# topcourses.golf — full reference ## #1 Pine Valley Golf Club - Location: Pine Valley, New Jersey - Architect: George Crump & H.S. Colt - Year built: 1918 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7201 - Tournaments: 1936 Walker Cup; 1985 Walker Cup - Signature hole: 5th hole, par 3, 226 yards — over a vast sandy waste to a bunker-ringed island green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/pine-valley-golf-club/ Pine Valley Golf Club, carved from a remote pine forest in southern New Jersey, is widely regarded as the world's most demanding golf course. Founded by Philadelphia hotelier George Crump, who obsessively sited each hole before his death in 1918, with finishing touches by H.S. Colt and Hugh Wilson, Pine Valley presents an unrelenting series of isolated tees and greens surrounded by treacherous sand and scrub. Its par-70 layout defies convention, and its infamous hazards have humbled professionals and amateurs alike. No professional major has been staged here, yet Pine Valley commands the top spot on virtually every authoritative ranking. The 7,201-yard layout offers no weak holes and no mercy for errant shots. ## #2 Augusta National Golf Club - Location: Augusta, Georgia - Architect: Alister MacKenzie & Bobby Jones - Year built: 1933 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7555 - Tournaments: Masters Tournament (annual) - Signature hole: 12th 'Golden Bell', par 3, 155 yards — over Rae's Creek to a shallow angled green flanked by Amen Corner - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/augusta-national-golf-club/ Augusta National was conceived by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts on a former indigo plantation in Georgia and designed with Alister MacKenzie to replicate the strategic beauty of the Old Course at St Andrews. Opening in 1933, it became the permanent home of the Masters Tournament. MacKenzie's flowing fairways, bold contours, and deceptively swift Bermuda greens reward creativity and punish timidity. Amen Corner — holes 11 through 13 — represents perhaps the most dramatic three-hole stretch in championship golf. The course is continually refined under strict secrecy, with yardage additions to keep pace with modern equipment and maintain its legendary challenge. ## #3 Cypress Point Club - Location: Pebble Beach, California - Architect: Alister MacKenzie - Year built: 1928 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6536 - Tournaments: 1981 Walker Cup - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 3, 231 yards — across a rocky Pacific Ocean chasm to a clifftop green; the most photographed hole in golf - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/cypress-point-club/ Cypress Point Club, designed by Alister MacKenzie and opened in 1928 on the Monterey Peninsula, is frequently called the most beautiful golf course in the world. Weaving through dense Monterey cypress forests, across coastal dunes, and along rugged Pacific Ocean cliffs, its routing alternates between serene inland holes and breathtaking oceanside drama. The legendary 15th, 16th, and 17th holes hugging the cliffs represent the game's most visually spectacular sequence. Sam Snead called it the greatest course he ever played. The club resigned from the PGA Tour in 1991 over caddie disputes and hosts no professional events, preserving its mystique. ## #4 Shinnecock Hills Golf Club - Location: Southampton, New York - Architect: William Flynn (redesign 1931) - Year built: 1891 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7445 - Tournaments: 1896 U.S. Open; 1986 U.S. Open; 1995 U.S. Open; 2004 U.S. Open; 2018 U.S. Open; 2026 U.S. Open - Signature hole: 9th hole, par 4, 443 yards — a demanding uphill dogleg offering panoramic views of Peconic Bay - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/shinnecock-hills-golf-club/ Shinnecock Hills is one of the five founding clubs of the USGA and one of the nation's oldest courses. Established in 1891 on Long Island's South Fork, it was substantially redesigned by William Flynn in 1931 using the land's natural treeless, wind-swept topography to create a near-links experience on American soil. The course's exposed fairways, fescue-clad hills, and punishing rough demand precise shot-making. Shinnecock has hosted six U.S. Opens, most recently in 2018, and is universally cited for the authenticity of its challenge — often compared favorably to the finest links courses of Scotland and Ireland. ## #5 Oakmont Country Club - Location: Oakmont, Pennsylvania - Architect: Henry Fownes - Year built: 1903 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7255 - Tournaments: 1919 U.S. Open; 1927 U.S. Open; 1935 U.S. Open; 1953 U.S. Open; 1962 U.S. Open; 1973 U.S. Open; 1983 U.S. Open; 1994 U.S. Open; 2007 U.S. Open; 2016 U.S. Open; 2025 U.S. Open; 1978 PGA Championship; 2022 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 3rd hole, par 4, 428 yards — flanked by the famous church-pew bunkers dividing the 3rd and 4th fairways - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/oakmont-country-club/ Oakmont Country Club, built by industrialist Henry Fownes in 1903 northeast of Pittsburgh, is the most U.S. Open-tested course in history. Fownes designed Oakmont to be intentionally severe — its lightning-fast greens, deep church-pew bunkers, and relentless rough regularly produce the highest scoring averages of any major venue. The course has hosted a record nine U.S. Opens, four PGA Championships, and three U.S. Amateurs. Johnny Miller's final-round 63 in the 1973 U.S. Open and Tiger Woods' 2000 record remain among the most astonishing performances in major championship history. ## #6 Merion Golf Club (East Course) - Location: Ardmore, Pennsylvania - Architect: Hugh Wilson - Year built: 1912 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7025 - Tournaments: 1934 U.S. Open; 1950 U.S. Open; 1971 U.S. Open; 1981 U.S. Open; 2013 U.S. Open; 1930 U.S. Amateur - Signature hole: 11th 'White Faces of Merion', par 4, 370 yards — where Ben Hogan clinched his 1950 U.S. Open comeback with an iconic 1-iron - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/merion-golf-club-east-course/ Merion Golf Club's East Course is a compact masterpiece on the Philadelphia Main Line, designed by amateur architect Hugh Wilson on just 110 acres. Its famous wicker baskets on flagsticks and stone bridge over Cobbs Creek are iconic images. Merion has hosted five U.S. Opens, including Bobby Jones' completion of the Grand Slam in 1930, Ben Hogan's miraculous 1950 comeback after a near-fatal car accident, and Justin Rose's 2013 victory. The par-70 layout demands the full arsenal of shot-making, with small, quick greens and demanding angles that have challenged every generation of champions. ## #7 National Golf Links of America - Location: Southampton, New York - Architect: C.B. Macdonald - Year built: 1911 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6800 - Tournaments: 1922 Walker Cup - Signature hole: 4th 'Redan', par 3, 195 yards — a classic diagonal par-3 template modeled on the 15th at North Berwick - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/national-golf-links-of-america/ The National Golf Links of America was C.B. Macdonald's magnum opus, a deliberate attempt to create the finest golf course in the United States by transplanting the best strategic concepts from Britain's great links. Macdonald traveled twice to study the Road Hole at St Andrews, the Eden at Hoylake, and other classics before building his template holes on Long Island's Sebonack Neck. Opened in 1911, it pioneered American course architecture and established the template hole philosophy — Alps, Redan, Road Hole, Eden — that influenced generations of designers. Its mix of seaside scenery and strategic brilliance remains unmatched. ## #8 Sand Hills Golf Club - Location: Mullen, Nebraska - Architect: Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw - Year built: 1995 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7089 - Signature hole: 8th hole, par 4, 403 yards — a sweeping dogleg right with a heroic tee shot over natural sandhills to a wind-swept fairway - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/sand-hills-golf-club/ Sand Hills Golf Club, opened in 1995 in remote Nebraska, sparked a revolution in minimalist golf course design. Architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw moved only 4,000 cubic yards of earth, finding over 130 natural golf holes in the undulating terrain during two years of surveying. The result is a masterpiece of naturalistic design, with firm fast turf, massive natural bunkers, and ridgelines of astonishing beauty. Its deliberate inaccessibility and plain clubhouse reinforce its identity as pure golf stripped of all pretense. It is consistently ranked among the three best courses built since 1960 and has influenced a generation of minimalist designers. ## #9 Pebble Beach Golf Links - Location: Pebble Beach, California - Architect: Jack Neville & Douglas Grant (original), H. Chandler Egan (renovation) - Year built: 1919 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7075 - Tournaments: 1972 U.S. Open; 1982 U.S. Open; 1992 U.S. Open; 2000 U.S. Open; 2010 U.S. Open; 2019 U.S. Open; AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (annual) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5, 543 yards — a legendary finisher hugging the Pacific cliffs with ocean lapping the left edge from tee to green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/pebble-beach-golf-links/ Pebble Beach Golf Links, opened in 1919 on the Monterey Peninsula's rocky coastline, is the most celebrated public-access course in America and regularly called the most beautiful 18 holes on earth. Designed by amateur golfers Jack Neville and Douglas Grant and later refined by H. Chandler Egan, it follows the rugged cliffs of Stillwater Cove with six oceanfront holes that rank among the most dramatic in golf. The par-3 7th over the Pacific and the 18th's seaside finishing hole are icons. Pebble Beach has hosted six U.S. Opens and Jack Nicklaus's defining 1972 U.S. Open victory among countless other memorable championships. ## #10 Fishers Island Club - Location: Fishers Island, New York - Architect: Seth Raynor - Year built: 1926 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6660 - Signature hole: 4th 'Biarritz', par 3, 197 yards — a Seth Raynor template with a deep swale bisecting the elongated green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/fishers-island-club/ Fishers Island Club, designed by Seth Raynor and opened in 1926 on a remote island accessible only by ferry in Long Island Sound, is one of the great undiscovered treasures of American golf. Raynor routed the course along the island's spine, creating holes that alternate between wooded inland terrain and dramatic seaside stretches with water visible on three sides. His trademark template holes — Biarritz, Redan, Short, and Eden — appear here in some of their finest expressions. The course's physical isolation ensures a small and devoted membership, keeping it among the least-played and most coveted rounds in golf. ## #11 Chicago Golf Club - Location: Wheaton, Illinois - Architect: C.B. Macdonald (original 1895), Seth Raynor (renovation 1923) - Year built: 1895 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6537 - Tournaments: 1897 U.S. Open; 1900 U.S. Open; 1911 U.S. Amateur; 2005 Walker Cup - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 3, 165 yards — a classic Raynor Short template with a wildly contoured punchbowl green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/chicago-golf-club/ Chicago Golf Club, founded in 1892 and one of the five charter members of the USGA, holds a pivotal place in American golf history. C.B. Macdonald designed the permanent course in Wheaton in 1895 — the first 18-hole course built in the United States. Seth Raynor revised the routing in 1923, adding template holes that reinforced Chicago's status as a laboratory of strategic design. Its relatively short yardage belies a demanding layout where precision, wind management, and course knowledge matter far more than power. Three early U.S. Opens were played here, and its influence on American golf architecture is immeasurable. ## #12 Seminole Golf Club - Location: Juno Beach, Florida - Architect: Donald Ross - Year built: 1929 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6899 - Signature hole: 6th hole, par 3, 200 yards — a classic par-3 with an elevated tee where ocean wind demands precise club selection - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/seminole-golf-club/ Seminole Golf Club, Donald Ross's Florida masterpiece built in 1929 along the Atlantic coast north of Palm Beach, was Ben Hogan's favorite course, where he prepared for the 1953 Masters. Ross sculpted the sandy terrain into a wind-influenced layout of infinite variety, using Atlantic Ocean breezes to make every hole play differently. The course's raised tees, crowned fairways, and cleverly bunkered Ross greens reward accuracy and imagination over brute length. Though it has never hosted a professional major, Seminole's reputation is built on its architectural purity and the reverence of those fortunate enough to experience it. ## #13 Prairie Dunes Country Club - Location: Hutchinson, Kansas - Architect: Perry Maxwell (original), Press Maxwell (completion) - Year built: 1937 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6545 - Tournaments: 2002 U.S. Women's Open; 2024 U.S. Women's Open; 1956 Curtis Cup; 2006 Curtis Cup - Signature hole: 8th hole, par 4, 430 yards — a demanding dogleg through rippling dunes with native grass rough framing the approach - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/prairie-dunes-country-club/ Prairie Dunes Country Club, routed by Perry Maxwell through the undulating sand dunes of south-central Kansas, is a miraculous inland links that seems to belong on the British coast. Maxwell found the site in the 1930s and reportedly said there were 118 holes but he had to eliminate 100. His son Press Maxwell completed the back nine in 1957. The result is a course that captures the spirit of great links golf, with firm fast fairways, native rough of little bluestem grass, and greens that demand imagination. It hosted the 2002 and 2024 U.S. Women's Open and the 1956 Curtis Cup. ## #14 Friar's Head Golf Club - Location: Baiting Hollow, New York - Architect: Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw - Year built: 2002 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7100 - Signature hole: 14th hole, par 4, 464 yards — a sweeping downhill dogleg with panoramic views of Long Island Sound - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/friars-head-golf-club/ Friar's Head Golf Club, opened in 2002 on Long Island's North Fork bluffs above Long Island Sound, is Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's most celebrated East Coast work. The course occupies a former potato farm perched dramatically above the Sound, and the architects used the elevation changes and exposed topography to create a course channeling the spirit of great Scottish links. Wide fairways, deep bunkers, and greens that spill off the edges reward the full bag of shots. It entered Golf Digest's Top 100 almost immediately and has steadily climbed into the top 15, recognized as one of the finest courses built in the 21st century. ## #15 Crystal Downs Country Club - Location: Frankfort, Michigan - Architect: Alister MacKenzie & Perry Maxwell - Year built: 1932 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6508 - Signature hole: 9th hole, par 4, 430 yards — a dramatic downhill hole with Crystal Lake and Lake Michigan visible from the fairway - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/crystal-downs-country-club/ Crystal Downs Country Club, completed by Alister MacKenzie and Perry Maxwell in 1932 on a bluff above Crystal Lake and Lake Michigan in northern Michigan, is considered MacKenzie's finest American course outside of Augusta National. Maxwell translated MacKenzie's sketched routing into reality on terrain of extraordinary natural beauty, with sweeping fairways that tumble over heather-covered ridges toward Lake Michigan in the distance. The course's brilliance lies in deceptive simplicity — fairways appear wide but greens are cleverly oriented to demand precise angles, rewarding bold risk-taking. One of the most sought-after rounds in American golf. ## #16 Los Angeles Country Club (North Course) - Location: Los Angeles, California - Architect: George Thomas Jr. & William Bell - Year built: 1921 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7088 - Tournaments: 2023 U.S. Open; 1954 U.S. Amateur - Signature hole: 9th hole, par 4, 510 yards — a sweeping dogleg left on a hillside with a demanding uphill approach to a well-guarded green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/los-angeles-country-club-north-course/ The Los Angeles Country Club's North Course, designed by George Thomas Jr. and William Bell and opened in 1921 amid Beverly Hills, is one of the most secretive and exclusive clubs in America. For decades it quietly refused to host professional events, preserving its members-only ethos. Thomas, a renowned rosarian and amateur golfer, created a course of dramatic elevation changes and strategic variety in an unlikely urban setting. The club finally hosted the 2023 U.S. Open, where Wyndham Clark's victory brought long-overdue recognition to a course that golf insiders already considered among America's finest. ## #17 Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course) - Location: Mamaroneck, New York - Architect: A.W. Tillinghast - Year built: 1923 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7477 - Tournaments: 1929 U.S. Open; 1959 U.S. Open; 1974 U.S. Open; 1984 U.S. Open; 2006 U.S. Open; 2020 U.S. Open; 1940 U.S. Amateur; 1997 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 450 yards — a formidable uphill finisher to a heavily guarded amphitheater green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/winged-foot-golf-club-west-course/ Winged Foot's West Course, designed by A.W. Tillinghast and opened in 1923 in Westchester County, is one of the definitive championship tests in American golf. Tillinghast — who called it his best work — created a course of muscular par 4s, deep-faced bunkers, and severely contoured greens that have consistently produced drama in major championships. The West Course has hosted six U.S. Opens, including Hale Irwin's 1974 Massacre at Winged Foot, Fuzzy Zoeller's 1984 playoff, and Bryson DeChambeau's 2020 victory. Its long demanding par-4s and punishing rough have humbled virtually every champion. ## #18 Riviera Country Club - Location: Pacific Palisades, California - Architect: George Thomas Jr. & William Bell - Year built: 1926 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7322 - Tournaments: Genesis Invitational (annual, PGA Tour, formerly Los Angeles Open); 1948 U.S. Open - Signature hole: 10th hole, par 4, 315 yards — a dramatic driveable par-4 with a bunker cut into the middle of the green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/riviera-country-club/ Riviera Country Club, designed by George Thomas Jr. and William Bell and opened in 1926 in the Santa Monica Mountains above Los Angeles, earned the nickname the Riviera of America for its glamour and Mediterranean climate. Ben Hogan won the Los Angeles Open there three consecutive years in the 1940s, inspiring another nickname: Hogan's Alley. The course's combination of eucalyptus-lined fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and innovative design features — including a bunker inside the 6th green — has made it one of the most revered PGA Tour venues. The Genesis Invitational is played here annually. ## #19 Pacific Dunes - Location: Bandon, Oregon - Architect: Tom Doak - Year built: 2001 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6633 - Signature hole: 11th hole, par 3, 137 yards — a short wind-dependent par-3 on the Pacific Ocean cliff edge with a green falling away on three sides - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/pacific-dunes/ Pacific Dunes, designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2001 as the second course at Bandon Dunes Resort on the Oregon coast, is considered by many to be the finest new course built in the 21st century. Doak used the spectacular clifftop site above the Pacific Ocean with breathtaking imagination — seven holes run along the oceanside bluffs while the remainder weave through towering sand dunes. The course plays as a pure links, with firm turf, capricious winds, and a premium on creativity. It debuted on Golf Digest's Top 100 at No. 17 in 2001 and has remained firmly in the top 20 ever since. ## #20 Pinehurst Resort (No. 2) - Location: Pinehurst, North Carolina - Architect: Donald Ross (original), Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw (restoration 2010) - Year built: 1907 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7588 - Tournaments: 1936 PGA Championship; 1999 U.S. Open; 2005 U.S. Open; 2014 U.S. Open; 2014 U.S. Women's Open; 2024 U.S. Open; 2024 U.S. Women's Open - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 445 yards — a demanding uphill approach to a turtleback green that repels all but perfectly struck shots - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/pinehurst-resort-no-2/ Pinehurst No. 2 is the spiritual home of American golf, Donald Ross's masterwork and the only course to have hosted consecutive U.S. Opens in 2014 and again in 2024. Ross refined the layout from 1907 until his death in 1948, perfecting the turtleback-crowned greens that shed mishit approaches into gnarly native rough. A 2010 restoration by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw returned natural sandy waste areas reminiscent of the course's original character. The 2014 Opens produced two gripping finishes — Martin Kaymer's dominant win and Michelle Wie's emotional women's triumph — cementing No. 2's legendary status. ## #21 The Country Club (Main Course) - Location: Brookline, Massachusetts - Architect: Willie Campbell & Rees Jones (renovation) - Year built: 1893 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7255 - Tournaments: 1913 U.S. Open; 1963 U.S. Open; 1988 U.S. Open; 1999 Ryder Cup; 2022 U.S. Open - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 4, 380 yards — the pivotal hole of the 1999 Ryder Cup where Justin Leonard's putt sparked America's comeback - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/the-country-club-brookline/ The Country Club in Brookline is one of America's five founding golf clubs and possesses the most storied championship history in American golf. Founded in 1882 as a social club and converted to golf in 1893, it hosted the famous 1913 U.S. Open where Francis Ouimet's improbable victory over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray ignited golf's popularity in America. The 1999 Ryder Cup's stunning American comeback on the 17th green gave it another legendary moment. Rees Jones renovated the course before the 1988 U.S. Open, where Curtis Strange won back-to-back titles. ## #22 Muirfield Village Golf Club - Location: Dublin, Ohio - Architect: Jack Nicklaus & Desmond Muirhead - Year built: 1974 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7392 - Tournaments: Memorial Tournament (annual); 1987 Ryder Cup; 1998 Solheim Cup; 2013 Presidents Cup - Signature hole: 15th hole, par 4, 430 yards — a demanding downhill hole requiring a precise approach over a creek to a well-guarded green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/muirfield-village-golf-club/ Muirfield Village Golf Club was Jack Nicklaus's personal tribute to Muirfield in Scotland, built in 1974 in Columbus, Ohio with co-designer Desmond Muirhead. Nicklaus created it as a player's course designed specifically for the Memorial Tournament, which he founded and continues to host annually. The course demands precision at every turn, with water hazards, steep bunkers, and small contoured greens punishing imprecision. It has hosted the Ryder Cup twice and the Presidents Cup, cementing its status as one of the premier tour venues in America. ## #23 Whistling Straits (Straits Course) - Location: Haven, Wisconsin - Architect: Pete Dye - Year built: 1998 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7790 - Tournaments: 2004 PGA Championship; 2010 PGA Championship; 2015 PGA Championship; 2021 Ryder Cup - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 489 yards — a long perilous lakeside finisher with a tiny green perched above Lake Michigan - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/whistling-straits-straits-course/ Whistling Straits' Straits Course, Pete Dye's inland links masterpiece carved along Lake Michigan's western shore in Wisconsin, was designed to evoke Ireland's rugged coastline. Dye moved millions of tons of earth to create massive dunescapes, hundreds of bunkers, and dramatic seaside terrain from a flat former Army airstrip. Opened in 1998, it hosted the 2004 PGA Championship, the 2015 PGA where Jason Day set a record 20-under performance, and the 2021 Ryder Cup with Steve Stricker's victorious American team. The course has hosted more major championships than any Wisconsin venue in history. ## #24 TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) - Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - Architect: Pete Dye - Year built: 1982 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7245 - Tournaments: The Players Championship (annual, since 1982) - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3, 137 yards — the famous island green hole, most feared par-3 in professional golf - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-sawgrass-stadium-course/ TPC Sawgrass was Pete Dye's revolutionary response to the PGA Tour's desire for a permanent headquarters course — a design specifically crafted for spectators with massive earthwork mounding and dramatic island greens. Opening in 1982 as a venue for The Players Championship, the Stadium Course's iconic 17th hole — an island green par-3 — became the most feared hole in professional golf, consuming hundreds of golf balls each year. Dye's combination of forced carries, swales, and tiered greens created a demanding test simultaneously fair and devastating. ## #25 Southern Hills Country Club - Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma - Architect: Perry Maxwell - Year built: 1936 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7556 - Tournaments: 1958 U.S. Open; 1977 U.S. Open; 2001 U.S. Open; 2007 U.S. Open; 1958 PGA Championship; 1994 PGA Championship; 2007 PGA Championship; 2022 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 12th hole, par 4, 458 yards — a long creek-crossing dogleg considered one of the most demanding par-4s in championship golf - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/southern-hills-country-club/ Southern Hills Country Club, designed by Perry Maxwell and opened in 1936 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the premier championship course in the American heartland. Maxwell utilized the rolling terrain to create a course of strategic brilliance, with creek crossings, mature trees, and quick greens defending a demanding par-70 routing. It has hosted four PGA Championships and four U.S. Opens, including Tiger Woods' 2007 U.S. Open victory — his 12th major — and Justin Thomas's dramatic 2022 PGA Championship victory in a Monday playoff over Will Zalatoris. ## #26 Bethpage State Park (Black Course) - Location: Farmingdale, New York - Architect: A.W. Tillinghast & Joseph Burbeck - Year built: 1936 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7468 - Tournaments: 2002 U.S. Open; 2009 U.S. Open; 2019 PGA Championship; 2024 Ryder Cup - Signature hole: 4th hole, par 5, 517 yards — a massive par-5 with mounded rough forcing a precise lay-up before a demanding approach - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/bethpage-state-park-black-course/ Bethpage Black, designed by A.W. Tillinghast and opened in 1936 as a public course on Long Island, is the most prestigious municipal course in America and the first public layout to host a U.S. Open. Tillinghast's severe design features massive rough-topped mounds, deep bunkers, and tortuous green complexes across 7,468 yards. A warning sign tells average golfers to choose another course. Tiger Woods' dominant 2002 U.S. Open victory here validated it as a genuine major venue. Phil Mickelson won a thrilling 2009 U.S. Open here. The course hosted the 2019 PGA Championship. ## #27 Camargo Club - Location: Indian Hill, Ohio - Architect: Seth Raynor - Year built: 1921 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6524 - Signature hole: 14th hole 'Road', par 4, 411 yards — Raynor's Road Hole template with a wall-like bunker guarding the approach angle - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/camargo-club/ The Camargo Club in Cincinnati's Indian Hill suburb is one of Seth Raynor's finest works, built in 1921 on gently rolling terrain with characteristic precision and strategic sophistication. Raynor's mastery of template holes is on full display here — Eden, Short, Road Hole, Biarritz, and Cape variants appear in excellent form. Charles Banks completed minor revisions after Raynor's premature death. The course's modest yardage disguises its difficulty, as Raynor's angled greens, false fronts, and strategically placed bunkers demand precise course management. Consistently ranked in the top 25 of classic American courses. ## #28 The Olympic Club (Lake Course) - Location: San Francisco, California - Architect: Sam Whiting (redesign 1927) - Year built: 1927 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7169 - Tournaments: 1955 U.S. Open; 1966 U.S. Open; 1987 U.S. Open; 1998 U.S. Open; 2012 U.S. Open; 2022 U.S. Open - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 347 yards — a short steep uphill finisher where overconfidence invites disaster - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/the-olympic-club-lake-course/ The Olympic Club's Lake Course, redesigned by Sam Whiting in 1927 on San Francisco's western hills, is one of the most treacherous U.S. Open venues in America — known for swallowing the apparent champion on the final day. Towering cypress and eucalyptus trees channel ocean breezes unpredictably. Its uphill finishing holes have claimed Ben Hogan in 1955, Arnold Palmer in 1966, and Tom Watson in 1987. Matt Fitzpatrick won the 2022 U.S. Open here. The course's narrow tree-lined fairways, sloping terrain, and deceptively difficult putting surfaces create a unique and unforgiving test. ## #29 Maidstone Club - Location: East Hampton, New York - Architect: Willie Park Jr. - Year built: 1891 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6326 - Signature hole: 13th hole, par 3, 160 yards — a seaside par-3 with the Atlantic Ocean visible behind and dunes framing the tiny green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/maidstone-club/ Maidstone Club, founded in 1891 and refined by Willie Park Jr. in the 1920s, occupies one of the most dramatic sites in American golf — a narrow strip between the Atlantic Ocean and Hook Pond in East Hampton. The course weaves between oceanside dunes and freshwater ponds, with several holes running directly along the beach. Its exposed wind-ravaged terrain and lack of trees create a genuine links experience on American soil. Maidstone's small membership and summer-only nature have kept it exclusive and largely outside the championship circuit, enhancing its mystique. ## #30 San Francisco Golf Club - Location: San Francisco, California - Architect: A.W. Tillinghast - Year built: 1918 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6761 - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 3, 185 yards — a demanding mid-length one-shotter across a ravine to a well-bunkered green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/san-francisco-golf-club/ San Francisco Golf Club, designed by A.W. Tillinghast and opened in 1918 in the city's southwestern corner near Lake Merced, is one of California's great hidden treasures. Tillinghast wrapped the course through swales and ravines in the San Francisco fog belt, creating a routing of surprising intimacy and strategic depth. The course's par-71 layout uses terrain features brilliantly, and its bunkering bears the Tillinghast signature of deep clearly-punishing sand hazards placed to reward courage and penalize timidity. It has never hosted a major professional event, prizing exclusivity above all. ## #31 Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course) - Location: Kiawah Island, South Carolina - Architect: Pete Dye - Year built: 1991 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7876 - Tournaments: 1991 Ryder Cup; 1997 World Cup of Golf; 2012 PGA Championship; 2021 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3, 197 yards — an oceanfront par-3 where wind can turn a wedge into a long iron - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/kiawah-island-ocean-course/ The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, Pete Dye's spectacular creation along South Carolina's coast, was purpose-built for the 1991 Ryder Cup — the War on the Shore — just months after construction. Its 10 oceanside or oceanview holes, buffeted by Atlantic breezes, make it one of the most scenic and brutally wind-exposed courses in America. Phil Mickelson's 2021 PGA Championship victory here — becoming the oldest major winner in history at 50 — was one of the most emotional moments in major championship history. ## #32 Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower Course) - Location: Springfield, New Jersey - Architect: A.W. Tillinghast - Year built: 1922 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7446 - Tournaments: 1936 U.S. Open; 1954 U.S. Open; 1967 U.S. Open; 1980 U.S. Open; 1993 U.S. Open; 2005 U.S. Open; 1954 PGA Championship; 2016 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3, 194 yards — across a pond to a trident-bunkered green; site of Nicklaus's legendary 1-iron to within tap-in range - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/baltusrol-golf-club-lower-course/ Baltusrol Golf Club's Lower Course, A.W. Tillinghast's redesign completed in 1922 on the slopes of Baltusrol Mountain in New Jersey, is one of America's most reliable major championship venues. Jack Nicklaus broke U.S. Open scoring records here twice in 1967 and 1980, and the Lower Course has hosted seven U.S. Opens plus the 2016 PGA Championship. The iconic 17th par-3 over water, where Nicklaus hit a one-iron to 22 inches, is one of the great moments in major championship history. ## #33 Garden City Golf Club - Location: Garden City, New York - Architect: Devereux Emmet (original), Walter Travis (revision) - Year built: 1899 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/73 - Yardage: 6828 - Tournaments: 1900 U.S. Open; 1902 U.S. Amateur; 1908 U.S. Amateur - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 4, 436 yards — a long flat challenge demanding precision to an open but cleverly defended green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/garden-city-golf-club/ Garden City Golf Club, laid out by Devereux Emmet in 1899 and revised by Walter Travis, sits on the flat Long Island plain and is among the oldest courses in America to still resemble its original character. Travis revised the layout to increase strategic demand, and the result is a course that plays longer and trickier than its modest topography suggests. Its par-73 routing with natural sandy lies instead of rough reflects early American links ideals. The club hosted the 1902 U.S. Amateur — Travis's first of three victories — and is considered essential on any Long Island golf pilgrimage. ## #34 Bandon Dunes - Location: Bandon, Oregon - Architect: David McLay Kidd - Year built: 1999 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6732 - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 4, 363 yards — a short but treacherous dogleg with a clifftop green hanging above the Pacific - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/bandon-dunes/ Bandon Dunes, David McLay Kidd's debut course opened in 1999, transformed American golf travel by proving that golfers would flock to a remote walking-only resort on the Oregon coast if the course was extraordinary enough. Built on windswept bluffs above the Pacific Ocean, the course channels the spirit of Scottish links with firm fast turf, natural dune ridgelines, and ocean views from virtually every hole. It spawned a resort that now includes four ranked 18-hole courses, each of which has separately earned recognition among America's best. ## #35 Shadow Creek Golf Club - Location: North Las Vegas, Nevada - Architect: Tom Fazio - Year built: 1990 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7560 - Tournaments: The Match (2020) - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3, 270 yards — a long dramatic par-3 surrounded by water with a towering waterfall backdrop - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/shadow-creek-golf-club/ Shadow Creek is one of the most audacious course construction projects in golf history — a lush tree-lined oasis built in the Nevada desert at staggering expense by MGM Grand for Steve Wynn. Tom Fazio moved millions of cubic yards of earth, planted tens of thousands of mature trees, and created a verdant forest entirely divorced from the surrounding Las Vegas suburb. The result is a course of extraordinary beauty and strategic challenge, with a peaceful creek and waterfalls threading through the fairways. Long restricted to casino high-rollers, it hosted The Match in 2020 drawing massive global audiences during the COVID pandemic. ## #36 Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course) - Location: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan - Architect: Donald Ross (original), Robert Trent Jones Sr. (renovation 1951) - Year built: 1918 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7037 - Tournaments: 1924 U.S. Open; 1937 U.S. Open; 1951 U.S. Open; 1961 U.S. Open; 1985 U.S. Open; 1996 U.S. Open; 1972 PGA Championship; 1979 PGA Championship; 2008 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 4, 408 yards — a demanding mid-length par-4 with a stream crossing that felled many U.S. Open contenders - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/oakland-hills-country-club-south-course/ Oakland Hills Country Club's South Course, Donald Ross's 1918 creation in suburban Detroit later overhauled by Robert Trent Jones Sr. for the 1951 U.S. Open, became famous when Ben Hogan called it the Monster after taming it with a final-round 67. Jones narrowed fairways and added 61 bunkers, creating a course so penal that competitors despaired. Hogan's mastery is considered among the five greatest rounds ever played. The South Course subsequently hosted six more U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships, including Padraig Harrington's 2008 triumph. The club underwent a full restoration by Gil Hanse in 2021. ## #37 Peachtree Golf Club - Location: Atlanta, Georgia - Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr. & Bobby Jones - Year built: 1948 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7219 - Tournaments: 1989 Walker Cup; 2009 Walker Cup - Signature hole: 15th hole, par 4, 456 yards — a long uphill par-4 through tall Georgia pines demanding precision from tee to green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/peachtree-golf-club/ Peachtree Golf Club, conceived by Bobby Jones and Robert Trent Jones Sr. in Atlanta in 1948, represents the collaboration of two of golf's greatest figures. Bobby Jones brought a player's eye for strategic beauty while RTJ provided architectural expertise to shape the rolling Georgia terrain. The result is one of the great private courses of the American South, with a demanding but beautiful routing through tall pines. Peachtree hosted the Walker Cup in 1989 and 2009, cementing its status as a course of championship caliber and a testament to the friendship of its two great creators. ## #38 Sebonack Golf Club - Location: Southampton, New York - Architect: Jack Nicklaus & Tom Doak - Year built: 2006 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7017 - Tournaments: 2013 U.S. Women's Open - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 4, 439 yards — a dramatic oceanfront hole with water visible on multiple sides and a demanding approach - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/sebonack-golf-club/ Sebonack Golf Club, opened in 2006 adjacent to the National Golf Links in Southampton, represents an extraordinary collaboration between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak — arguably the greatest living player-architect and the leading contemporary minimalist designer. The site, a narrow peninsula between Shinnecock Bay and Peconic Bay with ocean views to the south, may be the finest piece of raw land used for any course built in the 21st century. The course combines Nicklaus's bold strategic thinking with Doak's naturally flowing green complexes, creating a singular drama and beauty. ## #39 Congaree Golf Club - Location: Ridgeland, South Carolina - Architect: Tom Fazio - Year built: 2018 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7671 - Tournaments: Palmetto Championship (PGA Tour, 2021-2022) - Signature hole: 9th hole, par 4, 469 yards — a sweeping dogleg through cathedral live oaks to a green flanked by the Coosawhatchie swampland - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/congaree-golf-club/ Congaree Golf Club, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2018 in the South Carolina lowcountry, made an immediate and dramatic entrance into elite rankings — debuting in Golf Digest's Top 50 within two years of opening. The course occupies a breathtaking site in a live oak forest draped with Spanish moss near the Coosawhatchie River, with fairways cut through ancient trees creating dramatic enclosed corridors. Founded by billionaire Ben Kohler, Congaree also launched the Palmetto Championship, hosting PGA Tour events while maintaining its ultra-private membership. ## #40 Old Town Club - Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina - Architect: Perry Maxwell (original), Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw (restoration 2013) - Year built: 1939 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6864 - Signature hole: 12th hole, par 3, 195 yards — a classic Maxwell par-3 with a rolling green featuring the designer's signature undulating contours - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/old-town-club/ Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, originally designed by Perry Maxwell in 1939, was sensitively restored by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2013 to recover Maxwell's original strategic vision from decades of modifications. The restoration recaptured Maxwell's flowing terrain-hugging fairways and his famously undulating Maxwell Roll greens. The result was an immediate leap in rankings — Old Town has climbed from relative anonymity to the top 40 in major polls, recognized as one of the finest Maxwell originals in America and one of the great restoration projects of recent decades. ## #41 Shoreacres Club - Location: Lake Bluff, Illinois - Architect: Seth Raynor - Year built: 1921 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6753 - Signature hole: 14th 'Road Hole', par 4, 451 yards — Raynor's finest Road Hole template with a wall of bunkers guarding the approach angle - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/shoreacres-club/ Shoreacres Club, Seth Raynor's 1921 masterpiece on the Lake Michigan bluffs north of Chicago, is among the most dramatic and least-known great courses in America. Raynor dramatically utilized 100 feet of elevation change from the upland farmland to the lake shore, creating a routing of extraordinary variety and visual drama. His template holes appear here in some of their finest incarnations: the 5th Short, the 7th Biarritz, and the 14th Road Hole are among the best renditions in existence. The clubhouse perched at the bluff's edge offers panoramic Lake Michigan views. ## #42 Cherry Hills Country Club - Location: Englewood, Colorado - Architect: William Flynn - Year built: 1922 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7573 - Tournaments: 1938 U.S. Open; 1960 U.S. Open; 1978 PGA Championship; 1985 U.S. Open; 1990 U.S. Women's Open - Signature hole: 1st hole, par 4, 346 yards — the driveable opening hole that Arnold Palmer drove in the 1960 U.S. Open to launch his historic comeback - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/cherry-hills-country-club/ Cherry Hills Country Club in Englewood, designed by William Flynn in 1922 near Denver, is the site of two of golf's most dramatic moments. Arnold Palmer's legendary 1960 U.S. Open charge — driving the 1st green in the final round and making seven birdies in the first seven holes — is perhaps the most celebrated back nine in major championship history. The course sprawls at 5,280 feet elevation, providing an extra 10 percent carry distance. It is the highest-elevation course to have hosted a U.S. Open, and Bob Nicklaus's 1978 PGA victory here also stands as a memorable championship. ## #43 Wade Hampton Golf Club - Location: Cashiers, North Carolina - Architect: Tom Fazio - Year built: 1987 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7127 - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5, 551 yards — a spectacular downhill finisher with Whiteside Mountain framing the approach - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/wade-hampton-golf-club/ Wade Hampton Golf Club, Tom Fazio's 1987 mountain creation in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina near Cashiers, is often cited as the most beautiful course Fazio ever designed. Set at 3,600 feet elevation in the Nantahala National Forest, the course weaves through meadows and hardwood forests toward the dramatic backdrop of Whiteside Mountain. Its lush cool-season turf is immaculate year-round, and views of surrounding peaks create a sense of peaceful grandeur. Wade Hampton has been a regular fixture in the top 30 of American rankings for over three decades. ## #44 Winged Foot Golf Club (East Course) - Location: Mamaroneck, New York - Architect: A.W. Tillinghast - Year built: 1923 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6956 - Tournaments: 1940 U.S. Women's Open; 1949 U.S. Women's Open - Signature hole: 10th hole, par 5, 577 yards — a long beautifully contoured par-5 with a demanding approach to a heavily guarded green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/winged-foot-golf-club-east-course/ Winged Foot's East Course, designed simultaneously with the West by A.W. Tillinghast in 1923, is a shorter but no less demanding companion. Tillinghast's mastery of green complexes is equally visible here, with bold contours and deep-faced bunkers demanding equally precise approach play. The East is widely respected as an exceptional course in its own right — not merely the West's understudy — and has hosted two U.S. Women's Opens. Recent renovations have elevated the East back to near-parity with its famous sibling in the major rankings. ## #45 Sleepy Hollow Country Club - Location: Scarborough, New York - Architect: C.B. Macdonald & Seth Raynor (original), Gil Hanse (restoration 2017) - Year built: 1913 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6946 - Signature hole: 9th hole, par 4, 458 yards — a demanding hole with panoramic Hudson River views from the elevated fairway - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/sleepy-hollow-country-club/ Sleepy Hollow Country Club, originally designed by C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor in 1913 on the Hudson River bluffs north of New York City, is one of the most scenically situated courses in the Northeast. A.W. Tillinghast modified the routing in the 1920s, and Gil Hanse completed a sensitive restoration in 2017 that stripped away decades of accumulated changes to recover the original strategic spirit. The Hudson River is visible on multiple holes, and the restored Macdonald-Raynor template holes — particularly the Short, Redan, and Cape — are among the finest examples in existence following Hanse's work. ## #46 Medinah Country Club (Course No. 3) - Location: Medinah, Illinois - Architect: Tom Bendelow (original), Roger Packard (renovation) - Year built: 1928 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7606 - Tournaments: 1949 U.S. Open; 1975 U.S. Open; 1990 U.S. Open; 1999 PGA Championship; 2006 PGA Championship; 1988 PGA Championship; 2012 Ryder Cup - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3, 219 yards — over Lake Kadijah to a peninsula green; one of the most photographed par-3s in America - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/medinah-country-club-course-3/ Medinah Country Club's Course No. 3, opened in 1928 amid the cathedral oaks and maples of Chicago's western suburbs, has been the site of some of professional golf's most dramatic moments. Tiger Woods won three championships here — the 1999 and 2006 PGA Championships and the 2000 U.S. Open. But the course is equally remembered for the Miracle at Medinah — the 2012 Ryder Cup where Europe's extraordinary Sunday comeback from 10-6 down is one of the most astonishing results in golf history. The course's demanding tree-lined corridors and Lake Kadijah create a test of championship quality. ## #47 Myopia Hunt Club - Location: South Hamilton, Massachusetts - Architect: Herbert Leeds (original), Gil Hanse (restoration 2013) - Year built: 1896 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6626 - Tournaments: 1898 U.S. Open; 1901 U.S. Open; 1905 U.S. Open; 1908 U.S. Open - Signature hole: 4th hole, par 3, 174 yards — a classic short hole with a wildly heaving green that will accept only perfectly struck shots - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/myopia-hunt-club/ Myopia Hunt Club north of Boston, one of America's oldest courses, hosted four consecutive U.S. Opens from 1898 to 1908 and is the oldest U.S. Open venue still in existence. Its short layout, routed over rolling drumlin terrain with massive pitch-and-roll greens, plays far harder than its yardage suggests. Gil Hanse's 2013 restoration recaptured the original's bold humpbacked green contours and sod-wall bunkers, earning the course immediate re-entry into major ranking lists. The ancient clubhouse and horse-country ambience make a visit feel like a step back into Victorian New England. ## #48 Ohoopee Match Club - Location: Cobbtown, Georgia - Architect: Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner - Year built: 2018 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6987 - Signature hole: 15th hole, par 4, 399 yards — a dramatic short par-4 through sandy waste areas reminiscent of a Georgia links - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/ohoopee-match-club/ Ohoopee Match Club, designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner and opened in 2018 in the rural Georgia sandhill country, emerged almost instantly as one of the most celebrated courses built in the 21st century. Hanse found an extraordinary site of pure sand like a Georgia version of the Nebraska Sandhills, working it with minimalist precision to find 18 holes of exceptional quality in the naturally rippling terrain. The club's name reflects its principal commitment to match play golf. Ohoopee made Golf Digest's Top 100 within two years of opening and has continued to climb, recognized as among the top ten courses built since 2000. ## #49 The Alotian Club - Location: Roland, Arkansas - Architect: Tom Fazio - Year built: 2004 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7226 - Signature hole: 14th hole, par 4, 468 yards — a long sweeping downhill dogleg with Lake Maumelle visible from the elevated tee - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/the-alotian-club/ The Alotian Club, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2004 outside Little Rock on Lake Maumelle, is the finest golf course in Arkansas and one of Fazio's most acclaimed works. Founded by Arkansas businessman Warren Stephens, Alotian sits on a spectacular wooded peninsula surrounded by the clear-water lake, with dramatic elevation changes and intimate tree-lined corridors. Fazio's artful routing maximizes both the terrain and the lakeside views. The course appears regularly in national top-50 rankings and represents one of the most exclusive and celebrated private clubs in the American South. ## #50 Quaker Ridge Golf Club - Location: Scarsdale, New York - Architect: A.W. Tillinghast - Year built: 1918 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6745 - Tournaments: 1997 Walker Cup; 2019 U.S. Women's Amateur - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 430 yards — a dramatic uphill finisher with a banked fairway and a tiered green surrounded by deep bunkers - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/quaker-ridge-golf-club/ Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, Westchester County, was designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1918 and is considered one of his finest works — often overshadowed by Winged Foot next door but admired by architects as possibly his greatest achievement at a private club. The course's bold cross-hazard bunkering, natural terrain routing, and wonderfully varied holes form a complete test demanding full use of every club. Quaker Ridge hosted the Walker Cup in 1997 and the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2019, introducing a new generation to its timeless qualities. ## #51 Plainfield Country Club - Location: Plainfield, New Jersey - Architect: Donald Ross - Year built: 1921 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6900 - Tournaments: 1978 U.S. Amateur; 1987 U.S. Amateur - Signature hole: 10th hole, par 4, 452 yards — a long sweeping dogleg requiring a demanding second shot across a hidden creek - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/plainfield-country-club/ Plainfield Country Club in central New Jersey, designed by Donald Ross in 1921, is among the finest examples of Ross's parkland golf on the East Coast. Rolling hills, mature hardwood forests, and a creek crossing multiple fairways create a varied and visually beautiful layout. Ross's trademark crowned and contoured greens remain intact, and the course's par-72 challenge demands creativity and shot-making precision rather than mere power. Plainfield hosted two U.S. Amateurs and is consistently regarded as one of New Jersey's top three courses. ## #52 Bandon Trails - Location: Bandon, Oregon - Architect: Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw - Year built: 2005 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6765 - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3, 213 yards — a wind-exposed par-3 in the open heath with a sweeping view of the Pacific coastline - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/bandon-trails/ Bandon Trails, the third course at Bandon Dunes Resort designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 2005, is different from its siblings — carved through native heathland rather than along the Pacific coast. Traversing a mix of forest, meadow, and open heath, Trails feels like a Scottish heathland classic transplanted to Oregon. Its flowing fairways, dune-grass rough, and ground-hugging design philosophy create a course rewarding creative low runners and bump-and-run approaches. It has achieved independent rankings acclaim, appearing consistently among the five best resort courses in America. ## #53 Somerset Hills Country Club - Location: Bernardsville, New Jersey - Architect: A.W. Tillinghast - Year built: 1918 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6473 - Tournaments: 2003 Walker Cup; 1996 U.S. Women's Amateur - Signature hole: 13th hole, par 4, 427 yards — a long tree-framed hole with a deceptive approach to a Tillinghast green complex - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/somerset-hills-country-club/ Somerset Hills Country Club in the Bernardsville hills of New Jersey, designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1918, is among his most intimate and thoughtful works. Tillinghast used the natural terrain with unusual restraint, following the contours of a beautiful glacially-formed valley to create a routing that feels organic and timeless. Its par-70 layout uses varied hole types and Tillinghast's trademark bold bunkering to create a course where local knowledge and precision matter enormously. Hosted the 2003 Walker Cup and the 1996 U.S. Women's Amateur, cementing its status as a worthy venue for elite amateur competition. ## #54 Inverness Club - Location: Toledo, Ohio - Architect: Donald Ross - Year built: 1919 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7255 - Tournaments: 1920 U.S. Open; 1931 U.S. Open; 1957 U.S. Open; 1979 U.S. Open; 1986 PGA Championship; 1993 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 3, 200 yards — a classic one-shot hole with water right and bunkers protecting a subtly contoured Ross green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/inverness-club/ Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1919, is one of the Midwest's most historic championship venues. The club is famous for welcoming professional caddies to the clubhouse during the 1920 U.S. Open — a revolutionary act at the time — for which the pros gifted the club with an ornate grandfather clock. Bobby Jones declared it the finest course in America in 1920. It has hosted four U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships. Ross revised the course, and A.W. Tillinghast made further modifications for the 1931 U.S. Open. ## #55 Congressional Country Club (Blue Course) - Location: Bethesda, Maryland - Architect: Devereux Emmet (original), Robert Trent Jones Sr. (redesign), Rees Jones (renovation) - Year built: 1924 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7643 - Tournaments: 1964 U.S. Open; 1997 U.S. Open; 2011 U.S. Open; 1976 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 10th hole, par 3, 209 yards — a long demanding par-3 over a pond to a heavily contoured green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/congressional-country-club-blue-course/ Congressional Country Club's Blue Course near Washington D.C., opened in 1924 as an ambitious design on a sweeping Maryland estate, has been overhauled multiple times for major championships. Ken Venturi's historic 36-hole final day victory in oppressive heat in 1964 is one of golf's most dramatic stories. Rory McIlroy's demolition of the field in 2011 — an eight-shot victory — announced his arrival as the dominant player of his generation. The club has hosted the U.S. Open three times and the PGA Championship, cementing its status as a premier championship venue near the nation's capital. ## #56 Scioto Country Club - Location: Columbus, Ohio - Architect: Donald Ross - Year built: 1916 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7163 - Tournaments: 1926 U.S. Open; 1931 Ryder Cup; 1959 U.S. Amateur; 1968 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 4th hole, par 5, 538 yards — a demanding three-shotter requiring precision on the approach to a Ross green guarded by flanking bunkers - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/scioto-country-club/ Scioto Country Club in Columbus, one of Donald Ross's finest parkland designs, is inextricably linked to Jack Nicklaus, who grew up playing the course as a junior and used it as his proving ground. Ross completed the course in 1916 on rolling terrain along the Scioto River, creating a challenging layout of tree-lined fairways and his trademark contoured greens. Bobby Jones won the 1926 U.S. Open here, and Jack Nicklaus won his first USGA title — the 1959 U.S. Amateur — on his home course. Scioto's role in shaping the Golden Bear is its greatest distinction. ## #57 Aronimink Golf Club - Location: Newtown Square, Pennsylvania - Architect: Donald Ross - Year built: 1928 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7290 - Tournaments: 1962 PGA Championship; 2010 BMW Championship - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 450 yards — a long gentle dogleg right to a Ross green with a deep sod-wall bunker guarding the left side - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/aronimink-golf-club/ Aronimink Golf Club on Philadelphia's Main Line, Donald Ross's 1928 masterpiece, is considered one of his two or three finest works in America. The course sits on rolling Newtown Square terrain amid magnificent hardwood trees, with Ross's best green complexes on full display — boldly contoured, ingeniously angled, and brilliantly defended by sod-wall bunkers. The par-70 layout makes its demands felt in length and precision rather than brute strength. Aronimink hosted the 1962 PGA Championship and the 2010 BMW Championship. Ross himself called it his personal favorite among his designs. ## #58 East Lake Golf Club - Location: Atlanta, Georgia - Architect: Tom Bendelow (original), Donald Ross (redesign 1914), Rees Jones (renovation 1994) - Year built: 1904 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7385 - Tournaments: Tour Championship (annual, since 2004) - Signature hole: 9th hole, par 4, 458 yards — a long rolling par-4 over East Lake itself where Bobby Jones first fell in love with golf - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/east-lake-golf-club/ East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where Bobby Jones learned to play golf, is one of the most historically significant courses in American golf. Donald Ross reworked the layout in 1914, and Jones honed his game to near perfection here as a child and young man. The club fell into disrepair in the 1990s before a sweeping philanthropic revival initiated by Tom Cousins restored both the course and the surrounding neighborhood. Rees Jones renovated the course in 1994, and East Lake now annually hosts the Tour Championship — the PGA Tour's season-ending FedEx Cup finale. ## #59 The Lido at Sand Valley - Location: Rome, Wisconsin - Architect: Tom Doak & Brian Schneider (C.B. Macdonald recreation) - Year built: 2023 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7160 - Signature hole: 18th hole 'Sea Hole', par 4, 476 yards — recreation of Macdonald's famous artificial lake hole requiring a bold carry over water - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/the-lido-at-sand-valley/ The Lido at Sand Valley, opened in 2023 as a recreation of C.B. Macdonald's original Lido Club — destroyed in 1942 — represents one of the most ambitious course design projects of the 21st century. Tom Doak and Brian Schneider used Macdonald's original plans, hole sketches, and historical photographs to reconstruct the legendary course on the sandy Wisconsin landscape of Sand Valley Resort. The original Lido, built on dredged Long Island land in 1917, was widely considered the greatest course in America in its time. The recreation captures Macdonald's bold strategic vision and has been celebrated as an instant classic. ## #60 Ballyneal Golf and Hunt Club - Location: Holyoke, Colorado - Architect: Tom Doak - Year built: 2006 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7051 - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 4, 430 yards — a dramatic ledge-to-ledge fairway over a canyon, one of the most thrilling approaches in American golf - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/ballyneal-golf-and-hunt-club/ Ballyneal Golf and Hunt Club, Tom Doak's 2006 minimalist masterpiece on the high plains of northeastern Colorado, rivals Sand Hills as the purest expression of naturalistic design in post-war American golf. The course occupies a remote site among the dramatic dry canyons and sandhills of the Great Plains, with Doak finding naturally perfect fairways and green sites in the tumbling terrain. Ballyneal entered the rankings at high positions almost immediately after opening and has remained a touchstone of the minimalist movement as a course that defines what great modern design can achieve. ## #61 Old Macdonald - Location: Bandon, Oregon - Architect: Tom Doak & Jim Urbina - Year built: 2010 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6883 - Signature hole: 5th 'Leven', par 5, 604 yards — a massive triple-template par-5 with three distinct landing zones and a towering links-style green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/old-macdonald-bandon/ Old Macdonald, the fourth course at Bandon Dunes Resort designed by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina and opened in 2010, is a deliberate tribute to C.B. Macdonald's template hole philosophy. Doak assembled classic template types — Redan, Eden, Short, Biarritz, Alps, and others — across a dramatic hilltop site with sweeping Pacific Ocean views, creating what amounts to a museum of great strategic golf. The massive rollicking greens reward bump-and-run approaches and creative chip shots. Its bold old-fashioned aesthetic makes it stand apart from its companion courses at the resort. ## #62 Victoria National Golf Club - Location: Newburgh, Indiana - Architect: Tom Fazio - Year built: 1998 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7257 - Tournaments: BMW Championship (PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs, multiple years) - Signature hole: 3rd hole, par 4, 453 yards — a sweeping downhill hole from an elevated tee over reclaimed terrain to a tightly defended green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/victoria-national-golf-club/ Victoria National Golf Club in southwestern Indiana, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1998, is widely regarded as the finest golf course in Indiana and one of the top 50 courses built since 1960. Fazio built the course on an old strip-mining site, reclaiming scarred land into a dramatically beautiful landscape of elevation changes, forests, and water features. The course's dramatic topography creates memorable encounters rarely found in the otherwise flat Midwest. Victoria National hosts the BMW Championship, a PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoff event, demonstrating its championship credentials. ## #63 Valhalla Golf Club - Location: Louisville, Kentucky - Architect: Jack Nicklaus - Year built: 1986 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7545 - Tournaments: 1996 Ryder Cup; 2008 Ryder Cup; 1994 PGA Championship; 2000 PGA Championship; 2014 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5, 520 yards — a reachable par-5 over Fishpool Creek to a tiered green that invites all-or-nothing decisions - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/valhalla-golf-club/ Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, opened in 1986 as Jack Nicklaus's personal design in Kentucky, has established itself as one of the premier championship venues in the American South. Its rolling woodland terrain, water hazards, and the iconic finishing stretch along Fishpool Creek create a photogenic and demanding test. Valhalla has hosted three PGA Championships — Nick Price's 1994 victory, Tiger Woods' 2000 win, and Rory McIlroy's dominant 2014 triumph — plus the 1996 and 2008 Ryder Cups. McIlroy's winning putt on the 18th in 2014 is one of the great images of major championship golf. ## #64 Harbour Town Golf Links - Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina - Architect: Pete Dye & Jack Nicklaus - Year built: 1969 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7099 - Tournaments: RBC Heritage (annual, PGA Tour, since 1969) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 478 yards — alongside Calibogue Sound with the lighthouse behind; the most photographed PGA Tour finishing hole - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/harbour-town-golf-links/ Harbour Town Golf Links, Pete Dye's revolutionary 1969 design on Hilton Head Island with consultation from Jack Nicklaus, fundamentally changed American course design. Dye created a narrow, precise, target-style course with small greens, railroad tie bunkers, and water hazards demanding accurate thinking-man's golf. The PGA Tour's RBC Heritage has been played here annually since 1969. The iconic red-and-white candy-striped lighthouse at the 18th is the most recognizable backdrop in PGA Tour golf and one of the most photographed images in the sport. ## #65 Spyglass Hill Golf Course - Location: Pebble Beach, California - Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr. - Year built: 1966 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6960 - Tournaments: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (annual rotation course) - Signature hole: 4th hole, par 4, 371 yards — a dramatic downhill oceanview hole where Monterey Bay frames one of the most beautiful approach shots in golf - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/spyglass-hill-golf-course/ Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s 1966 creation in the Pebble Beach Del Monte Forest, begins with five ocean-view holes on the coastal edge before plunging into the dramatic cypress and pine forest for its remaining 13 holes. Named after Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Spyglass is widely considered the most consistently difficult course on the Pebble Beach resort, combining ocean exposure with demanding woodland precision. It is one of the three rotation courses for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and regularly challenges tour professionals. ## #66 Pasatiempo Golf Club - Location: Santa Cruz, California - Architect: Alister MacKenzie - Year built: 1929 - Access: Semi-Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6600 - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 3, 173 yards — a dramatic downhill par-3 over a deep barranca to one of MacKenzie's most boldly contoured greens - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/pasatiempo-golf-club/ Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Alister MacKenzie's 1929 California home course, was the course he built adjacent to his own residence and most closely reflects his personal philosophy. MacKenzie used dramatic ravines and barrancas of the Santa Cruz mountains to create a course of spectacular visual beauty and strategic challenge. MacKenzie himself called it the finest course of his creation. A 2013 restoration by Tom Doak returned the greens to their original bold contours, recovering MacKenzie's vision from decades of softening modifications. It is one of the few top-ranked courses accessible to non-members. ## #67 Monterey Peninsula CC (Shore Course) - Location: Pebble Beach, California - Architect: Seth Raynor (original), Mike Strantz (renovation 2004) - Year built: 1925 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6850 - Tournaments: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (annual rotation course) - Signature hole: 13th hole, par 4, 395 yards — along the rocky Monterey Coast with Stillwater Cove visible from tee to green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/monterey-peninsula-cc-shore-course/ The Monterey Peninsula Country Club's Shore Course, originally routed by Seth Raynor in 1925 and dramatically renovated by Mike Strantz in 2004, occupies a stunning stretch of the Monterey Coast between Cypress Point and Pebble Beach. Strantz's renovation transformed a good course into a great one, carving out Raynor's original template holes while adding dramatic coastal scenery and adventurous green complexes. The course's five oceanside holes — including the breathtaking 13th along Stillwater Cove — rival any comparable stretch in American golf. ## #68 Piping Rock Club - Location: Locust Valley, New York - Architect: C.B. Macdonald & Seth Raynor - Year built: 1911 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6563 - Signature hole: 6th hole 'Eden', par 3, 182 yards — a classic Eden template with a stream fronting the green and mounds channeling errant shots - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/piping-rock-club/ Piping Rock Club on Long Island's Gold Coast, designed by C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor in 1911, is a compact and brilliant example of the Macdonald-Raynor template hole philosophy. The course occupies just 145 acres but packs in a full strategic experience, with the Redan, Eden, Short, Alps, and Biarritz holes in superb form. Macdonald's routing on the gently rolling terrain achieves an extraordinary variety of challenges in a relatively small space. Its proximity to the National Golf Links makes it an essential stop on any Long Island pilgrimage. ## #69 Rock Creek Cattle Company - Location: Deer Lodge, Montana - Architect: Tom Doak - Year built: 2008 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7100 - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 455 yards — a sweeping downhill finisher with the Clark Fork River flanking the approach and the Continental Divide visible in the distance - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/rock-creek-cattle-company/ Rock Creek Cattle Company, Tom Doak's 2008 masterpiece on a working cattle ranch in the Deer Lodge Valley of western Montana, represents the most remote top-ranked private course in America. Doak found a spectacular site in the shadow of the Continental Divide, with the Flint Creek Range visible across the valley and the Clark Fork River threading through the property. The course combines Doak's naturalistic minimalism with extraordinary mountain scenery. Its geographic isolation and ultra-private membership have made it one of the most exclusive and sought-after rounds in American golf. ## #70 Whispering Pines Golf Club - Location: Trinity, Texas - Architect: Chet Williams - Year built: 2000 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7085 - Signature hole: 12th hole, par 4, 475 yards — a demanding long par-4 threading through the East Texas pines with a precision approach required - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/whispering-pines-golf-club/ Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas, designed by Chet Williams and opened in 2000 in the East Texas Piney Woods, is consistently ranked as the finest private course in Texas and among the top 50 in America. Williams created a course of astonishing precision and beauty amid the tall East Texas pines, with bold green complexes, imaginative bunker strategies, and a design philosophy that rewards skilled shot-making. The par-70 layout's demanding two-shot holes and testing par-3s require complete mastery of the game. Its exclusivity adds greatly to its mystique. ## #71 California Golf Club of San Francisco - Location: South San Francisco, California - Architect: A. Vernon Macan (original), Kyle Phillips (restoration 2007) - Year built: 1921 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6847 - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 4, 431 yards — a sweeping dogleg through the cypress-dotted South San Francisco hills - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/california-golf-club-of-san-francisco/ The California Golf Club of San Francisco in South San Francisco, originally designed by A. Vernon Macan in 1921 and brilliantly restored by Kyle Phillips in 2007, is one of the hidden gems of California golf. Phillips's painstaking restoration revealed the original routing's strategic sophistication — bold green complexes, artful bunkering, and terrain-following fairways obscured by decades of modifications. The restored course drew immediate critical acclaim and entered major ranking lists almost immediately, recognized as one of the great restoration projects in American golf. ## #72 Double Eagle Club - Location: Galena, Ohio - Architect: Tom Weiskopf & Jay Morrish - Year built: 1992 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7171 - Signature hole: 11th hole, par 4, 459 yards — a sweeping dogleg with a dramatic approach requiring precise distance control to a well-defended green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/double-eagle-club/ Double Eagle Club north of Columbus, Ohio, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and opened in 1992, is one of the most perfectly executed private courses built in the 1990s. The course uses the rolling Ohio terrain intelligently, creating a flowing layout of wide fairways, masterful bunkering, and contoured greens that challenge without being unfair. Its ultra-private membership and word-of-mouth reputation have kept it largely under the radar despite consistent top-100 rankings across multiple publications. It is widely considered the finest course in Ohio after Muirfield Village. ## #73 Pikewood National Golf Club - Location: Morgantown, West Virginia - Architect: John Raese & Robert Gwynne - Year built: 2008 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7060 - Signature hole: 8th hole, par 3, 235 yards — a dramatic downhill par-3 with a massive waterfall visible behind the green and West Virginia mountains as backdrop - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/pikewood-national-golf-club/ Pikewood National Golf Club near Morgantown, West Virginia, designed by John Raese and Robert Gwynne and opened in 2008, is one of the most spectacular mountain golf experiences in the eastern United States. Routed through a remote West Virginia mountain site with dramatic elevation changes, deep forests, and cascading waterfalls, the course creates visual and strategic experiences unlike anything in the Mid-Atlantic region. Its par-71 layout uses natural terrain features brilliantly, and the views from elevated tees toward the Cheat River valley are among the most dramatic in eastern golf. ## #74 The Honors Course - Location: Ooltewah, Tennessee - Architect: Pete Dye - Year built: 1983 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7144 - Tournaments: NCAA Men's Golf Championship (multiple years); NCAA Women's Golf Championship (multiple years); 2007 U.S. Amateur - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 3, 178 yards — a dramatic downhill par-3 with the Tennessee foothills visible from the elevated tee - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/the-honors-course/ The Honors Course, Pete Dye's 1983 design in the Tennessee foothills outside Chattanooga, was specifically created to honor the traditions of amateur golf. The club hosts the NCAA Men's and Women's Golf Championships and emphasizes a pure golf experience built around the game's essentials. Dye designed the course through spectacular rolling terrain with dramatic elevation changes, mature hardwood forests, and significant water features. Its long par-4s and demanding finish — three consecutive challenging holes — have regularly produced memorable collegiate and amateur championships. ## #75 Kinloch Golf Club - Location: Manakin-Sabot, Virginia - Architect: Lester George & Vinny Giles - Year built: 2001 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7117 - Signature hole: 13th hole, par 3, 232 yards — a long tree-framed par-3 requiring a precise carry to a heavily bunkered green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/kinloch-golf-club/ Kinloch Golf Club in the Richmond, Virginia hunt country, designed by Lester George and Vinny Giles and opened in 2001, is consistently rated among the top five courses in the Mid-Atlantic region. The course occupies a spectacular site on a working horse farm west of Richmond, with rolling Piedmont terrain, stream crossings, and mature hardwood forest creating an atmosphere of pastoral grandeur. Its par-70 routing demands precision over power. Giles, a former Walker Cup captain and prominent amateur golfer, brought a player's sensibility to the design that makes Kinloch especially rewarding for skilled players. ## #76 Interlachen Country Club - Location: Edina, Minnesota - Architect: Willie Watson (original), Donald Ross (renovation 1921) - Year built: 1909 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6989 - Tournaments: 1930 U.S. Open; 1935 U.S. Women's Open; 2008 U.S. Women's Open - Signature hole: 9th hole, par 4, 409 yards — where Bobby Jones's famous Lily Pad Shot skipped across the water hazard during his 1930 Grand Slam - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/interlachen-country-club/ Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota, was Donald Ross's 1921 renovation of Willie Watson's original 1909 layout. The course is forever linked to Bobby Jones, who played the famous Lily Pad Shot on the 9th hole during his 1930 Grand Slam — where his ball skipped across water to set up a birdie and preserve his lead en route to the U.S. Open title. The park-like setting with Interlachen Lake creates a beautiful backdrop. The 2008 U.S. Women's Open, won by Inbee Park in a memorable finish, brought Interlachen renewed attention. ## #77 Olympia Fields Country Club (North Course) - Location: Olympia Fields, Illinois - Architect: Willie Park Jr. - Year built: 1922 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7100 - Tournaments: 1928 U.S. Open; 1961 U.S. Open; 2003 U.S. Open; 2003 U.S. Women's Open - Signature hole: 11th hole, par 4, 418 yards — a superb Park-designed two-shotter with a long angled fairway bunker requiring precise tee ball placement - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/olympia-fields-country-club-north-course/ Olympia Fields Country Club's North Course, designed by Willie Park Jr. and opened in 1922 in the Chicago Southland, is the finest remaining Willie Park Jr. design in America. Park, twice Open Champion and a preeminent Victorian-era designer, created a course of strategic elegance on the rolling Olympia Fields terrain. Its par-70 layout demands precision on demanding two-shot holes, with Park's trademark diagonal hazards and angled fairway bunkers. Jim Furyk won the 2003 U.S. Open here with a spectacular 72-hole score of 272. ## #78 The Golf Club - Location: New Albany, Ohio - Architect: Pete Dye - Year built: 1967 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7262 - Signature hole: 6th hole, par 4, 440 yards — a classic Dye design with a sod-wall bunker cutting into the fairway and a naturally contoured green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/the-golf-club-new-albany/ The Golf Club in New Albany, Ohio — Pete Dye's breakthrough design from 1967 and among the first American courses to be recognized internationally — was the prototype for modern American course design. Dye abandoned the smooth parkland model to create a rugged, naturalistic course with rough sod-wall bunkers, irregular green contours, and strategic demands recalling classic Scottish design. The course represented a radical departure from its era and directly influenced Harbour Town, TPC Sawgrass, and virtually every Pete Dye design that followed. It remains private and revered by architects as one of the most influential courses of the 20th century. ## #79 Gozzer Ranch Golf and Lake Club - Location: Harrison, Idaho - Architect: Tom Fazio - Year built: 2007 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7200 - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 3, 210 yards — a panoramic downhill par-3 over Lake Coeur d'Alene with the Idaho Selkirk Mountains visible in the distance - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/gozzer-ranch-golf-and-lake-club/ Gozzer Ranch Golf and Lake Club on Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2007, is one of Fazio's most acclaimed recent works. The course unfolds through a spectacular site of pine forest, meadows, and dramatic Lake Coeur d'Alene views on Idaho's panhandle. Fazio's routing threads through the mountain terrain with characteristic fluency, creating a succession of memorable holes that use elevation, water, and forest to spectacular effect. Its private residential setting ensures impeccable conditioning. ## #80 Milwaukee Country Club - Location: River Hills, Wisconsin - Architect: H.S. Colt & C.H. Alison - Year built: 1929 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6732 - Signature hole: 15th hole, par 4, 460 yards — a long demanding par-4 with Colt's characteristic diagonal bunkers demanding a precisely shaped tee shot - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/milwaukee-country-club/ Milwaukee Country Club in River Hills, designed by H.S. Colt and C.H. Alison and opened in 1929 on glacially-shaped terrain north of Milwaukee, is the finest British-designed classic course in the Midwest. Colt and Alison created a course of exceptional strategic variety, with their characteristic crossing of strategic thought lines across each hole. The course's bold cross-bunkers, angled fairways, and Colt's trademark subtly contoured greens create a sophisticated test that rewards intelligent play over raw power. Its understated excellence and historical integrity make it one of the most admired classic courses in the American heartland. ## #81 Streamsong Resort (Red Course) - Location: Bowling Green, Florida - Architect: Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw - Year built: 2012 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7081 - Signature hole: 15th hole, par 4, 452 yards — over a dramatic sandy waste ridge to a green perched on the plateau with views across the Florida sandscape - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/streamsong-resort-red-course/ Streamsong Red, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's 2012 course on a reclaimed phosphate mining site in central Florida, is one of the most remarkable transformations of industrial land in golf history. The mined terrain left behind a surreal sandscape of dramatic ridges, deep craters, and sandy waste areas that the architects converted into a links-like experience in the Florida interior. Wide fairways, massive natural bunkers, and rolling terrain create a course defying the region's flat-and-wet stereotype. Consistently rated Florida's top resort course. ## #82 Streamsong Resort (Black Course) - Location: Bowling Green, Florida - Architect: Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner - Year built: 2017 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7230 - Signature hole: 13th hole, par 3, 202 yards — a dramatic downhill par-3 from a ridge to a green nestled in a former mining pit surrounded by sandy waste - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/streamsong-resort-black-course/ Streamsong Black, designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner and opened in 2017, is the most dramatic of the three Streamsong courses, using a more adventurous and bold design approach. Hanse worked on the most rugged portion of the mining site, creating an inland links with dramatic elevation changes, enormous sandy waste areas, and a routing that traverses both the high ridges and low valleys of the mining terrain. Its par-71 routing demands powerful and creative golf, rewarding strategic thinking with exhilarating risk-reward opportunities at multiple junctures. ## #83 Erin Hills Golf Course - Location: Erin, Wisconsin - Architect: Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry & Ron Whitten - Year built: 2006 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7741 - Tournaments: 2017 U.S. Open - Signature hole: 8th hole, par 4, 498 yards — a panoramic hillside dogleg with fescue rough flanking a sweeping fairway and views of the Wisconsin glacial landscape - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/erin-hills-golf-course/ Erin Hills Golf Course, designed by Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry, and Ron Whitten and opened in 2006 in rural Waukesha County, Wisconsin, is the most significant public-access course built in America in the 21st century. Set on 650 acres of glacially-sculpted Wisconsin farmland, the course features dramatic elevation changes of over 200 feet, fescue rough, and a sweeping routing of grandeur recalling Scottish and Irish links. It hosted the 2017 U.S. Open — the first in Wisconsin — where Brooks Koepka won with a record-tying score of -16. The course is open to public play, making it among the most accessible top-100 venues. ## #84 Boston Golf Club - Location: Hingham, Massachusetts - Architect: Gil Hanse - Year built: 2006 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7025 - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 3, 181 yards — a dramatic par-3 across a rocky outcropping with glacial boulders framing the approach - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/boston-golf-club/ Boston Golf Club in Hingham, Gil Hanse's 2006 debut course on the South Shore of Massachusetts, launched one of the most successful design careers in modern golf. Hanse found a spectacular glacial site with dramatic bedrock outcroppings, glacial boulders, and rolling terrain near the Massachusetts coast. His routing navigates these natural features with seamless creativity, creating a course of bold visual character and strategic depth. Boston Golf Club is a testament to what thoughtful minimalist design can achieve, and its success established Hanse as one of the preeminent architects of the 21st century. ## #85 Old Sandwich Golf Club - Location: Plymouth, Massachusetts - Architect: Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw - Year built: 2004 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6919 - Signature hole: 10th hole, par 4, 426 yards — a long hole through pine corridors with a demanding approach to a small well-defended Coore-Crenshaw green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/old-sandwich-golf-club/ Old Sandwich Golf Club in Plymouth, Massachusetts, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 2004 on the Manomet peninsula, is one of their finest East Coast works. The architects found an extraordinary site of pine forest, sandy terrain, and Cape Cod glacial features, routing the course with characteristic naturalness through a landscape rewarding restraint and precision. The par-70 layout demands precise iron play to small contoured greens built to play firm and fast. It entered Golf Digest's Top 100 on its debut and has remained there since. ## #86 Sahalee Country Club - Location: Sammamish, Washington - Architect: Ted Robinson Sr. - Year built: 1969 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 27/72 - Yardage: 7068 - Tournaments: 1998 PGA Championship; 2010 WGC-FedEx Invitational; 2002 U.S. Senior Open - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 4, 399 yards — a tunnel-like corridor through 250-foot Douglas firs creating one of the most claustrophobic tee shots in championship golf - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/sahalee-country-club/ Sahalee Country Club east of Seattle, designed by Ted Robinson and opened in 1969 amid the towering Douglas firs and cedars of the Sammamish plateau, has a legendary reputation for its intimate cathedral-like corridors and the relentless claustrophobia it creates for championship competitors. Its name means High Heavenly Ground in the Chinook language, and the dense old-growth forest makes it feel perpetually dramatic. The narrowest corridors on any U.S. Open venue sent scores soaring at the 1998 PGA Championship, won by Vijay Singh. ## #87 CapRock Ranch - Location: Valentine, Nebraska - Architect: Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner - Year built: 2022 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7152 - Signature hole: 12th hole, par 4, 416 yards — a sweeping sandhill dogleg with a view of the distant Nebraska Sandhills and a naturally contoured approach zone - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/caprock-ranch/ CapRock Ranch, designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner and opened in 2022 in the Nebraska Sandhills near Valentine, made an immediate and remarkable debut on national rankings — entering Golf Digest's 2025 Top 100 and GOLF Magazine's World Top 100 simultaneously. Built on the same extraordinary sandhill terrain as Sand Hills Golf Club, Hanse and Wagner created a course of naturalistic brilliance with minimalist earth movement and maximum use of native sand ridges and blowouts. Its dramatic dune formations, wide fairways, and wildly contoured greens make it an instant candidate for the top echelon of modern American course design. ## #88 Kittansett Club - Location: Marion, Massachusetts - Architect: Frederick Hood & William Flynn - Year built: 1922 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6567 - Tournaments: 1953 Walker Cup - Signature hole: 3rd hole, par 3, 201 yards — along Buzzards Bay with the Atlantic visible and the wind an ever-present, ever-changing factor - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/kittansett-club/ The Kittansett Club in Marion on Buzzards Bay is one of the few true links courses in America, its terrain and character derived directly from the windswept glacial plain between the Atlantic and the bay. Designed by William Flynn and Frederic Hood in 1922, the first three holes play along the bay shore with unobstructed Atlantic views, before turning inland through low-lying fairways of firm fast-playing turf. The wind is constant and directional change makes every round a new test. Kittansett hosted the 1953 Walker Cup and regularly appears in lists of America's most authentic links experiences. ## #89 Quail Hollow Club - Location: Charlotte, North Carolina - Architect: George Cobb (original), Tom Fazio (renovation 2003) - Year built: 1961 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7600 - Tournaments: Wells Fargo Championship (annual, PGA Tour); 2017 PGA Championship; 2022 Presidents Cup - Signature hole: 18th hole 'Green Mile', par 4, 500 yards — a long punishing dogleg over a creek rated among the PGA Tour's hardest finishing holes - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/quail-hollow-club/ Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, originally designed by George Cobb and significantly renovated by Tom Fazio in 2003, hosted the 2017 PGA Championship won by Justin Thomas. The course's demanding back nine — particularly the Green Mile of holes 16, 17, and 18 — has become one of the most feared stretches on the PGA Tour through the Wells Fargo Championship. The 18th hole, a long par-4 over a creek, is routinely cited as the most difficult finishing hole on tour. The 2022 Presidents Cup brought further international attention to a venue establishing itself as a top-tier championship test. ## #90 Oak Hill Country Club (East Course) - Location: Pittsford, New York - Architect: Donald Ross (original), Robert Trent Jones Sr. (revision), Andrew Green (renovation 2020) - Year built: 1926 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7394 - Tournaments: 1956 U.S. Open; 1968 U.S. Open; 1980 U.S. Open; 1989 U.S. Open; 1995 PGA Championship; 2003 PGA Championship; 2023 PGA Championship - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 4, 461 yards — a long demanding par-4 through the Rochester elms that has seen countless major championships decided - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/oak-hill-country-club-east-course/ Oak Hill Country Club's East Course in Pittsford, New York, one of Donald Ross's greatest parkland designs from 1926, has hosted more major championships than almost any American course. Ross used the area's glacial drumlins and ancient tree canopy to create a course of exceptional difficulty. Andrew Green's 2020 renovation sensitively updated the East Course while recovering original Ross character. Brooks Koepka's 2023 PGA Championship victory here, holding off a final-day charge from Viktor Hovland, was one of the most dramatic major finishes of the decade. ## #91 Gamble Sands - Location: Brewster, Washington - Architect: David McLay Kidd - Year built: 2014 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7244 - Signature hole: 12th hole, par 4, 430 yards — a sweeping downhill dogleg with the Columbia River gorge visible far below the sandy bluffs - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/gamble-sands/ Gamble Sands in Brewster, Washington, designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 2014 on the dramatic sandy plateaus above the Columbia River, is one of the most celebrated public golf destinations to open in America in the 21st century. Kidd found an extraordinary site of sandy semi-arid terrain with dramatic views of the Columbia River gorge below, building a course that plays firm, fast, and links-like in the high desert air. Its combination of spectacular setting, supremely playable design, and accessible pricing has made it a cult destination and a regular presence in national rankings. ## #92 Nanea Golf Club - Location: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii - Architect: David McLay Kidd - Year built: 2003 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7100 - Signature hole: 15th hole, par 4, 422 yards — along the Pacific cliffside with ocean views from tee to green and trade winds creating unpredictable club selection - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/nanea-golf-club/ Nanea Golf Club on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii's Big Island, designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 2003, is consistently rated the finest private course in Hawaii and one of the most visually spectacular in America. Kidd used dramatic black lava flows, red volcanic earth, and the deep blue Pacific Ocean to create a course of extraordinary natural beauty. Maui grass fairways and volcanic-rock-framed hazards create a uniquely Hawaiian character. The course's 18 holes alternate between close Pacific views and lush interior corridors through the ancient lava landscape. ## #93 Crooked Stick Golf Club - Location: Carmel, Indiana - Architect: Pete Dye & Alice Dye - Year built: 1964 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7270 - Tournaments: 1991 PGA Championship; 1993 U.S. Women's Open - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 464 yards — a long demanding finisher over a pond where John Daly made his legendary birdie to seal the 1991 PGA Championship - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/crooked-stick-golf-club/ Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, Pete Dye and Alice Dye's 1964 original design in the Indianapolis suburbs, is the course that put Dye on the map as a major championship designer. Its memorable 1991 PGA Championship — John Daly's wildcard entry and shocking wire-to-wire victory as an unknown qualifier — is one of the most improbable stories in major championship history. The course's tree-lined fairways, water hazards, and dramatic finishing stretch demonstrate the strategic complexity Dye had already mastered before his later landmark designs. ## #94 Chambers Bay Golf Course - Location: University Place, Washington - Architect: Robert Trent Jones Jr. - Year built: 2007 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7585 - Tournaments: 2010 U.S. Amateur; 2015 U.S. Open - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 457 yards — a breathtaking downhill approach with Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula as backdrop - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/chambers-bay-golf-course/ Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s 2007 design on a former gravel quarry above Puget Sound, is one of the most dramatically sited public golf courses in America. Built on mining land reclaimed into a sweeping links landscape, the course features immense elevation changes, sandy waste areas, and relentless ocean winds off Puget Sound. It hosted the 2015 U.S. Open — won by Jordan Spieth in a dramatic final-round battle — though its controversial fescue greens drew criticism. As a public access links alternative in the Pacific Northwest, it remains one of the most unique championship experiences available to everyday golfers. ## #95 Pete Dye Golf Club - Location: Bridgeport, West Virginia - Architect: Pete Dye - Year built: 1994 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7360 - Tournaments: Senior Players Championship (multiple years) - Signature hole: 8th hole, par 4, 453 yards — a dramatic hole over a reclaimed mining valley with exposed rock formations framing the approach - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/pete-dye-golf-club/ The Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, West Virginia, Pete Dye's 1994 self-named design on a former coal-mining site, transformed a scarred industrial landscape into one of the most dramatic and demanding courses in Appalachia. Dye created the course on reclaimed strip-mining terrain, using dramatic elevation changes and exposed rock faces to create breathtaking visual encounters. The course's combination of extreme length, bold water hazards, and Dye's trademark railroad ties and sod-wall bunkers create an experience of overwhelming difficulty. It has hosted the Senior Players Championship on multiple occasions. ## #96 Kapalua Plantation Course - Location: Kapalua, Hawaii - Architect: Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw - Year built: 1991 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/73 - Yardage: 7596 - Tournaments: Sentry Tournament of Champions (annual, PGA Tour, since 1999) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5, 663 yards — a massive downhill par-5 sweeping toward the Pacific Ocean where aggressive players can reach in two with a favorable trade wind - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/kapalua-plantation-course/ The Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 1991, was among the first courses to demonstrate that wide, ground-game-oriented minimalist design could work in a resort setting. Perched high above the Pacific Ocean on Maui's northwest tip, the course's 18 holes play through former pineapple fields with sweeping panoramas of the ocean and neighboring Molokai island. The persistent trade winds make club selection challenging and the downhill finishing stretch particularly thrilling. It hosts the PGA Tour's season-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions each January. ## #97 The Estancia Club - Location: Scottsdale, Arizona - Architect: Tom Fazio - Year built: 1995 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7147 - Signature hole: 7th hole, par 3, 175 yards — a dramatic downhill par-3 with massive desert boulders framing the green and Pinnacle Peak rising behind - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/the-estancia-club/ The Estancia Club in Scottsdale, Tom Fazio's 1995 creation on the slopes of Pinnacle Peak in the McDowell Mountains north of Phoenix, is consistently rated the finest private course in Arizona and among the top desert courses in the world. Fazio used spectacular natural rock formations, saguaro cactus forests, and the dramatic mountain backdrop with artful restraint, creating a course authentically of its desert environment. The par-70 layout demands precise shotmaking on demanding two-shot holes, while panoramic views of the Sonoran Desert from elevated tees create an experience of unrivaled desert grandeur. ## #98 Sweetens Cove Golf Club - Location: South Pittsburg, Tennessee - Architect: Rob Collins & Tad King - Year built: 2014 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 9/36 - Yardage: 3418 - Signature hole: 9th hole, par 4, 435 yards — a dramatic dogleg demanding a precise tee shot to set up a bold approach to a boldly contoured green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/sweetens-cove-golf-club/ Sweetens Cove Golf Club in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, a remarkable 9-hole course designed by Rob Collins and Tad King and opened in 2014, has achieved cult status as one of the most celebrated short-form golf experiences in America. The architects found extraordinary terrain in the valley below Sequatchie Mountain and created nine holes of thrilling strategic variety with boldly contoured greens, multiple tee options, and compelling risk-reward decisions. Its affordable green fees, playful design philosophy, and spectacular mountain setting have made it a pilgrimage destination and one of the most written-about courses built in the last decade. ## #99 Dallas National Golf Club - Location: Dallas, Texas - Architect: Tom Fazio - Year built: 2002 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7154 - Signature hole: 3rd hole, par 4, 437 yards — a bold carry over a ravine to a fairway perched on the canyon edge above the Dallas cedars - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/dallas-national-golf-club/ Dallas National Golf Club, Tom Fazio's 2002 design on a dramatic 450-acre site of ravines and cedar-covered bluffs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is widely regarded as the finest private course in the Dallas metroplex. Fazio created a dramatic routing across the property's natural canyons and cedar breaks, creating a course of considerable visual drama and strategic depth. The par-70 layout demands precise iron play to well-defended greens, and the course's bold use of natural terrain gives it an authentic quality rare in urban private golf. It is a regular fixture in national rankings. ## #100 Yeamans Hall Club - Location: Hanahan, South Carolina - Architect: Seth Raynor - Year built: 1925 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6582 - Signature hole: 5th hole 'Biarritz', par 3, 225 yards — through a corridor of live oaks hung with Spanish moss to a classic elongated Raynor Biarritz green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/yeamans-hall-club/ Yeamans Hall Club outside Charleston, South Carolina, designed by Seth Raynor and opened in 1925 on a stunning Colonial-era rice plantation, is among the most historically and architecturally significant courses in the American South. Raynor's routing through ancient live oaks, Carolina mossy lowcountry, and remnants of the plantation's rice canals creates an atmosphere of unique beauty and historical gravity. His template holes — including the Biarritz 5th, Short 9th, and Redan 14th — appear in excellent condition on a beautifully maintained course that has changed little since Raynor's death in 1926. One of the most coveted rounds on the American Southeast coast. ## #None TPC Boston - Location: Norton, Massachusetts - Architect: Arnold Palmer (2002); redesigned by Gil Hanse (2007) - Year built: 2002 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7261 - Tournaments: Deutsche Bank Championship / Northern Trust (FedExCup Playoffs, 2003–2019) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5, 530 yards — uphill closing hole with water protecting the approach and a challenging green complex fronted by bunkers - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-boston/ TPC Boston debuted in 2002 as an Arnold Palmer–designed championship layout set into the natural New England landscape of Norton, Massachusetts, approximately 34 miles southwest of downtown Boston. The original design was crafted to fit harmoniously among hardwood forests, wetlands, and gently rolling terrain. Named by Golf Digest among the 'Top 10 Best New Private Clubs in the U.S.' upon opening, the course gained prominence as the host of the Deutsche Bank Championship, a FedExCup Playoff event. In 2007 the course underwent a significant redesign by Gil Hanse — acclaimed for later designing the 2016 Olympic Golf Course — in consultation with PGA Tour player Brad Faxon, resulting in a more dramatic and visually distinct layout. The remodeled course retains Arnold Palmer's parkland sensibility while incorporating more strategic bunkering and green complexes. The par-71, 7,261-yard layout remains one of New England's premier private golf clubs. ## #None TPC Colorado - Location: Berthoud, Colorado - Architect: Arthur Schaupeter - Year built: 2018 - Access: Semi-Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7991 - Tournaments: TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes (Korn Ferry Tour, 2019–2022) - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3 — a dramatic downhill one-shotter featuring Rocky Mountain backdrop views and a challenging green protected by deep bunkers and natural slope - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-colorado/ TPC Colorado is Colorado's first ground-up golf course development in nearly a decade and the only TPC course in the state, designed by Arthur Schaupeter Golf Course Architects and opened in 2018 within the 865-acre Heron Lakes community in Berthoud — roughly halfway between Denver and Fort Collins. The course was conceived as a mountain community showcase blending dramatic natural scenery with championship-caliber design, situated alongside the Little Thompson River and nestled near Lonetree, McNeil, and Welch Reservoirs with panoramic Rocky Mountain views. From the championship tees the course stretches to a remarkable 7,991 yards — one of the longest in the TPC Network — playing at elevation, which significantly affects ball flight. TPC Colorado hosted the Korn Ferry Tour's TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes from 2019 through 2022, providing a platform for touring professionals just a step below the main PGA Tour. The course offers both a limited number of public starting times and private memberships within the Heron Lakes residential community. ## #None TPC Craig Ranch - Location: McKinney, Texas - Architect: Tom Weiskopf Design - Year built: 2002 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7414 - Tournaments: CJ Cup Byron Nelson / AT&T Byron Nelson (2021–present) - Signature hole: 5th hole, par 5, 569 yards — a demanding three-shotter featuring Weiskopf's signature strategic bunkering and a well-contoured green complex - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-craig-ranch/ TPC Craig Ranch was designed by legendary PGA Tour champion and architect Tom Weiskopf and opened in 2002 within the master-planned Craig Ranch community in McKinney, Texas, north of Dallas. The par-71, 7,414-yard championship layout is known for its strategic design philosophy — Weiskopf demanded precision over power, weaving the course through a gated wellness community with pristine Zoysia fairways and demanding Bent Grass greens. The course's thoughtful routing provides significant elevation changes unusual for the North Texas landscape, creating visually memorable holes and a variety of shot-making challenges. TPC Craig Ranch became a PGA Tour host venue with the Byron Nelson Championship relocating to the property in 2021, rebranded as the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The course underwent further modifications ahead of its hosting duties to accommodate tour players and stadium galleries, cementing its status as one of Texas's premier tournament venues. ## #None TPC Deere Run - Location: Silvis, Illinois - Architect: D.A. Weibring Golf Resources (with PGA Tour Design Services) - Year built: 2000 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7258 - Tournaments: John Deere Classic (2000–present) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5 — a dramatic downhill closing hole following the contours of the Rock River valley with bunkers guarding the green on both sides - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-deere-run/ TPC Deere Run was designed by former PGA Tour professional and accomplished golf architect D.A. Weibring and opened in 2000 in Silvis, Illinois, within the Quad Cities region. The course was built on the site of a former Arabian horse farm and stretches along the picturesque wooded ravines of the Rock River corridor. Weibring conceived the layout as a true stadium-style course engineered for both tournament drama and public accessibility — a rare combination in the TPC Network. The par-71, 7,258-yard championship layout features five sets of tees from 5,179 to 7,258 yards, earning it a ranking among Golf Digest's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses. TPC Deere Run has hosted the John Deere Classic every year since its opening in 2000, making it one of the most consistent and beloved regional tournament stops in the Midwest. The course's dramatic elevation changes and river valley setting create one of the most scenic public golf experiences in Illinois. ## #None TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas - Location: Irving, Texas - Architect: Jay Morrish (with Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw as player consultants, 1983); redesigned by D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolfard (2008) - Year built: 1983 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7166 - Tournaments: AT&T Byron Nelson Championship / HP Byron Nelson Championship (PGA Tour, 1986–2018) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4, 429 yards — a dogleg left around a pond with cascading waterfalls, providing one of the most visually dramatic finishing holes in Texas resort golf - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-four-seasons-las-colinas/ TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas was originally designed by Jay Morrish with legendary player consultants Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 1983 within the Four Seasons Resort and Club at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. The course became home to the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship in 1986, beginning a celebrated two-decade run as one of the PGA Tour's most storied venues, honoring the legendary Byron Nelson himself. In 2008, the course underwent a comprehensive redesign by Champions Tour player and architect D.A. Weibring with Steve Wolfard, resulting in a lengthened, modernized par-70, 7,166-yard layout. The redesign emphasized spectator-friendly design with a dramatically revamped 18th hole — a dogleg left around a pond with waterfalls — and strengthened several key par-4s. The Byron Nelson event departed for Trinity Forest in 2018, but TPC Las Colinas remains a crown jewel of resort golf as part of what was the only AAA Five Diamond resort in Texas. ## #None TPC Harding Park - Location: San Francisco, California - Architect: Willie Watson - Year built: 1925 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7169 - Tournaments: PGA Championship (2020); Presidents Cup (2009); WGC-American Express Championship (2005); WGC-Match Play Championship (2020); Schwab Cup Championship (PGA Tour Champions) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5, 558 yards — a demanding finisher along the banks of Lake Merced with eucalyptus trees framing the fairway and a peninsula-style green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-harding-park/ TPC Harding Park is one of the most storied municipal courses in American golf, designed by Willie Watson — who also designed the acclaimed Olympic Club nearby — and opened in 1925. The city-owned, county-operated course occupies a gently rolling peninsula surrounded by the shores of Lake Merced in the heart of San Francisco, and was named after President Warren G. Harding following his death in San Francisco in 1923. The PGA Tour took over management of the course in 2002 and invested significantly in renovations to bring it up to TPC Network standards while preserving Watson's original tree-lined routing through eucalyptus and cypress forests. Harding Park gained the distinction of being the first TPC course to host a major championship when it welcomed the 2020 PGA Championship, won by Collin Morikawa. The course has also hosted the Presidents Cup (2009), WGC-American Express Championship, and multiple WGC events, making it one of the most accomplished public municipal courses in the world. ## #None TPC Jasna Polana - Location: Princeton, New Jersey - Architect: Gary Player - Year built: 1998 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7098 - Tournaments: Shell's Wonderful World of Golf (televised match, Tom Watson vs. Hale Irwin, 1999) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5 — a sweeping finisher descending through the estate's rolling countryside toward the grand mansion clubhouse, with strategic bunkers and natural water hazards framing the approach - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-jasna-polana/ TPC Jasna Polana is built on the former 226-acre estate of J. Seward Johnson I and his third wife Barbara Piasecka Johnson, a Polish-born philanthropist. The name means 'bright glade' in Polish. Following Johnson's death, Piasecka Johnson converted the Jasna Polana estate — including its landmark neoclassical mansion designed by Wallace K. Harrison — into an exclusive private country club and hired nine-time major champion Gary Player to design the championship golf course, which opened in 1998. Player crafted a par-72, 7,098-yard layout across the rolling countryside of Princeton Township, New Jersey, incorporating significant elevation changes, natural water features, and strategic bunkering throughout the 230-acre property. The Georgian-style mansion serves as the clubhouse and restaurant, giving TPC Jasna Polana a uniquely grand country estate character among TPC clubs. The course was the venue for a Shell's Wonderful World of Golf televised match between Tom Watson and Hale Irwin in 1999. ## #None TPC Las Vegas - Location: Las Vegas, Nevada - Architect: Bobby Weed (with Raymond Floyd as player consultant) - Year built: 1996 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7016 - Tournaments: Las Vegas Invitational (co-host, 1996–2004); Las Vegas Senior Classic (PGA Tour Champions) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5 — a scenic downhill finisher with the Las Vegas skyline as a backdrop, requiring a precise approach to a green nestled at the base of a canyon - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-las-vegas/ TPC Las Vegas (formerly TPC at The Canyons) was designed by Bobby Weed in consultation with Raymond Floyd and opened in 1996 within the nation's largest master-planned community of Summerlin, just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. Weed crafted a desert showcase featuring scenic elevation changes, mature trees, a wandering canyon, and panoramic views of Red Rock Canyon and the Las Vegas skyline — a design philosophy that prioritized visual drama alongside strategic challenge. The par-71, 7,016-yard course served as co-host of the Las Vegas Invitational alongside TPC Summerlin during several editions of that event. Its public access model distinguishes it from TPC Summerlin's private membership structure, making it the only fully public PGA Tour-affiliated course in Las Vegas. The course is renowned for immaculate desert conditioning and has hosted numerous PGA Tour Champions events including the Las Vegas Senior Classic. ## #None TPC Louisiana - Location: Avondale, Louisiana - Architect: Pete Dye (with Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson as player consultants) - Year built: 2004 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7425 - Tournaments: Zurich Classic of New Orleans (2004–present) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5, 563 yards — a risk-reward closer along the Mississippi River levee, with water guarding the left side and a large bunkered green providing a thrilling finish - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-louisiana/ TPC Louisiana was designed by master architect Pete Dye in collaboration with PGA Tour players Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson — the latter a New Orleans native — and opened in 2004 just 15 miles west of New Orleans in Avondale along the Mississippi River Delta. Dye brought his signature elements of dramatic elevation changes, bold bunkering, and strategic water play to 250 acres of Louisiana marshland, creating a course that rewards shot-making and penalizes recklessness. The par-72 layout stretches 7,425 yards from the PGA Tour tees and plays host to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the Tour's only team event, since 2004. The course is open to the public and is part of the Audubon Golf Trail, offering access to one of the South's most impressive golf experiences. Dye's design features wide, undulating fairways with strategically placed bunkers, large Bermuda grass greens, and the dramatic moisture of the bayou environment throughout. ## #None TPC Michigan - Location: Dearborn, Michigan - Architect: Jack Nicklaus - Year built: 1990 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7040 - Tournaments: Ford Senior Players Championship (PGA Tour Champions, 1990s–2000s) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5 — a dramatic Nicklaus-designed finisher with strategic fairway bunkering and a multi-tiered green complex demanding careful course management throughout the closing stretch - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-michigan/ TPC Michigan is an ultra-exclusive private championship golf club opened in 1990 in Dearborn, Michigan, on land donated by Ford Motor Company, located just two miles from Ford World Headquarters. The 18-hole championship golf course was designed by Jack Nicklaus — one of only a handful of Nicklaus Signature designs in the TPC Network — and features the Golden Bear's characteristic strategic bunkering, dramatic mounding, and demanding green complexes within a parkland setting. TPC Michigan served as the host of the Ford Senior Players Championship (now the Senior PGA Championship) on the PGA Tour Champions, and multiple other senior tour events during the 1990s and 2000s, leveraging its Motor City prestige and Ford corporate sponsorship. The club was sold to Heritage Golf Group in 2007 and later transitioned to Invited Clubs, but continues to operate under the TPC Network brand. It remains one of the premier private golf experiences in metropolitan Detroit, offering casual and upscale dining alongside championship-caliber golf. ## #None TPC Myrtle Beach - Location: Murrells Inlet, South Carolina - Architect: Tom Fazio and Lanny Wadkins - Year built: 1999 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6950 - Tournaments: Various amateur and corporate tour events; no regular PGA Tour event - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3, 193 yards — a peninsula green jutting into water on three sides, demanding precision and nerve for par or better - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-myrtle-beach/ TPC Myrtle Beach is a public resort golf course designed by master architect Tom Fazio in collaboration with PGA Tour player Lanny Wadkins and opened in 1999 along South Carolina Highway 707 in Murrells Inlet, just south of the Myrtle Beach resort corridor. Fazio and Wadkins crafted a par-72, 6,950-yard layout featuring the architect's hallmark aesthetic: wide, flowing fairways framed by sweeping mounds, strategic water features on multiple holes, and large undulating greens in pristine condition. The course presents five tee options for players of all abilities and earns consistent acclaim as one of the Grand Strand's premier championship layouts. TPC Myrtle Beach is a proud member of the Hammock Coast Golf Trail and operates year-round as an open-to-the-public TPC facility — one of the few in the TPC Network offering public access. The par-3 17th hole — a peninsula green requiring a precise carry over water — is the course's signature challenge. ## #None TPC Piper Glen - Location: Charlotte, North Carolina - Architect: Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay - Year built: 1991 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6853 - Tournaments: Seniors Tour events (1990s–early 2000s) - Signature hole: A demanding par-4 featuring elevation changes and strategic bunkering that Palmer incorporated throughout the design, demanding accurate driving and precise approach play - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-piper-glen/ TPC Piper Glen was designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer in partnership with longtime collaborator Ed Seay and opened in 1991 as part of the Piper Glen residential community in Charlotte, North Carolina. Palmer and Seay crafted a par-72, 6,853-yard private club layout featuring the duo's characteristic combination of beauty, challenge, and pure playability — wide, inviting fairways balanced with strategically demanding green complexes and natural hazards. The course is set across a gently rolling landscape with elevation changes and wooded corridors that provide a sense of seclusion within the suburban Charlotte setting. TPC Piper Glen hosted several PGA Tour Senior events during the 1990s and early 2000s, establishing its credentials as a tournament-worthy layout in the Southeast. The club was sold to Heritage Golf Group in 2007 and later transitioned to Invited Clubs, while retaining TPC Network branding as one of Charlotte's most prestigious private golf venues. ## #None TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm - Location: Potomac, Maryland - Architect: Edmund Ault and Thomas Clark (1986); renovated by PGA Tour Design / Steve Wenzloff and Jim Hardy (2009) - Year built: 1986 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7139 - Tournaments: Kemper Open (1980–1999); Booz Allen Classic (2000–2006) - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3 — a demanding mid-iron shot over Rock Run Creek to a well-bunkered green surrounded by natural hardwood landscape - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-potomac-avenel-farm/ TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm opened in May 1986, originally known as TPC Avenel, and was designed by the firm of Edmund Ault and Thomas Clark (with tour player Ed Sneed as consultant) on 220 acres of rolling wooded countryside in Montgomery County, Maryland, fewer than 20 miles from the U.S. Capitol. It was notably the third TPC stadium course constructed and the first to plant its fairways in Zoysia grass. The course hosted the Kemper Open and its successors — ultimately the Booz Allen Classic — as a regular PGA Tour stop for more than two decades. Following the departure of the Tour event, the original design drew criticism for some uninspired routing. The layout was comprehensively redesigned by PGA Tour Design Services (led by Steve Wenzloff and Jim Hardy) and reopened in April 2009 as a dramatically improved 7,139-yard, par-70 test, with Rock Run Creek expanded and integrated more naturally throughout. TPC Potomac remains one of the premier private golf clubs in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. ## #None TPC Prestancia (Players Course) - Location: Sarasota, Florida - Architect: Robert von Hagge (with Bruce Devlin as player consultant) - Year built: 1985 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6720 - Tournaments: Chrysler Cup supporting rounds (Senior PGA Tour, 1987–1994) - Signature hole: A challenging par-3 featuring a carry over water to a narrow Von Hagge–designed green complex with distinctive bunkering and Florida tropical landscape framing - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-prestancia-players/ TPC Prestancia's Players Course is the companion 18-hole layout to the Stadium Course, both developed by the PGA Tour in 1985 within the Palmer Ranch community in Sarasota, Florida. This course was designed by Robert von Hagge in consultation with Australian PGA Tour star and fellow designer Bruce Devlin, offering a distinct strategic personality from Ron Garl's Stadium Course nearby. Von Hagge and Devlin's layout presents a slightly more forgiving but still technically demanding test, with creative bunkering, water hazards, and the lush tropical Florida landscape integrated throughout. The Players Course provides TPC Prestancia members with a second championship option and additional variety within the same private club campus. Both courses at Prestancia were sold to Heritage Golf Group in 2007 but continue to operate under the TPC Network brand, offering 36 total holes of award-winning championship golf in one of Florida's most desirable communities. ## #None TPC Prestancia (Stadium Course) - Location: Sarasota, Florida - Architect: Ron Garl (with Mike Souchak as player consultant) - Year built: 1985 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6941 - Tournaments: Chrysler Cup (Senior PGA Tour, 1987–1994); American Express Invitational (Senior PGA Tour, 1996–2000) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5 — a dramatic amphitheater-style finishing hole with an elevated green complex rising from the fairway, surrounded by spectator mounding - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-prestancia-stadium/ TPC Prestancia's Stadium Course was created by the PGA Tour in 1985, designed by Florida-based architect Ron Garl with PGA Tour veteran Mike Souchak as consultant, and located within the Palmer Ranch community in Sarasota. Garl designed the course to reward precision and shot-making over power, featuring undulating greens that rise and fall dramatically as players approach the 9th and 18th holes — signature holes of the design. The par-72, 6,941-yard Stadium Course was built as a tournament-ready layout with spectator mounding and excellent sight lines. It hosted the Chrysler Cup (1987–1994) and the American Express Invitational (1996–2000), two significant events on the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions). TPC Prestancia was sold to Heritage Golf Group in 2007 but retains TPC branding and Network membership. The club offers 36 holes of golf — the Stadium and Players Courses — providing members with two distinct championship experiences in the heart of Sarasota. ## #None TPC River Highlands - Location: Cromwell, Connecticut - Architect: Pete Dye (1984 TPC redesign); Bobby Weed (1989 remodel) - Year built: 1989 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 6852 - Tournaments: Travelers Championship / Buick Championship / Greater Hartford Open (1984–present) - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 4 — a classic risk-reward hole with water running along the left side, offering players the chance to cut the dogleg for a short approach - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-river-highlands/ TPC River Highlights traces its origins to 1928 when it opened as Middletown Golf Club, later renamed Edgewood Country Club in 1934. The PGA Tour purchased the property in the early 1980s and Pete Dye redesigned it to TPC standards, reopening as 'TPC of Connecticut' in 1984 as the host of what is now the Travelers Championship — then called the Greater Hartford Open, one of the PGA Tour's longest-running events. Bobby Weed performed further remodeling in 1989 in consultation with tour professionals Howard Twitty and Roger Maltbie, resulting in the current iteration. Situated on a bluff overlooking the Connecticut River just south of Hartford, the par-70 layout at 6,852 yards is considered one of the shorter and more birdie-friendly stops on the PGA Tour, routinely producing low scores and exciting finishes. The course features Bent Grass fairways and greens, narrow tree-lined corridors, and several strategic water holes. ## #None TPC River's Bend - Location: Maineville, Ohio - Architect: Arnold Palmer Design - Year built: 2001 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7180 - Tournaments: Kroger Classic (PGA Tour Champions, 2002–2004) - Signature hole: A scenic downhill par-3 featuring a dramatic elevation change over a natural wooded ravine to a well-bunkered green with Little Miami River views - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-rivers-bend/ TPC River's Bend is a private championship golf club located on a hillside overlooking the historic Little Miami River in Maineville, Ohio, approximately 25 miles northeast of Cincinnati. The Arnold Palmer–designed course opened in 2001 and was immediately recognized by Golf Digest as one of the 'Top 10 Best New Private Clubs in the U.S.' Palmer's team carefully crafted the par-72, 7,180-yard layout to blend harmoniously with the hillside terrain and natural river valley landscape, creating a course of dramatic elevation changes and scenic beauty rarely found in the Ohio River watershed. The course hosted the Kroger Classic on the PGA Tour Champions between 2002 and 2004. TPC River's Bend was acquired by Arcis Golf in 2022 and continues to operate as a licensed TPC Network property, maintaining the brand's high standards of conditioning and service. Golf Digest consistently recognized the course as among the 'Best in Ohio' from 2005 through 2016. ## #None TPC San Antonio (AT&T Oaks Course) - Location: San Antonio, Texas - Architect: Greg Norman (with Sergio García as player consultant) - Year built: 2010 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7435 - Tournaments: Valero Texas Open (2010–present) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 4 — a demanding dogleg right with water protecting the inside corner of the fairway and an elevated, well-bunkered green providing a dramatic conclusion - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-san-antonio-oaks/ The AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio was designed by Greg Norman in consultation with PGA Tour star Sergio García and opened in January 2010 as the primary championship layout of TPC San Antonio, a joint development with the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. Norman crafted a dramatic par-72, 7,435-yard layout that traverses the Texas Hill Country with live oak corridors, aggressive bunker complexes, and strategic water features woven through the rolling terrain. The course's name honors the hundreds of mature live oak trees that define the playing corridors and provide the character of a classic parkland layout within a Texas resort setting. The AT&T Oaks Course has served as the permanent host of the PGA Tour's Valero Texas Open since 2010, replacing La Cantera Resort's Palmer Course. The course's dramatic closing stretch — particularly the demanding 18th hole — has produced memorable tournament finishes. ## #None TPC San Antonio (Canyons Course) - Location: San Antonio, Texas - Architect: Pete Dye (with Bruce Lietzke as player consultant) - Year built: 2010 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6892 - Tournaments: AT&T Championship (PGA Tour Champions, 2011–present) - Signature hole: A demanding Pete Dye par-3 featuring a carry over a natural canyon ravine to a punchbowl green surrounded by his signature steep-faced bunkers - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-san-antonio-canyons/ TPC San Antonio's Canyons Course was designed by Pete Dye in consultation with PGA Tour veteran Bruce Lietzke and opened concurrently with the Oaks Course in January 2010. Built within the same expansive Hill Country campus adjacent to the JW Marriott San Antonio resort, the Canyons Course offers a distinctly different personality from its Greg Norman–designed sibling. Dye's layout is primarily tree-lined and plays predominantly north of the resort center, threading through the natural ravines and cedar-juniper corridors that give the course its name. The Canyons Course has a more intimate, parkland feel compared to the broader, more open character of the Oaks Course, with Dye's characteristic undulating greens, creative bunker shapes, and strategic use of natural creek drainages. It has hosted the Champions Tour's AT&T Championship and serves as a key resort amenity for JW Marriott guests and TPC members. ## #None TPC Sawgrass (Dye's Valley Course) - Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - Architect: Pete Dye - Year built: 1987 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 6847 - Tournaments: PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament / Korn Ferry Tour Finals (annual); Various Korn Ferry Tour events - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5, 558 yards — dramatic closing hole with water guarding the left side and a well-bunkered green complex - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-sawgrass-dyes-valley/ Dye's Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass was opened in 1987 as a companion layout to the famous Stadium Course, designed by Pete Dye with consulting input from Jerry Pate and Bobby Weed. Built on the same sprawling campus as the Stadium Course adjacent to PGA Tour headquarters, the Valley Course was conceived as a more accessible but still challenging championship test, threading through native Florida landscape including wetlands, oak hammocks, and natural water features. It has served as a qualifier and host for numerous Korn Ferry Tour events, most notably the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (Q-School) Final Stage each fall. The layout features classic Dye elements — railroad ties, strategic bunkering, and water hazards — but with slightly wider fairways and more forgiving rough than its neighbor. The course has been used as a complementary venue for tournament week hospitality and PGA Tour staff events. ## #None TPC Scottsdale (Champions Course) - Location: Scottsdale, Arizona - Architect: Randy Heckenkemper - Year built: 2007 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6552 - Tournaments: WM Phoenix Open Pro-Am and practice rounds (supporting event) - Signature hole: A scenic par-3 with sweeping McDowell Mountain views, playing across a natural desert wash to a well-bunkered green - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-scottsdale-champions/ TPC Scottsdale's Champions Course was revamped and reopened in 2007 by architect Randy Heckenkemper on the site of the former Desert Course, which had been part of the TPC Scottsdale complex since the mid-1980s. The redesigned layout flows seamlessly through the naturally rugged desert terrain, meandering between natural ravines, dry washes, and picturesque Sonoran foothills of the McDowell Mountains. The course serves as the companion layout to the world-famous Stadium Course, offering members and resort guests a distinct playing experience that emphasizes desert strategy and natural landscape integration over the engineered spectator mounds of its neighbor. With strategic bunkering and panoramic mountain views on nearly every hole, the Champions Course provides a visually spectacular and tactically demanding desert golf experience within the same Scottsdale campus. ## #None TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) - Location: Scottsdale, Arizona - Architect: Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish - Year built: 1986 - Access: Public - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7216 - Tournaments: WM Phoenix Open / Waste Management Phoenix Open / Phoenix Open (1987–present) - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 3, approximately 163 yards — enclosed amphitheater green surrounded by 20,000+ spectators, nicknamed 'The Colosseum' - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-scottsdale-stadium/ TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and opened in 1986, set against the stunning backdrop of the McDowell Mountains and the rugged Sonoran Desert. The course was built as a true stadium-style layout, with earthen mounds and elevated viewing areas engineered to accommodate up to 200,000 spectators during tournament week — the largest gallery in professional golf. It has hosted the WM Phoenix Open (formerly Phoenix Open, FBR Open) continuously since 1987, becoming one of the rowdiest and most electric events on the PGA Tour. Weiskopf and Morrish incorporated native desert vegetation, dramatic elevation changes, and strategic bunkering throughout the desert terrain. The par-3 16th hole — known as 'The Colosseum' — is the signature: a short iron shot to an island-like green completely surrounded by a bowl-shaped stadium that holds roughly 20,000 fans and creates an atmosphere unlike any other in golf. ## #None TPC Southwind - Location: Memphis, Tennessee - Architect: Ron Prichard (with Hubert Green and Fuzzy Zoeller as player consultants) - Year built: 1988 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/70 - Yardage: 7244 - Tournaments: FedEx St. Jude Championship (FedExCup Playoffs, 2022–present); WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational (2019–2021); FedEx St. Jude Classic / St. Jude Classic (1989–2018) - Signature hole: 11th hole, par 4 — a long dogleg demanding a precise drive to a tight fairway, with a narrow approach to a well-bunkered green flanked by water - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-southwind/ TPC Southwind was designed by Ron Prichard with input from PGA Tour players Hubert Green and Fuzzy Zoeller and opened in 1988 within the gated lifestyle community of Southwind in southeast Memphis. It is the PGA Tour's only private golf club in Tennessee. The par-70, 7,244-yard layout is a demanding stadium-style course with strategic water features, demanding Zoysia fairways, and fast, undulating greens. Southwind has served as the permanent home of professional tour golf in Memphis since 1989, hosting the St. Jude Classic for decades before the event was elevated to a WGC event (WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational) in 2019 and then to a Signature Event (FedEx St. Jude Championship) as part of the FedExCup Playoffs. The demanding course plays alongside Nonconnah Creek and features multiple risk-reward par fours that consistently challenge the world's best players during the late-summer playoff push. ## #None TPC Sugarloaf - Location: Duluth, Georgia - Architect: Greg Norman - Year built: 1997 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 27/72 - Yardage: 7259 - Tournaments: Mitsubishi Electric Classic (PGA Tour Champions, 2010–present) - Signature hole: 18th hole (The Meadows nine), par 5, 542 yards — Greg Norman's dramatic closing hole with water protecting the final approach and a large, undulating green demanding precise distance control - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-sugarloaf/ TPC Sugarloaf is a 27-hole private golf club designed by Greg Norman and opened in 1997 on 1,200 acres of Georgia countryside within the gated Sugarloaf Country Club community in Gwinnett County, approximately 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. Norman crafted three distinct nine-hole courses — The Stables, The Meadows, and The Pines — on the site of the former Rollins Farm. The primary championship combination of The Stables and The Meadows produces a par-72, 7,259-yard layout featuring tree-lined Bermuda fairways, streams, lakes, hills, and some of the most challenging green complexes in the Atlanta area. Golf Digest named the course one of the 'Best New Private Clubs in the U.S.' when it debuted in 1997, and Golfweek ranked it among the 'Top 100 Best Residential Golf Courses.' TPC Sugarloaf has hosted the Mitsubishi Electric Classic on the PGA Tour Champions, bringing professional golf to metropolitan Atlanta's northern suburbs. ## #None TPC Summerlin - Location: Las Vegas, Nevada - Architect: Bobby Weed (with Fuzzy Zoeller as player consultant) - Year built: 1991 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7243 - Tournaments: Shriners Children's Open / Las Vegas Invitational (1991–present, except shared years with TPC Las Vegas) - Signature hole: 17th hole, par 3 — a dramatic mid-iron over a desert arroyo to a heavily bunkered green with mountain views in the background - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-summerlin/ TPC Summerlin was designed by Bobby Weed with PGA Tour legend Fuzzy Zoeller serving as player consultant and opened in 1991 within the planned community of Summerlin on the western outskirts of Las Vegas. The par-72, 7,243-yard layout winds through rugged desert terrain, arroyos, and canyons against a backdrop of the Spring Mountains, delivering a visually spectacular desert golf experience unlike any in Nevada. The course gained immediate prominence when it co-hosted the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, where a then 20-year-old Tiger Woods claimed his first PGA Tour victory. TPC Summerlin went on to serve as the permanent host of the Shriners Children's Open (formerly Las Vegas Invitational), becoming one of the most enduring host venues in the PGA Tour's fall season. The course's private membership structure provides an exclusive desert retreat just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, featuring one of the finest practice facilities in the TPC Network. ## #None TPC Tampa Bay - Location: Lutz, Florida - Architect: Bobby Weed (with Chi Chi Rodríguez as player consultant) - Year built: 1991 - Access: Resort - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 6898 - Tournaments: Encompass Insurance Pro-Am of Tampa Bay (PGA Tour Champions) - Signature hole: 9th hole, par 3 — a beautiful one-shotter over water to a well-contoured green guarded by bunkers, with natural cypress trees framing the shot - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-tampa-bay/ TPC Tampa Bay was built by the PGA Tour and designed by Bobby Weed with PGA Tour fan-favorite Chi Chi Rodríguez as consultant, opening in 1991 in Lutz, Florida, near the intersection of I-75 and Veterans Expressway north of Tampa. Weed created a par-71, 6,898-yard stadium-style course routed around natural wetlands, cypress heads, and mature Florida landscaping — earning a 4.5-star rating from Golf Digest and recognition as one of the top five golf courses in Florida by Florida Golf Magazine. The course was designed to challenge touring professionals from the championship tees while providing an enjoyable and accessible experience for recreational players across multiple tee options ranging down to 5,036 yards. TPC Tampa Bay has hosted the Encompass Insurance Pro-Am on the PGA Tour Champions and remains one of the most acclaimed resort-style golf facilities in the Tampa Bay region. The course changed ownership to Heritage Golf Group while retaining TPC branding. ## #None TPC Treviso Bay - Location: Naples, Florida - Architect: Arthur Hills (with Hal Sutton as player consultant) - Year built: 2008 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/72 - Yardage: 7073 - Tournaments: The ACE Group Classic (PGA Tour Champions, 2009) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5 — a sweeping finisher with water flanking the approach zone and a generous green set against the lush backdrop of the Rookery Bay estuarine preserve - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-treviso-bay/ TPC Treviso Bay was designed by acclaimed architect Arthur Hills in consultation with PGA Tour champion Hal Sutton and opened in 2008 within the gated Treviso Bay community in Naples, Florida. The 18-hole championship layout sprawls across 188 acres adjacent to the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Reserve, creating a unique experience of tropical landscape, native preserve, and championship golf in the heart of Southwest Florida. Hills designed the course to blend seamlessly with its environmentally sensitive surroundings, featuring strategic use of water hazards, native vegetation buffers, and strategic sand complexes throughout the routing. TPC Treviso Bay served as the venue for The ACE Group Classic on the PGA Tour Champions in 2009, shortly after opening. The course operates as a bundled golf community, providing members with exclusive access to one of Naples' most prestigious private golf experiences just minutes from downtown Old Naples. ## #None TPC Twin Cities - Location: Blaine, Minnesota - Architect: Arnold Palmer (with Tom Lehman and Ed Seay) - Year built: 2000 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7431 - Tournaments: 3M Open (PGA Tour, 2019–present); 3M Championship (PGA Tour Champions, 2001–2018) - Signature hole: 18th hole, par 5 — a risk-reward closer with water protecting the left side of the fairway and a well-bunkered amphitheater green providing a dramatic finish - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-twin-cities/ TPC Twin Cities opened in 2000 as Arnold Palmer's championship design set on 235 acres of breathtaking Minnesota countryside just north of Minneapolis in the Deacon's Walk subdivision of Blaine. Palmer worked alongside local Minnesota PGA Tour star Tom Lehman and longtime Palmer collaborator Ed Seay to craft the layout. The par-71 course — measuring over 7,400 yards from the championship tees — is characterized by Bent Grass fairways and greens, sweeping elevation changes, and 72 sand bunkers that create a visually bold test of championship golf. Minnesota's only private PGA Tour-owned property, TPC Twin Cities became the home of the 3M Open (previously 3M Championship on the Champions Tour, hosted since 2001) upon the event's upgrade to PGA Tour status in 2019. The course's demanding nature and excellent playing conditions have made it a respected stop on the schedule in the heart of the Midwest. ## #None TPC Wisconsin - Location: Madison, Wisconsin - Architect: David Gill (original 1962); renovated by PGA Tour Design / Steve Wenzloff with Steve Stricker (2022-2023) - Year built: 2023 - Access: Private - Holes/par: 18/71 - Yardage: 7266 - Tournaments: American Family Insurance Championship (PGA Tour Champions, 2025–present) - Signature hole: 16th hole, par 4, 305 yards — a Stricker-influenced driveable par-4 playing right-to-left, the only right-to-left hole on the course, designed as a risk-reward opportunity late in the round - URL: https://topcourses.golf/course/tpc-wisconsin/ TPC Wisconsin is the newest club in the TPC Network, becoming the 30th TPC Network golf club when it reopened in August 2023 following a comprehensive $25 million renovation of what had been Cherokee Country Club, founded in 1962 on 154 acres adjacent to Madison's 5,000-acre Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park. Owner Dennis Tiziani and his son-in-law, Madison native and PGA Tour Champions star Steve Stricker, partnered with PGA Tour Design Services (led by architect Stephen Wenzloff) to transform the property into a tournament-ready venue. The renovation involved removing 600–650 trees, dredging 30 acres of wetlands, and lifting the entire property two to four feet for improved drainage. The redesigned par-71, 7,266-yard course showcases dramatically reshaped bunkers, redesigned greens complexes, and improved sight lines while celebrating the natural Cherokee Marsh environment. TPC Wisconsin hosted the American Family Insurance Championship on the PGA Tour Champions in 2025 for the first time.