The Most Bunkered Golf Courses in America

July 9, 2026 · Caddie Tap course data team

The average 18-hole course in our database has 44 bunkers. Then there's the top of this list, where the architect clearly billed by the truckload of sand.

What heavy sand does to strategy

On a 40-bunker course you can mostly ignore sand and play golf. At 150+, every tee shot is a carry question: which bunkers are actually in your range? That's a yardage problem, not a courage problem — the difference between a 205-yard carry and a 220-yard carry is knowing, not hoping. Caddie Tap shows the carry distance to clear each bunker ahead of you.

How we measured

Bunker counts are hazards mapped in our database across 886 eighteen-hole courses. Mapping density varies; famous totals from hand counts (Whistling Straits' 'nearly 1,000') exceed what's mapped. Distances are computed along each hole's GPS playing line (middle-tee geometry), the same data the Caddie Tap app uses on the course. Facility records that map the same course twice are collapsed, and obvious data outliers are excluded rather than published. Counts reflect what is mapped in our database — a famous course's hand-counted total may run higher. Spot a mistake? The app has a built-in "report a course issue" button.

FAQ

How many bunkers does a typical golf course have?

About 44 in our database of 886 mapped courses — roughly two to three per hole.

Which golf course has the most bunkers?

Whistling Straits tops our database with 479 mapped bunkers. Hand counts at the course itself run even higher — famously 'around a thousand.'

Data: Caddie Tap GPS course database — distances measured along each hole's playing line, middle-tee geometry.