More than 400 years old, Thanksgiving is marked by history and traditions, from the Pilgrims to the dinner menu of turkey, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. We celebrate our national day of gratitude by highlighting courses with names that reflect those rituals.
1. Pilgrim’s Run Golf Club
Pierson, Michigan (top photo)
Thanksgiving Tradition: The Pilgrim’s voyage on the Mayflower from England to what is now Massachusetts took 66 days.
2. Samoset Resort
Rockport, Maine
Thanksgiving Tradition: The Pilgrims were surprised when Samoset, the first Native American to make contact with them, greeted them in English.
3. Rich Harvest Links
Sugar Gove, Illinois
Thanksgiving Tradition: Thanksgiving is the most prominent of the scores of harvest festivals that take place around the world.
4. Cowboys Golf Club
Grapevine, Texas
Thanksgiving Tradition: The Dallas Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving since 1966.
5. Wild Turkey Golf Club
Vernon, New Jersey
Thanksgiving Tradition: In addition to making Thanksgiving a national holiday, Abraham Lincoln is said to have been the first President to pardon a turkey.
6. Sage Valley Golf Club
Graniteville, South Carolina
Thanksgiving Tradition: Sage is a popular spice in a lot of stuffing recipes.
7. Cranberry Valley Golf Course
Harwich, Massachusetts
Thanksgiving Tradition: According to Ocean Spray, 20 percent of Americans’ annual cranberry consumption takes place during Thanksgiving week.
8. Butternut Farm Golf Club
Stow, Massachusetts
Thanksgiving Tradition: The most popular variety, the Waltham butternut squash, which appears in many Thanksgiving feasts, originated on property now occupied by this 6,302-yard layout.
9. Wine Valley Golf Club
Walla Walla, Washington
Thanksgiving Tradition: While there are no bad wine pairings with the diverse flavors of Thanksgiving dinner, it would be smart to make a domestic selection for this quintessentially American holiday.
10. Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club
North Plains, Oregon
Thanksgiving Tradition: The first Thanksgiving feast probably had pumpkin but not in today’s sweet pie form. Why? They didn’t have ovens to bake the crust.
