Hottest And Wettest Golf Courses In America

Unlike most sports, golf is one played without a true opponent. It’s a dance between you and the course. But on some days, the real handicap is something you cannot out-train no matter how hard you try: the weather.

This battle can come in a myriad of versions as well. On one end, it can be unbearable heat with temperatures that test your levels of stamina in a way very few places can. On the other, it can hit you as rain or strong winds. The hottest and wettest golf courses in the U.S. will humble even the greatest golfers.

The Hottest Golf Course In America

At 214 feet below sea level, located in the middle of one of the hottest places on Earth, Furnace Creek Golf Course is the hottest golf course in America.

Carved into the heart of Death Valley National Park, this oasis has the lowest-elevation of any course on the planet. There are underground springs running through the course, and summer temperatures routinely approach 120 degrees. Originally a three-hole layout in the late 1920s for borax miners and hotel guests, Furnace Creek has evolved into a par-70 test that plays longer than its 6,236 yards due to the dense, below-sea-level air.

The Wettest Golf Course In America

There are a few options here:

TPC Louisiana is definitely a frontrunner for the course that experiences the most rain. The Zurich Classic plays here, and it is widely known as the wettest stop on the PGA Tour. Southeastern Louisiana averages around 60 inches of rain per year, and this event consistently records the highest rainfall totals. Throw in alligator appearances, frequent Gulf Coast thunderstorms and lightning strikes, and this course can feel more like a battle against elements than a tournament.

Not far behind is The Old White TPC, where rain has fallen on roughly 44% of tournament days, making it one of the PGA Tour’s most consistently soggy venues. But the true outlier is arguably the Grand Reserve Golf Club. While Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, it still falls under the umbrella. The tropical climate brings nearly 60 inches of rainfall annually. Trade winds and sudden downpours can quickly put a pause on the tournament.

From the natural furnace that is Death Valley to the soaked fairways of Louisiana, Puerto Rico and West Virginia, these courses show one thing above all: your greatest opponent on the course will always be the weather.