Golf Tips: Top Five Guys Golf Destinations to Consider

Thinking about a guys golf trip? Here are five of the best golf destinations to consider as a part of today’s golf tips.

There are dozens of amazing golf destinations in the US. After weeks of research, I’ve compiled what I believe to be the best and most coveted guys golf trip locations to fill out today’s golf tips.

I used two criteria to cut the list.

A proper golf destination must have more than one course. If you are going to travel, it makes sense that you have a diverse selection of courses to play. Generally speaking, if a destination has one great course, the others at the site will likely be worth your time.

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Venues that have hosted USGA or PGA events are preferable. This isn’t always the case, but playing on a Major course or Ryder Cup venue is a bucket list item for every golfer.

Without further ado, your next golf trip should be at one of these locations.

Destination Kohler

Every golfer knows about Whistling Straits. It’s hosted three PGA Championships, a Senior US Open, and is a future site of the Ryder Cup. Pedigree cemented.

Whistling Straits is also a Pete Dye masterpiece. I’d rank it in the top five courses in America. It is simply unlike anything you’ve seen on this side of the Atlantic. There is no shortage of photo essays and poetic ramblings describing Whistling Straits, but what makes it is an absolutely perfect golf trip destination are the accompanying courses.

The Irish, Whistling Straits sibling, is equally stunning and perhaps more playable for mid-handicappers. It’s at the Irish that you’ll encounter wandering herds of sheep, deer, turkey, and other woodland critters. There are more elevation changes and a larger variety of holes at the Irish, unlike the breathtaking but homogenous Whistling Straits layout.

Those two tracks are worth the visit alone. But Kohler went a step further. Blackwolf Run, just next door and part of the Destination Kohler experience, are Pete Dye parkland gems that can suit any level of golfer. They also hosted the women’s 1998 and 2012 US Opens.

Sometimes playing a great course can beat the hell out of you if you aren’t a single-digit player. Whistling Straits swallowed several of my shots and my score reflected that. It didn’t dampen the experience, but it was humbling.

Blackwolf Run, comprised of the River and Meadows Valley courses, was a slightly more casual jaunt. I can’t imagine going back to Kohler and not playing Blackwolf Run again. Both tracks are less visually striking than the Straits and the Irish, but excellent courses and more than worth your attention.

Extra credit: Erin Hills is just down the road from Kohler. It is well worth the detour if you can squeeze an extra day in. Everything about Erin Hills is spectacular. It’s one of the most gorgeous golf courses in America.

Bandon Dunes

Ok. I haven’t been there yet. I know, I know. How can any self-respecting golf writer not have that notch on his belt?

Trust me, it’s going to happen.

Until then, I feel confident saying that Bandon Dunes is at or near the top of every golfer’s bucket list.

Bandon has five 18-hole courses, all regularly in the Top 100 in the US. Then add Bandon Preserve, a 13-hole par-3 course. If your head isn’t spinning yet, your group can relax and gamble their mortgage payment away on The Punchbowl – a 100,000 sq. ft. putting course.

If there is a golfer’s heaven, it probably looks a lot like this.

Bandon hasn’t hosted any Majors yet, but the 2020 US Amateur was played there and many of us got to see the course up close for the first time. It didn’t disappoint.

The ocean, the wind, the sand dunes, the long native grasses – it all stacks up to perfection.

Bandon continues to add more accommodation options making it possible to rent a cabin, stay at the inn, or rent a house nearby.

The only drawback remains the travel required to get there. Unless you have a buddy with a private jet, you’ll have to do the golfing version of Plains, Trains, and Automobiles.

However, I’ve yet to hear a single regret from anyone who has made the pilgrimage. Having talked to golfers from all over the country, Bandon has already achieved mythic status. It may be the most unique golf experience in America.

Pebble Beach

The first bit of advice – get your finances in order. This is the single most expensive golf outing you’ll have in the US. But you have to do it. If you love golf, you have to bite the bullet and go.

You don’t need me to tell you about Pebble Beach. Books have been written about the place. Holes six through ten are as gorgeous as any 5-hole stretch in the world. The finish at 17 and 18 is dripping with US Open memories.

Pebble Beach, after St. Andrews, is the most coveted public course in the world. It’s also my second favorite course at the Pebble Beach resort.

“Blasphemer,” you scream. “Burn the plaid-shorted heretic!”

While it’s not a popular opinion, Spyglass Hills is one of my favorite courses in the world. It doesn’t have the vistas Pebble Beach presents, but I find it to be a more entertaining and diverse golfing experience.

If Whistling Straits can be called a Pete Dye masterpiece, Spyglass Hill is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. masterpiece. Sports Illustrated once described Spyglass as “Pine Valley by-the-sea meets Augusta.” High praise, indeed.

It’s just about as pure a golfing experience as you can have. Don’t go to Pebble Beach and miss it.

The third course in the Pebble Beach Resorts rota is Spanish Bay. I found it a level below Pebble Beach and Spyglass. It’s very nice but disappointingly forgettable. There aren’t any true signature holes or stretches that make Spanish Bay stand out.

It’s billed as links golf, but it plays like target golf. It’s near the water and is starkly photogenic but lacks the visual majesty of Pebble Beach. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing course, but next to Pebble Beach and Spyglass, it places a distant third.

Still – if you are there – play it. Spanish Bay wins the award for the best post-round patio cocktail. The terrace setting above the course is dotted with fire pits and a bagpiper will serenade you at sundown. Add a vodka-tonic and you won’t find a better spot to relive your round.

If you are the type of person who “knows a guy”, Monterrey Pennisula is just next door to Pebble Beach. So is Cypress Point. If you ever get an invitation to either of these places, you need to run directly to the airport and go.

Warning: you will leave Pebble Beach with a text message from your bank asking if your card has been stolen. There is no way around it. Travel, accommodations, golf, food, drink, swag – it’s all egregiously over-priced. However, I promise you won’t whine when you hold the memories next to the credit card bill.

Kiawah

The Ocean Course at Kiawah might be the closest thing to an East Coast Pebble Beach as you can get. I say that with the understanding that shlubs like you and I can play it. Pine Valley and Shinnecock are arguably better tracks, but they won’t let you near the place without a member.

The other thing that makes Kiawah resemble Pebble Beach in my mind is the fact that both boast multiple, amazing courses in one location. That variety and quality are the hallmarks of a great guys trip destination.

Kiawah also offers loads of accommodation options. Hotels, condo rental, house rental – the options are endless. It’s also pretty close to Charleston, SC, and Hilton Head, making travel easy.

Kiawah offers one of the coolest “Guys Trip” packages you’ll find anywhere in the world. They will set up and score your very own Ryder Cup tournament (12 players minimum).

That’s right, you and a group of friends can go to the site of the next Ryder Cup and play a Ryder Cup format. I’m surprised more places don’t offer this kind of package.

On top of all this, Kiawah has gorgeous beaches, amazing seafood, and all the amenities your group could dream up. It’s no wonder the whole area is one of the most popular places to have a second home or retire.

Branson, Missouri

No, you have not stumbled onto an advertorial for Yakov Smirnoff or an Elvis Presley Tribute Extravaganza. While Branson is known as a bit of a redneck Las Vegas for its stage shows, it’s about to become a first-class golf destination.

In Branson, wholesome entertainment beckons on every street corner. There is a Titanic museum. The Oak Ridge Boys have a theatre there. So does Dolly Parton. And you might run into a Neil Diamond impersonator taking a break at Silver Dollar City amusement park.

You could do all those things and a thousand more in Branson. But I’m telling you to go for the golf at Big Cedar.

The week after the US Open, Tiger, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, and Rory will christen Payne’s Valley, the first public course in the US designed by Tiger’s TGR Design studio. Early reports are that it is spectacular. I’m heading down in a month a will give a full report.

But that’s just the latest golfing jewel in Branson. Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris set out to create a world-class golf mecca in the Ozarks. A lot of crusty traditionalists probably laughed at him when he laid out this vision.

No one is laughing now.

Along with Payne’s Valley, there is Ozarks National and Buffalo Ridge. The Champions Tour just held back-to-back events there so it’s already building a Tour-quality reputation. Oh, by the way, Ozark National is a Coore/Crenshaw design and Buffalo Ridge is designed by Tom Fazio.

Want more? Big Cedar also boasts two par-3 tracks. Mountain Top was designed by Gary Player and presents a 13-hole course ideal for groups who want to play more than 18 but less than 36 on a given day.

Finally, there is Top of the Rock itself, a 9-hole par-3 course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Perched on a hill overlooking the lake, it’s also dotted with waterfalls and ponds. The centerpiece is a barn relocated from Arnold Palmer’s farm in Latrobe, Pa. Yes, you read that right. This is, after all, Branson. Showmanship and over-the-top presentation are baked into everything.

Stay at the luxurious Lodge, rent a cabin, rent a lake house, or stay in Branson and soak it all up. You’ll come home feeling drenched in Americana and a yearning to return to golf’s newest must-play destination.

Honorable Mention:

The above is in no way an exhaustive list. American golfers have choices all over the country to find and play amazing courses.

If you want to get away this winter, here are three great southern destinations to host a guys golf trip.

Myrtle Beach

You can’t chili-dip a wedge without landing on a golf course in Myrtle Beach. They are everywhere and many are quite good. For those looking for great golf, a casual setting, and fun nights, Myrtle Beach is a great choice.

Streamsong

Three stunning courses, gorgeous accommodations, and nothing around to distract you. The worst thing anyone can say about Streamsong is that it’s in the middle of nowhere. That can also be said of Bandon Dunes and I don’t hear anyone complaining about that.

Doral

Say what you will about Trump – the guy knows how to build golf resorts. Trump Doral features four first-class tracks with The Blue Monster as the centerpiece. Three of the four were redesigned by Gil Hanse, one of the brightest stars in modern golf architecture.

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Located near Miami, Doral is a perfect winter getaway spot with easy travel and Tour-quality golf, and rounds out the honorable mentions, and today’s list of destination trips for your golf tips of the day.

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