Golfweek’s Best 2021: Top 100 public golf courses across the US
If you’re looking for only the best in public-access golf, we’ve got you covered with this list of the top 100 Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play in the United States, as judged by our nationwide network of raters.
The members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged together to produce a final rating for each course.
All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.
KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. (For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.) * Indicates new or returning to the rankings.
(Pictured atop this story is Streamsong Red, courtesy of Streamsong/Larry Lambrecht.)
SEE ALSO
Golfweek’s Best 2021: Best public golf courses you can play, state by state
Golfweek’s Best 2021: Best private golf courses in every state
Nos. 1-25
Pebble Beach Golf Links in California (Harry How/Getty Images)
1. Pebble Beach Golf Links Pebble Beach, Calif. (c) 2. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Pacific Dunes) Bandon, Ore. (m) 3. Pinehurst (No. 2) Pinehurst, N.C. (c) 4. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Old Macdonald) Bandon, Ore. (m) 5. Whistling Straits (Straits) Mosel, Wis. (m) 6. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Bandon Dunes) Bandon, Ore. (m) 7. Shadow Creek North Las Vegas, Nev. (m) 8. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Sheep Ranch)* Bandon, Ore. (m) 9. Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course) Kiawah Island, S.C. (m) 10. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Bandon Trails) Bandon, Ore. (m) 11. Bethpage State Park (Black) Farmingdale, N.Y. (c) T12. Pasatiempo Santa Cruz, Calif. (c) T12. TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium) Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (m) 14. Spyglass Hill Pebble Beach, Calif. (m) 15. Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes) Nekoosa, Wis. (m) 16. Sand Valley (Sand Valley) Nekoosa, Wis. (m) 17. Streamsong (Red) Bowling Green, Fla. (m) 18. Kapalua (Plantation) Maui, Hawaii (m) T19. Four Seasons Resort (Manele) Lanai, Hawaii (m) T19. Gamble Sands Brewster, Wash. (m) 21. Streamsong (Black) Bowling Green, Fla. (m) 22. Streamsong (Blue) Bowling Green, Fla. (m) 23. Lawsonia (Links) Green Lake, Wis. (c) T24. Sea Pines Resort (Harbour Town GL) Hilton Head Island, S.C. (m) T24. Chambers Bay University Place, Wash. (m)
Nos. 26-50
Silvies Valley Ranch, both the Hankins and Craddock reversible courses (Courtesy of Silvies Valley Ranch)
26. Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs) Arcadia, Mich. (m) 27. Sweetens Cove South Pittsburg, Tenn. (m) 28. Marquette Golf Club (Greywalls) Marquette, Mich. (m) 29. Fallen Oak Saucier, Miss. (m) 30. Karsten Creek Stillwater, Okla. (m) 31. Prairie Club (Dunes) Valentine, Neb. (m) 32. Erin Hills Hartford, Wis. (m) 33. Sea Island (Seaside) St. Simons Island, Ga. (m) 34. Mystic Creek* El Dorado, Ark. (m) 35. The Omni Homestead Resort (Cascades) Hot Springs, Va. (c) 36. Primland (Highland) Meadows of Dan, Va. (m) 37. Wine Valley Walla Walla, Wash. (m) 38. Pinehurst No. 4 Pinehurst, N.C. (m) 39. Forest Dunes (The Loop Red & Black) Roscommon, Mich. (m) T40. Silvies Valley Ranch (Hankins) Seneca, Ore. (m) T40. Torrey Pines (South) San Diego (c) T40. Links of North Dakota Ray, N.D. (m) 43. Blackwolf Run (River) Kohler, Wis. (m) 44. Big Cedar Lodge (Ozarks National) Hollister, Mo. (m) T45. Mossy Oak West Point, Miss. (m) T45. Mid Pines Southern Pines, N.C. (c) 47. Giants Ridge (Quarry) Biwabik, Minn. (m) 48. Wild Horse Gothenburg, Neb. (m) 49. The Greenbrier (Old White) White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (c) 50. Paako Ridge GC Sandia Park, N.M. (m)
Nos. 51-75
Cascata in Nevada (Courtesy of Cascata)
51. Cog Hill (No. 4 - Dubsdread) Lemont, Ill. (m) 52. Montage Palmetto Bluff (May River) Bluffton, S.C. (m) 53. Sand Hollow (Championship) Hurricane, Utah (m) T54. French Lick Resort (Pete Dye) French Lick, Ind. (m) T54. Forest Dunes (Weiskopf) Roscommon, Mich. (m) 56. Crosswater Sunriver, Ore. (m) T57. Whistling Straits (Irish) Mosel, Wis. (m) T57. Rustic Canyon Moorpark, Calif. (m) T57. Silvies Valley Ranch (Craddock) Seneca, Ore. (m) 60. Golden Horseshoe (Gold) Williamsburg, Va. (m) T61. Black Jack’s Crossing Lajitas, Texas (m) T61. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club Myrtle Beach, S.C. (c) T63. Cascata Boulder City, Nev. (m) T63. Pine Needles Southern Pines, N.C. (c) 65. Caledonia Golf & Fish Club Pawleys Island, S.C. (m) 66. Old Waverly West Point, Miss. (m) T67. World Woods (Pine Barrens) Brooksville, Fla. (m) T67. Rams Hill Borrego Springs, Calif. (m) T69. Keswick Hall and GC (Full Cry) Charlottesville, Va. (m) T69. CordeValle San Martin, Calif. (m) T69. Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Kona, Hawaii (m) T72. Pursell Farms (FarmLinks) Sylacauga, Ala. (m) T72. Princeville Makai Kauai, Hawaii (m) T74. We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro) Fort McDowell, Ariz. (m) T74. Cape Cod National Brewster, Mass. (m) T74. Linville GC Linville, N.C. (c)
Nos. 76-100
Reynolds Lake Oconee's Great Waters in Georgia (Courtesy of Reynolds Lake Oconee/Evan Schiller)
T77. Torrey Pines (North) San Diego (m) T77. Quintero Peoria, Ariz. (m) T77. Trump Golf Links Ferry Point New York (m) 80. Yocha Dehe at Cache Creek Casino Brooks, Calif. (m) T81. Big Cedar Lodge (Buffalo Ridge) Hollister, Mo. (m) T81. Red Sky (Fazio) Wolcott, Colo. (m) T81. Omni Barton Creek (Fazio Canyons) Austin, Texas (m) T84. Trump National Doral Miami (Blue Monster) Doral, Fla. (m) T84. Bayside* Brule, Neb. (m) T84. University Ridge* Madison, Wis. (m) T87. Black Diamond Ranch (Quarry) Lecanto, Fla. (m) T87. The Wilderness at Fortune Bay Tower, Minn. (m) T87. Prairie Club (Pines)* Valentine, Neb. (m) T90. Tobacco Road Sanford, N.C. (m) T90. Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek) North Plains, Ore. (m) T90. Atlantic City CC Northfield, N.J. (c) T90. Reynolds Lake Oconee (Great Waters) Greensboro, Ga. (m) T90. Bay Hill Club and Lodge Orlando (m) T90. Links at Spanish Bay* Pebble Beach, Calif. (m) T96. Royal New Kent Golf Club* Providence Forge, Va. (m) T96. Salish Cliffs Shelton, Wash. (m) T96. Wolf Creek Mesquite, Nev. (m) T96. Golf Club at Dove Mountain (Saguaro/Tortolita) Marana, Ariz. (m) 100. SentryWorld Stevens Point, Wis. (m)
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