One of the newest golf courses in the U.S. is probably unlike just about anything you’ve experienced. It has holes with truly unusual features that include a ramp, a tunnel, a Punchbowl green, and bunkers shaped like penguins. And yes, this is a real golf course, not a mini-golf layout, simulator course, or virtual reality creation.
Old Barnwell, a private national club near Aiken, S.C., debuted its Kids’ Course, a 15-hole routing that extends to 2,250 yards, in September of 2024. It’s free to play for anyone under the age of 16 and that extends beyond children of members as Old Barnwell—a mission-focused club—provides playing opportunities for local kids through partnerships with First Tee Aiken and Youth on Course.
The idea of golf courses geared toward kids isn’t new, but they have gotten a little more attention in recent years, especially as new-age short courses in general have gained favor as a family-friendly amenity and more youngsters have picked up the game during the post-Covid participation boom. Old Barnwell founder Nicholas Schreiber says his Kids’ Course was inspired by the concept of “wee courses” in the UK, most notably the Children’s Course at North Berwick Golf Club in Scotland, a 9-hole par-3 layout situated adjacent to the 15th and 16th holes of the West Links.
“It’s been more popular than we anticipated. In just a few short months, we had over 1,400 rounds played on the Kids’ Course—about 800 of those being children,” Schreiber said in early 2025. “As for the access, I think it’s incredibly important. Creating playing opportunities for kids in the area very much aligns with our purpose, and it’s a great way for us to be a part of the community in which we work.”
Old Barnwell even had a “Little Lido” contest in which kids of members could submit a design for one of the holes on the course, which is laid down on a rumpled stretch of nearly 25 acres.
The winning entry presented a hole with a ramp feature that can project a player’s ball over a couple of penguin-shaped bunkers. That’s now the final hole on the Kids’ Course, while the penultimate hole provides players with an option of going directly at the flag or to aim for a tunnel that funnels balls onto the green. For budding golf architecture aficionados in the junior ranks, there’s even a Sitwell-inspired green—one of the many putting surfaces that Schreiber describes as extremely varied in size and contour.
“All are fun, but few are easy,” Schreiber says, adding that the short course is meant to serve as a training ground for many of the things that are good about golf: etiquette, short game, competition, and a connection with others.
Other clubs, courses, and resorts have taken similar approaches with youth-focused layouts, and more could be on the way. The following is a handful of examples.
Harbor Shores Resort—Benton Harbor, Mich.
This lakeside resort destination that’s used golf as the centerpiece for a major economic transformation for the Benton Harbor community since 2010 recently announced the development of a new pitch-and-putt experience designed by Colin Montgomerie called The Wee Course. Kids will be able to play for free at the 9-hole course, which is being built on a five-acre plot adjacent to the cottages along the first hole. Youth programming will be a priority on the short course, which will consist of holes measuring 60 yards in length. All are modeled after nine of the holes on the resort’s main Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed course.
“It’s a perfect use of the land,” says former Whirlpool chairman and CEO Jeff Fettig, the visionary and a leading contributor behind the Harbor Shores expansion. “We’ve been talking over the last several years about what other amenities we could add. We percolated the idea, focusing on families, kids, non-golfers, and golfers—wondering what we could do to make this an even more successful magnet for people in our community. This project will fit that need.”
Wee Links—Minot, N.D.
Just over two decades ago, several passionate community members in the Minot area came up with the idea to build a course for kids and help foster both golf and life skills. The result was the Jack Hoeven Wee Links, a 9-hole layout in the heart of Minot that offers programming supported by the Minot Junior Golf Association. Kids 14-and-under can play the course for $1, and the price jumps to $5 for anyone 15-and-older. Adults can play the course… provided they’re accompanied by a child under the age of 15.
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Hershey Country Club—Hershey, Pa.
In 1932, the Juvenile Golf Club opened to juniors under the age of 18, with adult guests required to be invited by a junior. It was the first course of its kind in the U.S., according to the Hershey Country Club, which still owns the 9-hole, 2,200-yard course, now known as Spring Creek. It remains beginner friendly to this day—including options for Fling Golf, Foot Golf, and Disc Golf—but also welcomes adult play.
Jim Ager Golf Course—Lincoln, Neb.
One of Lincoln’s city courses, this 9-hole par-3 layout was originally designed for juniors when it opened in the late 1960s and is still often referred to locally as the Junior Course. The short course was once recognized by Golf Digest for the “Best Junior Golf Program” in the municipal golf category. Located in the heart of Lincoln, it has holes ranging in length from 70 to 175 yards and today offers learning programs for adults as well as kids. Juniors can play nine holes for under $8.
Goat Hill Park—Oceanside, Calif.
When Goat Hill’s 18-hole course was reborn as a beloved community gathering spot, a part of the project included the creation of a three-hole course adjacent to the driving range—The Playground—that kids can play for free. John Ashworth, formerly of Linksoul and now back with the golf apparel brand that bears his name, enlisted the help of renowned golf architect Gil Hanse to lend a hand with the design as well as the landscaping of a piece of ground that was formerly an eyesore on the property. As with Old Barnwell, Ashworth got the idea for a kids’ course from his travels through Scotland and Ireland. The holes at The Playground are about 25 to 50 yards in length but play as a course rather than simply a short-game practice area.
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Are there other courses you’ve come across that have a specific focus on kids or juniors?
Saucon Valley and Royal Pedrena are 2 good ones!!