11 New U.S. Course Debuts to Know for 2024
There’s been a slight uptick in new golf course development in recent years, although it remains just a trickle compared to overall supply. But new courses always prompt excitement in the world of golf, where the itinerant golfers among us are always dreaming about where to (potentially) visit next. In 2024, there are a host […]
My Favorite Public Golf Holes in America (Back Nine)
After previously naming my favorite front nine public golf holes in America, the back nine reveals some definite biases. There are only three par fours, which might suggest that while most of the world’s holes are par fours (and two of those listed are among my favorite holes anywhere in the world), it’s the threes […]
10 of Oregon’s Top Public Golf Courses Beyond Bandon Dunes
For many golfers outside Oregon, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort isn’t just at the top of the list for great golf in the state—it is the list. But as good as Bandon’s golf offerings are, with all five of its 18-hole courses nationally ranked among public courses by every conceivable publication, there is a wealth of […]
My Favorite Public Golf Holes in America (Front Nine)
Being asked to name your favorite 18 holes in America is something of a dream assignment for any golfer. Until, that is, you begin to second-guess yourself, at which point you soon realize this is going to take way longer and induce a lot more anxiety than you’d originally anticipated. A lot of golfers could […]
Top 10 Georgia Courses You Can Play
Unfortunately for visiting golfers to Georgia, the host venue of the Tour Championship—East Lake Golf Club—is private, as are former Tour stops Atlanta Country Club, TPC Sugarloaf, and multiple-major-championship-host Atlanta Athletic Club. However, Atlanta and the rest of the Peach State boast a multitude of superb public-access layouts. Here are the 10 best courses you […]
Great Public Golf Courses Around Seattle
In his 1962 travelogue Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck wrote of his shock at seeing the rapid expansion of Seattle. He’d thought of it as a “little city of space and trees and gardens, its houses matched to such a background,” but it was now a place of eight-lane highways with traffic that rushed with […]
Top 10 Tennessee Courses You Can Play
Unfortunately for visiting golfers, TPC Southwind—home to the PGA Tour’s prestigious FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn.—is private, as is Memphis’s other top tournament track, the South course at Colonial Country Club. However, the Volunteer State is chock full of value-oriented, extremely scenic public-access layouts. Here are the 10 best courses you can play […]
Top 10 Minnesota Courses You Can Play
Unfortunately for visiting golfers, TPC Twin Cities—host venue to the PGA Tour’s 3M Open in the suburban Minneapolis city of Blaine—is private, as are two prominent tournament tracks in the area, Interlachen and Hazeltine National. However, the state is blessed with dozens of terrific daily-fee layouts, especially in and around Minneapolis-St. Paul and up in […]
Top 10 Jack Nicklaus Designs You Can Play
If there’s one thing that may eclipse Jack Nicklaus’s legacy as a player, it will be his legacy as a course designer. As Pete Dye once said, “It’s astonishing to me that the same guy who was gifted with the greatest golf skill of the 20th century should also be blessed with such deft creativity.” […]
6 Must-Play Public Courses in Upstate New York
The PGA Championship’s return to Oak Hill serves as a strong reminder that upstate New York offers exceptional venues for golf—and not all of them are exclusive private clubs. With Rochester as your home base, there’s no shortage of great public courses all within a 90-minute drive, some of which are significantly closer. Here, we […]
