Golfweek's Best 2021: Top 100 public golf courses across the U.S.

If you’re looking for only the best in public-access golf, we’ve got you covered with this list of the top 100 Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play in the United States, as judged by our nationwide network of raters.

The members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged together to produce a final rating for each course.

All 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.

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.

(Pictured atop this story is Streamsong Red, courtesy of Streamsong/Larry Lambrecht.)

SEE ALSO

Golfweek’s Best 2021: Best public golf courses you can play, state by state

Golfweek's Best 2021: Best private golf courses in every state

Golfweek's Best 2021 Classic Courses: From Augusta National to Pebble Beach, these are the top 200 courses that were built before 1960

Golfweek's Best 2021 Modern Courses: From Bandon Dunes to Shadow Creek, these are the top 200 courses that were built after 1960

Nos. 1-25

1. Pebble Beach Golf Links

Pebble Beach, Calif. (c)

Watch: Jordan Spieth made one of the best pars you’ll ever see from the cliff on No. 8 at Pebble Beach

2. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Pacific Dunes)

Bandon, Ore. (m)

Resort bucket list: 10 U.S. destinations offer three top-ranked courses

3. Pinehurst (No. 2)

Pinehurst, N.C. (c)

Pinehurst, St. Andrews connected by more than just history

4. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Old Macdonald)

Bandon, Ore. (m)

Top 200 Resort Golf Courses in the U.S.

5. Whistling Straits (Straits)

Mosel, Wis. (m)

10 unforgettable holes I played in 2021

6. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Bandon Dunes)

Bandon, Ore. (m)

30 under 30: The top golf courses opened since 1992 in the U.S.

7. Shadow Creek

North Las Vegas, Nev. (m)

Shrouded in secrecy, Shadow Creek a magical host for the CJ Cup

8. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Sheep Ranch)*

Bandon, Ore. (m)

Bandon Dunes’ Sheep Ranch showcases a double green at the edge of the earth

9. Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course)

Kiawah Island, S.C. (m)

PHOTOS: Best shots from the PGA Championship at the Kiawah Island Ocean Course

10. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Bandon Trails)

Bandon, Ore. (m)

Take a look at the iconic venues hosting USGA events in 2022

11. Bethpage State Park (Black)

Farmingdale, N.Y. (c)

Future Ryder Cup sites through 2037 – 2025 at Bethpage

T12. Pasatiempo

Santa Cruz, Calif. (c)

Highly rated Pasatiempo Golf Club in California to undergo restoration by Jim Urbina

T12. TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium)

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (m)

What’s the scariest tee shot at TPC Sawgrass?

14. Spyglass Hill

Pebble Beach, Calif. (m)

Check the yardage book: Spyglass Hill

15. Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes)

Nekoosa, Wis. (m)

PHOTOS: Famed Lido Golf Club to be reincarnated at Sand Valley in Wisconsin

16. Sand Valley (Sand Valley)

Nekoosa, Wis. (m)

Best 30 under 30: The top golf courses opened since 1992 in the U.S.

17. Streamsong (Red)

Bowling Green, Fla. (m)

Which golf course is best at Streamsong

18. Kapalua (Plantation)

Maui, Hawaii (m)

It’s island time: A look at the island stops on the PGA Tour

T19. Four Seasons Resort (Manele)

Lanai, Hawaii (m)

Top 200 Resort Golf Courses in the U.S. in 2022

T19. Gamble Sands

Brewster, Wash. (m)

Just for kicks, aim away on new QuickSands par-3 course at Gamble Sands in Washington

21. Streamsong (Black)

Bowling Green, Fla. (m)

WATCH: Streamsong different than anything else in Florida

22. Streamsong (Blue)

Bowling Green, Fla. (m)

Streamsong to add new 18-hole short course by Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw

23. Lawsonia (Links)

Green Lake, Wis. (c)

Where to play golf in Wisconsin

T24. Sea Pines Resort (Harbour Town GL)

Hilton Head Island, S.C. (m)

The view from the other side of Harbour Town’s lighthouse at Sea Pines

T24. Chambers Bay

University Place, Wash. (m)

How a columnist is doing his part by playing an entire Sunday at stunning Chambers Bay

Nos. 26-50

26. Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs)

Arcadia, Mich. (m)

27. Sweetens Cove

South Pittsburg, Tenn. (m)

28. Marquette Golf Club (Greywalls)

Marquette, Mich. (m)

29. Fallen Oak

Saucier, Miss. (m)

30. Karsten Creek

Stillwater, Okla. (m)

31. Prairie Club (Dunes)

Valentine, Neb. (m)

32. Erin Hills

Hartford, Wis. (m)

33. Sea Island (Seaside)

St. Simons Island, Ga. (m)

34. Mystic Creek*

El Dorado, Ark. (m)

35. The Omni Homestead Resort (Cascades)

Hot Springs, Va. (c)

36. Primland (Highland)

Meadows of Dan, Va. (m)

37. Wine Valley

Walla Walla, Wash. (m)

38. Pinehurst No. 4

Pinehurst, N.C. (m)

39. Forest Dunes (The Loop Red & Black)

Roscommon, Mich. (m)

T40. Silvies Valley Ranch (Hankins)

Seneca, Ore. (m)

T40. Torrey Pines (South)

San Diego (c)

T40. Links of North Dakota

Ray, N.D. (m)

43. Blackwolf Run (River)

Kohler, Wis. (m)

44. Big Cedar Lodge (Ozarks National)

Hollister, Mo. (m)

T45. Mossy Oak

West Point, Miss. (m)

T45. Mid Pines

Southern Pines, N.C. (c)

47. Giants Ridge (Quarry)

Biwabik, Minn. (m)

48. Wild Horse

Gothenburg, Neb. (m)

49. The Greenbrier (Old White)

White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (c)

50. Paako Ridge GC

Sandia Park, N.M. (m)

Nos. 51-75

51. Cog Hill (No. 4 - Dubsdread)

Lemont, Ill. (m)

52. Montage Palmetto Bluff (May River)

Bluffton, S.C. (m)

53. Sand Hollow (Championship)

Hurricane, Utah (m)

T54. French Lick Resort (Pete Dye)

French Lick, Ind. (m)

T54. Forest Dunes (Weiskopf)

Roscommon, Mich. (m)

56. Crosswater

Sunriver, Ore. (m)

T57. Whistling Straits (Irish)

Mosel, Wis. (m)

T57. Rustic Canyon

Moorpark, Calif. (m)

T57. Silvies Valley Ranch (Craddock)

Seneca, Ore. (m)

60. Golden Horseshoe (Gold)

Williamsburg, Va. (m)

T61. Black Jack’s Crossing

Lajitas, Texas (m)

T61. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club

Myrtle Beach, S.C. (c)

T63. Cascata

Boulder City, Nev. (m)

T63. Pine Needles

Southern Pines, N.C. (c)

65. Caledonia Golf & Fish Club

Pawleys Island, S.C. (m)

66. Old Waverly

West Point, Miss. (m)

T67. World Woods (Pine Barrens)

Brooksville, Fla. (m)

T67. Rams Hill

Borrego Springs, Calif. (m)

T69. Keswick Hall and GC (Full Cry)

Charlottesville, Va. (m)

T69. CordeValle

San Martin, Calif. (m)

T69. Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Kona, Hawaii (m)

T72. Pursell Farms (FarmLinks)

Sylacauga, Ala. (m)

T72. Princeville Makai

Kauai, Hawaii (m)

T74. We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro)

Fort McDowell, Ariz. (m)

T74. Cape Cod National

Brewster, Mass. (m)

T74. Linville GC

Linville, N.C. (c)

Nos. 76-100

T77. Torrey Pines (North)

San Diego (m)

T77. Quintero

Peoria, Ariz. (m)

T77. Trump Golf Links Ferry Point

New York (m)

80. Yocha Dehe at Cache Creek Casino

Brooks, Calif. (m)

T81. Big Cedar Lodge (Buffalo Ridge)

Hollister, Mo. (m)

T81. Red Sky (Fazio)

Wolcott, Colo. (m)

T81. Omni Barton Creek (Fazio Canyons)

Austin, Texas (m)

T84. Trump National Doral Miami (Blue Monster)

Doral, Fla. (m)

T84. Bayside*

Brule, Neb. (m)

T84. University Ridge*

Madison, Wis. (m)

T87. Black Diamond Ranch (Quarry)

Lecanto, Fla. (m)

T87. The Wilderness at Fortune Bay

Tower, Minn. (m)

T87. Prairie Club (Pines)*

Valentine, Neb. (m)

T90. Tobacco Road

Sanford, N.C. (m)

T90. Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek)

North Plains, Ore. (m)

T90. Atlantic City CC

Northfield, N.J. (c)

T90. Reynolds Lake Oconee (Great Waters)

Greensboro, Ga. (m)

T90. Bay Hill Club and Lodge

Orlando (m)

T90. Links at Spanish Bay*

Pebble Beach, Calif. (m)

T96. Royal New Kent Golf Club*

Providence Forge, Va. (m)

T96. Salish Cliffs

Shelton, Wash. (m)

T96. Wolf Creek

Mesquite, Nev. (m)

T96. Golf Club at Dove Mountain (Saguaro/Tortolita)

Marana, Ariz. (m)

100. SentryWorld

Stevens Point, Wis. (m)