1
St Andrews
Fife · Scotland★ 4.9
The Old Course, the home of golf, played for 600 years. Enter the daily ballot for a tee time, or walk it free on Sundays.
SignatureOld Course
Green fee£££
SeasonMay–Sep
Golf destinations, the bucket-list rounds.
The courses worth building a trip around, from windswept links to cliffside fairways. Ranked by prestige and playability, with the season and the signature hole.
A great course is its own destination. We ranked the rounds golf travelers dream about, with how to get on and when the weather actually cooperates.
2
Pebble Beach
California · USA★ 4.9
Cliffside fairways over the Pacific and the most photographed finishing stretch in the game. Staying at the resort is the reliable way onto the tee sheet. Play the seventh into the wind and you will remember the wedge for years.
SignatureHole 7
Green fee$$$$
SeasonApr–Oct
3
Pinehurst No. 2
North Carolina · USA★ 4.7
A Donald Ross masterpiece of crowned, tricky greens, and a repeat US Open host. The restored sandy waste areas replaced the rough, so the trouble is visible now and the greens still do the defending.
SignatureNo. 2
Green fee$$$
SeasonMar–May
4
Costa del Sol
Andalucía · Spain★ 4.6
The 'Costa del Golf', 70-plus courses along a sunny coast, led by the legendary Valderrama. Valderrama takes visitors on limited days and the rest of the coast fills the week. Play from October, once the heat has gone.
SignatureValderrama
Green fee€€€
SeasonOct–May
5
Cabot Cape Breton
Nova Scotia · Canada★ 4.8
Two acclaimed links on the wild Atlantic, Cabot Links and the clifftop Cabot Cliffs. It is a long drive from Halifax and worth every hour of it. Cliffs plays harder than it looks in an Atlantic wind.
SignatureCabot Cliffs
Green fee$$$
SeasonJun–Oct
6
Royal County Down
Newcastle · N. Ireland★ 4.9
Mountains-to-sea links routinely ranked the best on Earth, blind shots and gorse-lined fairways. Visitor tee times are limited and the front nine is the famous half. Blind drives reward local knowledge, so take a caddie.
SignatureChampionship
Green fee£££
SeasonMay–Sep
7
Bandon Dunes
Oregon · USA★ 4.8
Four (soon five) true links on a wild Pacific bluff, walking-only, caddie-carried golf. No carts, no houses, no shortcuts. Two rounds a day on foot is the standard trip and the reason people keep going back.
SignaturePacific Dunes
Green fee$$$
SeasonMay–Oct
8
Kawana (Fuji)
Shizuoka · Japan★ 4.6
Japan’s most celebrated resort course, with cliff-top holes looking out over Sagami Bay. Resort guests get the tee times, so the hotel is part of the plan. Fuji is visible from the course on a clear morning.
SignatureFuji Course
Green fee¥¥¥
SeasonApr–Nov
9
Royal Melbourne
Victoria · Australia★ 4.8
The sand-belt masterpiece, fast, firm and strategic, with the famous Composite Course for events. Access runs through a member or a reciprocal club. The sand-belt neighbours, Kingston Heath and Victoria, fill the rest of the week.
SignatureWest Course
Green fee$$$
SeasonOct–Apr
10
Casa de Campo
La Romana · Dominican Rep.★ 4.7
Pete Dye’s “Teeth of the Dog” bites the Caribbean, seven holes hard against the sea. Seven holes run hard along the water and the wind decides all of them. Two more Dye courses wait when the sea has had enough of you.
SignatureTeeth of the Dog
Green fee$$$
SeasonNov–Apr
All 10, mapped
10 picks on this list
FAQ
Can anyone play these courses?+
Most of them, with planning. St Andrews runs a daily ballot, Pebble Beach and Kawana favour resort guests, and Royal Melbourne needs a member or a reciprocal club.
Which is the hardest tee time to get?+
Royal Melbourne, then St Andrews in high season. The St Andrews ballot is free to enter and drawn two days ahead.
When is the golf season?+
May to September for the links courses in Scotland and Ireland, October to May on the Costa del Sol, and November to April in the Caribbean.
Do I need a caddie?+
On the blind links, yes. Royal County Down and St Andrews reward local knowledge more than anything else here, and Bandon Dunes is caddie-carried by design.
What is the best golf trip for one week?+
Bandon Dunes or Cabot Cape Breton, where several courses sit within walking distance and the entire week is played on foot.
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