Major venues, public gems you can actually play, and private cathedrals.
Some golf courses are worth crossing the country for — the ones you've watched on TV your whole life, and the public gems anyone can book. This is a bucket-list checklist of the best courses in America, split into major-championship venues, public courses everyone can play, and the private cathedrals that need an introduction, each with its location and the year it opened.
| Course | Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Augusta National Golf Club | Augusta, GA | 1933 |
| Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, CA | 1919 |
| Pinehurst No. 2 | Pinehurst, NC | 1907 |
| Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, PA | 1903 |
| Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | Southampton, NY | 1891 |
| Winged Foot Golf Club (West) | Mamaroneck, NY | 1923 |
| Bethpage State Park (Black) | Farmingdale, NY | 1936 |
| Torrey Pines (South) | La Jolla, CA | 1957 |
| Course | Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Dunes (Bandon Dunes Resort) | Bandon, OR | 2001 |
| Bandon Dunes | Bandon, OR | 1999 |
| Old Macdonald (Bandon) | Bandon, OR | 2010 |
| Streamsong Resort (Red) | Bowling Green, FL | 2012 |
| Whistling Straits | Sheboygan, WI | 1998 |
| Erin Hills | Erin, WI | 2006 |
| Sand Hills Golf Club (semi-private) | Mullen, NE | 1995 |
| Pinehurst No. 4 | Pinehurst, NC | 2018 |
| Course | Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Cypress Point Club | Pebble Beach, CA | 1928 |
| Pine Valley Golf Club | Pine Valley, NJ | 1918 |
| National Golf Links of America | Southampton, NY | 1911 |
| Merion Golf Club (East) | Ardmore, PA | 1912 |
| Seminole Golf Club | Juno Beach, FL | 1929 |
| Los Angeles Country Club (North) | Los Angeles, CA | 1921 |
| Chicago Golf Club | Wheaton, IL | 1894 |
| Friar's Head | Baiting Hollow, NY | 2002 |
Turn this list into a keepsake. The Triptyka Golf Courses Passport is a printable PDF with a checklist of every entry, a detail page for each, suggested routes, and achievement badges to earn.
Get the Printable Golf Courses Passport — $9.99 on Etsy →Triptyka passports are also free phone apps — check off places, add photos, and earn badges as you go. Three are live now: the Ballpark Passport (30 MLB stadiums), the Bourbon Trail Passport (18 Kentucky distilleries), and the Frank Lloyd Wright Passport (21 buildings).
Free to start; unlock every guide, route, and bonus chapter for $9.99. More passport apps are on the way.
Book public bucket-list tee times early — Pebble Beach and Bethpage Black open their windows months out and fill fast. Walk if you can; the routing and elevation of a great design only make sense on foot. Play the correct tees — these courses are hard enough from the members' markers. Bring cash for the caddie at walking-caddie clubs.
Augusta National, home of the Masters, is the most famous — but it's strictly private. Among courses the public can play, Pebble Beach on California's Monterey Peninsula is the most iconic.
No. Augusta National is private and access is by invitation from a member only. It's on this checklist as a venue to see (via the Masters) rather than one most golfers can tee up at.
Pebble Beach Golf Links tops most lists — anyone can book a tee time (at a premium). Bethpage Black, Pinehurst No. 2, and Whistling Straits are other world-class courses open to the public.
It ranges widely — from municipal rates at some public tracks to several hundred dollars (or more) at marquee resort courses. Book directly through the course or resort for the best availability.
A printable golf passport — a checklist of every course, a detail page for each, suggested golf-trip routes, and achievement badges — or the free Triptyka phone app for other passports.