Playing a round on a course you’ve only seen on TV is a dream for most golfers, but it’s more accessible than you might think. Many of the world's most spectacular and highly-ranked courses are open to the public. This guide will walk you through some of the absolute must-play Top 100 courses and, more importantly, give you a coach’s advice on how to prepare your game and your mind to fully enjoy the experience.
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Understanding "Top 100 You Can Play"
First, it helps to understand what these lists really mean. When golf publications release their "Top 100 Courses" lists, they are often dominated by ultra-exclusive private clubs like Augusta National or Pine Valley. While incredible designs, they are out of reach for nearly everyone. The real gold for the avid golfer lies in the "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" lists, which focus solely on public, resort, and daily-fee courses that welcome a tee time from anyone with the desire (and budget) to play them. These are the courses that turn a golf vacation into a pilgrimage, and a round of golf into a lifelong memory.
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Rather than just a simple list, let's explore some of these iconic destinations. Each offers a unique style of golf and a different kind of challenge. Knowing what to expect is the first step toward playing your best and having the time of your life.
The Pebble Beach Experience: California's Coastal Masterpiece
When you think of bucket-list public golf, Pebble Beach is usually the first name that comes to mind. Clinging to the dramatic cliffs of the Monterey Peninsula, it's perhaps the most famous public course on the planet. Walking the 7th, 8th, and 18th holes is a feeling you never forget. The challenge here comes from three things: wind, tiny greens, and the distraction of the incredible scenery. A round here isn't just a test of golf, it's a sensory overload.
How to Prepare:
Embrace the Wind: You won't always hit it solid in gusty conditions. Practice hitting three-quarter "knockdown" shots with your irons. Focus on a shorter backswing and a controlled, abbreviated follow-through to keep the ball flight low and manageable.
Master Pitching to Small Targets: The greens at Pebble are famously small. Spend time at your home-course practice green working on landing your pitch shots on a specific spot, honing your distance control from inside 100 yards.
The Resort's Other Gems: Don’t overlook the other phenomenal courses here. Spyglass Hill is an equally tough and beautiful test, moving from coastal dunes into towering pines. The Links at Spanish Bay offers a more authentic, Scottish-links feel right along the ocean.
The Bandon Dunes Pilgrimage: Oregon's Temple of Links Golf
For purists, a trip to Bandon Dunes is the ultimate golf experience. Located on the rugged Oregon coast, it’s a collection of six world-class, walking-only courses that celebrate the roots of the game. This is golf as it was meant to be played: firm, fast fairways, unpredictable bounces, and a constant dialogue with the wind. The courses - Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Old Macdonald, Bandon Trails, Sheep Ranch, and the par-3 Bandon Preserve - are all ranked among the best public tracks in America.
How to Prepare:
Leave Your Ego at Home: You will hit perfect-looking shots that take a bad bounce and end up in a pot bunker. That's links golf. The goal is to accept it, laugh, and play the next shot. The right attitude is as important as any club in your bag.
Work on Your Ground Game: You will often be better off putting from 30 yards off the green than trying a delicate chip from a tight lie. Practice using your putter, a hybrid, or a 7-iron to bump the ball along the ground. Learn to visualize the contours and use them to your advantage.
Get in Walking Shape: These are not cart-ball courses. You will be walking, likely for multiple days. Making sure you are physically prepared to walk 18 or 36 holes a day will ensure you enjoy the final stretch just as much as the first tee shot.
The PGA TOUR Test: TPC Sawgrass
Home of THE PLAYERS Championship, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Florida is designer Pete Dye's masterpiece of strategy and intimidation. Every hole presents a clear risk-reward option. It’s famous for the island green 17th, but the entire course demands thoughtful and precise golf shots. It makes you think on every single tee box and approach, rewarding smart play and punishing overly aggressive mistakes.
How to Prepare:
Focus onShot Shaping: Pete Dye loves to dogleg holes and place hazards to make you shape tee shots. Before your trip, visit the driving range to work on hitting a small draw or fade on purpose. Learning how to move the ball even five to ten yards to the left or right is a huge advantage here.
Practice Shots from Uneven Lies: The mounding at Sawgrass is legendary. You’ll rarely have a perfectly flat lie. Practice hitting balls with the ball above or below your feet, as well as on uphill and downhill slopes. Learning to adjust your setup and balance for these situations is fundamental.
Master the Wedge: You don’t need to hit driver on every par 4. The better route is often laying back to a full wedge distance. Make sure you know your yardages with your scoring irons (Pitching Wedge, Gap Wedge, etc.) inside and out. It’s a second-shot golf course.
The Midwestern Marvels: Whistling Straits & Erin Hills
Wisconsin has become a major-championship destination thanks to these two incredible public venues. Whistling Straits, another Pete Dye creation, is a rugged, man-made links sprawled along the coast of Lake Michigan. With over a thousand bunkers, constant wind, and visually deceptive holes, it's a brutal but breathtaking round where caddies are mandatory.
Erin Hills, host of the 2017 U.S. Open, is a sprawling, minimalist design laid over a naturally dramatic, glacier-formed landscape. It plays firm and fast, with wide fairways framed by fescue that you must avoid at all costs.
How to Prepare:
Refine Your Bunker Play: Seriously. At Whistling Straits, you need to be comfortable just getting out of deep, steep-faced bunkers. At Erin Hills, the bunkers are more irregularly shaped and natural. Having a reliable sand game will save you from major frustration.
Learn Positional Driving: On both courses, and Erin Hills in particular, bombing it is less important than being on the correct side of the fairway to have the best angle into a pin. This is what course management is all about. Before you swing, think, "Is the left side or right side of the fairway going to give me the best angle next for my shot?"
The Pinehurst Cradle: North Carolina's Sandhills Sanctuary
Pinehurst is the traditional soul of American golf. With nine courses, Pinehurst Resort feels like a golf campus. The star of the show is Pinehurst No. 2, a Donald Ross design that has hosted more championships than any course in the country. It’s not about forced carries or dramatic elevation changes. The genius of No. 2 lies in its "turtleback" greens. These domed surfaces repel any approach shot that isn’t perfectly struck, sending the ball cascading down collection areas.
How to Prepare:
Become aShort-Game Magician: You will miss greens at Pinehurst No. 2. That's the point. The challenge isn't the first shot into the green, it's the second, third, or fourth shot from a low collection area. Work on mastering your short game practice, focusing on two shots: the high, soft pitch that barely lands onto the green and stops quickly, and a low-running bump-and-run chip with a mid-iron that uses the fairway contour.
Accept Bogey as Your Friend: Attempting the "hero" shot from a bad spot around these greens often leads to a quick double or triple bogey. The smart play is to find the simplest chip to get the ball anywhere on the green, two-putt for your bogey, and move on.
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Tackling one of these bucket-list courses is an opportunity every passionate golfer should aim for. The real reward comes not just from checking a box but from preparing for the challenge, embracing the unique style of each course, and soaking in every moment of the on-course experience.
While hiring a caddie at these venues provides invaluable on-the-spot advice, learning to think like one is what truly makes you a better and more knowledgeable golfer. A great way to build this invaluable skill is with a tool like Caddie AI. Answer questions you'd feel embarrassed to ask, like understanding the difference between chips and pitches, analyzing tricky lies, and getting expert advice on what shot would be best in a certain situation. This tool provides smart, strategic-based guidance to enhance your decision-making on courses, improve your overall game, and make every round better. When you're ready, you'll be prepared.
Spencer has been playing golf since he was a kid and has spent a lifetime chasing improvement. With over a decade of experience building successful tech products, he combined his love for golf and startups to create Caddie AI - the world's best AI golf app. Giving everyone an expert level coach in your pocket, available 24/7. Caddie's mission is simple: make world-class golf advice accessible to everyone, anytime.
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