A masterclass in routing and strategic shot making options, it will take a move of god for us to get on somewhere that outranks this modern classic. This is one of the godfathers of modern American links.

Wildhorse might simply be the greatest value in golf, let alone one of the best public courses in the country. The concoction of accessibility, fun, and everyday approachability bumps this course above a lot of others. It feels like your backyard, but plays like a world class venue.

Some will say that rating this “Bally” over the other “Bally” is heresy. And although it was a close decision, we think the average golfer is going to come away with a better experience and simply play a more interesting golf course in the Chop Hills.

“I’m not going to tell you much about the Ballybunion links. If you’ve played it, you know. If you haven’t, I’m sorry. Other places I had visited were Irish links golf courses; to me, Ballybunion was Irish links golf.” - Tom Coyne

Fondly known by Bandon purists as, “Cinderella at the Ball”, Bandon Trails has, by far, some of the best holes in America. Once overshadowed by its big brothers on the coast, this inland course on an oceanfront resort is just now, within the last 4-5 years, getting the love and attention it truly deserves.

It has a name that holds such prestige, and a course that lives up to that prestige. With a career defining renovation by Kyle Phillips, “The Cal Club”, as it’s commonly known, is a beacon of the Second Golden Age of design in the San Francisco golf scene. It is, in our opinion, the greatest golf course in the Bay Area.

Playing the Preserve might be some of the most fun you’ll ever have on a golf course, period. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw took no shortcuts making the par-3 course that altered how golf resorts do business.

Old Mac hits all of the subtle soft spots our team looks for in a course. From the modern renditions of world famous templates, walkability, and pure fun factor around the greens, this course is an architect nerd’s dream.

Santa Ana flies under the radar for some reason unbeknownst to us. After Jay Blasi completely altered the original course just west of John Wayne International Airport, we would easily put this in the top 20 courses in California right now.

Some say that it is the most important golf course built in the last 50 years. Some say it’s the best at the resort that bears its name, some the worst. Either way, Bandon Dunes offers some of the most beloved holes in the country, including the jaw dropping short par-4 16th.

Having originally been a “free-for-all” playground by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina, Coore and Crenshaw gave the somewhat formless 135 acres a masterful routing. The Sheep Ranch sits on land that is unlike anything else on the resort’s property, with contours and jagged gashes of bunkerless fescue, this course is heavily reminiscent of what Dream Golf represents.

With possibly the largest and tallest bunkers ever created on a golf course, the Dunes Course at the Prairie Club is nothing short of epic shots one after the other. Where many architects would have navigated players between large dune structures, Tom Lehman does the opposite, and repeatedly takes you over 45-60 foot dunes. If Sand Hills Golf Club had an unruly and rebellious younger brother, the Dunes Course would be it.

One of the most underrated courses in the Bay Area, Orinda Country Club will shock anyone’s expectations once experienced. A 1924 William Watson design, this modern parkland course meanders through open meadows, redwood groves, and even Orinda Village.

Tom Doak visited this dilapidated Perry Maxwell gem, and the Maxwell family graveyard on site, decades ago and saw something there that was special. And with waving the design fee, Renaissance Golf Design has brought it back to its former glory, a routing that meanders around a central creek and famously over a cliff face.

“It’s independent. It’s outlaw. It’s beautiful. But it can also drive you crazy.” - Tommy Tiernan on talking about the similarities between traditional Irish whiskey called “Poitin”, and the area of Connemara.

This course is sometimes left behind when discussing golf in Valentine, Nebraska due to it being only 10 holes, but it is some of the best golf around. The routing has some major elevation change, cuts through a grand forest of pines, and takes advantage of its beautiful surroundings on the Snake River. Frederick’s Peak is definitely worthy to be in the conversation.

With a population of 165 citizens that live in Hyannis, one wouldn’t think to go looking for great golf there. But Pelican Beach exists, and it was built by those citizens with the help of Dave Axland and Dan Proctor. The par-3 8th can fit easily into any Sandhill course.

In 1952, Perry Maxwell heavily renovated the original course, revealing the natural brilliance of the site. The elevation change is staggering and the conditioning is some of the best we’ve ever seen. As host of the 41st U.S. Senior Open, the USGA has trusted this venue to test some of the very best.

Though Bayside isn’t a typical course you would find in the Sandhills of Nebraska, it still makes great use of the land it inhabits close to the beautiful Lake McConaughy. Where the front nine is a bit tighter and less memorable, it makes up for in the back-nine stretch of 12-16 and the short par-3 17th with its picturesque donut-shaped green.