Best golf course in every state, according to golfers

sattahipbeach // Shutterstock What makes a great golf course? Is it the conditions? The architecture? The difficulty? In most cases, there’s more than one specific answer. Whether playing 18 holes at your local municipal course or enjoying the day at a pristine country club, there are a few guidelines and factors to consider when ranking your links experience. On the technical side, it’s important to consider a course’s variety–its obstacles (a well-placed bunker or water hazard), its distances (a diverse group of par-3s and par-5s), and its unique dimensions (doglegs and elevated tee boxes)–that can encourage numerous strategies and cater to a range of skill sets. But just as crucial to golf is the atmosphere and overall aesthetic. The best courses seamlessly incorporate their location into the terrain, blending their features with the local flora. Of course, none of it matters without proper daily maintenance, which ensures mowed fairways, repaired greens, and fertilized tee boxes. They’re little details that make a big difference. To help you find that next unforgettable golf experience, PrimePutt compiled a list of the best golf courses in every state using data from Tripadvisor, which builds its rankings from its users with a combination of metrics that includes a course’s rating, reviews, and number of page views. As a result, a location with a 5 out of 5 overall rating might rank lower than one with a 4 out of 5. Data is as of April 2024. Across the globe, some of the most renowned courses have embraced and balanced these attributes. There’s the Old Course at St. Andrews–located in Scotland and considered “ground zero for all golf architecture” by Golf Digest. The course hosted the 150th Open Championship and continues to dazzle with its links-style layout. Or look to Jack Nicklaus’ Punta Espada G.C. in the Dominican Republic, which takes full advantage of its breathtaking ocean vistas. Within the United States, there are still plenty of other premier venues to experience. The iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links–home to annual PGA Tour events–perimeters Carmel Bay along the Pacific Ocean, providing expansive views and sometimes treacherous wind for an added challenge. Those looking for thinner air might try the Entrada at Snow Canyon golf course, a red rock haven filled with ancient lava terrain, meandering streams, canyons, and sloping hills. Read on to find your next golf destination. Alabama: Goose Pond Colony Resort – Rating: 4/5 (275 reviews) – Address: 417 Ed Hembree Drive, Scottsboro, Alabama Alaska: Valley of the Eagles Golf Links & Driving Range – Rating: 4.5/5 (34 reviews) – Address: 1.5 Haines Hwy, Haines, Alaska Arizona: Troon North Golf Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (450 reviews) – Address: 10320 East Dynamite Blvd., Scottsdale, Arizona Arkansas: Mountain Ranch Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (21 reviews) – Address: 820 Lost Creek Pkwy, Fairfield Bay, Arkansas California: Pebble Beach Golf Links – Rating: 4.5/5 (830 reviews) – Address: 1700 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, California Colorado: Breckenridge Golf Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (101 reviews) – Address: 200 Clubhouse Drive, Breckenridge, Colorado Connecticut: Richter Park Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (48 reviews) – Address: 100 Aunt Hack Road, Danbury, Connecticut Delaware: Baywood Greens Golf Course – Rating: 4/5 (90 reviews) – Address: 32267 Clubhouse Way, Long Neck, Delaware Florida: LaPlaya Golf Course – Rating: 5/5 (190 reviews) – Address: 333 Palm River Blvd., Naples, Florida Georgia: East Lake Golf Club – Rating: 5/5 (89 reviews) – Address: 2575 Alston Drive SE, Atlanta, Georgia Hawaii: Manele Golf Course – Rating: 5/5 (233 reviews) – Address: 1 Manele Bay Road, Lanai City, Hawaii Idaho: Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (201 reviews) – Address: 900 South Floating Green Drive, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Illinois: TPC Deere Run – Rating: 4.5/5 (55 reviews) – Address: 3100 Heather Knl, Silvis, Illinois Indiana: Brickyard Crossing Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (46 reviews) – Address: 4790 West 16th St., Indianapolis, Indiana Iowa: The Preserve on Rathbun Lake – Rating: 4.5/5 (18 reviews) – Address: 12633 Resort Drive, Moravia, Iowa Kansas: Firekeeper Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (27 reviews) – Address: 12524 150th Road, Mayetta, Kansas Kentucky: Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (60 reviews) – Address: 6371 State Park Road, Burkesville, Kentucky Louisiana: Gray Plantation – Rating: 4.5/5 (19 reviews) – Address: 6150 Graywood Parkway, Lake Charles, Louisiana Maine: Samoset Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (133 reviews) – Address: 220 Warrenton St., Rockport, Maine Maryland: Rum Pointe Seaside Golf Links – Rating: 5/5 (234 reviews) – Address: 7000 Rum Point Lane, Berlin, Maryland Massachusetts: Ocean Edge Golf Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (126 reviews) – Address: 2907 Main St. Route 6A, Brewster, Massachusetts Michigan: Boyne Highlands – Rating: 4.5/5 (187 reviews) – Address: 500 Highlands Drive, Harbor Springs, Michigan Minnesota: Giants Ridge Recreation Area – Rating: 4.5/5 (98 reviews) – Address: 6325 Wynne Creek Drive, Biwabik, Minnesota Mississippi: Fallen Oak Golf Course – Rating: 5/5 (44 reviews) – Address: 24400 Highway 15, Saucier, Mississippi Missouri: Golf at Top of the Rock – Rating: 4.5/5 (305 reviews) – Address: 150 Top of the Rock Road, Ridgedale, Missouri Montana: Whitefish Lake Golf Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (187 reviews) – Address: Highway 93 North, Whitefish, Montana Nebraska: The Prairie Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (87 reviews) – Address: 88897 State Highway 97, Valentine, Nebraska Nevada: Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort – Rating: 4.5/5 (328 reviews) – Address: 10325 Nu Wav Kaiv Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada New Hampshire: Omni Mount Washington Resort Bretton Woods Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (106 reviews) – Address: White Mountain Road, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire New Jersey: Crystal Springs Golf Club – Rating: 3/5 (397 reviews) – Address: 1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, New Jersey New Mexico: Paako Ridge Golf Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (116 reviews) – Address: 1 Club House Drive, Sandia Park, New Mexico New York: Island Green Resort & Golf Club – Rating: 5/5 (59 reviews) – Address: 3822 County Route 26, Greenville, New York North Carolina: Tanglewood Park – Rating: 4.5/5 (420 reviews) – Address: 4061 Clemmons Road, Clemmons, North Carolina North Dakota: Bully Pulpit Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (107 reviews) – Address: 3731 Bible Camp Road, Medora, North Dakota Ohio: Firestone Country Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (72 reviews) – Address: 452 East Warner Road, Akron, Ohio Oklahoma: WinStar Golf Course & Academy – Rating: 4/5 (45 reviews) – Address: 10813 Pro Shop Road, Thackerville, Oklahoma Oregon: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort – Rating: 5/5 (251 reviews) – Address: Round Lake Drive, Bandon, Oregon Pennsylvania: Mystic Rock – Rating: 4.5/5 (71 reviews) – Address: Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, Pennsylvania Rhode Island: Newport National Golf Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (21 reviews) – Address: 324 Mitchells Lane, Middletown, Rhode Island South Carolina: Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (579 reviews) – Address: 7 Trent Jones Lane, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina South Dakota: The Golf Club at Red Rock – Rating: 4.5/5 (27 reviews) – Address: 6520 Birkdale Drive Rapid City, South Dakota Tennessee: Shelby Park – Rating: 4.5/5 (35 reviews) – Address: South 20th St. at Shelby Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee Texas: Hermann Park – Rating: 4.5/5 (1,096 reviews) – Address: 6201A Hermann Park Drive, Houston, Texas Utah: Entrada at Snow Canyon Golf Course – Rating: 4.5/5 (86 reviews) – Address: 2537 West Entrada Trl, St. George, Utah Vermont: Mount Snow Resort – Rating: 4/5 (561 reviews) – Address: 39 Mount Snow Road, Dover, Vermont Virginia: Golden Horseshoe Golf Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (140 reviews) – Address: 401 South England St., Williamsburg, Virginia Washington: Chambers Bay – Rating: 4.5/5 (189 reviews) – Address: 6320 Grandview Drive West University, Place, Washington West Virginia: Raven Golf Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (25 reviews) – Address: 10 Snowshoe Drive, Snowshoe, West Virginia Wisconsin: Whistling Straits Golf Course – Straits and Irish – Rating: 5/5 (253 reviews) – Address: N8501 Lakeshore Road, Sheboygan, Wisconsin Wyoming: Teton Pines Country Club – Rating: 4.5/5 (46 reviews) – Address: 3450 Clubhouse Drive, Wilson, Wyoming Data reporting by Karim Noorani. Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on PrimePutt and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.