The Best Golf Courses in Every State

[HJJ003]

10 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

@HJJ003 It's a good course it was a lot of fun. We played a few weeks after the US Women's Open there in 2011. It was in pristine shape. It is not as difficult as you would think for a course that hosts US Opens. I played the back tees and shot right around par. Like I said it was good but IMO there was nothing all that memorable about it.

Too bad Sanctuary is so difficult to get on, now that is a cool golf course. Know anyone at ReMax?

@NM Golf Thanks, I have heard that from numerous people. Great resort, Good Course, but nothing breathtaking. Still on my list though. 

Lol no I don't know anyone at ReMax, but I just googled the Sanctuary Course and man your not kidding that looks amazing!

[NM Golf]

Just now, HJJ003 said:

@NM Golf Thanks, I have heard that from numerous people. Great resort, Good Course, but nothing breathtaking. Still on my list though. 

Lol no I don't know anyone at ReMax, but I just googled the Sanctuary Course and man your not kidding that looks amazing!

And don't forget your wallet because its a bit on the expensive side, you have to stay at the resort in order to play there. If you go make sure to get a reservation to the Golden Bee Pub. Its a sing along piano bar, its the one thing I do remember, we had an absolute blast in there. One of the most fun nights I have ever had in my life.

[FLOG4]

I follow the ratings quite a bit. Between the 3 major raters in the US...Golf, Golf Digest and Golfweek you will find a fair amount of consistency in the lists. I am a rater also. The process is not about the specifics of your day there. It's more about the skeleton, the architecture. But overall the truly great courses shine on all of these lists. The difficulty for most of us is how do you play some of these exclusive places. That is why I love to travel to Scotland and Ireland and the UK. Predominantly they let anyone with a cap below about 20 and the cash come and play. Can't do that here. Ultimately it's nice to have friends who are connected to play at great places but if you have those type friends you probably don't need them to play exclusive places anyway. I'll throw out a few hints how to play these great places. On the list provided here of Golf Digest I have played about 200 rounds. Ways to do it....Charity....One of the best ways organizations raise $ is charity. Golfers love to donate 4somes to orgs. You can buy them from afar. Charitybuzz and Biddingforgood are the 2 best. I have played The Country Club, Stanwich, Yale, Philly CC, Aronimink,  Philly Cricket, Wolf Creek, Machrihanish....Ha by buying 4somes A few times they were 3somes and play with member. And those times the members were over the top gracious and accommodating. Charity outings...All of the truly great courses have charity outings. They aren't cheap. And you may have to do some investigative work to find out where/when..Once I had Fishers Island as #1 on my hit list. I found out the Rotary Club of Stonington had a charity outing...I called I think commerce dept in area. The gal knew the guy who ran it, I called him and the event was the next day and he had someone cancel out of his group...I said I'm in. $600 to play a scramble. Me and 3 guys who's caps totaled about 100. We shot 76 with 73 of those shots my ball...Ha Man up and just call places....Some places are in need of some revenue at times. or the Pro will just pocket....Southern clubs from May 1 to labor day you have a good chance to play. Northern clubs before May 1 and after labor day a good chance. I once walked into Cypress Point and had a chat with the pro.. He laughed but we had a nice chat. I grabbed a scorecard and some pencils which was my real plan anyway. With many of the over the top private places.....the members many times are really good people. They know they are fortunate to be where they are and don't mind showing off their place to the little guy.....Find em and just ask....    

[Nutsmacker]

Its not really fair to tease people with the exclusive C.C.'s.  I live in Maryland and have never played Congressional.  I have played chevy chase when a friend was a caddy there.  But it kind of sucks to have to salivate at uber expensive golf club courses.  Whiskey creek I have played a few times and don't think it is all that great.  It is okay, but nothing spectacular.  I think there are better public courses in Maryland then Whiskey Creek.  Haven't tried Bulle Rock yet.  It is a bit pricey...

[HJJ003]

37 minutes ago, Nutsmacker said:

Its not really fair to tease people with the exclusive C.C.'s.  I live in Maryland and have never played Congressional.  I have played chevy chase when a friend was a caddy there.  But it kind of sucks to have to salivate at uber expensive golf club courses.  Whiskey creek I have played a few times and don't think it is all that great.  It is okay, but nothing spectacular.  I think there are better public courses in Maryland then Whiskey Creek.  Haven't tried Bulle Rock yet.  It is a bit pricey...

This is why I like to focus on public courses. If I get the chance to play some high end Private courses then great, but there are some nice public tracks out there that don’t break the bank and you can actually plan a trip around. There are still some pricey public tracks too though especially resorts...

[Sean G]

10 hours ago, Nutsmacker said:

Its not really fair to tease people with the exclusive C.C.'s.  I live in Maryland and have never played Congressional.  I have played chevy chase when a friend was a caddy there.  But it kind of sucks to have to salivate at uber expensive golf club courses.  Whiskey creek I have played a few times and don't think it is all that great.  It is okay, but nothing spectacular.  I think there are better public courses in Maryland then Whiskey Creek.  Haven't tried Bulle Rock yet.  It is a bit pricey...

I think Worthington Manor just down the road from Whiskey Creek is a nicer course and very well maintained.  Can't beat their practice area either...$12 full use of range and practice area all day!

[Nutsmacker]

3 hours ago, Sean G said:

I think Worthington Manor just down the road from Whiskey Creek is a nicer course and very well maintained.  Can't beat their practice area either...$12 full use of range and practice area all day!

I have played Worthington a few times.  It is okay, but different from Whiskey.  IMO its more difficult...but its been awhile since I played there and the last time it was after a US Open qualifier and the conditions were difficult.  They are both a bit unnecessarily expensive which keeps me from going there.  My friends and I play in Montgomery County a lot due to the selection of courses close to all of us and the prices.  The prices are not cheap by any means, but on a Saturday morning we can all get out for around 40-50 dollars if you get the special tee time offers they have.  Because of this, we will end up playing at Rattlewood a lot, Little Bennett, and Northwest park.  We always discuss going to play some of the courses out past Frederick such as Maryland national, Musket Ridge, etc...but the drive plus cost to play never makes sense Friday afternoon when we are getting our tee time.  Some of those courses need to get a grip on reality.  Musket Ridge and Maryland National are nice courses, but its like an hour drive(for me) and 60 miles to get there and the rounds cost around 100 dollars?!  It is just not worth it.   I have always thought those courses need to lower their prices to get more play.  The land costs out there are nowhere near as much as they are in Montgomery County.  Sure, the courses are somewhat nicer but it takes too long to get there and I burn up a half a tank of gas(and my entire day) in addition to their ridiculously high green fees.  

[Nutsmacker]

14 hours ago, HJJ003 said:

This is why I like to focus on public courses. If I get the chance to play some high end Private courses then great, but there are some nice public tracks out there that don’t break the bank and you can actually plan a trip around. There are still some pricey public tracks too though especially resorts...

Yea, me too.  Some of the country clubs in Maryland on that list are extremely exclusive and the initiation fees are in the 300 - 500K range.  Way out of the budget of for most of us and pointless to list in a magazine as 99.99% will never have the chance to play them.  

[Sean G]

2 hours ago, Nutsmacker said:

I have played Worthington a few times.  It is okay, but different from Whiskey.  IMO its more difficult...but its been awhile since I played there and the last time it was after a US Open qualifier and the conditions were difficult.  They are both a bit unnecessarily expensive which keeps me from going there.  My friends and I play in Montgomery County a lot due to the selection of courses close to all of us and the prices.  The prices are not cheap by any means, but on a Saturday morning we can all get out for around 40-50 dollars if you get the special tee time offers they have.  Because of this, we will end up playing at Rattlewood a lot, Little Bennett, and Northwest park.  We always discuss going to play some of the courses out past Frederick such as Maryland national, Musket Ridge, etc...but the drive plus cost to play never makes sense Friday afternoon when we are getting our tee time.  Some of those courses need to get a grip on reality.  Musket Ridge and Maryland National are nice courses, but its like an hour drive(for me) and 60 miles to get there and the rounds cost around 100 dollars?!  It is just not worth it.   I have always thought those courses need to lower their prices to get more play.  The land costs out there are nowhere near as much as they are in Montgomery County.  Sure, the courses are somewhat nicer but it takes too long to get there and I burn up a half a tank of gas(and my entire day) in addition to their ridiculously high green fees.  

 I agree. The only time I'll cough up the money for Worthington is if it's twilight rates. I live about ten minutes from it so the cost to practice is great.  The Montgomery Cty parks courses are not bad at all.  I play Clustered Spires in Frederick a lot but that is even getting expensive, especially for a city course.  Prime time weekend rate is now $69. A lot of times we will make the drive to Penn National.  Great courses in great shape but probably a hike for you!

[tinker]

Best in Delaware is Deerfield. Plenty of elevation change( which you don’t see much of in de.) and exile the condition. Also reasonable price.

[sheepdog]

I don't care what any magazine or internet site has to say the very best golf course in the great state of Tennessee is Memphis Country Club. It's an old Donald Ross course from 1910. You better have a short game and a putter. The usual Ross upside down saucer greens that are slicker than a linoleum floor. Great layout though it has always ate my lunch.

[Chanceman]

Ballyneal #2 in Colorado? - what on earth is #1 ???

[HJJ003]

On 2/3/2018 at 1:16 AM, Chanceman said:

Ballyneal #2 in Colorado? - what on earth is #1 ???

Castle Pines GC. The Castle Pines area has some pretty good golfing options in the city and in nearby cities. 

[JuanTheGolfer]

Reviving this thread..  About three years ago, I started playing Golfweek Magazine's List of Top Courses You Can Play by State.  This is a realistic list to me, in that it does NOT include all the private courses, that I nor many others can play.

So in 2016 I played all 30 courses in that list in the state of Florida some of which are:

• World Woods - Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks
• Juliette Falls
• Black Diamond Ranch - The Quarry Course
• TPC Sawgrass- The Players Course
• Bay Hill
• Southern Dunes
• Streamsong - Red and Blue
• Trump Doral - The Blue Monster and Red Tiger
• Turnberry Isles - Stouffer and Miller
• Gasparilla Inn
• Camp Creek

Then in 2017 I played 11 of the 15 listed for South Carolina.  I had all 15 scheduled, however, Hurricane Irma washed out the last four, which I will get around to next year.  Some of which included:

• The Walker Course
• True Blue
• TPC Myrtle Beach
• Heritage
• Caledonia
• Grande Dunes
• The Dunes

Then on my trip to Rochester, NY for a reunion I played the ones below in addition Oak Hill - East Course

• Ravenwood
• Greystone

I will be taking another trip to Rochester this Spring and play

• Conklin Players Club
• Leatherstocking
• Seneca Hickory Sticks

Then a trip a little later in the Spring to play all the courses in Nebraska, and then some

• Awarii Dunes
• Quarry Oaks
• Wild Horse
• Dismal River (Red and White)
• Prairie Club (Pines and Dunes)
• Tatanka 

Each year, I will select a state and try to play all the courses listed in that state... I really enjoy playing new courses and meeting the people.

Some may ask do I have a favorite course... not really.  Almost all of them have positive memories that stick with me for various reasons.... AND I also did a review of each round on my Facebook page, so I can always go back there to reminisce ..  or go through a box of things I have from the various courses like ball markers, pencils, scorecards, balls, ... the golf balls I will eventually turn into a Christmas Tree (sticking the balls around a styrofoam base)..   Now off to make more memories

 

 

 

[FLOG4]

On ‎3‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 3:04 AM, JuanTheGolfer said:

 

Each year, I will select a state and try to play all the courses listed in that state... I really enjoy playing new courses and meeting the people.

Some may ask do I have a favorite course... not really.  Almost all of them have positive memories that stick with me for various reasons.... AND I also did a review of each round on my Facebook page, so I can always go back there to reminisce ..  or go through a box of things I have from the various courses like ball markers, pencils, scorecards, balls, ... the golf balls I will eventually turn into a Christmas Tree (sticking the balls around a styrofoam base)..   Now off to make more memories

   

 

 

Good stuff. I'm a rater with Golfweek. I also have a mega collection of pencils and just made a board with my top 147....I know awkward number. I just spaced them on this board I had and that's how many fit. Best places on top. Maybe about 50 of top 100 in world. Then bottom have a row of courses which have closed...El Diablo, Pistol Creek, Blue Heron W, But my real collection are my score cards. I have like 700 different ones I played but maybe 900 total. The boxes weigh like 50 pounds. I have them alphabetized. What I love about Golfweek is that they are obsessed with ratings. They rate all kind of different groups. Not every course is ratable. They want to rate the top 1000...But the US has about 17000 right now...And to rate 1000 they pick out about 2000....So about 12% are ratable. Many seemingly wonderful courses don't make the cut to even be considered ratable. GW has 700 raters each knocking off maybe 15 rounds each a year...and you can only rate a place once. Rating has opened up the ability to go almost anywhere to play. The places you think might be difficult many times are the most accommodating. It's your local somewhat no name privates that typically respond that they are too busy to allow you to visit.

Good luck with your travels. One state you may wish to put on your list is NJ. A bunch of the best you can play are grouped in the Atlantic City area. The best is usually Ballyowen part of the Crystal Resort. NJ has some great clubs. Love your upcoming NE trip. Some fabulous golf there. Reach out to Sand Hills....Ya never know.  

[Edsland]

Grew up in Chicagoland, played Cog 4 a bunch, it’s a great course but I really like Cog #2 better. I played Caledonia G. & Fish Club, Pawleys Island and Harbour Town. In Michigan I played Barton Hills in Ann Arbor. 

[FLOG4]

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 9:24 PM, Nutsmacker said:

Its not really fair to tease people with the exclusive C.C.'s.  I live in Maryland and have never played Congressional.  I have played chevy chase when a friend was a caddy there.  But it kind of sucks to have to salivate at uber expensive golf club courses.  Whiskey creek I have played a few times and don't think it is all that great.  It is okay, but nothing spectacular.  I think there are better public courses in Maryland then Whiskey Creek.  Haven't tried Bulle Rock yet.  It is a bit pricey...

This expires shortly....It's not per se cheap...but candidly if it sells near what it is at right now it is...

Golf at Congressional Country Club | BiddingForGood

 

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 9:38 AM, DaveP043 said:

I wish I knew!  I was in college at the time, so it was in the late 70s, and my uncle, a retired hospital administrator, pulled some strings somehow.  I wish I remembered it better, or had a chance to play it now, as I have a lot more experience.  

I have bought these often...sometimes the deals are pretty good. This expires tomorrow...

Golf at Congressional Country Club | BiddingForGood

 

[Nutsmacker]

15 minutes ago, FLOG4 said:

This expires shortly....It's not per se cheap...but candidly if it sells near what it is at right now it is...

Golf at Congressional Country Club | BiddingForGood

 

I have bought these often...sometimes the deals are pretty good. This expires tomorrow...

Golf at Congressional Country Club | BiddingForGood

 

750 bucks is a quite a bit of dough for some golf.  I am sure it will be higher by the time it finishes.  I know that it is probably a good deal but I can't see myself dropping a G for a single golf round