The 2024 Professional Golf Association Tour is back in full swing, with the action kicking off with The Sentry tournament on January 1-7 in Hawaii. The field is littered with stars and drama, thanks to the LIV Golf Tour throwing a wrench into the entire system. Regardless of the tour each athlete is participating in, the preseason drama and intrigue ends once the world’s best golfers tee it up. And this season, they will be playing on some of the most immaculate courses in the world. Let’s take a look at the location of the four Major championships in 2024
Augusta National | Augusta, Georgia
As always, the season opens at Augusta National with the Masters Tournament. This tournament and course is unique. That is, no other major tournament is held at the same course every season. Since its inception, The Masters has been the first major tournament of the season, originally played in late March, but moved to the first full week of April and becoming a BetMGM sportsbook favourite among fans. Since then, Augusta has taken on legendary status among golfers and fans, with most regard it as the best golf course in the United States. So what makes it special?
Augusta is widely recognised for its beauty and aesthetic, and it’s not just natural beauty. While the course is peppered with azaleas and dogwood, it also imports pine needles and plays bird sounds through loudspeakers. The golf community also accepts that unattractive patches of grass are painted green while ponds are dyed blue. Even the holes themselves have their own aesthetic, with each hole being named after a tree or shrub.
As for the course, it’s challenging to quantify how difficult it is because Augusta has notoriously prevented Georgia golf officials from giving it an official rating. However, it is known for its fast greens and is unofficially one of the 10 most difficult courses in the country.
Valhalla Golf Club | Louisville, Kentucky
A private golf club designed by Jack Nicklaus, Valhalla has been a Kentucky favourite since it opened in 1986. This year, it plays host to the 2024 PGA Championship, a tournament it has hosted three previous times, lastly in 2014. Valhalla has been included in Golf Digest’s 100 greatest courses every year since 1993, ranked 87th going into 2024. The 7305-yard course includes an alternate fairway par 5, an island green par 4, and a distinct horseshoe-shaped green on hole 18.
The course is marked by heavy usage of water features, including its signature island green on hole 13. This green can be drivable from the tee box for some professionals if they are brave enough. However, the safer route includes a dogwood left fairway that features six cascading bunkers to the left. A bad tee shot leaves golfers with a difficult decision out of the sand trap.
Pinehurst Resort | Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina
This year’s U.S. Open will be played at Pinehurst Resort Course No. 2, links that have hosted more single golf championships than any other course in the United States. Located at Pinehurst Resort, a North Carolina golf resort that consists of nine 18-hole courses and an additional 9-hole short course, Pinehurst is course designer legend Donald Ross’ crowning achievement. It is known as one of the most challenging golf courses in the world, incorporating unique features.
Most notably, every hole at Pinehurst No. 2 presents a new challenge and forces golfers to be precise with their club choices. “Little Putter,” the par-3 15th hole, is an acute example of Pinehurst’s challenges. Surrounded by bunkers, golfers can’t afford to choose the wrong club. It is also a longer par 3, with the U.S. Open playing this hole at 202 yards.
Royal Troon | South Ayrshire, Scotland
Finally, we have the only major tournament of the year played abroad. Located just off the Firth of Clyde and a mere 40 minutes south of Glasgow, Royal Troon is the host of 2024’s British Open. The course has hosted The Open nine previous times, most recently in 2016. The oldest course to host a major championship this season, Royal Troon first opened in 1878.
Known for its beautiful seascapes and progressively complex layout, this course is beloved among fans and golfers. The par-3 8th hole is arguably the most famous on the course. Nicknamed “Postage Stamp,” it is the shortest hole in Open Championship golf at just 123 yards in length. Ironically, it comes two holes after the par-5 6th hole nicknamed “Turnberry.” At 601 yards, “Turnberry” was the longest hole in Open History prior to the championship at Royal Liverpool last year.
Where Else Will PGA Golfers Be Playing?
Other than the major championships, there are many other great courses on the schedule this season. These include the Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii, hosting the opening tournament of the season, Le Golf National in Paris, and East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, host of the final round. Golfers will be thrilled with the course selection this year and should see exciting action on the links.