Links, Desert or Parkland: Where Do PGA TOUR Scores Run Lowest?
Across 235 full-field PGA TOUR events, course type moved the average field score by 10.1 strokes per 72 holes, from desert lows to links highs.
Written by Mathias HolmGolf Betting Tips specialist
- Sport
- Golf
- Question
- How far does the type of course (links, coastal, desert or parkland) move the average score to par on the PGA TOUR?
- Survey
- PGA TOUR seasons 2015-2021 (Oct 2014 to Sep 2021): 235 events, 29,379 player-event results
- −4.0Desert field average to par per 72 holes
- +6.1Links field average to par per 72 holes
- 90.8%Desert 72-hole finishers under par
- 46.8%Links 72-hole finishers under par
I learned the game on Danish links where a level-par round could feel like a small triumph. So when I build my golf betting tips each week, the first thing I ask is what kind of ground the field is playing. This study tests whether links, coastal, desert or parkland settings move the average score to par on the PGA TOUR, and by how much.
The answer is clear. Across 235 full-field events and 29,379 player-event results from the 2015-2021 seasons, desert courses averaged −4.0 per 72 holes and links courses averaged +6.1. That is a gap of 10.1 strokes. Coastal and parkland venues sit between the two. For anyone pricing winning scores, top-finisher lines or round totals, that spread matters a great deal.
Ground 1Desert scoring sits ten strokes below links
This chart shows the average score to par for every player in the field, including those who missed the cut, split by course type. The tour-wide figure is +0.5. Desert venues, which here means TPC Scottsdale, TPC Summerlin, La Quinta and Shadow Creek, come in at −4.0 over 19 events. Links courses, the Open venues plus Whistling Straits, Chambers Bay and Kiawah Island, sit at +6.1 over 9 events.
Coastal courses average −0.7 across 55 events and parkland +1.2 across 152. Parkland is close to the tour norm, which makes sense because it supplies most of the sample. The real outliers are the two ends of the chart.
Negative = under par. Every player counted, including those who missed the cut.
View the data: average field score to par by course type
| Field average | |
|---|---|
| Links (9 events) | +6.1 |
| Coastal (55 events) | −0.7 |
| Parkland (152 events) | +1.2 |
| Desert (19 events) | −4 |
| All courses | +0.5 |
What I take from this is simple. Firm, dry desert air and generous set-ups reward attacking golf. Links punishes it, because the wind and the ground do the defending. A score that looks ordinary in the desert can be a winning one on links.
Ground 2Nine in ten desert finishers broke par
Averages can hide how a field is spread, so this chart takes only the players who completed four rounds and sorts them into under, level and over par. In the desert, 90.8% finished under par and only 6.5% finished over. On links the field splits almost down the middle: 46.8% under and 46.5% over.
Coastal courses had 81.6% of finishers under par and parkland 70.2%, against 73.6% across all courses. Coastal venues were more generous than parkland ones here, which surprised me a little, given how often seaside golf is assumed to be the harder test.
View the data: 72-hole finishers under, level or over par
| Under par | Level | Over par | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Links | 46.8% | 6.7% | 46.5% |
| Coastal | 81.6% | 3.7% | 14.7% |
| Parkland | 70.2% | 4.7% | 25.1% |
| Desert | 90.8% | 2.7% | 6.5% |
| All | 73.6% | 4.4% | 22.0% |
For a bettor, this shows what a single good week is worth. In the desert, breaking par barely separates you from the field. On links, simply finishing under par puts a player in the better half of those who played all four rounds.
Ground 3The desert stays lowest every single season
One windy or calm week can skew a course average, so I wanted to see whether the ranking holds year to year. This line tracks coastal, parkland and desert field scores by season. Links is left off because it hosts only one event a year. Desert courses were the lowest-scoring type in 7 of 7 seasons, ranging from −5.4 to −2.0.
Coastal scoring moved around more, from −2.3 to +1.4, and parkland ran from −0.1 to +2.6. The coastal swings fit what I would expect from exposed seaside venues, where the weather in a given week decides a lot.
Links venues host one event a year (The Open or a major) and are left off the line.
View the data: field score to par by season and course type
| Coastal | Parkland | Desert | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | −2.3 | 0.9 | −4.5 |
| 2016 | 0.1 | 2.6 | −4 |
| 2017 | −2.2 | 2.2 | −3 |
| 2018 | 1.4 | 0.4 | −2 |
| 2019 | −1.6 | −0.1 | −5.3 |
| 2020 | −1.6 | 0.6 | −5.4 |
| 2021 | 0.6 | 1.5 | −3.5 |
That consistency is why I treat the desert gap as a fixture of the course type rather than a fluke. The coastal line is the one I watch most carefully against the forecast.
Ground 4Cut-makers shoot level par on links
The table brings it together with sample sizes and 95% ranges. Desert sits at −4.0 with ±0.3 and parkland at +1.2 with ±0.1, so those figures are tight. Links carries ±0.6 from only 1,047 player-events, which is the honest warning on the whole study. Links courses here host only majors, so course type and the toughest set-ups overlap. A single blustery Open can also shift a nine-event average considerably.
The last column is the one I use most. Players who made the cut averaged −7.9 in the desert, −4.7 on coastal courses, −4.0 on parkland and 0.0 on links, against −4.4 overall. That is the scoring level a contender actually has to beat.
| Course type | Events | Player-events | Field avg | 95% range | Cut-makers avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Links | 9 | 1,047 | +6.1 | ±0.6 | 0.0 |
| Coastal | 55 | 6,837 | −0.7 | ±0.2 | −4.7 |
| Parkland | 152 | 19,029 | +1.2 | ±0.1 | −4.0 |
| Desert | 19 | 2,466 | −4.0 | ±0.3 | −7.9 |
| All | 235 | 29,379 | +0.5 | ±0.1 | −4.4 |
Where to look
- Expect deep desert scoring
Cut-makers averaged −7.9 at desert venues, so do not be drawn to low winning-score lines there. Price contenders who can make plenty of birdies rather than those who simply avoid mistakes.
- Respect par on links
Links cut-makers averaged 0.0 and 46.5% of finishers ended over par. On links, back steady ball-strikers and scramblers, and treat round-score unders with caution.
- Check coastal weather first
Coastal season averages ranged from −2.3 to +1.4. Read the wind forecast before trusting any coastal scoring number.
Questions bettors ask
Which type of PGA TOUR course produces the lowest scores?
Desert courses, with a field average of −4.0 per 72 holes across 19 events. They were the lowest-scoring type in 7 of 7 seasons from 2015 to 2021.
How hard are links courses compared with other PGA TOUR venues?
Links courses averaged +6.1 per 72 holes, against +0.5 across all courses. Only 46.8% of players who finished four rounds on links were under par.
What score do players who make the cut average by course type?
Cut-makers averaged −7.9 on desert courses, −4.7 on coastal, −4.0 on parkland and 0.0 on links. The all-course figure was −4.4.
I'm Mathias Holm, based in Copenhagen, and I write the golf tips at horse-racing.tips — pitched at the improving player and built on course fit over the world ranking.
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