Top 10 U.S. Public Courses Named for Birds

Birdies, eagles, and the occasional albatross are always cause for on-course celebration. Also worth celebrating are great courses named for birds. How’s that for a segue?

Some birds are more popular than others; at least 50 courses feature a version of “eagle” in their name. By my count, however, there’s only one Ptarmigan (a medium-sized game bird in the grouse family), a private 1988 Jack Nicklaus design in Fort Collins, Colo. Among best private “bird” sanctuaries are top 100 Tom Fazio creation Eagle Point in Wilmington, N.C., and Soleta in Myakka City, Fla., a Nick Price design opened in November 2024 and named for the indigenous Native American word for sandhill cranes. Too new to make the public Top 10 list is The Cardinal at St. John’s Resort near Detroit, a Raymond Hearn design that debuted in summer 2024.

For now, here are the top 10 American courses you can play that are named for birds.

Pelican Hill Golf Club (Ocean South) at The Resort at Pelican Hill—Newport Coast, Calif.

Dating to 1991, the elder of the Tom Fazio courses here features wide fairways, coastal breezes and landscaping, and the usual artful Fazio shaping. Most memorable are the back-to-back oceanside par threes at 12 and 13, the latter a two-green setup with the putting surfaces separated by an enormous sand feature. Stick around for a stellar finish, highlighted by a double canyon crossing at the 453-yard par-four 18th.

Circling Raven Golf Club at Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel—Worley, Idaho

Located 25 miles south of Coeur d’Alene and its world-famous lake, Circling Raven occupies a blissful spot of its own. This 2003 Gene Bates core design unfolds over 620 roomy acres, unencumbered by houses, roads, or any other man-made intrusions. A stray elk may distract you, but otherwise, it’s 7,189 yards of tranquil fun on a gently rolling tableau that takes in pine forests, meadows flecked with native prairie grasses, and wetlands teeming with wildlife. Huge, brilliant white bunkers and a standout set of par threes are further wows.

Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa (The General)—Galena, Ill.

Formerly a mainstay on Top 100 public courses lists, this perpetually underrated 1997 design from Roger Packard and Andy North features dramatic elevation changes in its 6,726-yard journey. Situated near the Iowa and Wisconsin borders about as far northwest as you can go in Illinois, the toughest of Eagle Ridge’s four layouts boasts spectacular views, especially in autumn. The signature moment arrives at the tee of the 357-yard par-four 5th, as the hole enjoys a 180-foot downhill plunge to the green.

Grayhawk Golf Club (Raptor)—Scottsdale, Ariz.

Hawks are nearly as prevalent as eagles for golf course names; among the greatest public examples are North Dakota’s Hawktree, Whitehawk Ranch in California’s Lake Tahoe area, Chicagoland’s Thunderhawk, and Colorado’s Red Hawk Ridge. Grayhawk gets the nod because it’s a past PGA Tour and NCAA Championships host—and hey, I got married there. Elaborate shaping, deep bunkers, and McDowell Mountain views define this 1995 Tom Fazio design. It’s a coin flip as to which Grayhawk course soars higher, Raptor or Talon, the latter a 1994 Gary Panks/David Graham creation.

Golf Club at Dove Mountain (Saguaro/Tortolita)—Marana, Ariz.

Jack Nicklaus designed this 27-hole spread in 2009 and the Saguaro and Tortolita nines made up the tournament venue when the facility played host to the WGC-Accenture Match Play from 2009–14. Stunning cactus-framed fairways, mountain panoramas, and confoundingly contoured greens (toned down since their debut) characterize a round. Even at 2,600 feet, the course still plays long at 7,849 yards from the way-backs. In its early days, the course name bore the stamp of the adjacent hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain; these days, the Dove shares an affiliation with The Gallery, a 36-hole facility that also played host to the Match Play. Together, they’re known as The Clubs of Dove Mountain.

Heron Point at Sea Pines Resort—Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Nowhere near as celebrated as Pete Dye’s other work at Sea Pines Resort, the fabled Harbour Town Golf Links, Heron Point can nonetheless hold its own when it comes to challenge and aesthetics. Tipping out at 7,058 yards, with a slope rating of 141, Dye’s 2007 makeover of the old Sea Marsh layout entices and exasperates with the usual bag of Dye tricks, including a multitude of water and sand hazards, many bulkheaded by wide wood planks and grass walls. You certainly won’t encounter a dull hole among the 18 and the Lowcountry setting amid marshes and live oaks will soothe your soul, if not your scorecard.

Owl’s Nest Resort—Thornton, N.H.

Set handsomely in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Owl’s Nest is a 1998 creation by Mark Mungeam of Mungeam Cornish Design. The course was so significantly revamped in the past decade by Nicklaus Design that architectural credit now goes to Nicklaus. The 6,684-yard, par-72 hillside layout meanders through several different environments, with the closing stretch the best of all, notably the tee shot at the 465-yard par-four 16th, which calls for a tee shot aimed between Cannon Mountain and Franconia Ridge. Within the past two years, ownership acquired the nearby Geoffrey Cornish-designed White Mountain Country Club and renamed it Owl’s Nest Vineyard Course, but the hooting remains loudest for the Nicklaus product.

Sandpiper Golf Club—Santa Barbara, Calif.

A renovation a dozen years ago enhanced the character of this 1972 Billy Bell Jr. design, though some critics have sniped that the 7,159-yard par-72 layout never did take full advantage of its remarkable clifftop setting. Holes that have always fulfilled expectations, however, are the six that practically touch the Pacific Ocean. Most memorable are the 228-yard par-three 11th, with its downhill, head-on view of the water, and the 532-yard par-five 13th, provided you get to play to the precipice green to the right, with the churning ocean below, rather than the alternate green to the left.

Falcon’s Fire Golf Club—Kissimmee, Fla.

Always considered one of the best values in the Orlando area, this 1993 Rees Jones design might look dated to some, refreshingly retro to others, with its flat fairways framed by mounds and the kind of pot bunkers that were then in vogue. However, there are plenty of memorable timeless challenges on this 7,006-yard par-72 layout via holes such as the 218-yard par-three 8th, with its daunting water carry, and the 379-yard par-four 13th, with its bite-off-as-much-as-you-can-chew tee shot and minefield of 15 bunkers left of the fairway.

TIE: Osprey Meadows at Tamarack Resort and Osprey Point at Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Osprey Meadows at Tamarack Resort—Donnelly, Idaho

Situated 80 miles north of Boise at an elevation of 5,000 feet, Osprey Meadows won every “Best New Course” award when it debuted in 2006. The aptly named layout in ski resort country unfolded over 400 roomy acres dotted with lakes, streams, and wetlands on meadowland sandwiched between Council Mountain and Lake Cascade. Aspens, pines, and tamaracks framed but seldom crowded the fairways. Nine years later, however, economic setbacks forced its closure. Tamarack Resort revived the layout in 2023. Original architect Robert Trent Jones II was summoned to revitalize and refine the course, which now measures 7,447 yards and par 72. He widened fairways and reduced the length and number of forced carries. He also added an extra hole, the 19th, called the “Gambler’s Hole.” It measures between 78 to 193 yards and is used to settle wagers—or just to provide an extra bite of the apple.

Osprey Point at Kiawah Island Golf Resort—Kiawah Island, S.C.

Inevitably overshadowed by its major championship-caliber sibling, The Ocean Course, Tom Fazio’s Osprey Point at Kiawah is nonetheless a terrific track. Opened in 1988, Osprey Point measures 6,932 yards and par 72 and is distinguished by its splendid natural setting. Four large natural lakes, inlets of saltwater marsh, and maritime forests of old live oaks, pines, palmettos, and magnolias gave Fazio a great head start. Although hazards are splashed through 15 holes, wide fairways and big greens give every handicap a chance to enjoy the layout.