2026 Golf Trip Rankings

A trip to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is built around a simple premise: the golf comes first, and everything else exists to support it, from the intentionally remote drive to the walkable, golfer-focused lodging. Across the property, the resort delivers endlessly varied, wind-shaped golf that turn competition into camaraderie. It can be difficult to book and deliberately inconvenient to reach, but those barriers only sharpen the reward.

Sand Valley blends modern minimalist golf with architectural ambition, pairing the scale of Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes with the historical precision of The Lido. Wide fairways, bold greens, walkability, and fireside nights create a relaxed, golf-first atmosphere. It’s remote by Midwest standards, but easy to reach and absolutely worth it.

Yes, it’s a controversial take: the best "Pinehurst trip" might not be Pinehurst Resort. Base yourself in Southern Pines and you unlock a lineup that feels more local, more varied, and arguably more fun: Pine Needles, Mid Pines, Southern Pines, Tobacco Road, and a couple of modern cult favorites.

Eleven courses on one campus, anchored by No. 2 -- still the most honest test in American resort golf. The on-property experience is polished and immersive, with The Cradle filling the evenings and a range of courses that support three-day stays without repetition. The surrounding Sandhills give you a few strong off-property options if the group wants contrast.

Five courses on the Monterey Peninsula, anchored by Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill in the Del Monte Forest, and The Links at Spanish Bay for the links-style round. The Hay short course handles evenings or warmup sessions, and Poppy Hills fills out a longer rotation. Budget carefully -- this is among the most expensive golf corridors in the country.

Three hours south of Orlando on a reclaimed phosphate mine, Streamsong puts four 18-hole courses -- Red, Blue, Black, and Bone Valley -- on terrain that looks nothing like the rest of Florida. The Chain handles the extra rounds and evening sessions. The architecture is serious, the conditions are consistently strong, and the resort handles groups efficiently.

Two properties, four 18-hole courses, and one of the most dramatic lakeside layouts in American golf. The Straits course at Whistling Straits hosted three PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup, and it plays exactly as hard as the television makes it look. Blackwolf Run's River and Meadow Valleys courses are the underrated second act -- genuine tests that let you play 36 in a day without feeling like a warmup.

A barrier island resort with five courses, anchored by the Ocean Course -- a Pete Dye design that's among the most demanding coastal rounds in public golf. The on-property infrastructure is strong, the island setting handles the evenings, and the supporting courses give groups enough rotation to stay four nights without repeating. Book the Ocean Course first; the rest fills in around it.

High desert golf in central Oregon, with Pronghorn's two courses (Fazio and Nicklaus), Tetherow in town, and Crosswater at Sunriver rounding out a four-course rotation within 30 miles. The Bend restaurant and brewery scene is strong enough that evenings don't require much planning. A three-to-four course trip packages cleanly, especially for West Coast groups who can drive it.

Black Desert leads the rotation -- Tom Weiskopf's final design, completed by longtime partner Phil Smith, cut through lava fields that have drawn national attention since opening. Entrada at Snow Canyon, the two Sand Hollow layouts, and Wolf Creek round out a destination that covers more architectural variety than most golfers expect from southern Utah. Spring and fall are the windows; summer heat limits playability.

One elite championship course in the Michigan pines, plus The Loop -- a reversible 18-hole layout that plays as two completely different courses depending on direction. Tom Weiskopf designed the main course and Tom Doak designed The Loop, and both hold up as genuinely interesting golf, not just a novelty. A two-night, three-round format covers the experience the right way.

Links-style golf on a bluff above the Columbia River in eastern Washington, where the original Gamble Sands course and the newer QuickSands layout give the trip two genuinely different 18-hole options on the same property, and the Scarecrow short course handles the in-between sessions. Groups who make the drive tend to stay longer than planned -- the replayability is the point.

Northern Michigan's most dramatic lakefront course is the Bluffs, a Traverse City-area layout with Lake Michigan views from nearly every hole. The South Course provides a stronger architectural companion than most visitors expect, and Grand Traverse Resort's Bear and Wolverine courses add options for groups staying four or five nights. The region is a legitimate golf destination from late May through October.

An Ozarks resort outside Branson, Missouri, with three championship courses -- Ozarks National, Payne's Valley, and Buffalo Ridge -- plus a short-course lineup including Top of the Rock and Cliffhangers that keeps the competition running between rounds. Payne's Valley is a Tiger Woods design with a standalone 19th-hole par-3 that tends to anchor the trip's memory. Two nights and four or five rounds is a clean format.

Two courses on the northern tip of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia -- Cabot Links on the waterfront and Cabot Cliffs on the elevated headlands above it. The location is remote, the flight connections are limited, and the booking process is competitive. Groups that commit to the logistics tend to leave with it near the top of the list.

The Sandhills golf trip is built around three properties: Prairie Club, Wild Horse, and Dismal River. All are routed through native terrain with minimal earthmoving, and the wind is a constant variable that changes the character of every round. The isolation is part of the appeal -- this part of Nebraska is a long drive from anywhere, and that's exactly what keeps the crowds away.

A coastal South Carolina island with more than a dozen courses, anchored by Harbour Town Golf Links -- the home of the RBC Heritage and one of Pete Dye's most respected designs. The island is well-organized for golf travel, with strong lodging options across several price points and an off-course scene that handles groups without much effort. Harbour Town's recent restoration brought it back to tournament form.

A high-desert cattle ranch in eastern Oregon with three course options -- Chief Egan, the reversible Craddock/Hankins loop, and the Gauntlet par-3 -- all included in an all-inclusive rate that covers lodging, food, and unlimited golf. Remote by any measure, but the logistics are simpler than they look on a map.

The most accessible high-volume golf destination on the East Coast, with more than 80 courses within the Grand Strand corridor. The shortlist anchors around Caledonia, True Blue, and Tidewater -- courses that hold up against stronger destinations -- with a dozen others worth considering depending on budget and round count. This is the trip for groups optimizing for golf volume and value over prestige.

A coastal Georgia resort on St. Simons Island with three courses -- Seaside, Plantation, and Retreat -- anchored by Seaside, a design that changes character significantly depending on wind direction off the sound. The resort is consistently well-run, the service holds up across multiple visits, and the off-course experience is polished without being overdone. Groups tend to stay three to four nights.