After winning 18 major championships, Jack Nicklaus is in a strong position to pick out just what might be the toughest golf hole out there on the PGA Tour.
In the modern day, we look at the holes around Amen Corner at Augusta, or the Island Green 17th at TPC Sawgrass but over time, other holes have caused their fair share of problems as well.
Someone like Nicklaus, who played over 580 regular PGA Tour events, is therefore well equipped to speak out on just what the toughest holes are.
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However, while some might look at courses like Augusta, Pinehurst or Oakmont, Jack Nicklaus actually claimed it was a hole down in Texas that gave him the most trouble.
Jack Nicklaus once named the golf hole that caused him most problems
With over 580 PGA Tour events in the bag, that is a whole lot of rounds of golf played by Nicklaus.
In that time, he won countless tournaments, including more or less everywhere in America.
However, one course and one particular hole that caught Nicklaus out was the 5th at Colonial Club.
“You might say the fifth at Colonial. I always thought that was a really difficult hole, with the water on the right and being a dogleg right,” Nicklaus commented.
“Any shot to the left and you had nothing to play against, because you had a swale on the left that threw the ball left. It was a really difficult hole to put the ball in the right position to play your second shot. I admired the hole for its difficulty, but the way it was configured…
“I always thought one side of a hole should be playable; there should be some way to play it. Here, you just had to be spot on and perfect. But, I don’t think golf is a perfect game. I didn’t dislike it, but I thought it was difficult. Having said that, one of the philosophies I always took into a tournament, and certainly a major, was that the golf course, or golf hole, didn’t have to suit you and your game. Your game has to suit the golf course.”
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What the fifth hole at Colonial Club looks like
Unlike a lot of modern style golf holes, only the bravest and most accurate of player will be able to easily set themselves up for birdie on the 5th at Colonial.
Known for being a notoriously difficult par four at north of 470 yards, as Nicklaus says, you need supreme accuracy to do well here.
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The Trinity River runs the entire length of the hole to the right, while down the left, there is thick rough and trees, meaning a bad shot either side is trouble.
Indeed, it’s so tough, that it’s part of one of the toughest three hole stretches in golf and regularly plays over par in terms of season stats.
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