Tee up at these public golf courses from South Carolina to California
Photo courtesy of Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course / Brian Walker
No membership required at these courses
There are more than 16,000 golf courses in the U.S., but many are private. But you don’t have to book a room at a swanky resort or be a member of a private club to snag a tee time at some of the top public golf courses around the country.
Designed by renowned architects, these public golf courses have killer views and host many of the sport’s most prestigious events. The best part? These golf courses are open to anyone — as long as you’re willing to pay the green fees.
Photo courtesy of Whistling Straits
The Straits Course at Whistling Straits – Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Located on a two-mile stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline, the rugged, windswept terrain at Whistling Straits would be more at home in Ireland than in the Midwest.
Designed by Pete Dye, the Straits hosted PGA championships, the U.S. Senior Open, and the 2021 Ryder Cup. It’s a challenging course with staggering beauty, which helped put it on top of many a golfer’s bucket list.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf – Lahaina, Hawaii
Every year, the PGA Tour holds its opening event at Kapalua Golf Plantation Course. Located on Maui’s North Shore, the course offers stunning ocean views from each hole.
Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore designed the course to be challenging enough for the pros, but with wide fairways that are forgiving enough for the casual golfer.
Photo courtesy of Brian Walker
Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course – Stateline, Nevada
Lake Tahoe may have 72 miles of shoreline, but there’s only one public golf course along the waterfront: Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.
Created by George Fazio and later renovated by his nephew, Tom Fazio, the course offers spectacular views of the lake and mountains. It’s so picturesque, it’s hard to keep your eye on the ball. Every July, the course hosts the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Kahler / Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
Bandon Dunes – Bandon, Oregon
Designed by famed Scottish architect David McLay Kidd and perched on a tall bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Bandon Dunes blends right into the rugged beauty of the terrain of the Oregon coast.
Soaked with sheer drops and natural dunes, this stunning public golf course will host various USGA Championships through 2045.
Photo courtesy of TPC Scottsdale
Stadium Course at TPC Scotssdale – Scottsdale, Arizona
With 330 days of sunshine, Scottsdale is a dream destination for golfers, especially when courses in other parts of the country are closed due to snow and inclement weather.
Vivid red mountains, bright blue ponds, and lush green vegetation make the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale a symphony of dramatic contrast. Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, the Stadium Course is home to the legendary WM Phoenix Open.
Photo courtesy of Discover South Carolina
The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort – Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Initially created for the 1991 Ryder Cup, Pete Dye designed The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort to showcase Atlantic Ocean views from the greens and fairways. It’s a tough, breezy course with inclines on each fairway, sawgrass surrounding the holes, and dunes connecting to every bunker.
In addition to the Ryder Cup, The Ocean Course has hosted several PGA Championships and the World Cup. It’s one of the best public golf courses in South Carolina.
Pebble Beach Golf Links – Pebble Beach, California
With half of the holes hugging the clifftop above the Pacific Ocean, Pebble Beach Golf Links is about as close as you can get to the sea without getting wet. Designed by a pair of amateur golfers, Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, the public golf course has seen many improvements over the years, most recently by Arnold Palmer’s design company.
Pebble Beach Golf Links has been the home of numerous major championships, including six U.S. Opens — more than any other course in the last 50 years.
Photo courtesy of Visit Indiana
The Pete Dye Course – French Lick, Indiana
Named for its architect, The Pete Dye Course boasts 40-mile views of the Hoosier National Forest. Featuring five sets of tees to ensure playability to golfers of all skill levels, the hilltop public golf course is breathtaking when the foliage bursts with color in the fall.
The Korn Ferry Tour Championship and PGA Tour Card ceremony will take place at The Pete Dye Course through at least 2028.
Photo courtesy of MillerBrown Photography
Chambers Bay – University Place, Washington
Robert Trent Jones Jr. improbably turned an abandoned sand quarry in a residential area outside of Tacoma into one of the best public golf courses in the U.S.
Multi-level fairways, majestic vistas of the Pacific Ocean, and train tracks famously running beside several holes make Chambers Bay one of the most unique golf courses around. The course has hosted the U.S. Open and several USGA Championships.
About Tamara Gane
Tamara Gane is a freelance writer based in Reno/Lake Tahoe. In addition to USA Today 10Best, her work has been published in Travel & Leisure, Fodor’s Travel, The Washington Post, SF Gate, Houston Chronicle, Thrillist, and more.
Read more about Tamara Gane here.
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