If you want an exceptional golfing experience, these bucket-list courses deliver just that. Rediscover these 5 golf courses for avid golfers.
Specific golf courses stand out above the rest if you’re an avid golfer. While most of us are happy to be swinging our clubs on any course that’s nearby, you shouldn’t pass up to check out these classic golf courses if you have the chance! These are some of the top, most well-renowned golf courses across the United States. They’re unique, challenging, and stunning, putting them head and shoulders above any other courses you’ll play. Put these 5 golf courses for avid golfers on your bucket list—because they’re spectacular!
Cypress Point Golf Club, California
Cypress Point Golf Club, located on the scenic Monterey Peninsula, is a private, par-72, 6,509-yard golf course. It definitely should be on every golfer’s “once-in-a-lifetime” course to play, as it’s a golfing treasure.
The course has generous, multi-tiered greens, and well-groomed fairways. With unique bunkering that’s strategically placed at every turn, it can be intimidating at times.
Cyprus Point Golf Club in California. Photo by Jack French via flickr
Golfers of all skill levels will find this course challenging and fun to play due to the many playing options each hole provides. You’ll have to be strategic and precise with your shots as most holes offer a risk/reward.
The famous signature hole is the 16th, par-3, 233 yards. Golfers will have to carry their tee shot over the Pacific Ocean. The wind will make a direct shot nearly impossible. Fortunately, there’s a fairway to the left of the green that can be used to help you save par.
Apart from the signature hole, holes 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 are challenging and memorable.
Tobacco Road Golf Club, North Carolina
Tobacco Road Golf Club, about an hour southwest of Raleigh, North Carolina, is the rollercoaster of golf courses, and every golfer should play it at last once in their lifetime. The course is unique and imaginative, cut into an old sand quarry and worked around the land.
Not only is the course described as a labyrinth, but it’s challenging for golfers of all levels. Every hole will put your golf skills to the test, with hazards like forced carries, sharp doglegs, blind shots, excessive undulations, and intimidating elevations featuring on every hole.
Tobacco Road Golf Course. Photo by Joe Gay, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The signature hole—lucky number 13—is a long par-5, stretching to 573 yards. You’ll start on an elevated tee, and your first shot will be aimed towards a dogleg to the right. From there, golfers will need to hit through a narrow opening to the green, which is hidden from view.
To give you a slight advantage when playing Tobacco Road, you can download the course app. Also, hiring a caddie will provide you with access to guidance that you wouldn’t otherwise have.
National Golf Links of America, New York
National Golf Links of America, in Southhampton on New York’s Long Island, is over a century old. It will provide a challenge to golfers of all skill levels. You will need to be invited by a member to play a round, but if you can get the chance it’s absolutely worthwhile.
No matter how experienced you are, you’ll find the undulating terrain challenging. Many holes have a risk/reward element that includes blind shots and tricky slopes.
The vast greens are the most challenging part of this course, with some being completely flat and others having extreme slopes. Golfers will need patience and accuracy when putting.
There is no specific signature hole on this course, but some stand out as very memorable. Most of the holes are modeled on other famous holes. Standout holes include the 2nd—the “Sahara”—which has a blind shot off the tee; the 4th—“Redan”—which has a severely angled green with a protective bunker; and the 502-yard 18th,—“Home”—which is played uphill to an unseen green.
Kiawah Island Golf Resort Ocean Course, South Carolina
The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort on South Carolina’s Kiawah Island, is spectacular, thanks to the magnificent ocean views and the challenging golf. Golfers will need all their strategy and patience on this course, which has a slope rating of 153 and one of the highest course ratings in the country at 79.7.
One of the bonuses of this course is that it’s open to the public, but you will need to book in advance to ensure a tee time. Take note that you have to walk the course if you play before noon.
Kiawah Island, Ocean Course. Hole 17 – Par 3. Photo by Andrew Shelley on Unsplash
Just about every hole has impressive views of the ocean, so golfers will need to concentrate on their shots and not be distracted. Due to the constant threat of ocean wind, golfers need to be strategic about which club to use and how to play on any given shot.
The 17th hole may be the most memorable. It’s a par-3 with a forced carry-over water. There is a narrow section of the fairway on the left for those less confident about the carry.
Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course, Idaho
Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course’s floating island green on the 14th is one of the most famous holes in golf. The 15,000-foot green moves every day, so you never know what exactly you’re going to get. You will be ferried over to complete your putt if you manage to land the ball accurately.
Avid golfers enjoy a challenging course. Photo by kevron2001 via iStock by Getty Images
Challenge awaits golfers from the first hole at this beautiful resort in Idaho. The course features three par-3s between holes 3 and 6, and the 538-yard 11th is considered the most challenging hole. A creek sneaks across the fairway and winds around the green, punishing inaccurate shots.
Playing this course is not only challenging but an upmarket and posh experience. On the hole 9 tee, your forecaddie will take your food and drinks order, which will be delivered as you finish the hole.
Complimentary massages, fresh towels, and a golf cart with heated leather seats are just a few of the things you can expect to find on this course that puts it a notch above others. It’s resort life at its best.
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Discovering Golf Courses for Avid Golfers
If you’re an avid golfer, chances are you can get an enjoyable round on almost any course. However, these 5 courses are some of the most beautiful, challenging, and exciting courses you can set foot on. Enthusiastic golfers of all levels should add these courses to their bucket lists. Although some are for members and their guests only, if you can find a way to join a member for a round, you’ll find every moment to be worthwhile.
About the Author
Jordan Fuller is an avid golfer who has been lucky enough to play on some of the most spectacular golf courses across the country. When he’s not driving, chipping, or putting, he’s writing info-packed articles for his website, Golf Influence.
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