Top 10 Public Golf Courses in the U.S. You Need to Play
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Golf continues to evolve. Once known as a sport for just the wealthy, the game has become much more accessible. With over 16,000 golf courses in the United States, there are more courses nationwide than Starbucks stores. The best part is that 75 percent of the courses are open to the public.
So anyone, at any level, can reap the rewards of playing golf. Besides the physical benefits of staying active, being outdoors in a beautiful natural setting for a few hours can boost your mental health. Just shake off those shanks and don't let a bad shot ruin your day.
Some of the best golf courses in the country are in the golf-rich states of California, Texas and Florida, where the game can be played year-round. If you're looking for a nice place to play, you can't beat these public courses.
This article is a partnership with Teach Me To Golf, a community of the world's best instructors offering direct-to-consumer golf lessons at the most affordable prices. Book a lesson at teachme.to.
10. Normandy Shores Golf Club
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City: Miami Beach, Florida
Year opened: 1941
Architects: Howard Toomy and William S. Flynn (1941), Arthur Hills (2008)
Total holes: 18
Par: 71
Length: 6,805 yards
Slope rating: 129
Course rating: 72.5
Cost: $71-$104
Website: normandyshoresgolfclub.com
Bottom line: Looking for a golf course that is committed to excellence? Normandy Shores is it. Located at the northern end of Miami Beach on a secluded island in Biscayne Bay, this family-friendly course is enjoyable for beginners, pros, parents and kids.
You can feel the adventure and history from the moment you step on the grass. Golf legends Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer used to play here, along with some other regulars who weren't your average household names such as Stork, Charlie the Blade and Three-Iron Ward.
Rating golf courses is subjective, like taste in music, art, movies, foods, beauty and style. But class is undeniable. And Normandy Shores offers a first-class experience in spades after getting a $9 million renovation in 2008. The layout, conditions and amenities at Normany Shores are how golf is meant to be. Spectacular.
As an added bonus, South Florida and Miami Beach residents get a discounted rate.
Book a golf lesson in Miami and play Normandy Shores
Note: The slope and course ratings are based on USGA numbers. Course rating is expressed in strokes and indicates the difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer, or someone who shoots at or better than par. The slope rating measures course difficulty for a bogey golfer, someone who averages a bogey (1 over par) per hole. The higher the slope, the more difficult the course.
9. Corica Park Golf Course
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City: Alameda, California
Year opened: 1927
Architects: William P. Bell (North Course, 1927), William F. Bell Jr. (South Course, 1957),Rees Jones and Steve Weisser (rebuilt South, 2018), Marc Logan (North front nine, 2021)
Total holes: 18 (South and North)
Par: 72 (South), 71 (North)
Length: 6,874 yards (South), 6,339 yards (North)
Slope rating: 129 (South), 121 (North)
Course rating: 73.2 (South), 70.4 (North)
Cost: $36-$99 (South), $34-$49 (North)
Website: coricapark.com
Bottom line: San Francisco gets most of the headlines in Northern California, but don't sleep on the East Bay. Oakland is an underrated city with lots of culture, and a few miles south of Oakland is Alameda, another charming community with nice beaches and amazing scenery. Corica Park is a hidden gem of a course in Alameda.
Corica offers special rates for Alameda residents or anyone who lives in one of the nine Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Solano, Sana Cruz, San Mateo, Napa, Sonoma and Marin. But everyone is welcome to play at Corica. And you won't be disappointed if you do.
A 45-hole facility, Corica has a South Course, North Course, par-3 course and footgolf (a combination of soccer and golf). The North Course opened in 1927, and the front nine got a makeover in 2021. The 18-hole South Course, built in 2018 on the site of an existing public course that opened in 1957, is the star. Inspired by the Australian Sandbelt courses of Melbourne, it is stunning with bay views, well-kept fairways, contours, curves and fast greens.
Book a golf lesson in the Bay Area and play Corica Park
8. Memorial Park Golf Course
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City: Houston, Texas
Year opened: 1912
Architect: John Bredemus (1936), Finger Dye Spann (1996), Tom Doak (2019)
Total holes: 18
Par: 72
Length: 7,292 yards
Slope rating: 128
Course rating: 74.2
Cost: $21-$140
Website: houstonmunigolf.com
Bottom line: Not everything in Texas is big. The green fees at Memorial Park for residents are under $40. And you won't find many municipal golf courses in the country better than this one. It's a world-class track.
Memorial Park has come a long way since its start in 1912 as a nine-hole course for soldiers recovering in the hospital at Camp Logan, a World War I army training camp in Houston. After the hospital closed in 1935, acclaimed golf architect John Bredemus redesigned the course. It opened in 1936. and Bredemus called it his "greatest golf course ever."
Memorial Park has lived up to its reputation, hosting the PGA Tour's Houston Open from 1951 to 1963, and being renovated many times over the years. But its biggest upgrade was a $34 million project led by the Astros Golf Foundation and completed in 2020, when the Houston Open returned.
The new course was designed by another successful golf architect, Tom Doak, with input from four-time majors winner Brooks Koepka. Now, Memorial Park is a state-of-the-art facility with a new clubhouse and education center for a STEM program.
Book a golf lesson in Houston and play Memorial Park
7. Rancho Park Golf Course
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City: Los Angeles, California
Year opened: 1949
Architects: William Johnson and William P. Bell (1949)
Total holes: 18
Par: 71
Length: 6,879 yards
Slope rating: 129
Course rating: 72.5
Cost: $16-$39
Website: golf.lacity.org/course_rancho_park
Bottom line: Rancho Park has been an oasis in Los Angeles for a long time. Situated on the Westside of the city between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, across the street from Fox Studios on Pico Boulevard, Rancho started out as a private club in the 1920s with lots of Hollywood heavyweights. According to a Sports Illustrated profile, one of those early regulars was moviemaker Frank Capra, who made the classic "It's a Wonderful Life."
The city took over the course in 1946, and it was rebuilt and redesigned into its current layout in 1949. A Men's Club was formed in 1950 and a Women's Club not long after. All the movers and shakers in Los Angeles showed up. UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray, Los Angeles Lakers star Jerry West, you name it.
On the pro golfing side, Rancho hosted the Los Angeles Open 18 times between 1956 and 1983, along with numerous LPGA and Senior tour events. All the big names looked forward to this tour stop, and Arnold Palmer, Charlie Sifford and Billy Casper all won here.
Rancho remains a wonderful place to be. The tree-lined course is as beautiful today as it ever was. It will challenge seasoned golfers and welcome newcomers. Never pass up a tee time at Rancho Park. And keep your eyes peeled and ears open. When the wind is whistling, the trees might have some unbelievable stories to tell.
Book a golf lesson in Los Angeles and play Rancho Park
6. Coronado Golf Course
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City: Coronado, California
Year opened: 1957
Architect: Jack Daray and Stephen Halsey (1962)
Total holes: 18
Par: 72
Length: 6,590 yards
Slope rating: 121
Course rating: 71.6
Cost: $26-49
Website: golfcoronado.com
Bottom line: Did you know Theodore Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) called San Diego home, lived in La Jolla (about 19 miles north of Coronado on I-5), and loved visiting the Hotel del Coronado? In 1970, Dr. Seuss painted a picture called "I Dreamed I Was a Doorman at the Hotel del Coronado" that depicted the Victorian resort as a whimsical fantasyland. Many feel the same way about the Coronado Golf Course, which is about five minutes from the hotel.
California is blessed with the most municipal golf courses in the country, and the Coronado is more than just one of the city's most prized assets. It is one of the best public golf courses anywhere. Locals love it. Celebrities love it. Tourists love it. Everyone loves it.
What's not to love? The course is in great condition, the staff are friendly, the fairways are generous, the greens are large, the fees are low, and the views are out of this world. You can see the San Diego harbor from just about every hole. If you are looking for a bucket list golf experience, this is the place. Make it extra unforgettable with a stay at The Del and a Dr. Seuss San Diego tour.
Book a golf lesson in San Diego and play Coronado
5. Golf Club of Houston
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City: Humble, Texas
Year opened: 2005
Architects: Rees Jones, David Toms and Greg Muirhead (2005)
Total holes: 18
Par: 72
Length: 7,425 yards
Slope rating: 144
Course rating: 76
Cost: $59-$170
Website: golfclubofhouston.com
Bottom line: We have no problem with the Golf Club of Houston. Its Tournament Course is a giant playground for golfers that offers a private club experience for the public. Created by Rees Jones and David Toms, the course was made for the true golf enthusiast with a "level of precision and refinement that only comes with a course designed for the very best."
Humble, Texas, the home of the Golf Club of Houston, is located 20 minutes from downtown Houston and about 40 minutes from the Johnson Space Center, NASA's center for human spaceflight, aka Space City, or Mission Control. It has provided the flight control function for every NASA human spaceflight since 1965 and is an appropriate connection.
The mission of the Golf Club of Houston is to provide the finest golf experience in all facets of the game. They have considered every possible detail down to the native plants and wildlife so you can play where the pros play and enjoy a sense of serenity and solitude you might find if you were an astronaut exploring outer space.
After a round of golf at this club, you will be left with a similar sense of awe and accomplishment, thinking one thing. Mission accomplished.
Book a golf lesson in Houston and play Golf Club of Houston
4. Miami Beach Golf Club
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City: Miami, Florida
Year opened: 1923
Architects: Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge (1974), Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest & Associates (2002)
Total holes: 18
Par: 72
Length: 6,813 yards
Slope rating: 131
Course rating: 73.1
Cost: $135-$240
Website: miamibeachgolfclub.com
Bottom line: There's a reason the PGA Tour headquarters are in Florida (Ponte Verda Beach). The golfing season is year-round in the Sunshine State (hurricanes aside). There's also a reason the Miami Beach Golf Club is still thriving after opening as the Bayshore Golf Course in 1923. It's a great location for golf, and the local community loves the game and appreciates tradition.
The course got a new lease on life in 2002 when world-renowned golf architect Arthur Hills transformed the old, tired Bayshore into the elegant, popular Miami Beach Golf Club it is today. The course is beautiful and nicely laid out, and the surrounding neighborhood is full of character and history with plenty of nearby entertainment, dining and shopping for after playing.
It's not easy to live to be 100, just as it's not easy to count the exact number of golf courses in every state. Because, as Top 100 Golf Courses points out, some facilities have multiple courses and playing options. But by any measure,Florida has the most golf courses of any state in the U.S with 1,250 courses, ahead of No. 2 California (921 courses) and No. 3 Texas (907), according to Travel Magazine.
And in Florida, the Miami Beach Golf Club is one of the best experiences you can ever have on the links.
Book a golf lesson in Miami and play Miami Beach Golf Club
3. Wilson and Harding Golf Courses
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City: Los Angeles, California
Year opened: 1923 (Harding), 1927 (Wilson)
Architects: Tom Bendelow (1914), George C. Thomas, Jr. (1923, 1927)
Total holes: 18 (Harding and Wilson)
Par: 72 (Harding and Wilson)
Length: 6,714 yards (Harding), 7002 yards (Wilson)
Slope rating: 122 (Harding), 126 (Wilson)
Course rating: 71.5 (Harding), 73.2 (Wilson)
Cost: $6-$35 (Harding),$6-$38 (Wilson)
Website: golf.lacity.org/course_harding, golf.lacity.org/course_wilson
Bottom line: Golf has been played in Los Angeles for over 100 years. The first municipal course West of the Rockies opened at Griffith Park in 1914. Babe Ruth was a regular at Griffith Park in those early days and was playing a round on Jan. 5, 1920, when news arrived that he had been traded from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees.
Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert had sent Yankees manager Miller Huggins to Los Angeles to find the Babe and get his signature on the contract to close the deal. The Babe signed the contract in the Griffith Park golf clubhouse. Today, the "Birth of the Curse" plaque commemorating that historic moment is still there.
That original Griffith Park golf course designed by Tom Bendelow was replaced with two courses designed by George C. Thomas in 1923 and 1927. Those two courses, Harding and Wilson, are still going strong in the heart of Griffith Park. Just minutes from downtown Los Angeles, they are two of the best public tracks in the world. These municipal courses remain civic treasures, and people love playing rounds here.
Wilson is the longer course at over 7,000 yards and has a beautiful layout that has hosted many Los Angeles City championship events. With all its trees and greenery, you're playing in a perfectly manicured forest. Harding is also a nice walk in the park, but it's no cakewalk with narrow fairways, tough approaches and guarded greens.
Both courses have some inviting perks, including a shared clubhouse (built in 1937 and recently restored), restaurant, golf shop, lounge, lighted driving range and practice facilities. They also are close to the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park Observatory, making them ideal for families.
One more fun fact: The building and grounds are said to be haunted (part of a 150-year-old Griffith Park curse) with spirits from bygone days. Many people have experienced ghost stories. Two spirits reportedly are named Babe, perhaps for Babe Ruth and Babe Didrikson, who also made history at Griffith Park in 1938 as the first woman to compete in a men’s golf event.
Book a golf lesson in Los Angeles and play Wilson or Harding
2. TPC Harding Park
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City: San Francisco, California
Year opened: 1925
Architects: Willie Watson and Sam Whiting (1925), Jack Fleming (1934), Chris Gray (2003)
Total holes: 18
Par: 72
Length: 7,169 yards
Slope rating: 129
Course rating: 74.3
Cost: $30-$250
Website: tpc.com/hardingpark
Bottom line: Mark Twain never said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco, but the sentiment is true. So dress appropriately when you're in the city by the bay, and if you need to warm your soul, a trip to TPC Harding Park is always a good idea.
TPC stands for Tournament Players Club and is a subsidiary of the PGA Tour. All TPC golf courses are part of a prestigious global network of golf courses, and that puts Harding Park in elite company. The 163-acre course hugs tranquil Lake Merced in the southwest corner of San Francisco and was named after U.S. President Warren G. Harding in 1925. Designed by Willie Watson and Sam Whiting, the same architects of the nearby private Olympic Club Lake Course, Harding Park shares some of the same beautiful attributes of Olympic at a fraction of the cost.
Harding didn't become one of the top municipal golf courses in the country by accident. Surrounded by Monterrey cypress trees on every hole, the course got a $16-million restoration in the early 2000s that maintained its integrity and unique characteristics while enhancing its original layout. A greens renovation in 2013 makes Harding a championship-caliber golf facility for PGA Tour action or beginners.
This is an amazing old course, with lots of history, and is a fantastic value for residents.
Book a golf lesson in San Francisco and play Harding Park
1. Torrey Pines Golf Course
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City: La Jolla, California
Year opened: 1957
Architects: William F. Bell (1957), David Rainville (1975), Stephen Halsey and Jack Daray Jr. (1988), Rees Jones (2001, 2019), Greg Muirhead (2001), Tom Weiskopf (2016)
Total holes: 18 (North and South)
Par: 72 (North and South)
Length: 7,258 yards (North), 7,707 yards (South)
Slope rating: 131 (North), 144 (South)
Course rating: 75.3 (North), 78.2 (South)
Cost: $29-$168 (North), $39-$265 (South)
Website: torreypinesgolfcourse.com
Bottom line: This is a favorite destination for anyone who loves golf. Even for those who don't love golf, Torrey Pines might be a favorite destination. It's that tremendous. What else would you expect from a golf course that sits atop cliffs towering above the Pacific Ocean in San Diego?
The actual address of the course is in La Jolla. While many people believe the name of the seaside town comes from the Spanish word joya ("jewel"), the real source of the name is hoya, referring to the holes in the mountains. In fact, local Native Americans, before the land was colonized, called the area "Kulaaxuuy," which means "land of holes." They were talking about La Jolla's rugged coastline with caves and rock formations, not golf holes, but their unintended meaning is right on.
This is the top municipal course in the country and one of the nation's premier golf facilities. As great as the golf is on either the North or South courses, the majestic views and scenery are even better. Don't miss the opportunity to play golf here, and savor the scenery.
Book a golf lesson in San Diego and play Torrey Pines
Honorable Mention: Brookside Golf Club
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City: Pasadena, California
Year opened: 1928
Architect: William P. Bell
Total holes: 18 (No. 1, C.W. Koiner Course), 18 (No. 2, E.O. Nay Course)
Par: 72 (No. 1), 70 (No. 2)
Length: 7,104 yards (No. 1), 6,025 yards (No. 2)
Slope rating: 133 (No. 1), 121 (No. 2)
Course rating: 74.5 (No. 1), 69 (No. 2)
Cost: $18-53
Website: brooksidegc.com
Bottom line: These rankings are an exclusive club. With hundreds of public golf courses in Florida, California and Texas, only a select few can make this cut. Brookside still deserves a mention.
Brookside is the oldest golf course in Los Angeles County. Its next-door neighbor is the world-famous Rose Bowl, the "Granddaddy of Them All" in college football. That makes Brookside the granddaddy of all golf courses in Southern California. On top of that, the setting of the 36-hole complex, nestled in the Arroyo Seco and surrounded by the golden San Gabriel Mountains, doesn't get more picturesque.
The grass can get a little shredded at times because of all the Rose Bowl events, but if you like the tradition of the Rose Parade every New Year's, you can get a taste of that every day of the year at Brookside.
Book a golf lesson in Los Angeles and play Brookside