Golfweek's Best 2025: Top private golf courses in every state, ranked
Where can you find the best private golf courses in each state? Welcome to Golfweek's Best 2025 list of top private layouts, as judged by our hundreds of raters.
The members of the ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce these rankings.
All the courses on this 2025 list are private and don't accept daily-fee or resort play. We also publish a list of each state's top public-access layouts. Keen eyes might notice there are only 49 states included on this list, because Alaska doesn't have any rated private clubs to include among the rankings.
KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek's Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.
* indicates new or returning to the rankings
Alabama's best private golf courses
1. Wicker Point*
Alexander City (m)
2. Shoal Creek
Birmingham (T87m)
3. Country Club of Birmingham (West)
Birmingham (T114c)
4. Willow Point*
Alexander City (m)
5. The Ledges
Huntsville (m)
Arizona's best private golf courses
1. Estancia
Scottsdale (19m)
2. Desert Forest
Carefree (T73m)
3. Scottsdale National (The Other Course)
Scottsdale (m)
4. Forest Highlands (Canyon)
Flagstaff (T108m)
5. Whisper Rock (Upper)
Scottsdale (T122m)
6. Whisper Rock (Lower)
Scottsdale (m)
7. Desert Highlands
Scottsdale (T149m)
8. The Rim
Payson (T166m)
9. Stone Canyon
Oro Valley (T191m)
10. Mirabel
Scottsdale (m)
11. Silverleaf
Scottsdale (m)
12. Forest Highlands (Meadow)
Flagstaff (m)
T13. Troon Country Club
Scottsdale (m)
T13. Pine Canyon
Flagstaff (m)
15. Flagstaff Ranch
Flagstaff (m)
16. Paradise Valley
Paradise Valley (c)
17. Desert Mountain (Cochise)
Scottsdale (m)
18. The Gallery (North)
Marana (m)
19. Desert Mountain (Chiricahua)
Scottsdale (m)
20. Torreon (Cabin)
Show Low (m)
Arkansas' best private golf courses
1. Alotian Club
Roland (m)
2. The Blessings
Fayetteville (m)
3. Texarkana Country Club
Texarkana (c)
4. Chenal (Bear Den)*
Little Rock (m)
5. Chenal (Founders)
Little Rock (m)
California's best private golf courses
1. Cypress Point
Pebble Beach (1c)
2. Los Angeles Country Club (North)
Los Angeles (11c)
3. Riviera
Pacific Palisades (17c)
4. San Francisco Golf Club
San Francisco (T18c)
5. California Golf Club
South San Francisco (29c)
6. Monterey Peninsula (Shore)
Pebble Beach (17m)
7. Valley Club of Montecito
Santa Barbara (T36c)
8. Olympic Club (Lake)
San Francisco (43c)
9. Monterey Peninsula (Dunes)
Pebble Beach (T49c)
10. Martis Camp
Truckee (43m)
11. Bel-Air
Los Angeles (T59c)
12. The Madison Club
La Quinta (m)
13. The Quarry at La Quinta
La Quinta (T62m)
14. Meadow Club
Fairfax (T67c)
15. Lahontan
Truckee (m)
16. Mayacama
SantaRosa (99m)
17. Lake Merced
Daly City (T108c)
18. Wilshire
Los Angeles (T120c)
19. Santa Lucia Preserve
Carmel (T125m)
20. Stone Eagle
Palm Desert (T130m)
Colorado's best private golf courses
1. Ballyneal
Holyoke (5m)
2. Colorado Golf Club
Parker (35m)
3. Cherry Hills
Cherry Hills Village (T56c)
4. Cornerstone*
Montrose (m)
5. Castle Pines
Castle Rock (T68m)
6. Country Club of the Rockies
Edwards (m)
7. Maroon Creek
Aspen (m)
8. Glacier Club (Mountain)
Durango (m)
9. Frost Creek
Eagle (m)
10. Roaring Fork Club
Basalt (m)
Connecticut's best private golf courses
1. Yale Golf Course
New Haven (T67c)
2. Tamarack
Greenwich (T108c)
3. Stanwich Club
Greenwich (T108m)
4. Country Club of Fairfield
Fairfield (T117c)
5. Bull's Bridge
South Kent (m)
Delaware's best private golf courses
1. Bidermann
Wilmington (m)
2. Wilmington Country Club (South)
Wilmington (T191m)
3. Fieldstone
Greenville (m)
4. The Peninsula
Millsboro (m)
5. DuPont Country Club (DuPont)
Wilmington (c)
Florida's best private golf courses
1. Seminole
Juno Beach (12c)
2. Calusa Pines
Naples (T24m)
3. Panther National*
Palm Beach Gardens (29m)
4. Dye Course at White Oak
Yulee (67m)
5. Mountain Lake
Lake Wales (T72c)
T6. Belleair Country Club (West)
Belleair (T80c)
T6. Indian Creek
Miami Beach (c)
8. John's Island Club (West)
Vero Beach (80m)
T9. The Bear's Club
Jupiter (T89m)
T9. Jupiter Hills (Hills)
Tequesta (T89m)
11. Loblolly
Hobe Sound (95m)
12. McArthur
Hobe Sound (m)
13. Naples National
Naples (T103m)
14. Medalist
Hobe Sound (T119m)
15. Pablo Creek
Jacksonville (m)
16. Pine Tree
Boynton Beach (T125m)
T17. RedStick*
Vero Beach (m)
T17. High Ridge
Lantana (T132m)
19. Trump International West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach (T143m)
20. Coral Creek Club
Placida (T146m)
Georgia's best private golf courses
1. Augusta National
Augusta (3c)
2. Peachtree
Atlanta (T18c)
3. Ohoopee Match Club
Cobbtown (4m)
T4. Augusta Country Club
Augusta (T85c)
T4. East Lake
Atlanta (T85c)
6. Ocean Forest
Sea Island (T108m)
7. Cherokee Town & Country Club (North)
Dunwoody (T117c)
8. Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands)
Johns Creek (129m)
T9. Lookout Mountain Club
Lookout Mountain (T126c)
T9. Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee
Eatonton (T132m)
11. Atlanta Country Club
Marietta (T157m)
12. Frederica
St. Simons Island (T170m)
13. Ford Field & River Club
Richmond Hill (182m)
T14. The Farm
Rocky Face (m)
T14. Hawk's Ridge*
Ball Ground (T189m)
Hawaii's best private golf courses
1. Nanea
Kona (18m)
2. Kukio Golf & Beach Club*
Kailua-Kona (m)
3. Kohanaiki
Kailua-Kona (m)
4. Kukui'ula
Koloa (T170m)
5. Hokulia
Kailua-Kona (m)
Idaho's best private golf courses
1. Gozzer Ranch
Harrison (T37m)
2. Tributary
Driggs (T100m)
3. Whitetail
McCall (m)
4. Golf Club at Black Rock
Coeur d'Alene (m)
5. CDA National Reserve
Coeur d'Alene (T197m)
Illinois's best private golf courses
1. Chicago Golf Club
Wheaton (8c)
2. Shoreacres
Lake Bluff (22c)
3. Medinah Country Club (No. 3)
Medinah (T22m)
4. Old Elm
Highland Park (T49c)
5. Beverly
Chicago (T56c)
6. Butler National
Oak Brook (T50m)
7. Olympia Fields (North)
Olympia Fields (T78c)
8. Skokie
Glencoe (T91c)
9. Black Sheep
Sugar Grove (T108m)
10. Conway Farms
Lake Forest (T157m)
11. Olympia Fields (South)
Olympia Fields (T152c)
12. Bob O'Link
Highland Park (T161c)
13. Glen View Club
Golf (c)
14. Onwentsia Club
Lake Forest (T175c)
15. Rich Harvest Farms
Sugar Grove (m)
Indiana's best private golf courses
1. Victoria National
Newburgh (T53m)
2. Crooked Stick
Carmel (T76m)
3. Culver Academies
Culver (98c)
4. Sycamore Hills
Fort Wayne (m)
5. Club at Holliday Farms
Zionsville (m)
Iowa's best private golf courses
1. Davenport
Pleasant Valley (T67c)
2. Harvester
Rhodes (T84m)
3. Cedar Rapids Country Club
Cedar Rapids (94c)
4. Wakonda Club
Des Moines (c)
5. Des Moines Golf & Country Club (North)
West Des Moines (m)
Kansas's best private golf courses
1. Prairie Dunes
Hutchinson (13c)
2. Flint Hills National
Andover (T103m)
3. Wolf Creek
Olathe (T191m)
4. Hallbrook
Leawood (m)
5. Kansas City Country Club
Mission Hills (c)
Kentucky's best private golf courses
1. Valhalla
Louisville (T65m)
2. Idle Hour
Lexington (T163c)
3. Olde Stone
Bowling Green (m)
4. Hurstbourne
Louisville (m)
5. Audubon
Louisville (c)
Louisiana's best private golf courses
1. Squire Creek
Choudrant (m)
2. Country Club of Louisiana
Baton Rouge (m)
3. New Orleans Country Club
New Orleans (c)
4. Metairie Country Club
Metairie (c)
5. University Club
Baton Rouge (m)
Maine's best private golf courses
1. Portland Country Club
Falmouth (c)
2. Prouts Neck
Scarborough (c)
3. York Golf & Tennis Club
York (c)
4. Woodlands Club
Falmouth (m)
Maryland's best private golf courses
T1. Baltimore Country Club (East)
Timonium (T46c)
T1. Congressional (Blue)
Bethesda (T46c)
3. Burning Tree
Bethesda (113c)
4. TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm
Potomac (118m)
5. Woodmont (North)
Rockville (c)
6. Caves Valley
Owings Mill (T132m)
7. Columbia
Chevy Chase (166c)
8. Chevy Chase Country Club
Chevy Chase (c)
9. Four Streams
Beallsville (m)
10. Congressional (Gold)
Bethesda (m)
Massachusetts' best private golf courses
1. The Country Club (Composite)
Brookline (T24c)
2. Myopia Hunt Club
Hamilton (T30c)
T3. Eastward Ho!
Chatham (T41c)
T3. Essex
Manchester-by-the-Sea (T41c)
5. Boston Golf Club
Hingham (T32m)
6. Old Sandwich Golf Club
Plymouth (36m)
7. Kittansett Club
Marion (51c)
8. Sankaty Head
Siasconset (90c)
9. Salem Country Club
Peabody (T91c)
10. Whitinsville Golf Club
Whitinsville (95c)
11. Worcester Country Club
Worcester (T117c)
12. Taconic
Williamstown (122c)
13. Winchester Country Club
Winchester (131c)
14. Nantucket Golf Club
Siasconset (T166m)
15. Hyannisport Club
Hyannis Port (T146c)
Michigan's best private golf courses
1. Crystal Downs
Frankfort (14c)
2. Oakland Hills (South)
Bloomfield Hills (23c)
3. Kingsley Club
Kingsley (T37m)
4. Dunes Club
New Buffalo (56m)
5. Franklin Hills
Franklin (T80c)
6. Lost Dunes
Bridgman (T139m)
7. Meadowbrook
Northville (T132c)
8. Orchard Lake Country Club
Orchard Lake (T135c)
9. Indianwood (Old)
Lake Orion (T140c)
10. Barton Hills
Ann Arbor (T146c)
11. Wuskowhan Player's Club
West Olive (m)
12. True North
Harbor Springs (m)
13. Bloomfield Hills Country Club
Bloomfield Hills (c)
T14. Point O'Woods
Benton Harbor (c)
T14. LochenHeath*
Williamsburg (m)
Minnesota's best private golf courses
1. Interlachen
Edina (66c)
2. Spring Hill
Wayzata (T53m)
3. Minikahda Club
Minneapolis (T78c)
4. Hazeltine National
Chaska (T84m)
5. White Bear Yacht Club
White Bear Lake (T88c)
6. Windsong Farm
Independence (T149m)
7. Somerset
Mendola Heights (c)
8. Northland
Duluth (T168c)
9. Minneapolis Golf Club
St. Louis Park (c)
10. Somerby Golf Club
Byron (m)
Mississippi's best private golf courses
1. Hattiesburg Country Club
Hattiesburg (c)
2. Annandale
Madison (m)
3. Reunion
Madison (m)
4. Laurel Country Club
Laurel (c)
5. Country Club of Jackson
Jackson (m)
Missouri's best private golf courses
1. St. Louis Country Club
St. Louis (T152c)
2. Bellerive
St. Louis (T116m)
3. Old Warson
Ladue (c)
4. Norwood Hills (West)
St. Louis (c)
5. Oakwood Country Club*
Kansas City (T185c)
Montana's best private golf courses
1. Rock Creek Cattle Company
Deer Lodge (16m)
2. The Stock Farm
Hamilton (m)
3. Yellowstone Club*
Big Sky (m)
4. Yellowstone Country Club
Billings (m)
5. Moonlight Basin (Reserve)
Big Sky (T122m)
Nebraska's best private golf courses
1. Sand Hills
Mullen (1m)
2. CapRock Ranch
Valentine (T13m)
3. GrayBull*
Maxwell (m)
4. Lost Rail
Gretna (94m)
5. Dismal River Club (Red)
Mullen (115m)
Nevada's best private golf courses
1. Clear Creek Tahoe
Carson City (m)
2. The Summit Club*
Las Vegas (m)
3. Southern Highlands
Las Vegas (T132m)
4. TPC Summerlin
Las Vegas (T197m)
5. Montreux
Reno (m)
New Hampshire's best private golf courses
1. Bald Peak Colony Club
Melvin Village (c)
2. Baker Hill
Newbury (m)
3. Manchester
Bedford (c)
4. Lake Sunapee
New London (c)
5. Nashua
Nashua (c)
New Jersey's best private golf courses
1. Pine Valley Golf Cub
Pine Valley (2c)
2. Somerset Hills
Bernardsville (21c)
3. Plainfield
Edison (T32c)
4. Baltusrol (Lower)
Springfield (T36c)
5. Hollywood
Deal (T52c)
6. Baltusrol (Upper)
Springfield (61c)
7. Ridgewood (Championship)
Paramus (T62c)
8. Galloway National
Galloway Township (m)
9. Bayonne Golf Club
Bayonne (79m)
10. Mountain Ridge
West Caldwell (101c)
11. Essex County Country Club
West Orange (T106c)
12. Hidden Creek
Egg Harbor Township (T146m)
13. Trump National Bedminster (New)*
Bedminster (m)
14. Trump National Bedminster (Old)
Bedminster (T166m)
15. Due Process Stable
Colt's Neck (m)
New Mexico's best private golf courses
1. Las Campanas (Sunset)
Santa Fe (m)
2. Rainmakers
Alto (m)
3. Las Campanas (Sunrise)
Santa Fe (m)
4. Alto Golf Estates (Outlaw)*
Alto (m)
5. Canyon Club at Four Hills
Albuquerque (m)
New York's best private golf courses
1. Shinnecock Hills
Southampton (4c)
2. National Golf Links of America
Southampton (5c)
3. Fishers Island Club
Fishers Island (9c)
4. Friar's Head
Baiting Hollow (2m)
5. Winged Foot (West)
Mamaroneck (16c)
6. Maidstone Club
East Hampton (T24c)
7. Sebonack
Southampton (11m)
8. Garden City Golf Club
Garden City (27c)
9. Sleepy Hollow
Scarborough (T30c)
10. Winged Foot (East)
Mamaroneck (T32c)
11. Oak Hill (East)
Rochester (35c)
12. Piping Rock
Locust Valley (38c)
13. Quaker Ridge
Scarsdale (40c)
14. Creek Club
Locust Valley (T59c)
15. St. George's
Setauket (T67c)
16. Glens Falls
Queensbury (T72c)
17. Country Club of Buffalo
Williamsville (T74c)
18. Fenway
Scarsdale (77c)
19. Hudson National
Croton-on-Hudson (T76m)
20. Atlantic Golf Club
Bridgehampton (m)
North Carolina's best private golf courses
1. Old Town Club
Winston-Salem (15c)
2. Wade Hampton Club
Cashiers (T7m)
T3. Quail Hollow Club
Charlotte (T58m)
T3. Diamond Creek
Banner Elk (T58m)
5. Mountaintop
Cashiers (T73m)
6. Roaring Gap Club
Roaring Gap (T80c)
7. Grandfather (Championship)
Linville (T81m)
8. Eagle Point
Wilmington (86m)
9. Charlotte Country Club
Charlotte (T99c)
10. Biltmore Forest
Asheville (116c)
11. Linville Ridge
Linville (m)
12. Champion Hills
Hendersonville (T157m)
13. Dormie Club
West End (T170m)
14. Cape Fear
Wilmington (T152c)
15. Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood)
Pinehurst (T191m)
North Dakota's best private golf courses
1. Fargo Country Club
Fargo (c)
2. Oxbow Country Club
Oxbow (m)
3. Apple Creek
Bismarck (c)
4. Grand Forks Country Club
Grand Forks (m)
Ohio's best private golf courses
1. Muirfield Village
Dublin (T7m)
2. Camargo Club
Indian Hill (28c)
3. The Golf Club
New Albany (T20)
4. Inverness Club
Toledo (48c)
5. Scioto
Columbus (T54c)
6. Moraine
Dayton (T67c)
7. Brookside
Canton (84c)
8. Canterbury
Beachwood (87c)
9. The Country Club
Pepper Pike (T96c)
10. NCR Country Club (South)
Kettering (T99c)
11. Kirtland
Willoughby (T104c)
12. Double Eagle
Galena (106m)
13. Pepper Pike Club
Pepper Pike (c)
14. Sand Ridge
Chardon (m)
15. Westbrook*
Mansfield (c)
Oklahoma's best private golf courses
1. Southern Hills
Tulsa (T32c)
2. Oak Tree National
Edmond (61m)
3. The Patriot
Owasso (121m)
4. Oaks*
Tulsa (c)
5. Twin Hills
Oklahoma City (c)
Oregon's best private golf courses
1. Eugene Country Club
Eugene (T112m)
2. Waverley
Portland (130c)
3. Pronghorn (Fazio)
Bend (T143m)
4. Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow)
North Plains (m)
5. Columbia Edgewater
Portland (c)
6. Awbrey Glen*
Bend (m)
7. Bend Golf Club
Bend (c)
8. Astoria
Warrenton (c)
9. Portland Golf Club
Portland (c)
10. Illahe Hill
Salem (m)
Pennsylvania's best private golf courses
1. Oakmont Country Club
Oakmont (6c)
2. Merion (East)
Ardmore (7c)
3. Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon)
Flourtown (45c)
4. Fox Chapel
Pittsburgh (64c)
5. Aronimink
Newtown Square (65c)
6. Lancaster Country Club
Lancaster (76c)
7. Laurel Valley
Ligonier (T80c)
8. Country Club of Scranton
Clarks Summit (T96c)
9. Gulph Mills
King of Prussia (T106c)
10. Stonewall (Old)
Elverson (T125m)
11. Rolling Green
Springfield (125c)
12. Huntingdon Valley
Huntingdon Valley (T132c)
13. Saucon Valley (Old)
Bethlehem (T135c)
14. Applebrook
Malvern (T149m)
T15. Kahkwa Club
Erie (c)
T15. Pittsburgh Field Club
Pittsburgh (T137c)
17. Manufacturers
Fort Washington (T140c)
18. Sunnehanna*
Johnstown (144c)
19. Saucon Valley (Weyhill)
Bethlehem (T176m)
20. Longue Vue
Verona (145c)
Rhode Island's best private golf courses
1. Newport Country Club
Newport (58c)
2. Wannamoisett
Rumford (T62c)
3. Shelter Harbor
Westerly (T71m)
4. Misquamicut
Westerly (T88c)
5. Sakonnet
Little Compton (c)
South Carolina's best private golf courses
1. Old Barnwell*
Aiken (T24m)
2. Yeaman's Hall
Charleston (44c)
3. Congaree
Ridgeland (T27m)
4. Tree Farm*
Batesburg (T40m)
5. Cherokee Plantation
Yemassee (m)
6. Sage Valley
Graniteville (T58m)
7. Long Cove
Hilton Head Island (T71m)
8. Secession
Gibbes Island (m)
9. Palmetto
Aiken (T104c)
10. Colleton River (Pete Dye)
Bluffton (T112m)
11. Kiawah Island Club (Cassique)
Kiawah Island (T149m)
12. Spring Island (Old Tabby Links)
Okatie (T157m)
T13. Greenville Country Club (Chanticleer)
Greenville (m)
T13. Cliffs at Mountain Park
Travelers Rest (T163m)
15. Kiawah Island Club (River Course)
Kiawah Island (T179m)
South Dakota's best private golf courses
1. Sutton Bay
Agar (70m)
2. Minnehaha
Sioux Falls (c)
3. Dakota Dunes Country Club
Dakota Dunes (m)
4. The Country Club of Sioux Falls*
Sioux Falls (c)
Tennessee's best private golf courses
1. Honors Course
Ooltewah (T22m)
2. Holston Hills
Knoxville (112c)
3. Golf Club of Tennessee
Kingston Springs (T116m)
4. Spring Creek Ranch
Collierville (m)
5. Black Creek
Chattanooga (m)
Texas' best private golf courses
1. Whispering Pines
Trinity (T37m)
2. Dallas National
Dallas (48m)
3. TXO (formerly Wolf Point Ranch)
Port Lavaca (m)
4. Brook Hollow
Dallas (c)
5. Bluejack National
Montgomery (T87m)
6. Austin Golf Club
Spicewood (T103m)
7. Spanish Oaks
Bee Cave (T119m)
8. Colonial
Fort Worth (T126c)
T9. Austin Country Club
Austin (T139m)
T9. Boot Ranch
Fredericksburg (T139m)
11. Trinity Forest
Dallas (T149m)
12. Escondido
Horseshoe Bay (T170m)
13. Club at Carlton Woods (Fazio Championship)
The Woodlands (m)
14. Maridoe Golf Club*
Carrollton (m)
15. Oak Hills
San Antonio (T183c)
Utah's best private golf courses
1. Victory Ranch
Kamas (m)
2. Glenwild
Park City (m)
3. Promontory (Painted Valley)
Park City (m)
4. The Country Club
Salt Lake City (c)
5. Entrada at Snow Canyon
St. George (m)
Vermont's best private golf courses
1. Ekwanok
Manchester (T91c)
2. Country Club of Vermont
Waterbury Center (m)
3. Burlington Country Club
Burlington (c)
4. Rutland Country Club
Rutland (c)
5. Vermont National
South Burlington (m)
Virginia's best private golf courses
1. Kinloch
Manakin-Sabot (T32m)
2. Robert Trent Jones Golf Club
Lake Manassas (47m)
3. Olde Farm
Bristol (T92m)
4. Trump National Washington D.C. (Championship)
Potomac Falls (m)
5. Bayville
Virginia Beach (m)
6. River Bend
Great Falls (m)
7. Country Club of Virginia (James River)
Richmond (c)
8. Governor's Land at Two Rivers
Williamsburg (m)
9. Ballyhack*
Roanoke (m)
10. Cutalong
Mineral (m)
Washington's best private golf courses
1. Aldarra
Sammamish (T163m)
2. Sahalee (South/North)
Sammamish (T185m)
3. Seattle Golf Club
Seattle (c)
4. Suncadia (Tumble Creek)
Roslyn (m)
5. Tacoma Golf & Country Club
Lakeland (c)
West Virginia's best private golf courses
1. Pikewood National
Morgantown (T20m)
2. Pete Dye Golf Club
Bridgeport (64m)
3. Greenbrier Sporting Club (Snead)
White Sulphur Springs (m)
4. Williams
Weirton (c)
5. Wheeling Country Club
Wheeling (c)
Wisconsin's best private golf courses
1. Milwaukee Country Club
Milwaukee (T54c)
2. Blue Mound
Wauwatosa (T108c)
3. Pine Hills
Sheboygan (T180c)
4. Oneida
Green Bay (c)
5. Green Bay Country Club
Green Bay (m)
Wyoming's best private golf courses
1. Shooting Star
Teton Village (T50m)
2. Snake River Sporting Club
Jackson (m)
3. Devils Tower
Hulett (m)
4. Three Creek Ranch
Jackson (Modern)
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- Yahoo
Golfweek's Best 2025: Top public-access golf courses in Delaware ranked
Looking for the best public-access golf courses in your home state, or planning your next getaway? Golfweek's Best has you covered with our annually updated ranking of the Best Courses You Can Play list for each state, as judged by our nationwide network of raters for 2025. This includes the state of Delaware, which has no shortage of courses. The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek's Best course rankings. How we rank courses The courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there's a will, there's a tee time – no membership required. (There are a handful of courses on this list that some players might consider to be traditionally private, but they do allow non-hosted, non-member guest play in some limited form, normally through a local hotel or similar arrangement.) KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek's Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S. * indicates new or returning to the rankings See inside: What's on menu at Middletown tavern run by former Philadelphia Eagles QB For a view of each state's best courses, see the links below. States: A | C | D | F | G | H | I | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | V | W Delaware's best public-access golf courses 1. Plantation Lakes Millsboro (m) - Book your tee time at Plantation Lakes now 2. Bayside Resort Selbyville (m) - Book your tee time at Bayside Resort now 3. Baywood Greens Long Neck (m) - Book your tee time at Baywood Greens now 4. White Clay Creek Stanton (m) - Book your tee time at White Clay Creek now 5. Rock Manor* Alapocas (m) - Book your tee time at Rock Manor now This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golfweek's Best: Top public-access golf courses in Delaware ranked
USA Today
22-07-2025
- USA Today
It's official: 2031 Ryder Cup returning to Spain, to be held at Camiral near Barcelona
Many have wondered when the Ryder Cup would return to Spain after a thrilling match at Valderrama in 1997. We now have the official answer. It was officially announced on Tuesday that the 2031 Ryder Cup will be contested at Camiral in Costa Brava, outside of Barcelona. Spain will become the first country in continental Europe to host more than one Ryder Cup. Golfweek had previously reported (via other sources) that this would likely be the venue. Legendary Spaniard Seve Ballesteros captained the European squad to a 141⁄2 to 131⁄2 victory at Valderrama, with the Americans falling one point short of a comeback in Sunday Singles after trailing by five points coming into the final day. 'Today's announcement not only recognises Camiral as one of Europe's leading venues, but also the considerable contribution Spanish golf has made to the proud history of the Ryder Cup," Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive of the European Tour Group, said in a release. 'The Ryder Cup has grown significantly since Spain last hosted it in 1997. It is one of the world's leading sporting events, which brings significant economic benefits and global exposure to a host region and country, so we could not be happier to be taking it to Costa Brava and Barcelona for the first time, and to Spain for the second time." Camiral, formerly known as PGA Catalunya, is ranked as Spain's top golf and wellness resort. It opened in 1999 and has hosted the DP World Tour's Open de España on three occasions, in 2000, 2009 and 2014, and the Catalunya Championship in 2022, as well as the Final Stage of the DP World Tour's Qualifying School for nine consecutive years from 2008-16. Future Ryder Cup venues 2025: Bethpage Black 2027: Adare Manor 2029: Hazeltine National 2031: Camiral 2033: Olympic Club
USA Today
20-07-2025
- USA Today
Colin Montgomerie on nearly becoming an agent, escaping his first American college and more
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The 153rd British Open attracted some 280,000 fans to Royal Portrush Golf Club, where the breezes off the Atlantic Ocean were cooling and calming for most of the Championship. You never know who you will see at the majors. World Golf Hall of Fame member Colin Montgomerie, who played in the Open 22 times and finished second in 2005, was waving the flag for whiskey maker Loch Lomond, the official spirit of the Open Championship. "We produce a special Open edition," Montgomerie explained. "I think the tagline, 'the Spirit of the Open,' is great, and the relationship has grown and grown. Whiskey and golf are Scotland's two great exports, really. We got the home of golf, and with the home of whiskey and they were very proud of both of those exports to the world and nice for me to be associated with both of them, really, golf and whisky." The now 62-year-old Scot, an eight-time Order of Merit champion on the DP World Tour, was kind enough to take some time to answer a wide array of questions from Golfweek. GWK: What is your favorite links course? CM: The best links course in Britain is Turnberry. By, I think, a wide margin and it's such a shame that the Open isn't there, you know, it's difficult. But it's been redone and redone, and now it's seventh and eighth holes have changed again, and it's fantastic. GWK: Do you have a favorite Open championship venue? CM: Has to be St. Andrews. I'm not talking at all about the golf course. I'm talking about the town, the university, the whole field, the whole sense of occasion, the romance of it, the romance of St Andrews is very special. It's knowing that everyone's done it and everyone will do it after you. It's a very special occasion. It's amazing how these guys back in 1800 and something designed something that still is being played to this day, when the game is so different than what it was. GWK: I was telling a friend back in the States that I was going to be chatting with you, and he wanted me to ask you what prompted you to leave New Mexico Military Institute and go to Houston Baptist University? CM: It was less than 10 days. It was a good 48 hours. Unfortunately, it was more military than I was expecting. My roommate managed to get me out to the local Greyhound station in Roswell, New Mexico. The Greyhound bus took me up to Albuquerque about 200 miles through the night and my father said get the first flight to a major American city. There were four flights that morning. There was San Francisco, L.A., Houston or Dallas, and the first flight was Houston. So, I picked it. I land in Houston, and a long story short, it was through a member of my golf club in West Yorkshire, the vicar, actually. He worked with Alan Shepard, the astronaut, and all the people who used to come over from NASA in Houston to train with our Royal Air Force. A friend of a friend of a friend made a call and suddenly Houston Baptist University sprung up because Alan Shepard knew the athletic director, a guy called Ed Billings, lovely fella, and of course, he knew the golf coach there, and the golf coach came to the hotel I was staying at, the Doubletree Inn in Houston. I was a walk-on for the first year, so I didn't get a scholarship as such; I had to earn my right, which I did, and then the next three years I was on the team, you know, with the scholarship. So it was a bizarre story but it wasn't as easy then as it is now for foreign students to be recruited. In my day, back in the very early 80s, you were on your own, so it was difficult. So that's how that worked. GWK: Tell me about the time period where you considered attempting to be an agent rather than a professional golfer? CM: I was finishing my degree at Houston Baptist University. It's now Houston Christian University. I graduated in May '87. So it was a year before I graduated, and I wanted to explore what I wanted to do for a career. And the Open was at Turnberry in '86. I'd asked IMG for an interview to try and be an agent to use my degree, which was a marketing degree, and market the likes of Nick Price, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Corey Pavin, Ray Floyd. I think the big three was still in operation, and all IMG clients. And so I thought this was great, and I would work in the Texas area and try and get deals and to try and become an agent. So, two executives, one, Ian Todd, who was the president of IMG, and Peter German, who's still working for IMG, I believe he's in his 80s now, asked me to join them for the back nine at Turnberry. This is the Monday after the Open finished, so the pins are in the same positions, you know how it goes. I drove my mom's car, I'll never forget, out to the lighthouse at Turnberry and played the back nine in with them. I treated it like a job interview so I watched my Ps and Q's. You say yes or no, sir. You know, a job interview, right? And I wasn't interested in the golf. We were just playing nine holes. Anyway, started at the 10th and made birdie and I think I chipped in at 11, and then I sort of hole a bunker shot at 13 and long story short, I hole a good putt at the last for a three and came back in 29. 6-under par! And they looked at each other on the green, and we all shook hands and I was expecting to be told, 'Well, we'll be in touch' sort of thing, you know? And they said, "Well, Colin, you're not going to work for us. We're going to work for you." And that was it. And this is why that nine holes is the reason I'm speaking to you now. I come from a very sort of conservative background, which amateur golf was the key. The Walker Cup was more important than the Ryder Cup. I gave pro golf two years and let's see how it goes. I got my card and then I joined IMG immediately afterwards, and they've looked after me and here we are ever since, I'm still with them. So, we all have that two hours in our life or right time, right place, in your life, or whatever — you might meet your partner — this was my time for life to change. GWK: What made you such a great Ryder Cup player? CM: I was born with great ambition, right? As we all are, I suppose, you know, we're ambitious to succeed in everything. The truth is I hated to lose much more than I liked to win. Winning was winning, it was OK, but like Scottie Scheffler has been saying recently about winning, it's OK, but what's next, you know? And that was me. I won the odd event, but what was next? So I didn't really celebrate the wins, but I hated the losses. So, I suppose that drove me at the Ryder Cup. I also putted very well in the Ryder Cup. A good match player is a good putter, right? And I always was at the Ryder Cup, I always hit the ball a foot harder on the greens. Now I'm going to give a tip to anyone that might be reading this: If you hit the ball a foot harder on the greens, it's amazing how many go in. And I had that freedom in the Ryder Cup because it was match play. If it didn't work, I lost the hole. But in stroke playing, if I had three putted, it was a bogey and it was, oh God, the next hole got to get this back, it was more of an issue. GWK: Why do you think the Europeans do better in the Ryder Cup? CM: That's a question that everybody would love to answer, and I suppose the Americans would love to answer, too, because they would do it, you know, more. I mean, our success is beyond our world rankings. We shouldn't have had the success we had. We go into the Ryder Cup always as underdogs on the basis of world ranking points. And yet we've won more than we've lost over the last 15-20 Ryder Cups. And why? I think we've got this good mentality where we're playing for each other. We sort of played as a team, you know? When I was captain in 2010, I always felt it was great that everyone on my team contributed at least half a point to the victory, and that was good for them. They contributed, so they felt that they had helped their teammates, and their teammates had helped them. And I think that's the main thing, I think we really had this this family feel. Financially, it was very important for us to win. The might of the American tour could cope with the odd Ryder Cup loss but the European Tour was struggling financially. So it was important that we could do as well as we did. I think it was that team ethos, whereby we played for each other. We came together, we left our egos at the door, hit them up on the way out, that type of feel. GWK: What's your theory on why Phil and Tiger had pedestrian records in the Ryder Cup? CM: Well, Tiger's single record was very good because he's on his own. But it was always difficult to partner him. Back in 1993, when Nick Faldo was No. 1 in the world, we were partners and his ball was stamped Faldo on the side and it was his ball, of course. I think the same happened with America. I think Tiger wasn't changing his golf ball. You played Tiger's ball. And it said, Tiger on it. And you start thinking, hang on, I better not lose this, better not put this in a bush. I think a lot of the people playing with Tiger, I think they probably froze or didn't play to their ability or didn't play to their potential. I found that difficult with Nick, where it was his ball. And I felt like an understudy. Oh, I was an understudy. I was almost a rookie. So it's difficult for that. And I think that was a reason. And playing with Phil must have had that feeling as well, and it was difficult to find a partner for them both that would cope with the pressure because you go out with Tiger, you're expected to win. He's the best. And it's sometimes difficult if you're expected to win, it's the hardest thing to do. Expectation is the hardest thing to do in sport to win. GWK: What's the hero shot that you think back on where you pulled it off to win a tournament and had that incredible feeling of, yes, I did it? CM: I've got one plaque in the world. It's in the Middle East, it's in Dubai at the Emirates Club. In 1996, I was leading by one on the last hole against Miguel Angel Jimenez, and at the time I had a 6-iron in my hand to lay up short of the lake guarding the green. It was into the wind, and of course, 1996, the balls and the clubs weren't going quite as far as they do now. My caddie, Alistair McLean, wanted me to lay up, and then I'd still have a chance to make birdie. I asked him, 'So, how far is it?' He told me 223 and that I'm not going to make it with a 3-wood, I'd have to use a driver. I said, 'Christ, hang on.' I put my driver behind the ball and had a look at it, it looked OK. I could do it, you know? And, so he said, "Right, we'll go for it." And it was a terrible risk because it could have gone horribly wrong. It just happened to come out of the middle of the bat. Luckily, it was high and it stopped within 8 feet of the hole hitting driver off the deck. They put a plaque there for me. Canon, the camera-maker, used to sponsor our shot of the year and it won for 1996. So I was proud of that. GWK: Opposite end of the spectrum, what were you thinking at the last hole at Winged Foot in the 2006 U.S. Open when you made double bogey to lose? CM: It was just it was just one of those things. I'm convinced that that shot, if I played it in real time I'd have won the U.S. Open. I had to wait for my playing partner, Vijay Singh, who had hit it left of left into two hospitality tents and needed a drop. Anyway, long story short, it took nine minutes, I was told, it felt an hour, but it took nine minutes to play his second shot. Meanwhile, yours truly is on the fairway wanting to play. It was a 7-iron, then it was a 6-iron, then it was a 7-iron. It was almost impossible for nine minutes to be positive all that time. And I just unfortunately caught it slightly heavy and put it in position Z, right bunker in front of the green, and it was an awful place. And yes, if there was one shot I'd love back, it was that one, but at the same time you've got to play 72 holes and not just 71 of them, I'm afraid. Nowadays, I think I would have just gone up and actually hit it. There's no penalty for hitting when you feel it's appropriate to do so, there's no penalty for it. You're just trying to play by the etiquette of the game that it's his shot first. But actually, I wish I could go back and just walk up to my ball and hit 7-iron below the hole. It was almost too easy. The pin was on the right-hand side, I faded the ball, so, it was almost easier to birdie the hole than it was to make a six, you know? But there you go. GWK: Why were you considered by the media to be one of the best interviews in golf on Tuesday and Wednesday but tough to deal with after the bell rang? CM: I was just in my job, I suppose. If I have a regret, I would love to go back and be less impatient. I wanted it too much, I wanted success for me, for my family, and I wanted to progress in life and give them a lifestyle and myself as well. If I went back, I'd loved to be more patient and that would have made me a little less heated on the golf course, if you like, or, you know, that pressurized way that I used to play, you know? I wish I was slightly more relaxed. GWK: I know you won that the Accenture Match Play when it was an 'unofficial' tournament in the U.S, but did it bother you that you didn't get an official PGA Tour win? CM: I suppose. You know, they always say, oh, he never won in America and all this sort of stuff. I did OK in Europe. I beat a few of them, and I mean, I did win that match play. You know, I beat Davis Love in the final and Ernie Els in the semifinal. I count that as a victory because they were better than I was. It was nice, to put it this way, to finally achieve it in my 50s at the Senior PGA Championship. I was 51 at the time, 2014, when I won at Benton Harbor. It meant a lot to me to actually get that monkey off of my back, if you know what I mean, but, yeah, hey, you've got to be fortunate as well to win. It's not easy. GWK: If you had one last round, where would you want it to be? CM: My home club, Sunningdale (in England). That's where we live and it's the most beautiful walk. Forget the golf — almost. It makes you want to borrow a couple of Labrador dogs and carry a bag around and just love the walk more than the game of golf. Sunningdale is a beautiful spot. It's our Pine Valley, really, and that's the highest compliment I can give it.
