The Valley of the Sun offers plenty of great public-access golf courses.
Headed to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area for the annual giant party that is the WM Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour? Maybe you scored a ticket to watch the Eagles square off against the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57 at State Farm Stadium in nearby Glendale? Perhaps you’re one of the truly lucky ones planning to attend both?
Then pack your golf clubs because the Valley of the Sun offers plenty of great public-access golf courses. For most of the year, we recommend you start with these top 10 in the area. Of course, only nine are really options for the week of the Super Bowl and WM Phoenix Open, as TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course is booked to host the pros, but you get the idea.
Golfweek’s Best ranks courses around the world, utilizing a pool of more than 800 course raters. The most popular rankings list in the program is the Best Courses You Can Play list for public-access layouts in each state. To analyze the top 10 public-access courses around the Phoenix and Scottsdale area, we started with those rankings for all of Arizona. Then we included only those courses within a 90-minute drive of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which sits about halfway between TPC Scottsdale and State Farm Stadium.
But don’t consider these your only options. Check out even more great courses in Arizona on the state-by-state public-access list. But be ready to pay a premium for a tee time the week of the Super Bowl and PGA Tour event, as many courses in the valley utilize fluctuating on-demand pricing all year, and all the courses will see a spike in demand on what will be the busiest week of the year.
Check out the top public and private golf courses in Vermont.
Vermont isn’t a golf powerhouse with hundreds of courses on offer – the whole state has fewer than 100 layouts. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some worthwhile courses among Vermont’s offerings.
Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. 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.
(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960 (c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.
“If you’ve never been to this part of Texas, you’re not gonna believe it,” Lanny Wadkins said of the No. 1 course.
Texas has an incredibly diverse mix of landscapes, and its best golf courses likewise serve up a great variety from its desert borders in the west to the farmland in the east.
Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. 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.
(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960 (c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.
The Volunteer State proves that nine holes can be enough with Sweetens Cove and the Course at Sewanee.
Golfweek’s Best is willing to buck tradition when it comes to the top public-access layouts in Tennessee, as two of the three highest ranked layouts are just nine holes.
Sweetens Cove, which has built a loyal following online and on its untraditional tee sheet, comes in at No. 1. Located about halfway between Nashville and Atlanta in tiny South Pittsburg, the design by the firm of King-Collins offers fresh twists on classic architectural features across its nine holes. It has created massive interest in a flat floodplain between mountains, proving that golfers are more than willing to travel to find a good time.
Likewise, the Gil Hanse-redesigned Course at Sewanee is a can’t miss in Tennessee despite being just nine holes. Perched atop a mountain at the University of the South, several holes feature long views over a valley while various tees allow the nine holes to play entirely differently on subsequent loops. Sewanee comes in at No. 3 on Golfweek’s Best 2022 public-access list for Tennessee.
Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. 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.
(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960 (c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.
Golfweek’s course-rating program shines a light on the top golf courses in South Dakota.
South Dakota doesn’t have a large population: fewer than 900,000 residents. That doesn’t mean there isn’t solid golf to played there, and Golfweek’s Best shines a light on the top tracks in the Mount Rushmore State.
Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. 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.
(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960 (c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.
HAVEN, Wis. – Whistling Straits’ Straits Course, home of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 24-26, is one of the most dramatic visual treats in golf.
Built by Pete Dye on the shore of Lake Michigan, the formerly flat site once housed a military base before the legendary designer trucked in some 13,000 loads of sand to shape an incredible vista of flowing dunes, fescue grass and incredibly difficult golf shots.
Golfweek’s Gabe Gudgel has shot aerial drone videos of each hole to get you ready for the Ryder Cup. Video of one hole will be released each day for 18 days. Today’s hole is No. 15, which will play as a 518-yard par 4 for the matches between the U.S. and Europe.
Mike O’Reilly, the golf operations manager at Whistling Straits, has provided commentary on each hole. He began his career at Destination Kohler’s sister club, Blackwolf Run, as a caddie before Whistling Straits even opened, and he has had a front-row seat to all the action in three previous PGA Championships. His insights are invaluable.
The Straits will play as a par 71 at 7,390 yards for the Ryder Cup. It’s normally a par 72, but the par-5 11th will be shortened to a par 4 for the event. The Straits ranks as the No. 1 public-access course in Wisconsin on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list, as well as No. 8 among all of Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses in the U.S.
And for more golf in Wisconsin, check out this road trip that played the top five courses in a surprisingly strong golf state.
Pebble Beach, Pasatiempo, Spyglass Hill and Torrey Pines: Check out the top public-access courses and more in California.
There’s no surprise in where to find the No. 1 public-access golf course in California, as Pebble Beach Golf Links has a long and storied place among the best tracks in the world. The Pacific Ocean, Carmel Bay, the Monterey Peninsula, holes atop the rocks – it’s hard to beat Pebble Beach.
But following Pebble Beach on Golfweek’s Best ranking of public-access layouts in the Golden State is a diverse sampling of fantastic courses stretching most of the length of a state that runs 770 miles from top to bottom. Desert courses. Mountain courses. Coastal layouts. Wine country. California has just about everything a traveling golfer could look for.
Golfweek ranks courses by compiling the average ratings – on a points basis of 1 to 10 – of its more than 750 raters to create several industry-leading lists of courses. That includes the popular Best Courses You Can Play list for courses that allow non-member tee times. These generally are defined as layouts accessible to resort guests or regular daily-fee players.
Designed by amateur golfers Jack Neville and Douglas Grant and opened in 1919, Pebble Beach Golf Links is No. 1 on that list. The course has seen changes since then from a wide range of architects – everyone from Alister MacKenzie to Arnold Palmer has renovated parts of the layout that has hosted six U.S. Opens, with a seventh scheduled for 2027.
Pasatiempo Golf Club in California (Courtesy of Pasatiempo)
Following in Pebble’s wake is an incredible lineup of public-access courses, several of which that would rank No. 1 in most other states.
No. 2 in California on the Best Courses You Can Play list is Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz, a Mackenzie layout built at the behest of women’s golf pioneer Marion Hollins that opened in 1929. Built on rolling, sandy hills overlooking Monterey Bay, the course became a favorite of MacKenzie’s.
Pasatiempo’s layout was restored by Tom Doak in the late 1990s, with continuous improvements since at the hands of Jim Urbina. Aside from being the No. 2 public-access course in California, Pasatiempo ranks No. 12 on the Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play list for the U.S. and No. 34 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list.
Spyglass Hills at Pebble Beach in California (Courtesy of Pebble Beach Resorts)
No. 3 among the public-access courses in California takes players back to Pebble Beach, this time for Spyglass Hill. The course opened in 1966 with a design by Robert Trent Jones Sr. that offers sweeping ocean views and holes atop the dunes before wandering into the Del Monte Forest. Spyglass Hill also ranks No. 13 on the Golfweek’s Best Resort Courses list, No. 14 on the Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play list and No. 31 on Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses list for layouts opened in or after 1960 in the U.S.
The No. 4 public-access layout in California is Torrey Pines’ cliffside South Course, host site of the 2008 and 2021 U.S. Opens in San Diego. Originally designed by the father/son duo of William P. Bell and William F. Bell and renovated several times since opening in 1957 – most recently by Rees Jones – the South is the annual site of the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open. The course also is tied for No. 40 on the Top 100 Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list and ranks No. 107 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list.
Torrey Pines South in California (Courtesy of the USGA)
No. 5 among California’s best public-access layouts moves away from the shoreline and into the hills northwest of Los Angeles. Rustic Canyon opened in 2002 with a natural, lay-of-the-land layout by Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and blogger/author Geoff Shackelford. It also ties for No. 57 on the Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play list and No. 165 on the Modern Courses list.
California doesn’t slow down much from there. Rams Hill, CordeValle, Torrey Pines North and on and on, the state keeps offering so many options, making it one of the top destinations for public-access golf in the country. Check out all the state’s rankings below.
The top 100 public golf courses across the U.S. that allow you to play via standard green fees, or staying at a resort or affiliated hotel.
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.)
Ranking the top public golf courses you can play in every state, as judged by Golfweek’s nationwide group of experts.
Not a member somewhere? Not a problem.
With this list of Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play, we present the best public-access courses in each state, 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. Each course is then ranked against other courses in its state to produce the final rankings.
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 Sweetens Cove in Tennessee.)
This state is seeking an applicant willing to play at 50 spots across the state for $10 an hour plus expenses for lodging, travel and golf.
What percentage of Wisconsinites have looked out their window this week and thought about golfing? Maybe 50%? Higher?
Now imagine golfing for the entire summer, and getting paid for it.
The Wisconsin State Golf Association has cultivated what might constitute the best internship … ever? … seeking out an applicant willing to play a round of golf at 50 spots across the state for $10 an hour plus expenses for lodging, travel and golf. The WSGA is calling it “America’s No. 1 golf internship.”
“We really wanted to do something fun and unique while Wisconsin will already have a lot of attention on it with Ryder Cup being here,” said Rob Jansen, executive director of the WSGA. “The internship would promote all the great courses we have in Wisconsin. We have highly ranked ones but a lot of people don’t know we have 10 of the top 100 courses in the national rankings right here in Wisconsin.”
Jansen wants someone who’s ready to play them all.
The job would involve 50 rounds in 10 weeks, with ample photography and social-media documentation to highlight the various spots across the state.
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“You don’t have to be the best golfer in the world; we’re looking for other skills that an individual might have,” Jansen said. “You still need a passion for golf, but what you shoot is secondary to how you experience the courses. We’ll look for photography skills, social-media skills, talking about the journey and highlighting what’s great about Wisconsin golf.”
Jansen said the visuals produced would serve as a photographic journal and give some courses promotional materials to use later. He’s looking for all applications by April 1. Applicants don’t necessarily need to be from Wisconsin; he’s already received submissions from across the country.
Applications need to be submitted via social media, either quote-tweeting the WSGA’s call for applicants, or by finding a creative means to share interest on Facebook or Instagram stories using #hiremeWSGA or #1golfinternship hashtags.
Free this summer? Say hello to America's #1 Golf Internship! 👋🏻
💰 Get paid to play golf ⛳️ 50 WI courses in 10 weeks 🏆 10 top-100 courses 💎 Discover hidden gems
Jansen hopes to announce the intern on May 1, and golf begins June 1. In its inaugural year, the job could feature rounds with local dignitaries or perhaps even sports figures around the state.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
