Real Club Valderrama
490 yards
Par 4
+0.39
Playing almost four tenths of a stroke over par, the seventh hole at Valderrama was the hardest hole in the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters last year. Ranked the 17th hardest hole all season, winner Adrian Otaegui played it one over par as he mixed three pars with a bogey in the third round. There were 25 birdies made across the four days, with Rasmus Højgaard the only player in the top five to make a birdie – doing so in both the first and fourth rounds.
Next toughest: Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Par 3, 219 yards, +0.29
8 - Marco Simone Golf & Country Club
503 yards
Par 4
+0.50
In an insight into what might be to come at this year’s Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, the par-four eighth proved the toughest hole at last season’s DS Automobiles Italian Open. A mere 29 birdies were made by the entire field for the week. In addition, there were 45 double-bogeys or worse, considerably more than next highest-scoring hole. Robert MacIntyre mixed a bogey in the second round with a birdie in the third round as he played the hole in level par for the week. Matt Fitzpatrick, who lost out to fellow European Ryder Cup hopeful MacIntyre in a play-off for the title, was one over after making a five in the third round. None of the top ten finishers managed to end the week under par at the eighth, testament to the challenge it posed.
Next toughest: The Renaissance Club, Par 4, 448 yards, +0.39
9 - Emirates Golf Club
488 yards
Par 4
+0.42
After beauty, comes the beast. The eighth at Emirates Golf Club with its iconic view of the Dubai marina skyline presented the 237th toughest hole last season, but the one that followed it was 12th and the toughest hole on the course. Dubai Desert Classic winner Viktor Hovland made four pars across the week on a hole where there were only 22 birdies from the entire field compared to 40 scores of double-bogey or worse. Joachim. B. Hansen was its biggest victim in round three, registering an eight.
Next toughest: Stadium Course - PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness, Par 4, 478 yards, +0.40
10 - The Country Club, Brookline
499 yards
Par 4
+0.39
The Country Club in Brookline - scene of Matt Fitzpatrick’s momentous maiden Major Championship win last year – features six of the top 100 Fortinet Threat Score holes. Following just a place behind the second comes the tenth, a par four playing all but 500 yards. Just as was the case with the par-three second, the tenth played almost four tenths of a stroke over par with 23 birdies made across the week. Tournament winner Fitzpatrick struggled on the opening hole of the back nine, making bogey in both rounds over the weekend. He wasn’t alone though in finding it a challenge, with Gary Woodland the only player in the top ten to play it under par.
Next toughest: Rinkven International Golf Club, Par 4, 515 yards, +0.38
11 - Augusta National Golf Club
520 yards
Par 4
+0.48
The par-four 11th at Augusta was among the holes which underwent alterations ahead of the 2022 Masters Tournament. Historically the second hardest hole in the history of the Masters, the tees were moved back 15 yards and to the golfer’s left. The move provided a greater risk to players who missed to the left and thus resulted in tougher approach shots into the green. Scheffler parred the hole all four days as he claimed his maiden Major Championship. The top five players on the leaderboard played the 11th in a combined two-over-par, with only Smith (-1) playing it at par or better.
Next toughest: Kingsbarns Golf Links, Par 4, 481 yards, +0.29
12 - Al Hamra Golf Club
486 yards
Par 4
+0.284
Our toughest 12th hole of the season was just the 66th toughest overall as if you played it well, par was not tough, but any mistakes would be heavily punished. With water down the right off the tee and heavy bunkering around the green, you only had to be slightly off line to get in big trouble - just ask local amateur Issa Abou El Ela who racked up a nine on day one but made par on day two at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic. It did not have the most bogeys or least birdies, but its 29 double-bogeys or worse was comfortably the highest of the week.
Next toughest: Real Club Valderrama, Par 3, 212 yards, +0.281
13 - The Country Club, Brookline
450 yards
Par 4
+0.34
The U.S. Open is often described as the toughest test in golf and it says a lot that our toughest 13th hole of the season was only the third hardest hole at The Country Club. It played a vital role on Sunday as Fitzpatrick made his only birdie of the week there after bogeys on the tenth and 11th en route to glory. That would be one of just 38 all week, just seven more than there were scores of double-bogey or worse, with amateur Ben Lorenz recording an eight on day two.
Next toughest: Green Eagle Golf Courses, Par 4, 486 yards, +0.33
14 - The Twenty Ten Course, The Celtic Manor Resort
485 yards
Par 4
+0.45
Playing just shy of half a stroke over par, the par-four 16th at Celtic Manor was the tenth toughest hole on the DP World Tour in the 2022 season. The only hole in the top ten toughest on Tour which saw an eagle made, there were also 49 birdies across the four days. The total of 64 double-bogeys or worse across the week is 25 more than the next highest total, emphasising the challenge it posed to the field. Tournament winner Callum Shinkwin was two under par, birdieing the hole in the opening two rounds, while Connor Syme was the only other player from the top ten to be under par on the 14th.
Next toughest: Stadium Course - PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness, Par 4, 452 yards, +0.35
15 - Carnoustie Golf Links
458 yards
Par 4
+0.38
It would not be a composite toughest course without an entry from 'Carnasty' and despite the field only playing it once over three days at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, the 15th represents the seventh hole on our course that gets played at a Major Championship. Just ten birdies were made here, compared to 60 scores of bogey or worse. Winner Ryan Fox was one of the fortunate ten to make a gain in his second round in Scotland but runner-up Shinkwin's bogey sparked a run of four in a row over Carnoustie's devillish closing stretch.
Next toughest: Lakes Course - Infinitum, Par 4, 509 yards, +0.379
16 - The Twenty Ten Course, The Celtic Manor Resort
508 yards
Par 4
+0.41
The 16th at Celtic Manor has seen its fair share of drama over the years, with six matches at the 2010 Ryder Cup decided on its green, including 2023 United States captain Zach Johnson defeating Pádraig Harrington to take the contest right to the wire. At the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale it also played its part, with Shinkwin dropping a shot there on Sunday before prevailing over Syme, who holed a 25-footer in the middle of a three-birdie run. The 14th may have been the toughest hole of the week on stroke average but the 16th produced 17 fewer birdies with 32 and 147 bogeys, 36 more than its nearest competitor, the eighth.
Next toughest: Southern Hills Country Club, Par 4, 522 yards, +0.28
17 - St Andrews, Old Course
495 yards
Par 4
+0.49
Once again, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was played across three courses – the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. The Road Hole at The Home of Golf was statistically the hardest, playing all but half a stroke over par. Despite many of the field having played the Old Course a few months earlier at The 150th Open Championship, only 15 birdies were made across the four rounds at St Andrews, with those playing in the final day making two visits. Tournament winner Ryan Fox played the hole in one over par, securing victory - his second Tour win of the season - by one shot despite making a bogey at the 17th in the final round. Runner-up pair Shinkwin and Alex Noren were one under and level par for the hole, respectively.
Next toughest: Massereene Golf Club, Par 4, 476 yards, +0.46
18 - The Renaissance Club
483 yards
Par 4
+0.62
For the first time, the Genesis Scottish Open was co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the PGA TOUR with 14 of the top 15 players in the Official World Golf Ranking at the time in the field. Despite the calibre of the players on show at the third Rolex Series event of the season, the closing hole at The Renaissance Club played more than six-tenths of a stroke over par. It only brought about six birdies across the four rounds of tournament golf. The top five finishers in the tournament were a testament to the difficulty, playing it in a combined 11 over par. Tournament winner Xander Schauffele played this hole in three-over-par for the week.
Next toughest: Carnoustie Golf Links, Par 4, 499 yards, +0.44
