The PGA Tour hosts some of the biggest talents in the world of professional golf on some of the most picturesque courses on the planet. While these courses may provide a scenic backdrop for spectators and competitors alike, they also present a challenge to the skills and patience of their participants. The team behind EA Sports PGA Tour aims to capture the aesthetically-pleasing locations and the unique-but-challenging features of the Tour's best courses.
The golf course presents as much of a challenge for participants as their fellow competitors. The 28 courses in the game differ in their features and consequent challenges, giving each event a unique point of difference. Given the significant number of locations included in EA Sports PGA Tour, which of them is the cream of the crop for golf's premier competition?
10 Quail Hollow Club
Almost every year since 2003, The Wells Fargo Championship has been played at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Championship is one of the most prestigious on the PGA Tour and is known for its contributions to charitable causes, raising tens of millions of dollars to support incentives focussed on education.
The biggest test for players in EA Sports PGA Tour is the famous 14th hole, which begins a challenging section of the course affectionately dubbed the "Green Mile." Despite its reputation, players will be eager to overcome the five bunkers, lake, and narrow fairway designed to punish any miscalculations and identify themselves among the elite with a golf club.
9 TPC Sawgrass
TPC Sawgrass is one of Florida's premier golfing facilities. It houses two state-of-the-art 18-hole golf courses, one of which is their Stadium Course which has seen some of the world's best with a golf club compete in The Players Championship.
The course's most famous hole, the "Island Green," likens itself to a castle surrounded by a moat, with the green situating itself within a lake that is only accessible via one narrow passage of grass. While it will no doubt be a satisfying feat to achieve in the game, players will need a steady stroke to ensure their ball doesn't go for a swim.
8 Harbor Town
The Harbor Town course at the Sea Pines Resort in South Carolina puts less emphasis on the strength of a golfer's swing, but rather the finesse. The course is riddled with challenging obstacles in the form of trees and a plethora of strategically placed bunkers, but it will reward those who are creative and accurate with their shot-making.
The course is among the more narrow along the PGA Tour and is capped off with one of the most recognizable 18th holes in golf. Players will be eager to reward their efforts from the first 17 by driving their ball toward the famous red and white lighthouse.
7 Torrey Pines: North
San Diego, California is home to Torrey Pines, a 36-hole complex that houses two championship-level golf courses. The most picturesque of the two, the Northern Course, borders the state reserve and overlooks the Pacific Ocean, providing an endless supply of breathtaking scenery as players progress through each hole.
Torrey Pines' North Course offers challenges both on the ground and in the air, as its seaside location offers some wind resistance that will have players carefully considering the angle of every shot. Not only this, but the conditions on the course will also warrant thorough consideration of which club to use to minimize the number of shots to the hole.
6 Teeth Of The Dog
Combining the grace of golf with the charm of the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic welcomes the PGA Tour at the Casa de Campo Resort with its course known as the Teeth Of The Dog. EA Sports capture the course's beautiful malice, as locals warn "The Dog" will bite back at those who test the course's challenges.
The course is among the best in the game to swing a club in due to its combination of challenging holes and stunning oceanic backdrops. The course includes 7 holes that hug the sea, including its 3-par beast of a 7th hole that contributed to the site's canine reputation.
5 St. Andrews (The Old Course)
Lovingly dubbed the "Grand Old Lady," Scotland's St Andrews is home to the oldest golf course in the world. The "Home of Golf" was once a final destination for pilgrims looking to pay homage to the country's patron saint, before becoming the location of the first golf game ever recorded in the 15th Century.
EA Sports PGA Tour effortlessly captures the Old Course's British charm and aura of history whilst also doing justice to the deceptively flat surface that will have players simultaneously pulling their hair out and wanting more. From the Swilcan Burn at hole 1 to the green at the 18th that has golfers right in the town again, St Andrews has it all.
4 TPC Scottsdale
The TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course in Phoenix, Arizona, generates one of the biggest attendance numbers of the entire PGA Tour, luring in the masses with its enormous stadium facility. Home of the WM Phoenix Open, the course is most famous for its stadium environment on hole 16, which provides a unique environment for spectators and competitors alike, bringing a one-of-a-kind atmosphere to the event.
This course is meticulously crafted to enable players to mimic the gladiators of old as they step into "the Coliseum" to a huge audience of eager on-lookers and golf fanatics.
3 Pebble Beach Golf Links
A course so beloved by golf fans that it was voted the most popular public golf course in America, Pebble Beach combines the trim beauty of a golf course with the sea air of the coast. It has hosted six US Opens, which is more than any other course in the country, and plays host to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am every year.
The course will no doubt be a favorite for gamers wanting to experience swinging their clubs by the cliff on hole 8 or chipping themselves out of a bunker and onto the iconic hourglass-shaped green on hole 17.
2 Augusta National Golf Club
An extremely exclusive club, the Augusta National Golf Club boasts playing host to the only Major that is played at the same course every year: the Masters. EA Sports PGA Tour reimagines the beauty of this course and its 18 illustrious holes with detail that will have players as close to the action as one could be without planting their own feet in the grass.
The meticulous detailing of the course has the Augusta looking almost real, from the finely maintained grass to the assortment of floral beds throughout the site. Players will need to put the setting's pleasant aesthetics aside if they wish to see success in the Masters, as famous holes such as the Golden Bell as hole 12 will test not only the strength and accuracy of the club but also the player's ability to select the right club for the job.
1 The Riviera Country Club
As it approaches its 100th birthday in 2026, Los Angeles' Riviera Country Club has long-established itself among the best golf courses in not just the United States, but the entire planet. The charm of the course comes from its natural beauty, sitting on a backdrop of lush greenery and delicately supported by clean-cut housing estates along the hillside.
The home of the 2028 Summer Olympics boasts an incredible array of 4-par holes; however, the most recognizable feature on the Riviera's terrain is the unique bunker square on hole 6. EA Sports PGA Tour captures this one-of-a-kind course feature and allows players to approach the obstacle however they see fit, something that golfers outside the PGA Tour are not allowed to do.
EA Sports PGA Tour is available from April 7, 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.