The 351-yard 13th. Photographs by Brian Oar
Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Brandon Culver
Brandon Culver
Brandon Culver
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 bent grass fairways with firmer, faster zoysia in 2022. Valhalla has proven to be a great championship site. It has hosted three thrilling PGA Championships, the latest Rory McIlroy’s win in 2014, and will host a fourth in 2024.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked since 1993.
2023-'24 ranking: 87th.
Previous ranking: 93rd.
Highest ranking: No. 36, 1993-'94.
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
“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
Review
“Valhalla's character and uniqueness matched it's brute strength as a championship golf course. A rare combination indeed!"
Read More2023
Review
“Great layout & conditioning with options throughout round. Will use most of your clubs. Some renovation prepping for 2024 PGA but did not affect the golf or the experience in any way."
Read More2023
Review
“A nice course that had two distinctive types of properties for each nine. Good split fairway on #7, semi island green as well as a great finishing hole."
Read More2023
Review
“Hole #6 is one of the most challenging par 4s I've ever played stretching 495 yards from tips. A river cutting diagonally across the fairway takes driver out of play but even if you can hit the perfect 3 wood faded around an overhanging tree on the right side, you're left with at minimum, 205 yds up hill to a quad sectioned green, with a nasty bunker front left. And then... #7 is one of the most incredible risk/reward holes in creation. The elevated back tee box, which sits above/behind a flowing river, magnifies shot options galore. At 600 yards from the tips, logic seems to dictates the drive be hit to the left peninsula fairway. If advanced far enough down the 80 yard landing zone, the player is presented with the incredible opportunity of getting home in 2. The long approach must be flown a minimum of 200 yards to a perched green. But, if perfectly executed shots can be delivered back-to-back, it becomes possible to descend onto an undulating green that taunts atop a 10' stacked stone wall. This point also acts as the origin of one of the most visually impacting water hazards in all of golf. The 2nd fairway loops around to the right, speckled with bunkers, inviting 3rd, and even daring 2nd shots, to attempt landing the green from a completely different angle which is protected by a deep front right bunker. As you finally retrieve your ball from the cup, you look back from above a 10 tiered water fall complex that sprawls down over 300 yards weaving in between the two fairways. It's a multilayered dream within a dream of a golf hole. #13 is an island green that looks like a giant stack of pancakes with melted green butter on top surrounded by a moat of syrup. The 40’ waterfall behind the green which trickles into the moat is so sublime it almost becomes overlooked, if that could even be possible."
Read More2022
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