Ranking the Easiest Courses on the PGA Tour

The easiest course on the PGA Tour for the 2014-2015 season featured a scoring average of 3.07 strokes under par. The most difficult track, one incarnation of Chambers Bay, had a scoring average of 3.45 strokes over par. Thus, there was more than a six-stroke difference in scoring average between the ends of the spectrum.

Of the PGA Tour's 51 courses in 2015, 17 had a field-scoring average over par in 2015. This stands in contrast to 2014 when 27 venues saw the field average scores over par.

Relying on the PGA Tour’s official field-scoring averages, here are the 10 easiest courses on tour from the 2014-15 season.

10. TPC Deere Run

Tournament: John Deere Classic

Par/Yardage: 71/7,268

Average score/to par: 69.64/-1.35  

Jordan Spieth tallied a 20-under total to capture the John Deere Classic. Thirty-four players were in double digits under par, and the cut came at four under par. Spieth carded the season's best score, 61, in the third round.

9. Conway Farms GC

Tournament: BMW Championship 

Par/Yardage: 71/7,198  

Average score/to par: 69.48/-1.51  

As a playoff event, the BMW Championship featured a strong field that overpowered soggy Conway Farms. Jason Day raised the trophy, finishing at 22 under.

8. Pebble Beach GL

Tournament: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

Par/Yardage: 72/6,816

Average score/to par: 70.24/-1.75 

Largely an exhibition, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am courses are never stern tests. Nobody wants to see Bill Murray or Chris Berman hacking it out of thick rough or trying to putt on slick greens.

7. Torrey Pines (North Course)

Tournament: Farmers Insurance Open 

Par/Yardage: 72/7,058

Average score/to par: 70.23/-1.76 

Another Jason Day-won tournament. The Australian eats up easy tracks (and endures on more difficult ones). Day triumphed at nine under par, rebounding from an opening-round 73.

6. La Quinta CC

Tournament: Humana Challenge

Par/Yardage: 72/7,069

Average score/to par: 70.83/-1.91 

Humana Challenge winner Bill Haas fired a second-round 63 en route to a 22-under-par total. Seventy-two players made the cut in La Quinta at eight under.

5. PGA West (Palmer Course)

Tournament: Humana Challenge 

Par/Yardage: 72/6,950 

Average score/to par: 69.99/-2.00  

Another of the three tracks that comprised the Humana Challenge in 2015, PGA West (the Palmer course) was the second-easiest of the three.

4. TPC Louisiana

Tournament: Zurich Classic  

Par/Yardage: 72/7,425 

Average score/to par: 69.95/-2.04  

Another soggy venue, TPC Louisiana couldn’t fight back against the tour’s best. Justin Rose won the Zurich Classic at 22 under par.

3. Monterey Peninsula CC

Tournament: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 

Par/Yardage: 71/6,867 

Average score/to par: 68.93/-2.06  

The second of three courses on which the Pro-Am is contested, Monterey Peninsula CC is the shortest of the three tracks. Winner Brandt Snedeker fired a 64 in his turn at MPCC.

2. PGA West (Nicklaus Course)

Tournament: Humana Challenge 

Par/Yardage: 72/6,924 

Average score/to par: 69.27/-2.72  

The Nicklaus course at PGA West played .72 strokes more difficult than the Palmer course. Interestingly, the course record at the Nicklaus course (61) is two strokes higher than the course-record 59 Duval shot at the Palmer course in 1999.

1. Plantation Course at Kapalua

Tournament: Hyundai Tournament of Champions 

Par/Yardage: 73/7,452 

Average score/to par: 69.92/-3.07

The only course on the PGA Tour where the field average was more than three strokes under par, Kapalua features a limited field of just 34 players. All 34 are tournament winners from the previous season, and driving distances are among the longest at any venue. Do the math. 

All stats via the PGA Tour Media Guide.

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