The 351-yard 13th. Photographs by Brian Oar
Brandon Culver
Brian Oar
Brian Oar
Brian Oar
Brian Oar
Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Brian Oar
Valhalla Golf Club
Louisville, KY • Private
Valhalla Golf Club
15503 Shelbyville Rd
Louisville, KY 40245-4139
United States
Overview
Given a difficult piece of land on which to create Valhalla (half the site was floodplain, with high-tension power poles), Jack Nicklaus drew on his training under Pete Dye and Desmond Muirhead to produce a unique design, with an alternate-fairway par-5, a par-4 with an island green and an 18th green shaped like a horseshoe. Over the decades, Nicklaus returned periodically to update its challenges, and the club rebuilt bunkers and replaced its soft bentgrass fairways with firmer, faster zoysia in 2022. Valhalla has proven to be a great championship site where play almost always comes down to the final hole. This has been true at each of the four thrilling PGA Championships, including narrow wins by Rory McIlroy in 2014 and Xander Schauffele in 2024.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked since 1993.
Highest ranking: 36th, 1993-'94.
Previous ranking: 87th.
2025-'26 ranking: 94th.
Best in State: Ranked first since 1989.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“You could play this course over and over, and the club was as good, or even better than the spectacular course ! 5 Stars and dont pass the opportunity."
Read More2025
Review
“A treat to play with a nice design variety. Difficult par 3s and reachable par 5s. the par 4s had a nice mix of difficulty with excellent conditioning. You can have extremely difficult up and down options and still be close to the hole."
Read More2025
Review
“I was impressed with Valhalla. The course has excellent design variety with a nice mixture of holes. That mixture includes length, direction, and uphill/downhill. I thought the par 3s were very challenging, and the par 5s were less difficult and reachable for me from the 6950 yard tees. Good shot options with a reward for taking the more aggressive club or line off the tee but an increase in the tee shot difficulty. Good conditioning and an enjoyable round of golf. I thought the course fit the surrounding land, including the limestone waterfall behind the island green 13th and the tee shot for 14."
Read More2025
Review
“Championship course with championship rough. If your not in the fairway this course is tough."
Read More2025
Review
“Playing Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky is an unforgettable experience that challenges golfers with its strategic design and stunning natural beauty. The course demands precision, with tight fairways framed by mature trees, deep bunkers, and water hazards that come into play on several holes. The rolling terrain adds to the challenge, requiring thoughtful shot placement and creativity around the greens. Signature holes like the par-5 18th, with its creek-side fairway, offer risk-reward opportunities that make every shot exciting. Valhalla’s immaculate conditions and championship pedigree provide a true test of skill while delivering a memorable round of golf."
Read More2024
Review
“Truly amazing work they've done here. Great layout, all kinds of variety with long and short par 4s and 5s, uphill, downhill, over hills, dogleg left, dogleg right, river crossing, river paralleling, island green, pretty much every type of hole here. Conditions were fantastic, even after a heavy rain - course drained well and maintained its conditioning. Nice test of length from the back tees, approach shots require accuracy to setup a birdie look, and the selective use of trees and terrain demand finesse on shot placement."
Read More2024
Review
“Enjoy the changes made of the last 5 years, especially updates to greens. Particularly holes 8 and 16. So many holes that are both memorable and strategic."
Read More2024
Review
“Firm, fast and fun is the mantra at Valhalla. This course lives up to its billing with firm running fairways, lightning fast greens, and fun playing conditions with a variety of unique holes and features."
Read More2024
Review
“Valhalla is an big, bold, inspiring golf course with a rich major tournament history. The setting is beautiful as it weaves its way through rolling Kentucky hills with a nice variety of water features, trees, and topography changes. The meandering creeks along the 2nd, 6th, 15th and 16th holes were especially neat features that are more noticeable in person than on TV."
Read More2023
Review
“Excellent course if you are ever lucky enough to play it. A huge landscape and very difficult. Excellent conditioning and a really great day out there."
Read More2023
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