If you’re a weekend golfer who dreams of playing on some of the country’s best courses, here are some spots you can add to your travel bucket list.
Bethpage Black, Long Island, New York: In 2002, Bethpage Black became the first public course to host the U.S. Open, which was won by Tiger Woods. The course is challenging and popular. You can sign up online to reserve a tee time. Because it’s located in Bethpage State Park, there’s plenty to do beyond golf, including scenic hiking trails, picnic spots, and tennis courts.
Homestead Cascades, Hot Springs, Virginia: Routed through forests of mature trees, with the Allegheny Mountains as a backdrop, the Cascades is consistently ranked high among America’s 100 best courses. It’s especially beautiful in the fall when many of the trees show off their colorful leaves.
Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina: The Ocean Course, where most holes offer views of the Atlantic Ocean, became popular during the 1991 Ryder Cup. It also hosted actors Matt Damon and Will Smith during the filming of “The Legend of Bagger Vance.” The Ocean is one of seven courses at the luxurious Kiawah Island Resort.
Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California: This spot tops Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses. The course, which opened in 1919, has a celebrated history. It’s considered the greatest meeting of land and sea in American golf, with nine holes perched immediately above the crashing Pacific Ocean surf.
Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst, North Carolina: The Pinehurst Resort is widely considered the home of American golf and has been the site of many major tournaments. One thing every golfer will want to do is try to hole the 16-feet putt on the 18th green that the late, great Payne Stewart holed to win the 1999 U.S. Open. The resort’s Golf Academy is one of the best on the East Coast.
Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Georgia: Designed in 1929 by famed architects Harry Colt and Charles Allison, the Seaside course is challenging and stunningly beautiful, with several holes running next to the Atlantic Ocean. Golfing greats Bobby Jones and Sam Snead played there, as well as Humphrey Bogart.
TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida: The course is home to the Players Championship on the PGA Tour. For bragging rights, the par-3 17th hole, known as the “Island Green,” is considered one of the most famous and terrifying holes in the world. At the state-of-the-art TOUR Academy, some of the game’s best instructors will fix your swing.
Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin: Nestled along a two-mile stretch of Lake Michigan, Whistling Straits is another Golf Digest top pick and is the location of the 2021 Ryder Cup, after being postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Built on an abandoned airfield, it’s designed to replicate ancient seaside golf courses in Ireland and the United Kingdom, with a flock of Scottish sheep, rolling greens, deep pot bunkers, grass-topped dunes, and stone bridges.
Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minnesota: The 2028 Ryder Cup returns to this course, which sits about 7 miles from Paisley Park, the last home and studio of the late singer-musician Prince. The Ryder Cup was here in 2016 and The PGA of America first brought the PGA Championship to Hazeltine in 2002 and again in 2009.
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