12 of 18 holes play over par annually. Scoring concentrates on a handful of specific holes — capturing those birdies while limiting damage on the danger holes is the weekly formula.
HOLE 1 · PAR 4 · 422 YDS
Opening corridor
Tight tee shot through a 30-yard oak chute. Trees block approach from the wrong angle. Extended to 422 yards in 2026 — no longer a wedge opener for most.
HOLE 2 · PAR 5 · 550 YDS
Eagle opportunity
Reachable par-5 with a 2.7% eagle rate. One of three par-5 scoring engines. Players who take the left side off the tee open up the diagonal green in two.
HOLE 3 · PAR 4 · 385 YDS
Positioning hole
Straightforward by Harbour Town standards. Short iron in from the right side of the fairway. A place to make routine par and stay patient.
HOLE 4 · PAR 3 · 195 YDS
Water left of the green
Lagoon wraps the left half of the heart-shaped green. A rise on the back edge catches overhit shots but kicks them toward water. Precise club selection is the only answer.
HOLE 5 · PAR 5 · 569 YDS
Front-9 scoring engine
Players go for the green in two just over 50% of the time but convert less than 10%. Eagles rare at 1.9%. Still a must-make birdie — plays to a doughnut-shaped green complex moved by Dye in 1999.
HOLE 6 · PAR 4 · 431 YDS
Angle game
Extended to 431 yards in 2026. Right side of the fairway opens the approach. Left miss brings trees directly into play on the second shot.
HOLE 7 · PAR 3 · 217 YDS
Long par-3 into wind
Extended to 217 yards in 2025 and kept for 2026. Plays into the prevailing wind. Bunkers surround a tiny green. Club selection under pressure separates the field.
HOLE 8 · PAR 4 · 473 YDS
Lowest birdie rate: 9.5%
Longest par-4 on the course. Fairway curls left — drives right of center leave a live oak blocking the approach. The small, minimally-defined green is among the hardest to hit on Tour.
HOLE 9 · PAR 4 · 332 YDS
Highest birdie rate: 28.3%
Highest birdie rate among par-4s. Driveable for longer players who take the correct right-side line. Pot bunker back-center punishes aggressors who overcook it.
HOLE 10 · PAR 4 · 420 YDS
Tree-blocked approaches
Players are frequently blocked out even from the fairway. Thomas made 3 of his 5 bogeys on holes 10 and 11 in 2025. Getting through this hole cleanly is a weekly requirement for contenders.
HOLE 11 · PAR 4 · 435 YDS
Sub-13% birdie rate
Paired with No. 10 as the most damaging two-hole stretch on the back nine. Both holes rank among the six toughest on the course. Playing 10–11 in even par is a meaningful edge.
HOLE 12 · PAR 4 · 370 YDS
Short par-4 reset
One of the shorter par-4s on the back. Management off the tee. Tiny green still demands precision — ARG skill rewarded on inevitable misses.
HOLE 13 · PAR 4 · 375 YDS
Demanding approach
One of the most unforgiving approach shots on the property. Wrong miss leaves scrambling from positions where up-and-down is nearly impossible.
HOLE 14 · PAR 3 · 182 YDS
Water surrounds the target
Minimal margin between green and hazard. One of five holes — 4, 8, 14, 17, 18 — where water tightens the margin to near-zero. Wind amplifies every club selection error.
HOLE 15 · PAR 5 · 570 YDS
Reachable par-5
Originally a definitive three-shotter. Equipment has made it reachable for longer players who drive the right side of the narrow fairway. Green was enlarged by Dye in 1999. Late-round birdie opportunity.
HOLE 16 · PAR 4 · 360 YDS
Course opens up
After 15 holes of trees and corridors, Harbour Town bursts onto tidal marsh. Shorter par-4 with a wider landing area — one of the more gettable scoring holes on the back nine.
HOLE 17 · PAR 3 · 185 YDS
Into the headwind
Plays southwest — almost always directly into the wind off Calibogue Sound. Water comes into play here for the first time. Par in the final round is a hard-earned result.
HOLE 18 · PAR 4 · 478 YDS
The lighthouse closer
Entire left side guarded by Calibogue Sound. OB stakes right. Wind off the water. Sub-13% birdie rate. Three of the last four years ended in playoff — often decided on this green.
Must-make birdie holes
#2 and #5 (par-5s, front nine) and #15 (par-5, back nine) are the three scoring engines. #9 at 28.3% birdie rate is the best par-4 opportunity on the course. #16 is the gettable back-nine closer. Players who capitalize on these five holes separate fast from the field.
Bogey avoidance — where weeks end
#8 (9.5% birdie rate) and #18 (entire left over water, OB right) are the two execution holes that end contention. #10–11 is where Thomas absorbed 3 of 5 bogeys in 2025. A double on this stretch is a tournament-defining mistake.