10 Best Public Golf Courses in America

There’s something special about a public golf course. No membership committee, no initiation fee, no waiting list — just show up, pay your green fee, and play some of the best golf on the planet. America is loaded with world-class public tracks, and I’ve been lucky enough to check a good number of them off the list.

Here are ten that every golfer should play at least once.

1. Pebble Beach Golf Links — Pebble Beach, CA

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. Pebble Beach is the most famous public course in America for a reason. The stretch from holes 6 through 10 along the cliffs of Carmel Bay is simply the most breathtaking sequence of holes in golf. Yes, it’ll cost you $675. Yes, it’s worth it. The 7th hole — that tiny downhill par 3 jutting out into the Pacific — will give you chills no matter how many times you’ve seen it on TV.

Green Fee: ~$675 | Walking: Cart included but walking available with caddie

2. Bandon Dunes (Bandon Dunes Course) — Bandon, OR

Bandon is golf mecca. Remote, windswept, walking-only links golf on the Oregon coast. The original Bandon Dunes course is the one that started it all, but honestly you can’t go wrong with any of the five 18-hole courses here. The walk from the 12th green to the 13th tee, with the Pacific crashing below you, is one of those moments that makes you grateful you picked up the game.

Green Fee: ~$275-$395 | Walking: Required (caddies available)

3. Pinehurst No. 2 — Pinehurst, NC

Donald Ross’s masterpiece has hosted more USGA championships than any other course, and the restored turtle-back greens are as challenging as anything you’ll face. The course doesn’t beat you up with length — it does it with those crowned, convex greens that reject anything that isn’t precise. Miss the putting surface and you’re left with the most uncomfortable chip shots in golf.

Green Fee: ~$395-$495 | Walking: Encouraged

4. Bethpage Black — Farmingdale, NY

The sign at the first tee says it all: “WARNING: The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.” They’re not kidding. This is a brute — long, demanding, with deep bunkers and thick rough. But it’s a public course that’s hosted the US Open, and you can play it for under $80 if you’re a New York resident. Camp out in the parking lot the night before for a tee time — it’s a rite of passage.

Green Fee: ~$65-$150 | Walking: Required on weekends

5. Whistling Straits (Straits Course) — Kohler, WI

Pete Dye’s monster along Lake Michigan looks like it was airlifted from Ireland. Nearly a thousand bunkers (don’t ask Dustin Johnson about that), fescue-covered dunes, and lake views that make you forget you’re in Wisconsin. The par-3 12th hole, perched right on the bluff, is magazine-cover material.

Green Fee: ~$420-$490 | Walking: Cart included

6. TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) — Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

The island green 17th is the most famous par 3 in the world, and standing over that tee shot with a wedge in your hands and water surrounding a tiny green is every bit as nerve-wracking as it looks. The rest of the course is sneaky tough too — Pete Dye loved messing with your head, and this course is his thesis on it.

Green Fee: ~$450-$550 | Walking: Cart included

7. Streamsong (Red, Blue, or Black) — Bowling Green, FL

Central Florida’s best-kept secret. Built on a reclaimed phosphate mine, Streamsong’s three courses feel nothing like Florida golf. Rolling terrain, no houses lining the fairways, and firm-and-fast conditions that play more like a links course. The Red (Coore & Crenshaw) is my favorite of the three, but the Black (Gil Hanse) is spectacular too.

Green Fee: ~$225-$325 | Walking: Encouraged

8. Arcadia Bluffs — Arcadia, MI

Perched on bluffs 200 feet above Lake Michigan, Arcadia Bluffs is one of the most visually stunning courses in America. The wind whips off the lake, the views are endless, and the layout rewards smart, creative golf. It’s a bit of a haul to get there — middle of nowhere on the Michigan coast — but that’s part of the charm.

Green Fee: ~$200-$300 | Walking: Available

9. Chambers Bay — University Place, WA

The 2015 US Open venue got mixed reviews from the pros, but as a public course experience, Chambers Bay is phenomenal. A walking-only links course built in an old gravel quarry on Puget Sound. The lone tree behind the 15th green is iconic, and the views of the Olympics and Puget Sound are world-class. Bring your legs — the walk is no joke.

Green Fee: ~$175-$250 | Walking: Required

10. Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes) — Nekoosa, WI

Mammoth Dunes might be the most fun course on this list. Massive fairways, creative green complexes, and a sense of freedom you rarely get in golf. You can swing driver on almost every hole and let it rip. It’s walking only, the sand-based terrain drains perfectly, and the whole Sand Valley complex is becoming the Bandon Dunes of the Midwest.

Green Fee: ~$200-$350 | Walking: Required

Honorable Mentions

A few more that nearly cracked the list: Pacific Dunes at Bandon, Erin Hills in Wisconsin, Torrey Pines South in San Diego, and Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course in South Carolina. Honestly, you could make an argument for any of them.

Final Thought

The beauty of public golf is the accessibility. You don’t need to know somebody — you just need a tee time and the desire to play. Start checking these off. Build a trip around one or two, bring your buddies, and create some memories.

Life’s too short for boring golf.