Want to hit some of the longest drives of your life? Wyoming might be just the spot you’ve been looking for.
Golf balls fly farther at elevation, and the Cowboy State has plenty of that. Popular ski destination Jackson Hole sits about 6,200 feet above sea level, which should mean a drive that would travel about 250 yards in Florida will go about 268 yards there, based on calculations by Titleist that say a ball at that altitude should travel more than 7 percent farther. Got a 300-yard drive in you at sea level? Then you can expect that puppy to travel more than 321 yards near Jackson Hole.
And the Arnold Palmer-designed Teton Pines Country Club in far western Wyoming might be the perfect spot to try for one of those long drives. Located in Wilson, not far from Jackson Hole, Teton Pines is above 6,200 feet and is the No. 1 public-access course in Wyoming on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for 2020.
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, including the popular Best Courses You Can Play list for courses that allow non-member tee times. These generally are defined as courses accessible to resort guests or regular daily-fee players. Teton Pines, which has a membership, allows limited public access, making it eligible for the Best Courses You Can Play list.
And Teton Pines isn’t alone on the Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list in Wyoming to offer a bit of thin air to boost a tee shot. No. 2 Rochelle Ranch Golf Course in Rawlins sits about 6,600 feet above sea level, No. 3 Bell Nob Golf Course in Gillette is at about 4,800 feet, No. 4 Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club is above 6,300 feet and No. 5 Three Crowns Golf Club in Casper is above 5,100 feet.
Golfweek also ranks private courses in each state, utilizing the same network of raters. Shooting Star in Teton Village is No. 1 on that list in Wyoming, followed by Golf Club at Devils Tower in Hulett, Snake River Sporting Club in Jackson, the Powder Horn in Sheridan and Three Creek Ranch in Jackson.
Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play 2020 in Wyoming
- Teton Pines, Wilson (m)
- Rochelle Ranch, Rawlins (m)*
- Bell Nob, Gillette (m)
- Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club, Jackson (m)
- Three Crowns, Casper (m)
(m): modern; (c): classic
Golfweek’s Best Private Courses 2020 in Wyoming
- Shooting Star, Teton Village (No. 47 m)
- GC at Devils Tower, Hulett (m)
- Snake River Sporting Club, Jackson (m)
- The Powder Horn, Sheridan (m)
- Three Creek Ranch, Jackson (m)
* New or returning to the list; c: Classic, built before 1960. m: Modern, built in 1960 or after
Golfweek’s Best 2020
- Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play
- Best Courses You Can Play, state by state
- Top 200 Modern Courses
- Top 200 Classic Courses
- Top 30 Campus Courses
- Best Private Courses, state by state
How we rate them
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. Then each course is ranked against other courses in its state, or nationally, to produce the final rankings.