Welcome to Golfweek’s Best 2020 list of top residential golf courses in the United States, first published in the print issue of Golfweek’s Ultimate Guide. These focus on courses within residential developments and include both private clubs and public-access tracks.
The hundreds of 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 to produce a final rating for each course. Then each course is ranked against other courses in the region.
We hope you enjoy poring over these rankings, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts on this Golfweek’s Best 2020: Top 200 Residential Courses list.
Each course is listed with its 2020 ranking, its location, architect(s), the year it opened and an average ranking from all the Golfweek Raters who reviewed it.
Top 200 Residential Courses 1-50
| Rank | Course | Location | Architect(s) | Year opened | Avg. rating |
| 1 | Wade Hampton Club | Cashiers, N.C. | Tom Fazio | 1987 | 8.05 |
| 2 | Rock Creek Cattle Co. | Deer Lodge, Mont. | Tom Doak | 2008 | 7.75 |
| 3 | Estancia | Scottsdale, Ariz. | Tom Fazio | 1995 | 7.61 |
| 4 | Colorado GC | Parker, Colo. | Bill Crenshaw | 2007 | 7.55 |
| 5 | Gozzer Ranch | Harrison, Idaho | Tom Fazio | 2007 | 7.54 |
| 6 | Oak Tree National | Edmond, Okla. | Pete Dye | 1975 | 7.45 |
| 7 | Huntsman Springs | Driggs, Idaho | David McLay Kidd | 2009 | 7.42 |
| 8 | Shooting Star | Teton Village, Wyo. | Tom Fazio | 2009 | 7.41 |
| 9 | Bluejack National | Montgomery, Texas | Tiger Woods | 2016 | 7.35 |
| 10 | Castle Pines | Castle Rock, Colo. | Jack Nicklaus | 1981 | 7.35 |
| 11 | Mountaintop | Cashiers, N.C. | Tom Fazio | 2007 | 7.34 |
| 12 | Martis Camp | Truckee, Calif. | Tom Fazio | 2008 | 7.29 |
| 13 | Mountain Lake | Lake Wales, Fla. | Seth Raynor | 1917 | 7.26 |
| 14 | Mayacama | Santa Rosa, Calif. | Jack Nicklaus | 2001 | 7.25 |
| 15 | Grandfather Golf & CC (Championship) | Linville, N.C. | Ellis Maples | 1968 | 7.24 |
| 16 | The Stock Farm | Hamilton, Mont. | Tom Fazio | 1999 | 7.20 |
| 17 | Quarry at La Quinta | La Quinta, Calif. | Tom Fazio | 1994 | 7.20 |
| 18 | Johns Island Club (West) | Vero Beach, Fla. | Tom Fazio | 1989 | 7.19 |
| 19 | Long Cove Club | Hilton Head Island, S.C. | Pete Dye | 1982 | 7.18 |
| 20 | The Madison Club | La Quinta, Calif. | Tom Fazio | 2006 | 7.18 |
| 21 | The Pronghorn (Fazio) | Bend, Ore. | Tom Fazio | 2006 | 7.15 |
| 22 | Diamond Creek | Banner Elk, N.C. | Tom Fazio | 2003 | 7.15 |
| 23 | Cuscowilla | Eatonton, Ga. | Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw | 1997 | 7.13 |
| 24 | The Rim | Payson, Ariz. | Tom Weiskopf, Jay Morrish | 1998 | 7.09 |
| 25 | Clear Creek | Carson City, Nev. | Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw | 2009 | 7.07 |
| 26 | Jupiter Hills Club (Hills) | Tequesta, Fla. | George Fazio | 1970 | 7.04 |
| 27 | Patriot GC | Owasso, Okla. | Robert Trent Jones Jr. | 2010 | 7.04 |
| 28 | Forest Highlands (Canyon) | Flagstaff, Ariz. | Jay Morrish, Tom Weiskopf | 1986 | 6.98 |
| 29 | Boot Ranch GC | Fredericksburg, Texas | Hal Sutton | 2006 | 6.98 |
| 30 | Colleton River (Dye) | Bluffton, S.C. | Pete Dye | 1998 | 6.98 |
| 31 | Tradition GC | La Quinta, Calif. | Arnold Palmer, Ed Seay | 1997 | 6.98 |
| 32 | The Concession | Bradenton, Fla. | Jack Nicklaus | 2006 | 6.96 |
| 33 | Stone Canyon | Oro Valley, Ariz. | Jay Morrish | 2000 | 6.96 |
| 34 | Kiawah Island (Cassique) | Kiawah Island, S.C. | Tom Watson | 2000 | 6.93 |
| 35 | Lahontan | Truckee, Calif. | Tom Weiskopf | 1999 | 6.93 |
| 36 | Santa Lucia Preserve | Carmel, Calif. | Tom Fazio | 2000 | 6.92 |
| 37 | Spring Island (Old Tabby Links) | Okatie, S.C. | Arnold Palmer, Ed Seay | 1993 | 6.91 |
| 38 | Frederica | St. Simons Island, Ga. | Tom Fazio | 2004 | 6.90 |
| 39 | The Bear’s Club | Jupiter, Fla. | Jack Nicklaus | 1999 | 6.90 |
| 40 | The Cliffs at Mountain Park | Travelers Rest, S.C. | Gary Player | 2013 | 6.88 |
| 41 | Paako Ridge | Sandia Park, N.M. | Ken Dye | 2000 | 6.88 |
| 42 | Kohanaiki | Kailua-Kona, Hawaii | Rees Jones | 2014 | 6.85 |
| 43 | Southern Highlands | Las Vegas, Nev. | Robert Trent Jones Sr., Robert Trent Jones Jr. | 1999 | 6.81 |
| 44 | Black Rock | Coeur d’Alene, Idaho | Jim Engh | 2003 | 6.79 |
| 45 | Rainmakers | Alto, N.M. | Robert Trent Jones Jr. | 2008 | 6.77 |
| 46 | Glacier Club (Mountain) | Durango, Colo. | Hale Irwin, Todd Schroeder | 2017 | 6.76 |
| 47 | Old Waverly | West Point, Miss. | Bob Cupp, Jerry Pate | 1988 | 6.75 |
| 48 | Forest Creek (North) | Pinehurst, N.C. | Tom Fazio | 2005 | 6.75 |
| 49 | The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe | Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. | Robert Trent Jones Jr. | 2001 | 6.74 |
| 50 | The Club at Carlton Woods (Fazio Championship) | The Woodlands, Texas | Tom Fazio | 2005 | 6.74 |