The hardest golf courses in Washington, District of Columbia

The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Washington, District of Columbia, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 54 courses have complete, verified tee data.

  1. Riverview

    Riverview

    Trump National Golf Club Washington DC

    Potomac Falls, VA, USA
    7.5

    Slope rating 148, 75.6 course rating, Gold tees, 7,234 yds

    PrivateArthur Hills

    • Driving range
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
  2. Championship

    Championship

    Trump National Golf Club Washington DC

    Potomac Falls, VA, USA
    7.9

    Slope rating 145, 77.9 course rating, Gold tees, 7,793 yds

    PrivateTom Fazio

    • 4.5Conditions
    • 3.3Layout
    • 4.0Scenery
    • 4.4Facilities
    • Driving range
    • Putting area
    • Restaurant
  3. Laurel Hill

    Laurel Hill Golf Club

    Lorton, VA, USA
    7.4

    Slope rating 145, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,010 yds

    PublicW. R. Love

    • 3.5Conditions
    • 4.3Layout
    • 4.3Value
    • 4.0Scenery
    • 3.4Facilities

    Fun layout, get able but easy to make mistakes. Good driving range and practice set up.

    Written by

    @akush17

    • Challenging
    • Links
    • Must play
  4. Old Hickory

    Old Hickory Golf Club

    Woodbridge, VA, USA
    6.8

    Slope rating 145, 74.5 course rating, Black tees, 7,077 yds

    PublicTim Freeland

    • 3.0Conditions
    • 2.5Layout
    • 4.0Value
    • 2.5Scenery
    • 3.4Facilities
    • Driving range
    • Parkland
    • Putting area
  5. 1757

    1757 Golf Club

    Dulles, VA, USA
    6.9

    Slope rating 142, 71.8 course rating, Black tees, 6,623 yds

    PublicDavid Heatwole

  6. (Blue) Congressional Country Club

    Bethesda, MD, USA

    Slope rating 141, 76.8 course rating, Championship tees, 7,588 yds

    9.0
  7. Lake Presidential Golf Club

    Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

    Slope rating 141, 74.4 course rating, Championship tees, 7,230 yds

    6.8
  8. River Bend Golf & Country Club

    Great Falls, VA, USA

    Slope rating 141, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,917 yds

    8.3
  9. TPC at Avenel

    Potomac, MD, USA

    Slope rating 140, 74.0 course rating, Black tees, 7,139 yds

    8.3
  10. Belle Haven Country Club

    Alexandria, VA, USA

    Slope rating 139, 74.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,965 yds

    7.5
  11. Westfields Golf Club

    Clifton, VA, USA

    Slope rating 139, 73.3 course rating, Boom Boom tees, 6,897 yds

    7.5
  12. The Timbers at Troy

    Elkridge, MD, USA

    Slope rating 139, 72.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,656 yds

    6.5
  13. Columbia Country Club

    Chevy Chase, MD, USA

    Slope rating 139, 72.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,660 yds

    8.1
  14. Pleasant Valley Golf Club

    Chantilly, VA, USA

    Slope rating 138, 73.5 course rating, Gold tees, 6,915 yds

    6.3
  15. Westwood Country Club

    Vienna, VA, USA

    Slope rating 138, 72.9 course rating, Gold tees, 6,910 yds

    8.0

How we rank

This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Washington, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.

FAQ

Riverview at Trump National Golf Club Washington DC is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Washington, District of Columbia at Slope 148 (75.6 course rating · Gold tees · 7,234 yds). 54 courses qualify for this list.

This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Washington, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.

Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.

Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Washington, not only courses whose address is in the city.

This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:24 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.

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