A Golfer’s Guide to Some of America’s Best Courses

At the age of 4, my father took me to my first golf course, The Golf Club of Longwood in Cypress, Texas. Who knew one visit was all it would take to fall in love with the game? I’ve played golf ever since. I was ranked 19^th in the nation and second in my high school class before landing my dream spot on the Princeton women’s golf team — where I helped secure four team titles, including the 2022 Ivy League Championship. Golf has taken me across the country and back again, to 45 of 50 states for tournaments and happy golf trips. I credit the game with opening my eyes to the world: taking me on plane trips, some far-too-long road trips, and through lessons in heartbreak and joy. It was so hard to narrow down this list to just a few, but here are six golf courses — a mix of public, private, and resorts — where I’ve had some of the most memorable rounds of my life.

SentryWorld

601 Michigan Avenue North, Stevens Point, Wis. (Public)

Photo by Grace Ni ’23

SentryWorld, home to the famous “Flower Hole,” has 30,000 flowers surrounding the course, which is one of the reasons I really like playing there. The heavily tree-lined fairways are a visual contrast to the newly renovated large open greens, which makes it important to be on the right side of the green. If you find yourself on the other side of where the pin is, the green complexities can easily turn your two putts into three! My favorite hole is the par-4 fourth because it invites you to play with danger from the very beginning. Since it’s the shortest par 4 on the course, it’s possible to drive the green. Water lurks on the entire left side of the hole before it pools together in the front of the green and trees await your demise on the right. Any small hesitations will result in major numbers here on the 4^th. As I learned in the 2019 U.S. Girls Junior Championship, accuracy is the name of the game for this course.

The Stanwich Club

888 North Street, Greenwich, Conn. (Private)

Dare I say it: The Stanwich Club, in between the cities of Stamford and Greenwich, Connecticut, is my favorite golf course in the country. Designed by famed golf course architects, father-and-son duo William and David Gordon, the Stanwich Club opened in 1964 and is home to lightning-fast greens, with subtle slopes that demand precision and skill. It has hosted plenty of large tournaments, including Ivy League Championships in 2023 and 2024. Each hole is distinctive and offers challenges that test even the most seasoned golfers. While the layout is relatively flat, there are a few holes like the par-3 16th that test the nerves — with rivers guarding or large slopes leading up to the green. The reward is often a stunning view of the tree-lined green.

Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club

2537 Entrada Trail, St. George, Utah (Private)

Courtesy of Entrada At Snow Canyon

Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club was one of the coolest courses I’ve ever played. Entrada is set within natural black lava rock formations, so players are always within view of Utah’s surrounding red sandstone cliffs. The 15^th-to-17^th-hole stretch has been nicknamed the “Devil’s Triangle” for its difficulty due to extremely narrow fairways and tough greens. For example, the par-4 15^th hole is a drivable dogleg left, but to do so, you have to be brave enough to force-carry the ball all the way to the green. Anything short or left of the green is headed straight for the lava rocks. The same is true on the other side of the fairway as well if you leave it too much to the right. Plus for fans of High School Musical 2, parts of the movie were filmed at the clubhouse and golf course. 

Innisbrook Golf Resort – Copperhead Course

36750 U.S. Highway 19 North, Palm Harbor, Fla. (Private)

Ranked the seventh-most difficult course on the PGA Tour in the 2022-23 season, Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course is a beast to play. It’s most famous for its last three holes, which are appropriately named “The Snake Pit.” The most difficult by far is the par-4 16^th hole, aka “The Moccasin,”  with a river guarding the right side of the green and a large collection point behind the hole. “The Moccasin” has historically determined which player will win the championship. Though the back nine has gained more recognition, Copperhead’s front nine requires players to swing boldly. Many of the holes are lined by water hazards on both the left and right. Another interesting aspect of the course is its relatively large greens. To neutralize how daunting the rest of the course is, the greens look more spacious than those on other courses, providing opportunities to go for birdies. There are pin positions to avoid or holes where most are happy to run away with par, but if you’re in the right position off the tee and in the fairway, most of these holes provide opportunities to go for the pin.

Grayhawk Golf Club – Raptor Course

8620 East Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Public)

Located in the Sonoran Desert with the McDowell Mountains in the background, this Tom Fazio–designed course is the perfect place for those who love to play the game of risk and reward. The green fairways are gorgeous and meticulously kept, but anything outside of these bounds becomes tricky. For most of the course, the greens tend to be higher than the rest of the hole, creating deep collection areas surrounding the pin. Chips that don’t make it quite to the green will roll back to your feet. On the flip side, chips that carry too much speed will have you walking back and forth across the green. Another factor only desert courses provide: cacti. The Raptor Course is filled with its famous Saguaro cacti and Mesquite trees — so try to stick to the middle to avoid getting pricked and poked! 

Blessings Golf Club

5826 Clear Creek Boulevard, Fayetteville, Ark. (Private)

Courtesy of Blessings Golf Course

Blessings Golf Club is by far one of the hardest golf courses I’ve ever played, which also makes it also one of the most rewarding. Be warned, though: The sheer amount of elevation changes across the course — as much as 140 feet — is enough to leave most people winded after a round. What players may find most intriguing is how different every hole can look. After the 2018 renovation, Blessings now has 84 different tee boxes to play from, with varying angles and options. My favorite hole happens to be the par-5 14^th that winds both left and right. It’s one of the most visually stunning holes — once you get to the green, you’ll be met with a panoramic view of most of the course and the pure nature that surrounds it. It’s imperative to stay on the fairway; otherwise the bunkers, rough, and a creek that slides through the middle will punish your scorecard. 

Honorable Mentions: Augusta National Golf Club and Baltusrol Golf Club

These courses, which are both private, can be hard to get into, but I still wanted to give them a shoutout. Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, home of the Masters, was everything I could have hoped for and more in a course. Some joke that there’s never a blade of grass out of place and I can confirm its perfection. What largely sets this course apart is its illusion of simplicity. Golfers may believe they can hunt down birdies — that’s where they start running into trouble. The course requires precision at all times.

Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, is another historic course, founded in 1895, and home to many top-notch tournaments. It has two courses, the Lower Course and the Upper Course, which are both challenging yet fun to play. The former contains A.W. Tillinghast’s signature “Great Hazards,” which are bunkers or waste areas that break up the fairway completely. For example, on holes two and 17, bunkers completely fill the fairways from about 100 yards in as you make your way to the greens. Strategic play is key, making this course a memorable experience.