With 45% of the world’s golf courses being located in the USA, every golfer will find a course perfectly suited to their specific requirements of difficulty, setting, and experience. The sheer size and variety of the USA landmass mean that one can pick and choose between courses located on the coast, the vast desert, and meticulously designed resorts. For European golfers, the year-round sun of the Southern USA means that golf, too, can be a year-round activity. The USA also has the most tournament courses in the world, meaning that golfers may spectate as well as play.
Pebble Beach Golf Links, California, is renowned as the most breathtaking, ingenious golf course in the USA. The course could be said to physically crescendo, with players first teeing off beside the Pacific Ocean before completing their round at the notorious hilltop par-5 closing hole. Jack Neville, the course’s designer, endeavoured to ensure every hole’s absolute proximity to the dramatic coastline.
Since its creation in 1918, Pine Valley in New Jersey has risen to be revered as the most exclusive golf course in the USA. The sand-flanked island complex is thought to be home to the most enigmatic hazards in golf. Pine Valley’s exclusivity reaches such a pitch that golfers may only play upon invitation.
Pinehurst Resort in Northern California is made up of nine 18-hole golf courses. The courses’ excellence is certified with the knowledge that they have hosted many notorious golf competitions including the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup, and the U.S. Open. The most famous course at the resort, Pinehurst No. 2, is fecund with challenging green complexes.
Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Oregon is famed for its namesake: the awe-inspiring natural dunes that rise out of the ripe green course. The course was designed by the award-winning Tom Doak and is thought to have set a new, boundary-pushing standard for modern golf course design.
Bethpage Golf Course can be found in the state of New York. Of the five 18-hole courses, the Black course is thought to be the crown jewel. A sign at the first tee even warns all but the most ‘Highly Skilled’ golfers from venturing its path.