Golf is a fascinating game. It’s not all about taking out the club and swing the hell out of your arms. The best thing about playing golf is the nature of the course; the undulating landscape looks like they are out of dreamland. The creeps of birds and gentle breeze tempt most golfers to hit the course even they are capable of buying the best golf simulator in the market.
Is golf only for those who have money? No, the time has changed already. Many public courses today allow a wide category of people to visit and play the game upon a small entry fee. But let us leave that topic for now as we are about to discuss an entirely enchanting concept in this article.
If you are into golf for some time and love to play on a golf course rather than a golf simulator, minimize your visit to the local neighborhood course. There are a wide range of golf courses you need to visit across the United States.
Visiting different golf courses may be a dream for many golfers, to visit as many golf courses as possible in a lifetime but don’t know where to start. According to me, that’s really a fascinating dream. That’s why here I’ve listed some of the best golf courses in America you should visit before you die.
I have considered the breathtaking pars and course locations as the primary eligibility for this list of top 10 golf courses in America.
1. Pebble Beach Golf Course, California:
Pebble Beach is the most famous and legendary golf course that has hosted U.S. Open six times in history since 1972. The Pebble Beach Golf Link is a public golf course open for almost everyone who loves golf—situated at the coast of the Pacific ocean, California.
The course developer Samuel F.B. Morse was determined that constructing a golf course along the coast of West America would attract buyers and people in large numbers, and that actually happened. The Golf Course has been named as the best by Golf Digest at least once in two years.
Apart from the nature and native Cypress trees, Pebble Beach golf link is famous for its challenging holes. The course homes both the longest and the shortest holes.
The longest hole is at the Par-5 14th hole that runs for 572 yards. In contrast to it, the shortest hole is at par-3 7th hole that runs for just 106 yards, but it is one of the challenging holes in history. The course is covered with the winter ryegrass that gives the course a unique look, and that’s lovable.
The course has been celebrated for its vast history and landscape. If you know all the facts about this Pebble Beach, I’m sure you will be walking past each hole, remembering all the greatest shots created by legends like Jack Nicolosi and Tiger Woods.
2. Augusta National – Georgia:
Augusta National is the most acclaimed and yet another legendary golf course in America. But unlike most golf courses that are non-profit, Augusta National is a profiting golf course maintained as private property. That’s why you need to be someone more important to make entry into this course, or you should be playing The Masters.
The Augusta National has become the sole venue for The Masters for many years, and it’s still nostalgic to see the course open for the “The Masters” tournament every year in March and April.
August has a total of 18 holes; each throws a different challenge on to the players. The greens at Augusta are faster than other courses in the states. The thing is, you need to be more precise and controlled over the ball when playing par-3s in Augusta.
Augusta is more than a golf course. The place looks just like you see on the internet. The food you get in here is otherworldly. There is a saying, the restaurant at Augusta gets you anything you want apart from the physical menu that lies on your table.
If you are fond of The Master’s tournament, win a ticket to it and throw a visit to Augusta. It’s a lifetime experience for golfers.
One of the most exclusive golf clubs in all of America, the Pine Valley Golf Club, is located at Camden County, in southern New Jersey. It is an 18 hole course that is dominated by world-class architecture.
Pine Valley is a private golf club that doesn’t allow the public to play. However, you can become a member or visit the course and watch the annual Crump Cup final round. Of course, you can wander around on the fairways and along with its hazards.
Okay, that went too far. The Pine Valley Golf Course was founded back in 1913, and it is exclusive for gentlemen, which means the club membership is only for men and men alone. Women are also allowed to play here only during Sunday afternoons as guests.
The Pine valley club had been in the No.1 rated golf club for more than two decades. The invites are so secretive, and the cost to enter the club is extremely high. It’s all about the matter of luck or hard work if you can get into the club with your golf bag.
4. Pacific Dunes, Oregon:
A remarkably different golf course on our list is this Pacific Dunes which can also be knowns as the Bandon Dunes. It’s all about your shot and nature when you are playing at Pacific Dunes. The course was discovered only in 2001, but the landscape has been there for centuries and is shaped by nature. That’s why this particular course doesn’t always feel like it was built. A sixty-foot tall dune is a visible example of that.
The course is located along with the Pacific winds. So, precision is crucial while hitting the ball on this course. It is an 18 hole golf course stuffed with many environmental challenges, and that’s the specialty of this course that makes even pros struggle on it.
Tom Doak designed the course without harming the shore pines and the naturally formed high sand dunes. The fairways actually ripple like the wave you see on the west side of the course.
Totally, Pacific Dunes at Oregon is a must-visit golf course for its rugged landscape as fairways and for the seasonal winds that challenge your skill more than your opponents. Also, the course fee and membership fee are relatively low.
5. Whistling Straits Golf Course, Wisconsin:
Apart from Cheese and cheesy people, Wisconsin is famous for some of its golf courses with wired names like Whistling Straits. The course gets its name from the north-to-south gale that comes whistling along the shores of Lake Michigan. But jokes apart, there is a reason this Whistling Straits to get on our list. This Whistling Straits Golf course is a raw throwback of the freshness of Ireland.
The course is famous for hosting the famous Ryder Cup. Moreover, this one is a public course that allows people with a small course fee. Also, this course has a prestigious membership plan.
Whistling Strait is yet another 18 hole course on our list. The steep greens and natural dunes, along with the undulating fairway, are the spectacular appetite for your eyes and skills.
Moreover, the Whistling Strait is filled with sandboxes and hazards that compels you to pay attention to each of your shots. Mind your golf balls; it is easy to lose a lot of golf balls on this beautiful Irish course.
6. Oakmont Country Club, Pennsylvania:
One of Golf Digest’s top 20 hardest golf courses, Oakmont Country Club, is the most beautiful golf course that sits next to the Allegheny River. Also, the course is easy to find as it generously lets the Pennsylvania Turnpike Toll Road pass through it.
Oakmont Country Club is a privately owned golf course that hardly lets any public swing their club in there. You may need to own a membership in this course to play on it or win a ticket to U.S. Open.
It would not be so nice not to mention that this Oakmont Country club course is one of America’s grand old golf courses. Also, this is one of the most challenging courses. The reason: the greens at the Oakmont are as fast as the greens at Augusta National.
7. Torrey Pines, California:
It is hard to see a fairway steeper than Torrey Pines of California. The Torrey Pines sits on a cliff of the Pacific Ocean about 400 miles from Pebble Beach. Torry Pines is one of the most spectacular golf courses along the Western Coast of the nation. And of course the most challenging too.
Torrey Pines is the famous golf course that hosted the last Tiger Wood’s Victory in U.S Opens before his long drought. The steeper and most challenging greens are Torry Pines’ course defining parameters.
The course is constituted by two 18 holes courses, the north, and south course, where the south one is a little tough to conquer. This is the reason for Torrey Pines to fall into the bucket list of many golfers.
It may cost $200 per person to hit this course with your clubs.
8. TPC Sawgrass, Florida:
Now let us head to the capital city of golf, Florida, to add another must-visit golf course before you die. Though Florida has the most number of golf courses in all of America, the TPC Sawgrass is the most wanted location for almost every big tournament, including U.S. Open.
No one could forget the epic water hazards and shot-eating high bunkers of this TPC Sawgrass Golf Course. Those hazards are like no other golf course, which will drive even the pros mad.
The famous 17th hole Island Green is housed by this TPC Sawgrass, which is pretty hard to play it safe. Only a few pros had made it safe, and some legends have even done some legendary Hole-in-ones here at the 17th.
If you know legends of golf play on this course each year while you are walking around its greens, I am sure you are not leaving the course without Goosebumps.
9. The Furnace Creek Golf Course, Death Valley, California:
So, we have seen a lot of courses that are supported by warm and moderate climates. How about adding a place that becomes one of the hottest on Earth during summers apart from the Sahara? California has a golf famous golf course called “The Furnace Creek” located at the place famously known as the Death Valley along the northern Mojave Desert.
This golf course is worth stopping by, even if you are not a fan of golf. The reason: This place is one of the lowest golf courses that are worth a trip around it.
The Furnace Creek is an 18-hole golf course that is a private property open for the public. This course is famous for its flora and fauna and the difference in ball response when compared to other courses. You can see various kinds of birds that include Canadian Geese and huge ravens. If you are a fan of owls, there are many different families of owls nesting around the Death Valley Oasis.
Apart from the course, you can visit the Furnace Creek Golf Range, where you can practice with a nice beverage at the restaurant.
Of course, mind the temperature; it’s really hot in there. Most of the golfers evacuate the courses by 11 in the morning.
10. Bethpage Black Golf Course, New York:
Not far away from the hustles and bustles of downtown New York there lies the Bethpage Black golf course, which is just a 28-minute drive from the JFK through the Valley Stream State Park.
It is a wonderful golf course you can play along the East Coast. The course has hosted three majors and hosted legends like Tiger Woods. The course is really high-rated because it needs high-level skill to compete with its dazzling bunkers.
The fairway is neet and lovely. It should be on your bucket list.
Conclusion:
So, these are the best and America’s top 10 must-visit golf courses that you have to visit before you die or grow old. However, several golf courses are lovely and challenging, like the ones that are listed above, which we may be covering in another blog. Of course, there is a plan to list out the best golf courses to visit worldwide. Let us come to that one later. Now you have your bucket list in your hand. Go on to book the tickets. What are you waiting for now?