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Stock-Settled Performance Units (Detail) (Performance Units Awards)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
2014
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Target number of shares	154,000pten_PerformanceAwardTargetNumberOfShares / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyFourteenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
2013
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Target number of shares	236,500pten_PerformanceAwardTargetNumberOfShares / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyThirteenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
2012
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Target number of shares	192,000pten_PerformanceAwardTargetNumberOfShares / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyTwelveMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
2011
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Target number of shares	144,375pten_PerformanceAwardTargetNumberOfShares / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyElevenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember

X

- Definition

Performance award target number of shares.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pten_PerformanceAwardTargetNumberOfShares
Namespace Prefix:	pten_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration