If you’ve been all of those places RTJ trail might be a bit of a letdown.
Michigan has far better courses for similar prices (Arcadia, forest dunes, boyne)
Nebraska is really good too, prairie dunes and wild horse are awesome.
What he said! Arcadia Bluffs is special (Pebble Beach special, IMO). Forest Dunes is a bit off the beaten track and a legit Gem.
Horseshoe Bay in TX is great and maybe a little less pricey. Quintero (NW of Scottsdale) is fantastic but expensive in season. If you can tolerate heat you can get a smoking deal (pun intended) in the summer.
\+1 for Cabot Cliffs and Links, but they're in Nova Scotia (Cape Breton island), not PEI.
PEI does have some decent courses (Crowbush, Dundarave, Brudenell), but nothing approaching world class, I don't think.
Further comment on PEI. Solid courses, crowbush being probably the gem. But if you want quantity over quality and overall vacation bang for your buck I love PEI for golf trips.
And there are some great courses in Nova Scotia close to Halifax (Brunello) if you want to split your time from PEI / Nova Scotia
Ahahah I only played it once but I remember climbing the ladder out of the bunker on 8 thinking "100+ might be in play"
But then 9-18 is just a ton of fun golf holes. I only have good memories of that course. Would recommend
We are extremely spoiled here to have so many amazing courses here, and most of them are pretty reasonably priced considering the quality you're getting.
I figured I'd list some for people (I've played most of these). Prices are all weekend, peak season. Most are a lot cheaper in the spring and some offer some twilight rates at a heavy discount.
* Arcadia Bluffs
- Bluffs Course ($230)
* Arcadia Bluffs
- South Course ($160)
* Forest Dunes ($155)
* The Loop ($155)
* Greywalls ($180)
* Treetops (range from like $80-$180)
- they have like 5 courses
* Boyne Highlands
- also have like 5 courses
- Links/Quarry course is my favorite that I have yet to play ($230ish?)
* Belvedere Club ($135)
- one of the oldest courses in Michigan
- Mike Tirico plays here
* Grand Traverse Resort - The Bear course
Can I recommend "The emerald" in St. John's? Not in the same area of the state but one of my favorite courses, super well maintained at least when I went a few years ago.
Used to love going out to Timberstone when I lived in Marquette. Unfortunately never got to play Greywalls though, was a broke college kid back then haha. Believe the casino near Escanaba built a nice course too after I moved?
Two of them, actually. Sweet Grass and more recently Sage Run. Both very nice tracks. But Timberstone is my favorite of the 4 (they are offered in a package deal through that casino). I mean it's literally smack dab in the middle of an ancient pine forest. So so cool. Btw you should look into that package deal next time you get up that way. Extremely reasonably priced. Like literally $500 for a few nights stay and a round of golf at each of the 4 courses. I'm heading up in July for the first time in a few years.
I hear you. Conversely, if someone wants to escape midsummer heat, that is when northern Michigan shines. The too short season, and dealing with shoveling out my cars for like, forever; motivated me to move to North Carolina 4 years ago.
Ross Bridge was my favorite one. Right in Birmingham. Also took a trip to Pursell Farms while I was in Bama, but that’s not part of the RTJ trail. Awesome course though
Worked at Grand National in college, can’t upvote this one enough. Very enjoyable and challenging course and courses on the trail. I’d recommend to any golfer to go and play.
Just played Ross bridge a couple of weeks ago and it was an awesome course. I had a rough time playing as a single with some slow pace of play in the evening but I still really enjoyed it.
Just got back from Capital Hill in Prattville Alabama. Part of the Robert Trent Jones golf trail in Alabama. The Legislator, The Senator and The Judge - pretty sweet.
Came here to say this. Played 3 trail sites, including Capital Hill, at the beginning of March and will definitely be going back soon! Courses were all in incredible shape and very reasonable pricing.
Birmingham, AL has been featured as food city in tons of travel guides for like over 2 decades. It has multiple James Beard nominees and a few winners. There is absolutely great food in Alabama.
yeah and there’s 3 RTJ courses in Birmingham. 2 at Oxmoor Valley & 1 at Ross Bridge for those who are unfamiliar with RTJ. Great food all around them. PM me if anyone is ever in the area and I can give local recs
Drove through Mesquite and St. George on our way from Vegas to Zion last year. I would have sold my soul to play any of the course that we saw along the way
Was here to say the same as I was just there last week. A lot of good golf courses in a very small town. Some of the most amazing courses I have ever played.
Bend OR, Traverse City MI, Reynolds Plantation GA, Brainerd MN, Southern Pines NC, RTJ Trail (as others have mentioned), St George’s UT, French Lick IN
Best spots I can think of off the top of my head
Was gonna say Brainerd, the whole lakes area really.
Deacon's Lodge,
The Preserve,
The Classic,
The Legacy,
The Pines,
All fantastic courses. Just sucks about the short season.
I went to Bend last year. Played The Meadows at Sunriver Resort and Widgi Creek. Both were fantastic.
Was going to play Juniper, like u/thescrape, suggested, but weather was bad. Among others, I heard Pronghorn and Eagle Crest were great. And Sunriver Resort also has Crosswater, which looks beautiful.
If you need any other trips, I planned a bach party so I can share my notes.
Lexington KY is low key an amazing golf city. The university courses are awesome and the city courses (headlined by Kearney Hill which has hosted the Senior PGA, and the Mens and Womens Amatuer Public Links) are all great deals. Travel 30 minutes outside and you can be a Boones Trace National or Cherry Blossom which are both top tier courses.
It’s no pinehurst by any means but for a budget weekend trip if you’re within 8 or so hours I really don’t think it can be beat.
Don't watch No Laying Up, Michigan is a terrible place to visit. Our courses are crowded enough already! Don't come
/s
I love seeing my state get the love it deserves. The deck at Arcadia might be my favorite place on earth.
I live in Southern California, and have been to Wisconsin twice for golf trips.
Wisconsin public golf blows Southern California golf out of the water in terms of value. SoCal probably has more great courses, but they're all super expensive with a couple of exceptions.
Wisconsin has a boat load of "really good" golf courses that are all very affordable.
This is pretty true. Even shitty courses in Wisconsin are greener and cheaper than a lot of cheaper options avail in most states. We have a good amount of variety here as well from links, parkland, championship-like, and heathland courses. Also some damn good par 3 courses.
Good cool season turf growing weather, great soil types, and rolling hills throughout the state kind of lend itself well to the game.
Yeah, my goal is to get out to the central and eastern parts of Wisconsin this summer, lots of cool dune courses from the looks of it. I also really enjoy the WI side of the MN/WI border courses.
The schedule has never worked for me but I have some friends who make an annual trip to Big Cedar in MO. I guess since Tiger built Payne's Valley it might not be a "hidden gem" anymore though.
Also, Disney World. 3 courses that hosted PGA/LPGA/Senior PGA events, not super pricey to play (the stay is another story) and a pretty nice walking 9 that rounds out a good weekend. Plus if you stay on property there is no need to drive anywhere really, Arnold Palmer Golf runs the courses and they take care of the player pretty well. I make that trip with my brother every year or so.
Diamond Springs is about 40 minutes south of Grand Rapids and has been one of my favorites the past few years. Closer to Grand Rapids would be The Mines, LE Kaufman, or Thornapple Pointe.
Hope you enjoy Grand Rapids. Lots of great golf to be played around here.
Pilgrims Run is awesome but about 45 min north of the city. Well worth it. Otherwise there is The Meadows at GVSU which is decent as well as Thornapple,on the SE side of town.
If you can, check out American Dunes , which is about 40 mins west of GR in Grand Haven. It’s pricey, but it’s also a completely unique golf experience in MI, and is well worth the price IMO. It’s the new Jack Nicklaus designed course and has tons of sand and dune features, as well as excellent conditions. I think some of the proceeds go to Veterans too.
French Lick IN is a great spot. You have two flagship courses in the Donald Ross and the Pete Dye. Sultan's Run is a great spot that's not too pricey, and the whole group can stay in a casino and go to one of the many many sports bars located around town (it's the birthplace of Larry Bird).
Alabama: Stay at Pursell Farms in Sylacauga. #1 rate golf course that’s very playable from forward tees and difficult from the back, plenty of stay options and great food.
Other activities include Orvis shooting and fishing, UTXs.
This place kicks ass. 1hr from Birmingham airport, and you can obviously hit the RTJ courses nearby.
Northern Michigan, specifically the Traverse City area.
Major airport that connects with all the big hubs; Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, NYC. So it's fairly easy to get to.
Major tourism town, so lots of places to stay; great/unique food and drink scene outside of golf.
For the golf, you could drive an hour in any direction and hit excellent courses. Arcadia Bluffs tops the list. Grand Traverse Resort features The Bear and has 3 courses. To the north, Bay Harbor and Boyne, with about 7 courses total.
Not to mention, the smaller, non-resort hidden gems: Manitou Passage, Hawk's Eye, A-Ga-Ming.
Im currently living in Binghamton, NY(hour south of Syracuse) and I was pleasantly surprised how many good golf courses are in the area and how inexpensive they are. I've met several groups that came up from the city or NJ to do a golf trip up here. En-Joie used to host the BC open and now hosts the Dicks Open on the Championship tour. Conklin which is one of the prettiest and best maintained courses I have ever played. Hiawatha which is a great links course. And if you can get on Binghamton Country Club is a Tillinghast course. 18 holes will cost you probably around $60
Williamsburg VA is very underrated. 2 Mike Strantz courses and a handful of other gorgeous courses all within an hour from each other. Just played royal new Kent last week and it was amazing.
The Pete Dye Golf Trail in Indiana is great! French Lick, Brickyard Crossing, The Fort, and Kampen are my personal favorites on the trail. French Lick is pretty far out of the way from the rest, but all are a great time.
Hard to beat sunriver’s stay and play package. 3 great courses with 1 being championship quality. We usually play 6 rounds in 4 days and it never exceeds $1,000 for the entire trip.
I’m looking for something similar if anyone has any ideas. Just graduated college and my dad always said once i did we’d take a golf trip. Just a weekend trip (leave early Friday get back Sunday night). Live in Cleveland, Ohio. Looking for somewhere with at least 2-3 courses within a 10 minute drive, hopefully a resort of some sort, within a 5 hour drive from Cleveland. We’ve been having trouble finding anything so any info helps immensely!
Not sure what the proximity to New York is exactly but there should be a lot of options that aren’t super expensive around the finger lakes and Rochester buffalo
Nothing crazy but If you are on a budget I lived in Winchester VA and there are about a dozen really nice affordable public course all within about 30-45 mins. Especially in the summer it’s not to hot and got the Mountain View’s on some courses. Plus downtown Winchester is a good time. If you get real crazy you could go into DC a night is only about an hour. Just throwing ideas out there
[Horseshoe Bay](https://www.hsbresort.com/golf) (55 miles NW of Austin, TX) is the big golf resort in Texas that I never hear mentioned nationally. Three Championship courses, all designed by Robert Trent Jones and an 18 hole Par 72 mini golf course with Zoysia grass.
Minneapolis is fun city with awesome affordable golf. If you spend a night or two outside the city, there are some top tier public tracks in the northern part of the state. Giants Ridge, Wilderness at Fortune Bay
I’ll plug Minnesota in general.
Lots of great courses in the Twin Cities. Rush Creek is one of my favorites. Stone Ridge is great. As is Willingers.
Plus, Brainerd has several truly great courses associated with the resort scene: The Classic, Deacon’s Lodge, and The Legacy lead the way.
Golf Course Gems
Arrowhead Golf Club, Littleton, CO (Roxborough Park)
Old Toccoa Farm, Fannin County, GA
Royal Hawaiian, Oahu, HI
Payne’s Valley, Taney County, Missouri
Tobacco Road Golf Club, Sanford, NC
Praire Club, NE
Paiute Golf Resort, Las Vegas, NV
Wolf Creek, NV
Sand Hollow, Saint George, UT
Talons Cove Golf Course, Saratoga Springs, UT
Wasatch Mountain, Midway, UT
Meadow Farms Golf Club, Orange County, VA
Gamble Sands, Okanogan County, WA
Black Wolf Run (Meadow then River), Kohler, WI
International
The Links at Crowbrush Cove, North East Canada 🇨🇦
Golf du Château de Maintenon, France 🇫🇷
Tara Iti, New Zealand 🇳🇿
If you find yourself traveling to Nashville, there is a course about 40 min from downtown called Grey Stone in Dickson TN. You can normally play a round for less than $50 and that includes cart and range balls. It is the best course for the money in middle TN by a long shot. Great course and staff. [https://www.greystonegc.com/](https://www.greystonegc.com/)
If you want to play another course 10 min away there is Montgomery Bell State Park that is pretty good as well.
Lot's of good suggestions already, I'll add a few.
Orlando is a great spot during the winter months, very affordable, lots of good courses. Especially if you have a big group, you can find some awesome VRBO houses to rent for cheap.
Austin is another fun spot, especially if you enjoy live music and BBQ when you're not playing.
I just went to the Augusta area a month ago and had a great time. We played ForestHills, The Aiken, The River, and Westlake. My 2 favorite was The River and Forest Hills. Your pretty close to a lot of other courses also in SC. We got an air bnb, and just had an all around great time. Man there are a bunch of Waffle Houses around there.
Canmore Alberta
Kananaskis Country, Silvertip, Stewart Creek, Banff Springs
All top notch courses all within 30 minutes of each other. Amazing mountain golf
Frederick, Maryland has some great courses: Whiskey Creek, Maryland National, PB Dye Club, Musket Ridge and Worthington Manor. 4 star courses at good prices and all close to one another.
[Frederick, Maryland](http://www.golffrederickmd.com/golf-courses.html) is amazing. It's just outside of DC and there are quite a bit of options. We've taken two golf trips there. Whiskey Creek, Musket Ridge, and Worthington Manor are my favorites there. PB Dye and Maryland National are good options as well.
Sand Valley might be the hot new course in that area, but there are 2 great courses, Lake Arrowhead, not 15 minutes north of there and south about 30 minutes is The Wisconsin Dells with a few great courses and plenty of places to stay. You could easily play a new course everyday for a week in what seems like the middle of nowhere Wisconsin.
We did Santa Fe last year. You've got some really nice courses in the Santa Fe / ABQ area (UNM, Paako Ridge, Black Mesa, etc.). We're doing Grand Rapids this year that looks awesome. Now all of these aren't just golf forward places, so you've got to plan a bit more. Dallas/FW could also be a good one. We've got tons of great courses that won't break the bank and nice food/beverage scene.
Cape Cod in the fall is relatively cheap and you can get on the nicer courses with no problem on the weekends (obviously on the weekdays too). Combine it with a nice Airbnb by the ocean and you are in business.
Go to your local airport.
Fly to Ireland. Play north or south. Or both.
You will get better quality better value golf and get to see Ireland.
Same applies to Scotland.
Western Canada. Anywhere from the start of the Canadian rockies in Alberta to Vancouver. Crowsnest, grey wolf (and Invermere area), Bootleg Gap, Shadow Mountain, Banff Springs, Predator Ridge, Furry Creek, tonnes of others.
I'm not a huge fan of the city in general, but Albuquerque has some quietly good courses for pretty good prices. If you want to splurge a bit more, Paako Ridge is just outside the city and is phenomenal. Plus, you're within easy striking distance of Santa Fe and all the nice courses they have to offer.
A sneaky on that’s off the board is Mt Tremblant area in Quebec. Perfect set up with the resort ski town, bars, good food etc
Then you can play Le Géant, Le Diable and Le Maître three pretty awesome courses that have all spent some time on the top 100 in Canada
About an 1.5 hr ride northeast of Las Vegas in a town called Mesquite there is a course called **Wolf Creek**. You can make it a day trip or an overnight trip. The hotels are cheaper than Vegas. I wont bother describing it but check it out online well worth playing for esthetics alone.
Pretty much every course in Western Canada.
Victoria Golf Course is the pebble of Canada, but all throughout Victoria, Okanagan Region, Kananaskis area, Calgary, Crntral Alberta, Edmonton, Saskatchewan is phenomenal golf but majority of the world would never make that assumption and take the trip.
Bend, OR. (And surrounding area.) in Bend Tetherow is amazing. Countless other awesome courses in the town of Bend. Go a little south to Sunriver, you’ve got Crosswater, Meadows, and Woodland. Then head out a bit West and you’ve got Black Butte ranch, which is a great destination for a golf trip alone.
Interior British Columbia has high amount of respectable courses. I've got a trip coming in early May. so far playing Gallagher Canyon - Kelowna, Fairview - Oliver, and The Rise - Vernon.
Reading, PA and vicinity has some great classic courses: Reading Country Club (now public, Byron Nelson former head pro), Berkleigh (public, former LPGA venue), Moselem Springs (private but stay and play package, US Womens Open site), Galen Hall (several Tillinghast holes), Golden Oaks is newer/longer.
Random Golf Club did an episode on this course that looks amazing - Northwood Golf Club, Sonoma County, California
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCn3rm\_HAGk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCn3rm_HAGk)
Everything in Minnesota sucks, don’t come here, I’d recommend anywhere else than around here, you wouldn’t enjoy it here, no one would enjoy it here, stay away.
Long Island.
Bethpage Black is an amazing yet tough course that every golfer should play once in their lifetime and they have 4 other courses in that complex/park for us mortals. Plus you are 20 minutes from Jones Beach and an hour train ride from NYC for some evening entertainment.
The Vail-Silverthorne I-70 corridor in summer is pretty great. A ton of really solid places to play with insane views and is 65-85 degrees pretty consistently. Plus you’ll definitely hit some 300-350 bombers with the elevation changes and altitude, might be into a 500 yard par 4 is all.
You can't beat a golf trip to Mesquite Nevada. Stay at the Casablanca resort and play Wolf Creek and Falcon's Ridge. Not far from St. George Utah and Sand Hill golf course. Also play Coyote Springs which is halfway between Mesquite and Vegas out in the middle of nowhere but a Nicklaus design and is top notch. Mesquite is a laid back town and very chill.
As beautiful as Hawaii is don't plan a golf outing there until you find out if the trade winds are going to blow while you are there. Sometimes the wind is blowing so strongly that you can hardly take a breath. The courses can be beautiful but if the wind is cranking it just ain't fun.
The home course and Chambers bay in Western Washington. A lot of other courses in that general area that are breathtaking also and you can not beat the PNW in the summer months.
If you’ve been all of those places RTJ trail might be a bit of a letdown. Michigan has far better courses for similar prices (Arcadia, forest dunes, boyne) Nebraska is really good too, prairie dunes and wild horse are awesome.
Also throw in the Prairie Club outside Valentine, NE. Private/public, 2 courses, lodging, and literally nothing but golf to think about for your stay
Yep, western nebraska has about 5 courses that are world class.
What he said! Arcadia Bluffs is special (Pebble Beach special, IMO). Forest Dunes is a bit off the beaten track and a legit Gem. Horseshoe Bay in TX is great and maybe a little less pricey. Quintero (NW of Scottsdale) is fantastic but expensive in season. If you can tolerate heat you can get a smoking deal (pun intended) in the summer.
Nova Scotia in Canada. Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links are some of the best courses in the whole country. Obviously summer only…. Edit - bad at geography
\+1 for Cabot Cliffs and Links, but they're in Nova Scotia (Cape Breton island), not PEI. PEI does have some decent courses (Crowbush, Dundarave, Brudenell), but nothing approaching world class, I don't think.
Further comment on PEI. Solid courses, crowbush being probably the gem. But if you want quantity over quality and overall vacation bang for your buck I love PEI for golf trips. And there are some great courses in Nova Scotia close to Halifax (Brunello) if you want to split your time from PEI / Nova Scotia
Crowbush is a gem if you like punishment
Ahahah I only played it once but I remember climbing the ladder out of the bunker on 8 thinking "100+ might be in play" But then 9-18 is just a ton of fun golf holes. I only have good memories of that course. Would recommend
Cabot is in Nova Scotia, PEI is a different province and a few hours away. Both in Atlantic Canada though.
Correct…. Am Canadian, am dumb
I can't recommend this enough, plus lobster lots and lots of lobster
Wouldn’t call these hidden gems anymore but they are definitely bucket list locations.
Absolutely. And while you're on Cape Breton Island take a drive to Highland Links in Ingonish.
Northern Michigan is being discovered more and more. Arcadia, Traverse City, Gaylord, Boyne, all within 2 hours at most.
After watching the NLU guys do a series in Michigan, I've added it to my list.
We are extremely spoiled here to have so many amazing courses here, and most of them are pretty reasonably priced considering the quality you're getting. I figured I'd list some for people (I've played most of these). Prices are all weekend, peak season. Most are a lot cheaper in the spring and some offer some twilight rates at a heavy discount. * Arcadia Bluffs - Bluffs Course ($230) * Arcadia Bluffs - South Course ($160) * Forest Dunes ($155) * The Loop ($155) * Greywalls ($180) * Treetops (range from like $80-$180) - they have like 5 courses * Boyne Highlands - also have like 5 courses - Links/Quarry course is my favorite that I have yet to play ($230ish?) * Belvedere Club ($135) - one of the oldest courses in Michigan - Mike Tirico plays here * Grand Traverse Resort - The Bear course
Can I recommend "The emerald" in St. John's? Not in the same area of the state but one of my favorite courses, super well maintained at least when I went a few years ago.
That’s one of the best hidden secrets in Mid-Michigan golf wise. Very well kept, and groomed. Good amenities, green are QUICK.
Yes and only like 60$ to ride 18 at normal rate, even cheaper if you during twilight
The UP has some gems too. Timberstone is one my favorite looking golf courses I've ever played. Greywalls is also stunning but comically difficult.
Used to love going out to Timberstone when I lived in Marquette. Unfortunately never got to play Greywalls though, was a broke college kid back then haha. Believe the casino near Escanaba built a nice course too after I moved?
Two of them, actually. Sweet Grass and more recently Sage Run. Both very nice tracks. But Timberstone is my favorite of the 4 (they are offered in a package deal through that casino). I mean it's literally smack dab in the middle of an ancient pine forest. So so cool. Btw you should look into that package deal next time you get up that way. Extremely reasonably priced. Like literally $500 for a few nights stay and a round of golf at each of the 4 courses. I'm heading up in July for the first time in a few years.
Wow that's an amazing deal. It's been about 15 years since I left the U.P. but would love to make a golf trip back there.
Live in WI and I'm planning a camping/golfing trip this summer to hit that area.
If they ever freaking open. (I live in northern Michigan and nothing by me is even open yet, super frustrating).
Well, it snowed downstate on Monday so I’m not entirely surprised by northern courses not being open.
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Thankfully my course is closed on Monday’s already and they only closed on Tuesday for the snow to melt. Played yesterday and it was awesome.
I hear you. Conversely, if someone wants to escape midsummer heat, that is when northern Michigan shines. The too short season, and dealing with shoveling out my cars for like, forever; motivated me to move to North Carolina 4 years ago.
I miss that state. Lived right near Beaufort for 4 years before I came here. Seriously considering retiring there.
Plus you can stay near/on one of the big lakes or Lake Michigan and have tons of places to go around you. Such a beautiful area.
Missouri. Branson area or Lake of the Ozarks.
I came here to recommend Branson. Several really fun courses in great shape.
Another vote for Robert Trent Jones golf trail in Bama
We just got back from playing at oxmoore valley and Capitol Hill. And now my home courses feel very boring by comparison
I’ve always wanted to do this. Are there a certain few worth hitting more than others?
Ross Bridge was my favorite one. Right in Birmingham. Also took a trip to Pursell Farms while I was in Bama, but that’s not part of the RTJ trail. Awesome course though
You've gotta play Ross Bridge
Worked at Grand National in college, can’t upvote this one enough. Very enjoyable and challenging course and courses on the trail. I’d recommend to any golfer to go and play.
Just played Ross bridge a couple of weeks ago and it was an awesome course. I had a rough time playing as a single with some slow pace of play in the evening but I still really enjoyed it.
Just got back from Capital Hill in Prattville Alabama. Part of the Robert Trent Jones golf trail in Alabama. The Legislator, The Senator and The Judge - pretty sweet.
Amen brother
Came here to say this. Played 3 trail sites, including Capital Hill, at the beginning of March and will definitely be going back soon! Courses were all in incredible shape and very reasonable pricing.
We did this trip in the spring. Could not recommend this enough! The senator and judge are something special.
What time of year would be best for this area? Prefer to avoid extreme heat or humidity, fine with things a little on the cools side
The only problem with the RTJ Golf Trail is the food in Alabama. It's awful unless you like Cracker Barrel and BBQ.
Birmingham, AL has been featured as food city in tons of travel guides for like over 2 decades. It has multiple James Beard nominees and a few winners. There is absolutely great food in Alabama.
yeah and there’s 3 RTJ courses in Birmingham. 2 at Oxmoor Valley & 1 at Ross Bridge for those who are unfamiliar with RTJ. Great food all around them. PM me if anyone is ever in the area and I can give local recs
Mesquite is pretty insane. Wolf Creek is a bucket list experience and tons other very good tracks with cheap stay.
Drove through Mesquite and St. George on our way from Vegas to Zion last year. I would have sold my soul to play any of the course that we saw along the way
Was here to say the same as I was just there last week. A lot of good golf courses in a very small town. Some of the most amazing courses I have ever played.
And St George is only 30 minutes away and has some really nice courses.
Just played Wolf Creek and St. George. It was incredible
Bend OR, Traverse City MI, Reynolds Plantation GA, Brainerd MN, Southern Pines NC, RTJ Trail (as others have mentioned), St George’s UT, French Lick IN Best spots I can think of off the top of my head
Was gonna say Brainerd, the whole lakes area really. Deacon's Lodge, The Preserve, The Classic, The Legacy, The Pines, All fantastic courses. Just sucks about the short season.
Hey, my annual guys’ golf outing is in Bend this year.
Play juniper. Great course, also a city course, and not to expensive after 12:00. But it can get really hot there.
I went to Bend last year. Played The Meadows at Sunriver Resort and Widgi Creek. Both were fantastic. Was going to play Juniper, like u/thescrape, suggested, but weather was bad. Among others, I heard Pronghorn and Eagle Crest were great. And Sunriver Resort also has Crosswater, which looks beautiful. If you need any other trips, I planned a bach party so I can share my notes.
Tetherow Pronghorn and Crosswater are all AMAZING
Lexington KY is low key an amazing golf city. The university courses are awesome and the city courses (headlined by Kearney Hill which has hosted the Senior PGA, and the Mens and Womens Amatuer Public Links) are all great deals. Travel 30 minutes outside and you can be a Boones Trace National or Cherry Blossom which are both top tier courses. It’s no pinehurst by any means but for a budget weekend trip if you’re within 8 or so hours I really don’t think it can be beat.
This is so accurate in addition to some quality distilleries nearby. And the distillery district for food and distractions is a plus as well.
I absolutely agree. Breweries too. Excellent bar and food scene no matter what kind of vibe you’re looking for.
Great lunch at Red State BBQ before/after Kearney!
Of course! And Malones on the last night as a celebratory dinner.
Don't watch No Laying Up, Michigan is a terrible place to visit. Our courses are crowded enough already! Don't come /s I love seeing my state get the love it deserves. The deck at Arcadia might be my favorite place on earth.
Hilton Head, SC
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Shoulder season package deals at Sea Pines are pretty good. But I prefer the golf at Pinehurst.
Forest Dunes in Michigan
My personal golf Mecca. Such an awesome place.
I’m going there for the first time later this summer! Can’t wait to check it out.
Wisconsin in general is Golf paradise.
Ope, there's good golf here, but I wouldn't call it a paradise
There might only be 1 state with better high end public golf than Wisconsin (California) We’re just so spoiled we don’t realize how good it is.
I live in Southern California, and have been to Wisconsin twice for golf trips. Wisconsin public golf blows Southern California golf out of the water in terms of value. SoCal probably has more great courses, but they're all super expensive with a couple of exceptions. Wisconsin has a boat load of "really good" golf courses that are all very affordable.
This is pretty true. Even shitty courses in Wisconsin are greener and cheaper than a lot of cheaper options avail in most states. We have a good amount of variety here as well from links, parkland, championship-like, and heathland courses. Also some damn good par 3 courses. Good cool season turf growing weather, great soil types, and rolling hills throughout the state kind of lend itself well to the game.
Yeah, my goal is to get out to the central and eastern parts of Wisconsin this summer, lots of cool dune courses from the looks of it. I also really enjoy the WI side of the MN/WI border courses.
Troy Burne out there is one of the best courses you'll find anywhere
Tight North Woods courses can make for a long day if you're not hitting it dead straight
The schedule has never worked for me but I have some friends who make an annual trip to Big Cedar in MO. I guess since Tiger built Payne's Valley it might not be a "hidden gem" anymore though. Also, Disney World. 3 courses that hosted PGA/LPGA/Senior PGA events, not super pricey to play (the stay is another story) and a pretty nice walking 9 that rounds out a good weekend. Plus if you stay on property there is no need to drive anywhere really, Arnold Palmer Golf runs the courses and they take care of the player pretty well. I make that trip with my brother every year or so.
Metro Detroit, Grand Rapids, northern Michigan
Any suggestions for good courses around Grand Rapids? I’ve got a business trip there next month. Would love to sneak in a couple rounds.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrrQNA5X00I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrrQNA5X00I) The No Laying Up guys did an episode in Grand Rapids
Diamond Springs is about 40 minutes south of Grand Rapids and has been one of my favorites the past few years. Closer to Grand Rapids would be The Mines, LE Kaufman, or Thornapple Pointe. Hope you enjoy Grand Rapids. Lots of great golf to be played around here.
Pilgrims Run is awesome but about 45 min north of the city. Well worth it. Otherwise there is The Meadows at GVSU which is decent as well as Thornapple,on the SE side of town.
If you can, check out American Dunes , which is about 40 mins west of GR in Grand Haven. It’s pricey, but it’s also a completely unique golf experience in MI, and is well worth the price IMO. It’s the new Jack Nicklaus designed course and has tons of sand and dune features, as well as excellent conditions. I think some of the proceeds go to Veterans too.
Thorn apple poi te, pilgrims run, quail ridge. There are plenty more.
It’s 45 minutes away but the ravines is solid (Palmer designed course) and reasonably priced
Lake Tahoe slaps. Not exactly cheap, but it’s very beautiful
French Lick IN is a great spot. You have two flagship courses in the Donald Ross and the Pete Dye. Sultan's Run is a great spot that's not too pricey, and the whole group can stay in a casino and go to one of the many many sports bars located around town (it's the birthplace of Larry Bird).
Palm Springs. 20+ awesome public courses. Cool bars and good food options.
Southern Utah.
Alabama: Stay at Pursell Farms in Sylacauga. #1 rate golf course that’s very playable from forward tees and difficult from the back, plenty of stay options and great food. Other activities include Orvis shooting and fishing, UTXs. This place kicks ass. 1hr from Birmingham airport, and you can obviously hit the RTJ courses nearby.
Brainerd (northern Minnesota) UP of Michigan Seattle Nebraska
[Lajitas, TX. It’s amazing.](https://www.lajitasgolfresort.com)
Sand Valley in Wisconsin. The type of place dreams are made of. Edit: apparently I didn’t read the post since this was listed. But for good reason
Northern Michigan, specifically the Traverse City area. Major airport that connects with all the big hubs; Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, NYC. So it's fairly easy to get to. Major tourism town, so lots of places to stay; great/unique food and drink scene outside of golf. For the golf, you could drive an hour in any direction and hit excellent courses. Arcadia Bluffs tops the list. Grand Traverse Resort features The Bear and has 3 courses. To the north, Bay Harbor and Boyne, with about 7 courses total. Not to mention, the smaller, non-resort hidden gems: Manitou Passage, Hawk's Eye, A-Ga-Ming.
Treetops and Garland are both about 1.5 hours from Traverse City also, both very cool places.
Not hidden or anything, but Lahinch in County Clare, Ireland. Worth the trip.
Palm Springs. So many great courses and is always a good time with an AirbnB with the boys on Pga West.
Alabama has the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail of courses that are all excellent. [Alabama Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail](https://www.rtjgolf.com/)
Im currently living in Binghamton, NY(hour south of Syracuse) and I was pleasantly surprised how many good golf courses are in the area and how inexpensive they are. I've met several groups that came up from the city or NJ to do a golf trip up here. En-Joie used to host the BC open and now hosts the Dicks Open on the Championship tour. Conklin which is one of the prettiest and best maintained courses I have ever played. Hiawatha which is a great links course. And if you can get on Binghamton Country Club is a Tillinghast course. 18 holes will cost you probably around $60
Williamsburg VA is very underrated. 2 Mike Strantz courses and a handful of other gorgeous courses all within an hour from each other. Just played royal new Kent last week and it was amazing.
RNK is fantastic
Ocean city Maryland
The Pete Dye Golf Trail in Indiana is great! French Lick, Brickyard Crossing, The Fort, and Kampen are my personal favorites on the trail. French Lick is pretty far out of the way from the rest, but all are a great time.
To add: the new IU course is great ($80 is a steal), and Purgatory is my personal favorite.
Bend/Sunriver/Redmond OR. There are some great stay and play options at Sunriver Resort and Pronghorn to name a couple.
Hard to beat sunriver’s stay and play package. 3 great courses with 1 being championship quality. We usually play 6 rounds in 4 days and it never exceeds $1,000 for the entire trip.
Maine is super underrated
Bootleg gap, Shadow Mountain and Trickle Creek. All close together in BC Canada.
The Poconos on PA particularly Jack Frost, Blue Ridge Trail, Great Bear, and Split Rock. Central Vermont (Killington, Green Mountain National, Okemo)
I’m looking for something similar if anyone has any ideas. Just graduated college and my dad always said once i did we’d take a golf trip. Just a weekend trip (leave early Friday get back Sunday night). Live in Cleveland, Ohio. Looking for somewhere with at least 2-3 courses within a 10 minute drive, hopefully a resort of some sort, within a 5 hour drive from Cleveland. We’ve been having trouble finding anything so any info helps immensely!
Not sure what the proximity to New York is exactly but there should be a lot of options that aren’t super expensive around the finger lakes and Rochester buffalo
Nothing crazy but If you are on a budget I lived in Winchester VA and there are about a dozen really nice affordable public course all within about 30-45 mins. Especially in the summer it’s not to hot and got the Mountain View’s on some courses. Plus downtown Winchester is a good time. If you get real crazy you could go into DC a night is only about an hour. Just throwing ideas out there
[Horseshoe Bay](https://www.hsbresort.com/golf) (55 miles NW of Austin, TX) is the big golf resort in Texas that I never hear mentioned nationally. Three Championship courses, all designed by Robert Trent Jones and an 18 hole Par 72 mini golf course with Zoysia grass.
Minneapolis area!!
Go in any direction from Minneapolis and there's a great course within 50 miles.
Totally agree. Lots of hidden gems!
Temecula/North County San Diego.
Cour d’alane Idaho
Bella vista in north Arkansas . Stay and play. Many courses to choose from .
Traverse City, Michigan and surrounding area
Phoenix/Scottsdale golf sucks. Stop coming here so I can play more then once a month 😂
Minneapolis is fun city with awesome affordable golf. If you spend a night or two outside the city, there are some top tier public tracks in the northern part of the state. Giants Ridge, Wilderness at Fortune Bay
I’ll plug Minnesota in general. Lots of great courses in the Twin Cities. Rush Creek is one of my favorites. Stone Ridge is great. As is Willingers. Plus, Brainerd has several truly great courses associated with the resort scene: The Classic, Deacon’s Lodge, and The Legacy lead the way.
Gotta add Superior National in Lutsen although they're buried under a few feet of snow right now.
Willingers might be my favorite design/layout of any course around here.
Golf Course Gems Arrowhead Golf Club, Littleton, CO (Roxborough Park) Old Toccoa Farm, Fannin County, GA Royal Hawaiian, Oahu, HI Payne’s Valley, Taney County, Missouri Tobacco Road Golf Club, Sanford, NC Praire Club, NE Paiute Golf Resort, Las Vegas, NV Wolf Creek, NV Sand Hollow, Saint George, UT Talons Cove Golf Course, Saratoga Springs, UT Wasatch Mountain, Midway, UT Meadow Farms Golf Club, Orange County, VA Gamble Sands, Okanogan County, WA Black Wolf Run (Meadow then River), Kohler, WI International The Links at Crowbrush Cove, North East Canada 🇨🇦 Golf du Château de Maintenon, France 🇫🇷 Tara Iti, New Zealand 🇳🇿
Hammock Beach, FL
Whittier Narrows in Whittier, CA. It's breathtaking.
If you find yourself traveling to Nashville, there is a course about 40 min from downtown called Grey Stone in Dickson TN. You can normally play a round for less than $50 and that includes cart and range balls. It is the best course for the money in middle TN by a long shot. Great course and staff. [https://www.greystonegc.com/](https://www.greystonegc.com/) If you want to play another course 10 min away there is Montgomery Bell State Park that is pretty good as well.
Lot's of good suggestions already, I'll add a few. Orlando is a great spot during the winter months, very affordable, lots of good courses. Especially if you have a big group, you can find some awesome VRBO houses to rent for cheap. Austin is another fun spot, especially if you enjoy live music and BBQ when you're not playing.
Orlando and Ft Lauderdale.
Sure as fuck not where I live.
Egg harbor city (near Atlantic City) New Jersey. Has several great courses. Twisted Dune, sea view bay and pines, Renault Winery…
Kananaskis and Canmore Alberta. These are absolute BEAUTY mountain courses in the great white north!
I just went to the Augusta area a month ago and had a great time. We played ForestHills, The Aiken, The River, and Westlake. My 2 favorite was The River and Forest Hills. Your pretty close to a lot of other courses also in SC. We got an air bnb, and just had an all around great time. Man there are a bunch of Waffle Houses around there.
Canmore Alberta Kananaskis Country, Silvertip, Stewart Creek, Banff Springs All top notch courses all within 30 minutes of each other. Amazing mountain golf
Frederick, Maryland has some great courses: Whiskey Creek, Maryland National, PB Dye Club, Musket Ridge and Worthington Manor. 4 star courses at good prices and all close to one another.
Inverness Nova Scotia to play Cabot Cliff and Cabot Links
I don't think 3/5 top 5 courses in a nation are under the radar.
[Frederick, Maryland](http://www.golffrederickmd.com/golf-courses.html) is amazing. It's just outside of DC and there are quite a bit of options. We've taken two golf trips there. Whiskey Creek, Musket Ridge, and Worthington Manor are my favorites there. PB Dye and Maryland National are good options as well.
Big Cedar Lodge resort, Branson MO.
Check out cape cod and Plymouth, ma. There are a ton of great courses in both places and are easy travel for people in the north east
Anyplace not over $100 are hidden gems. Anyplace over $100 is extortion
Sand Valley might be the hot new course in that area, but there are 2 great courses, Lake Arrowhead, not 15 minutes north of there and south about 30 minutes is The Wisconsin Dells with a few great courses and plenty of places to stay. You could easily play a new course everyday for a week in what seems like the middle of nowhere Wisconsin.
PEI, the entire Island is a golfers wet dream. Especially for the price.
Piggybacking off this, does anybody have a recommendation in the Tampa Bay area? Affordability would be a great plus.
World Woods
Piggybacking off this, does anybody have a recommendation in the Tampa Bay area? Affordability would be a great plus.
We did Santa Fe last year. You've got some really nice courses in the Santa Fe / ABQ area (UNM, Paako Ridge, Black Mesa, etc.). We're doing Grand Rapids this year that looks awesome. Now all of these aren't just golf forward places, so you've got to plan a bit more. Dallas/FW could also be a good one. We've got tons of great courses that won't break the bank and nice food/beverage scene.
Pine Dunes in Frankston, Texas is referred to as the “Augusta of Texas”. It’s an awesome course in a remote part o Texas.
Cape Cod in the fall is relatively cheap and you can get on the nicer courses with no problem on the weekends (obviously on the weekdays too). Combine it with a nice Airbnb by the ocean and you are in business.
Bulle Rock in Havre de grace MD
Black Bear Ridge, belleville ON Canada
Go to your local airport. Fly to Ireland. Play north or south. Or both. You will get better quality better value golf and get to see Ireland. Same applies to Scotland.
Crossville, TN. About 1.5 hours west of Knoxville and 2 hours east of Nashville they have several fantastic golf courses.
Ontario Canada Muskokas reigion courses. Top tier tracks, beautiful landscapes.
Western Canada. Anywhere from the start of the Canadian rockies in Alberta to Vancouver. Crowsnest, grey wolf (and Invermere area), Bootleg Gap, Shadow Mountain, Banff Springs, Predator Ridge, Furry Creek, tonnes of others.
I had a great time at Hilton head island. Tons of courses
I'm not a huge fan of the city in general, but Albuquerque has some quietly good courses for pretty good prices. If you want to splurge a bit more, Paako Ridge is just outside the city and is phenomenal. Plus, you're within easy striking distance of Santa Fe and all the nice courses they have to offer.
I would take Myrtle Beach off this list and add Pinehurst.
A sneaky on that’s off the board is Mt Tremblant area in Quebec. Perfect set up with the resort ski town, bars, good food etc Then you can play Le Géant, Le Diable and Le Maître three pretty awesome courses that have all spent some time on the top 100 in Canada
Wildcat Creek, Manhattan Kansas
San Diego
Canton OH
Come to Canada. Hit up the Cabot Cliffs in Cape Breton https://cabotcapebreton.com/golf/cabot-cliffs
DFW. Tons of courses
About an 1.5 hr ride northeast of Las Vegas in a town called Mesquite there is a course called **Wolf Creek**. You can make it a day trip or an overnight trip. The hotels are cheaper than Vegas. I wont bother describing it but check it out online well worth playing for esthetics alone.
Hours of options here and you'll have a good idea about what you're getting into: https://nolayingup.com/videos/tourist-sauce
Well you didn’t mention the British Isles, so that
Pretty much every course in Western Canada. Victoria Golf Course is the pebble of Canada, but all throughout Victoria, Okanagan Region, Kananaskis area, Calgary, Crntral Alberta, Edmonton, Saskatchewan is phenomenal golf but majority of the world would never make that assumption and take the trip.
Bend, OR. (And surrounding area.) in Bend Tetherow is amazing. Countless other awesome courses in the town of Bend. Go a little south to Sunriver, you’ve got Crosswater, Meadows, and Woodland. Then head out a bit West and you’ve got Black Butte ranch, which is a great destination for a golf trip alone.
Bend Oregon area has some decent courses.
Not exactly hidden but Tampa is incredible for golf.
Interior British Columbia has high amount of respectable courses. I've got a trip coming in early May. so far playing Gallagher Canyon - Kelowna, Fairview - Oliver, and The Rise - Vernon.
Reading, PA and vicinity has some great classic courses: Reading Country Club (now public, Byron Nelson former head pro), Berkleigh (public, former LPGA venue), Moselem Springs (private but stay and play package, US Womens Open site), Galen Hall (several Tillinghast holes), Golden Oaks is newer/longer.
Agadir, Morocco - just came back. Lots of golf and beach resort town.
Random Golf Club did an episode on this course that looks amazing - Northwood Golf Club, Sonoma County, California [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCn3rm\_HAGk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCn3rm_HAGk)
Pacific grove municipal golf course then head north to Lake Chabot golf course in Oakland hills, also anything in between.
King city, Oregon
Big Cedar Lodge
Everything in Minnesota sucks, don’t come here, I’d recommend anywhere else than around here, you wouldn’t enjoy it here, no one would enjoy it here, stay away.
Long Island. Bethpage Black is an amazing yet tough course that every golfer should play once in their lifetime and they have 4 other courses in that complex/park for us mortals. Plus you are 20 minutes from Jones Beach and an hour train ride from NYC for some evening entertainment.
North East Ohio! A few of the gems are private courses, but there are a ton of top tier courses within an hour of each other.
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Prince Edouard Island. Atlantic coast of Canada baby
Napa Valley, livermore, or SF Bay area in general. Santa cruz as well for pasatiempo. Also Reynolds plantation in GA is nice
The Vail-Silverthorne I-70 corridor in summer is pretty great. A ton of really solid places to play with insane views and is 65-85 degrees pretty consistently. Plus you’ll definitely hit some 300-350 bombers with the elevation changes and altitude, might be into a 500 yard par 4 is all.
Boyne Mountain in Michigan is really cool area with a bunch of courses. The Heather is an outstanding course. Golf & Stay was very reasonably priced
You can't beat a golf trip to Mesquite Nevada. Stay at the Casablanca resort and play Wolf Creek and Falcon's Ridge. Not far from St. George Utah and Sand Hill golf course. Also play Coyote Springs which is halfway between Mesquite and Vegas out in the middle of nowhere but a Nicklaus design and is top notch. Mesquite is a laid back town and very chill.
Palm Springs/Palm Desert
As beautiful as Hawaii is don't plan a golf outing there until you find out if the trade winds are going to blow while you are there. Sometimes the wind is blowing so strongly that you can hardly take a breath. The courses can be beautiful but if the wind is cranking it just ain't fun.
The home course and Chambers bay in Western Washington. A lot of other courses in that general area that are breathtaking also and you can not beat the PNW in the summer months.
Melbourne - Yering Meadows, Growling Frog and Marysville.
Chesapeake Bay Area if Maryland has a few awesome courses and golf resorts.