Published August 25, 2025
A Dozen Golf Trips To Add to Your Bucket List
A non-exhaustive list of some of the best golf trips anywhere in the U.S., from the most pristine and heralded stops to high-value, hidden-gem golf destinations.
By Golf Trip Guide
A rugged golf escape offering bang for your buck in New Mexico. A Dream Golf mecca in the middle of Wisconsin. A scenic romp through the Canadian wilderness. Majestic golf weekends from Virginia to Mexico.
Inside the Golf Trip Guide newsletter, we’ve been spotlighting a new featured golf destination each week for the last six months. We’ve dug into the logistics and cost at top resorts like Streamsong and Sand Valley, and we’ve unrooted value from Minnesota to Texas Hill Country.
The amount of worthwhile golf trips out there means we’ll have to keep at it many more years before we flirt with the bottom of the barrel. But in the meantime, we thought it worthwhile to round up some of our featured stops into a handy list, with links to get the full breakdowns and learn more. Consider this, then, a compendium of a dozen golf trips worth having on your radar.
Paako Ridge/Black Mesa
The “martian landscape” and rugged brilliance of two golf courses in the middle of New Mexico.
Where: Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New Mexico
Cost: $$
Suggested: Three days, two nights
Stay: AirBNBs or a casino resort.
What we said: “There are two highly rated tracks within 1.5 hours, and at New Mexico prices, we’re talking about one of the better weekend-trip values available.”
Read more: Here.
Coeur d’Alene
The floating 14th hole is the exclamation point on an unforgettable golf weekend on the lake.
Where: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Cost: $$
Suggested: Two days, two nights
Stay: Coeur d’Alene resort
What we said: “If you know Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene, you likely know it by its floating-green 14th. … It’s not the only way the resort incorporates the lake into the golfing experience. For one, you’ll take a 7-minute lake shuttle to the first tee. For two, the range is set up over water, with floating golf balls. And on the course, there are views from almost every hole, with several greens tucked into peninsulas butting up against the lake.”
Read more: Here.
Streamsong
The central Florida golf haven is set to add a David McLay Kidd design to its already legendary lineup.
Where: Bowling Green, Florida
Cost: $$$
Suggested: Five days, four nights
Stay: Streamsong Resort
What we said: “Built atop sandy terrain in the middle of Florida—1 hour from Tampa, 1.5 from Orlando—Streamsong has been one of the heaviest hitters in destination golf since the moment it opened in 2012. Its setting on former phosphate mining land means the site is interesting in ways other parts of the state are not. And on that canvas, Streamsong has let some of the best golf course architects working today do their thing. … How do you improve on this ode to modern golf architecture? Well, by bringing aboard David McLay Kidd—of Bandon Dunes, Gamble Sands, and Mammoth Dunes fame—to put his stamp on the property.”
Read more: Here.
Highland Course at Primland Resort
The Donald Steel-designed Highland course offers a stout test along a ridgetop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, nearly 3,000 feet above sea level.
Where: Meadows of Dan, Virginia
Cost: $$$$
Suggested: Two days, two nights
Stay: Primland Resort
What we said: “If you do get your teeth kicked in, at least you’ll get to take in some singular and seriously beautiful views in the process. You’re maneuvering your golf ball along a ridgetop at 2,800 feet above sea level, encountering dramatic terrain and drop-shot par 3s.”
Read more: Here.
Hot Springs Village
A little-known golf trip to central Arkansas offers affordable golf variety—with 153 holes of public golf and greens fees ranging from $65 to $119.
Where: Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
Cost: $
Suggested: Four days, three nights
Stay: AirBnBs
What we said: “What you’ll get across those holes is a range of topography and golf styles. Some hills and elevation change. Some picturesque lakes and rocky streams. The Granada is scenic and big. The Coronado is a quick, par-62 jaunt. The tree-lined Cortez is the “shot-maker’s course” while the Desoto is score-able. The Diamante Course is consistently ranked among the best in Arkansas—but it’s private, so you’ll need to schmooze a member or, um, show interest in moving to the community.”
Read more: Here.
Breezy Point
The lake-surrounded, central Minnesota gem carries a trio of golf courses. Soon, one will transform into a wild short course where you start your round from the roof of the clubhouse.
Where: Breezy Point, Minnesota
Cost: $$
Suggested: Three days, two nights
Stay: Breezy Point Resort
What we said: “Let’s talk about a golf trip on easy mode. That’s Breezy Point in central Minnesota. Three golf courses on property. Options for all-inclusive (including golf). A handful of on-site dining options. And off-course entertainment in the form of live music, boat rentals, kayaking, and even a zipline.”
Read more: Here.
Torrey Pines
The historic South course carries notoriety and a championship pedigree. But don’t sleep on the North.
Where: San Diego, California
Cost: $$
Suggested: Three days, two nights
Stay: Airbnb/VRBO
What we said: “Six years on, it remains a highly unique and memorable golf experience, owing to the early wake up and the queue and the watching-the-sun-rise-by-the-Pacific-while-you-hit-golf-shots-at-freaking-Torrey of it all, but also owing to the actual golf. Among the most memorable moments: cresting the hill on 10 to reveal the ocean, the tee shot to a green at the par 3 15th that sits well below the horizon, and a back-up-the-hill par 4 16th with a view from the putting surface that is best on course—maybe property.”
Read more: Here.
Barton Creek
A half-hour from Austin sits a four-course resort perfect for a logistically simple, architecturally interesting golf trip in Texas hill country.
Where: Barton Creek, Texas
Cost: $$
Suggested: Four days, three nights
Stay: Omni Barton Creek
What we said: “End-to-end, Barton Creek offers a very solid option for a contained golf resort experience without breaking the bank. It’s good, fun, hill-y, occasionally lakeside golf. It plays off its natural surroundings nicely. You will see wildlife. You will come upon vistas overlooking rolling terrain. And you will have a whole lot of easy fun with your buds, which is really what a trip to Barton Creek is all about.”
Read more: Here.
Punta Mita
For those looking to live the good life with some fun, engaging golf on the side, Punta Mita is the place to be.
Where: Punta Mita, Mexico
Cost: $$$$
Suggested: Three days, three nights
Stay: Four Seasons/St. Regis
What we said: “On the west coast of Mexico, 45 minutes north or Puerto Vallarta, sits Punta Mita, a private peninsula of dimly lit paved roadways traveled by golf cart. They take you to and from the community’s four main attractions—two world-class resorts and two Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses—and symbolize the easy-living vibes that this little slice of paradise is all about.”
Read more: Here.
Sweetens Cove
The 9-holer a half-hour from Chattanooga has earned praise across the golf world—and it’s set to grow by 2026.
Where: South Pittsburgh, Tennessee
Cost: $
Suggested: Two days, two nights
Stay: Airbnbs/cabins
What we said: “It has always been first and foremost about the golf at Sweetens. It has existed with no dress code, no accompanying resort, hardly a clubhouse. It boasts big fairways and rugged bunkers and maniacally sloped greens. … In a true sign of how the golf world has embraced [architect Rob] Collins’ vision and tireless execution, Sweetens Cove is undergoing expansion that will be ready by 2026.”
Read more: Here.
Sand Valley
Sand Valley as a one-stop golf trip destination has risen into truly elite territory, and the legend of The Lido only adds to the fun.
Where: Nekoosa, Wisconsin
Cost: $$$
Suggested: Four days, four nights
Stay: At the resort or nearby AirBnBs
What we said: “Sand Valley doesn’t miss. GOLF has all three of its fully public, full-length offerings inside its top 26: the original Sand Valley by Coore and Crenshaw (No. 20), David McLay Kidd’s Mammoth Dunes (No. 26), and Tom Doak’s Sedge Valley (No. 22). And then there’s semi-private The Lido, which debuted as GOLF‘s 4th(!!)-best publicly available course in America last year—but is available only to those staying on property, and only Sunday through Thursday.”
Read more: Here.
Jasper Park
Where: Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Cost: $$$
Suggested: Two days, two nights
Stay: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
What we said: “To be sure, we are talking about a voyage that is not for the faint of heart. It’s located four hours north of Banff, a good eight hours from the U.S.-Canada border. But here, you’re after serenity and scenery anyway, and the winding mountain drive is part of the experience. Tuck Jasper into a larger trip to Banff and you’ve uncovered a golf trip worth the trouble.”
Read more: Here.
