You don’t have to join an exclusive members club to be able to play at some of the most incredible golf courses in the world, you just have to know where to find them! Thankfully, America has countless public golf courses for you and your friends to get some tee-time in, but if you want a truly incredible and elevated experience, which between us easily rivals the best members courses, use our list as your guide to the best and most beautiful courses that will welcome you and your friends with open arms.
Pebble Beach Golf Links - Pebble Beach, California | Green Fees Start at $575
Unanimously considered the most beautiful public golf course in America, it is perched right on the Pacific Ocean offering its guests unbeatable views. Even golf great Jack Nicklaus once said that if he could only play one course the rest of his life that it would be Pebble Beach Golf Links, and he has played the best courses around the world. It has also hosted the US Open several times, so you know it is as challenging of a course as it is beautiful.
Shadow Creek - North Las Vegas, Nevada - Green Fees Start at $1,000
Shadow Creek is owned by MGM Grand and perfectly positioned in Sin City, so you know it is going to be an over-the-top experience. Would you believe us if we said that it is required for players to arrive in a limo? While it is a public golf course, if you want to play here you must be a guest at the MGM hotel, where the limo will transfer you roughly 30 minutes from the hotel to the golf oasis.
Bandon Dunes - Bandon, Oregon - Green Fees Start at $105
If you are looking to experience a traditional Scottish golf experience, but don’t want to go overseas, Bandon Dunes should be at the top of your bucket list. Sat on Oregon’s beautiful coast, you may just believe you are in Scotland. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort boasts 5 different golf courses on the premises but if you can only play one, play the original course that opened in 1999.
Tournament Players Club (TPC) at Sawgrass - Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - Green Fees Start at $145
TPC golf course is the home to the PGA Tour headquarters and hosts The Players Championship annually in March. The course was designed with spectators and competition in mind, so while it is a public course, it is often regarded as one of the most difficult courses in the world, novice golfers beware.
The Pete Dye Course at French Lick - Orange County, Indiana - Green Fees Start at $350
Veering off the coast, the Pete Dye Course in Indiana is situated within the hilltops of the Hoosier National Forest and features an incredible array of terrain for players. Just when you think you are getting into the swing of things, pun intended, you will be faced with a new and exciting challenge when you play here.
Mauna Kea Golf Course - Big Island, Hawaii - Green Fees Start at $185
How often do you get to say that you played golf on black lava fields? But don’t let that fool you into thinking it isn’t lush with greenery on this award-winning golf course! Boasting beautiful coastal views and a hole that you literally must shoot your ball over the ocean, playing at the Mauna Kea Golf Course will be an extremely memorable occasion.
Omni Homestead Golf Resort, The Cascades - Hot Springs, Virginia - Green Fees Start at $75
The Cascades golf course in our beautiful home state of Virginia is impeccably located with the Allegheny Mountains and has offered its players a challenge since opening in 1923, 99 years ago! With its proximity to Washington D.C., many of our great U.S. Presidents have played on this historic course.
