20 Bucket List Golf Courses You Simply Must Play
As your years of playing golf fly by, a couple of things are likely to happen: the first is that you'll progress a bit in your career and make more money; the second, is that you'll get better at golf. When combined, these two factors can cause avid golfers to create a bucket list of golf courses they aspire to play during their lifetime.
While you may never tire of playing your local muni or country club course, broadening your golf horizons is never bad for your health and happiness. So this blog is for the dreamers, the veterans of golf who deserve to get away from it all and experience the pinnacle of golf luxury. We hope these 20 courses will inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and experience great golf from new perspectives.
Bucket List Golf Courses in North America
The good news about these courses is you can hit most of them on a regional golf vacation, but we’d be remiss to not include a few courses outside the continental United States.
Pebble Beach Golf Links - California, USA
Located in the eponymous California town, Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of the most coveted golf destinations on Earth. With stunning vistas of Caramel Bay, and a tournament legacy that stretches back to the 1920's, Pebble Beach was the first public course to sit atop Golf Digest's "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses" list, making it the obvious choice to open our list.
The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island - South Carolina, USA
This barrier island just south of Charleston South Carolina, is for many, the premier destination for golf on the East Coast. With a mix of resorts, private homes, and villas, Kiawah Island is a one-stop-shop for golfers looking to get away from it all. Kiawah's most famous course is the Ocean Course, but if it's variety that you're after, you can also choose from the Jack Nicklaus designed Turtle Point, Osprey Point, Oak Point, or Gary Player's 1996 redesigned Cougar Point.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort - Oregon, USA
Back to the West Coast of America again with the newest course on our list so far, Bandon Dunes. The most recent addition to the Bandon Dunes family is Sheep Ranch, a par 72 opened in June of 2020. You can also choose from four other links courses, a par-3, and an 18-hole putting course named The Punchbowl.
Like all of the other courses on our list, Bandon Dunes takes full advantage of its seaside surroundings, incorporating the ocean vistas to great effect.
Hole 4 at Bandon Dunes. Photo credit: Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
TPC Sawgrass - Florida, USA
Like Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass needs little introduction. Built up out of northeastern Florida swamp, this dreamy course is a lot nicer to look at than it is to play (so we hear). The home of The Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass is one of those courses that golf watchers drool over. To play the course, however, is a different story entirely. Narrow fairways, obstructive flora, and greens like putting on a marble countertop, TPC Sawgrass is reserved for those golfers who have truly mastered their craft.
Kapalua Resort, Plantation Course - Hawaii, USA
If you don't have a passport, but you still want to get off the mainland, the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort is the only place you need to look for bucket list golf. Located on Maui, this sprawling, hilly par-73 is a challenging bit of fun that you'll dream about for the rest of your life. Surrounded by the pure blue Pacific, and kissed by Hawaii's warm wind, a round played at Kapalua is something worth saving for.
Casa De Campo (Teeth Of The Dog) - Dominican Republic
Venturing south into the Caribbean, we've finally made it outside the USA. Designed by Pete Dye in 1971, the oceanside Casa De Campo is, you guessed it, beautiful. But beyond its beauty and proximity to the water is the attainable nature to it all. Inclusive resorts offering unlimited golf packages makes flying to the DR for a weeklong golf getaway just seem worth it.
La Paz Golf Club - Bolivia
At 3,342 meters above sea level, the La Paz Golf Club lays claim to being the highest championship golf course on the planet. Surrounded by mountain views, this is the first on our list to not be oceanside. Worth the trek for the landscape alone, La Paz is set on an elevated plateau that gives the course a truly unique geography.
European Golf Bucket List Courses
Across the pond we go! Heading back in time to the origins of golf, a trek to the UK is a fulfilling one for golfers and history lovers alike.
Old Course, St. Andrews - Scotland, UK
Known the world over as the home of golf, The Old Course at St. Andrews is nothing less than a sacred golf pilgrimage. This windswept links course has been in use since the 1550's. Unlike any other course on this list, "The Grand Old Lady" wasn't designed to be a golf course. Rather, it was the course itself that helped shape the game of golf. Augusta National founder (and legendary golfer) Bobby Jones said of St. Andrews, "If I had to select one course upon which to play the match of my life, I should have selected the Old Course."
Carnoustie Golf Links - Scotland, UK
Located just north of the legendary St. Andrews, on the east coast of Scotland lives another group of historic courses at Carnoustie. Golf is said to have been played on the grounds here as early as the 16th century, but in its current incarnation, the Championship Course at Carnoustie came about in 1842. Designed by Old Tom Morris and Allan Robertson, Carnoustie was given a facelift by James Braid in 1926. Three other courses live alongside The Championship – The Burnside, The Buddon Links Course, and wee five-hole mini course, The Nestie.
The 18th at Carnoustie. Photo Credit Jim Smillie (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Royal St. George’s Golf Club - England, UK
In Sandwich, Kent, a small town in southeast England, you'll find a course worthy of a secret agent. Not only is this stunning, and historic seaside links course old (it opened in 1887), but it was also the course James Bond author Ian Flemming described in his 1958 novel, Goldfinger. Eon, of course, used the grounds to shoot the 1964 film of the same name, where 007 (Sean Connery) makes first contact with Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe).
So loved by Flemming was Royal St. George's (and the membership of him), that he was the club's captain-elect at the time of his passing.
The Royal County Down Golf Club - Northern Ireland, UK
Established in 1889, the Royal County Down Golf Club is one of Ireland's oldest courses. Two 18-hole links courses define the property – The Championship and the Annesley – as do the rolling hills of the Newcastle countryside. This stunning landscape is positively breathtaking, and if you manage to successfully plan a trip around the country's notorious rainfall, a round of golf played on the Royal County Down is sure to be one of the greatest of your life.
Birds Eye View of Royal County Down. Photo credit: Eric Jones (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Real Club Valderrama - Andalusia, Spain
Touted as the best golf course in Spain, the Real Club Valderrama is nestled on the south coast next to Gibraltar. Designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, Valderrama is home to "La Cascada", the par 5 fourth hole, on which a Guinness World Record was set by French foursome Raphaël Jacquelin, Alexander Lévy, Grégory Havret and Romain Wattel who birdied in 34.87 seconds. This stunning course is one of the nicest on Earth, and is often considered to have the best maintained landscape of any golf course in the world.
Lofoten Links - Norway
Located above the arctic circle on its namesake Archipelago, Lofoten Links could easily be confused for a nature preserve. Blending seamlessly into the natural surroundings, this sparse links course is a wonder to behold. Uniquely, due to its high latitude, Lofoten is the only course on this list that you can play after midnight, and still have enough light to find your ball.
Bucket List Golf Courses in Africa & Asia
The up-and-comers on this list might be relatively new to the world of internationally recognized golf courses, but that doesn't mean that there aren't some absolute stunners to be found here.
Fancourt Links - South Africa
A Gary Player masterpiece, Fancourt Links is considered one of, if not the best course in South Africa. A windswept dunes-style links course, Fancourt is an impossibly green oasis that has actually been certified as an Audubon Cooperation Sanctuary, and is committed to ecological sustainability as well as "green" course management practices.
Ile Aux Cerfs - Mauritius
If the idea of taking an island vacation to the mind blowing Mauritius wasn't enough, I'll just say this: Ile Aux Cerfs is only accessible by boat (or a private helicopter). If you're looking to get away from it all and pretend to be a billionaire for a few hours, this island hopping course is the place for you.
Aerial of Ile Aux Cerfs. Photo credit: YourGolfTravel (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Bucket List Courses in the South Pacific
If you can get over the jet lag, golf in the South Pacific is truly world class.
Kawana Hotel Fuji Course - Shizuoka, Japan
Perhaps Japan's best resort course, the Kawana Hotel Course at Fuji consistently ranks in the top 100 in the world. A lush, cliffside course overlooking Sagami Bay, the Kawana Hotel boasts another incredible course (Oshima), fine dining, and everything else that you'd expect from a world leading golf resort.
Barnbougle Dunes - Tasmania, Australia
Set along Tasmania's north coast, Barnbougle Dunes is another stunning links course that evokes the game's Scottish roots, while incorporating as much of the natural landscape and flora as possible. Breathtaking vistas, and windswept dunes are plentiful here, so if you ever find yourself on the small Australian island, don't miss it.
Cape Kidnappers - North Island, New Zealand
Don't let the name fool you, there is very little chance that you actually get kidnapped here, and, to be honest, it might be worth it to stay on this course for another few days. Perched on the cliffs high atop Hawke Bay, Cape Kidnappers is consistently ranked among the world's best modern courses. Here, you'll get the full resort experience, along with shooting, a spa, fine dining, and family friendly activities.
Aerial of Cape Kidnappers. Photo credit: YourGolfTravel (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Who doesn't want to say they've golfed in Middle Earth?
Of course, the round on your bucket list doesn't have to be in a fancy, remote location in order to be special. Maybe you're holding out for the first round you get to play with a grandchild, or an anniversary twosome with your wife at some dirt track you fell in love at. Whatever's on your dream list, or whatever the reason is that keeps you playing, at least you can look over the pictures on this list, and marvel at the incredible landscapes golf has created.
And if you're interested in planning a golf trip, check out GolfTrip.AI. With cutting-edge AI technology, they can generate personalized itineraries in seconds, taking the hassle out of trip planning. Click here to get started!