NCG recommends: Nine US public golf courses you should walk when you are in the country
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We’ve teamed up with The Walking Golfer to find you some of the best layouts to tread the next time you tee it up in the Land of the Free.
The Walking Golfer was founded by Rob Rigg, who had a “vision to celebrate the traditional walking experience in golf”.
He created a platform, walkinggolfer.com, where golfers could come together and discover courses designed with walkers in mind.
The Walking Golfer is the “definitive resource – a society of thousands of players across the United States who believe that golf is best enjoyed one step at a time”.
So here are some of the highest rated courses on The Walking Golfer website, along with a couple of our own favourites that you should put on your must-walk list the next time you cross the Atlantic.
Stunning views and easy terrain
Spring Valley Golf Course (Milpitas, California)
Set in the Milpitas foothills, the 6,100-yard layout dazzles golfers with tough par 4s, stunning short holes, and reachable par 5s. Well bunkered, and with water providing an interesting challenge, it has gentle slopes and can be played for under $60. It’s great value as well as a good walk.
The Ocean Course (Kiawah Island, South Carolina)
If money is less of an object, the host of the infamous War on the Shore Ryder Cup in 1991 and the PGA Championship 30 years later was meant to be walked. In fact, there are times at the South Carolina venue where you can only play if you if you’re prepared to get on your own two feet. You can really feel the rhythm of Pete Dye’s masterpiece this way.
Glendale Golf Course (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Glendale’s compact layout and flat and easy terrain make it a five-star experience with visitors to The Walking Golfer website. You play beneath the backdrop of the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains and the Salt Lake City skyline. Expect large greens and fairways lined by lakes and wetlands.
Fabulous condition and challenging holes
The Lakes (Sandridge Golf Club, Vero Beach, Florida)
Fabulously conditioned, the Lakes Course is one of two 18-hole layouts at Sandridge Golf Club in Vero Beach. The club’s website says the par 4 14th is one of the toughest holes in South Florida, with a challenging island green, while the course also offers tees from 4,400 to 6,250 yards. With green fees available around the $40 mark, it’s much in demand.
Bethpage Black (Farmingdale, New York)
It’s difficult. It’s long. It’s got elevation. But this major championship venue is a strictly walking-only golf course and while it’s far from the easiest for your legs – you can go up to 7,500 yards off the tips – AW Tillinghast’s design is a masterpiece. So take your time and savour it.
Candlewood Valley, Candlewood Valley Country Club (New Milford, Connecticut)
Home of the Greater New Milford Open, Candlewood Valley promises a “range of challenging and scenic holes that you’ll be sure to love!” Walking Golfer reviewers gave it five out of five for its overall walkability, flat and easy terrain.
Fabulous condition and challenging holes
The Lakes (Sandridge Golf Club, Vero Beach, Florida)
Fabulously conditioned, the Lakes Course is one of two 18-hole layouts at Sandridge Golf Club in Vero Beach. The club’s website says the par 4 14th is one of the toughest holes in South Florida, with a challenging island green, while the course also offers tees from 4,400 to 6,250 yards. With green fees available around the $40 mark, it’s much in demand.
Bethpage Black (Farmingdale, New York)
It’s difficult. It’s long. It’s got elevation. But this major championship venue is a strictly walking-only golf course and while it’s far from the easiest for your legs – you can go up to 7,500 yards off the tips – AW Tillinghast’s design is a masterpiece. So take your time and savour it.
Candlewood Valley, Candlewood Valley Country Club (New Milford, Connecticut)
Home of the Greater New Milford Open, Candlewood Valley promises a “range of challenging and scenic holes that you’ll be sure to love!” Walking Golfer reviewers gave it five out of five for its overall walkability, flat and easy terrain.
Prestigious and well worth the time
TPC Harding Park (San Francisco, California)
A host of some of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious events – including the Presidents Cup in 2009 and the 2020 PGA Championship – TPC Harding Park has been ranked by Golf Digest as one of the ‘best places to play’. Known for its Monterey Cypress trees and its setting bordering Lake Merced, this layout’s sculpted greens and beautiful topography make it a firm favourite.
Cobblestone, Cobblestone Golf Course (Acworth, Georgia)
Opened in 1993, Cobblestone has long been revered by Georgian golfers thanks to its position on the banks of Lake Acworth. Seven holes run alongside the water, and accuracy is required in face of some tricky mounds. The Bermuda greens look superb and the layout is a pleasure to stroll.
Streamsong Black (Bowling Green, Florida)
Which one to pick? Streamsong’s golf courses “were intentionally designed for walking”. “Every rise and fall in the terrain… every subtle contour of the greens and fairways, comes alive when you experience them step by step”. We’ll go for Streamsong Black, but the Red, Blue, Bone Valley and The Chain courses are all a delight and well worthy of your time.
Prestigious and well worth the time
TPC Harding Park (San Francisco, California)
A host of some of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious events – including the Presidents Cup in 2009 and the 2020 PGA Championship – TPC Harding Park has been ranked by Golf Digest as one of the ‘best places to play’. Known for its Monterey Cypress trees and its setting bordering Lake Merced, this layout’s sculpted greens and beautiful topography make it a firm favourite.
Cobblestone, Cobblestone Golf Course (Acworth, Georgia)
Opened in 1993, Cobblestone has long been revered by Georgian golfers thanks to its position on the banks of Lake Acworth. Seven holes run alongside the water, and accuracy is required in face of some tricky mounds. The Bermuda greens look superb and the layout is a pleasure to stroll.
Streamsong Black (Bowling Green, Florida)
Which one to pick? Streamsong’s golf courses “were intentionally designed for walking”. “Every rise and fall in the terrain… every subtle contour of the greens and fairways, comes alive when you experience them step by step”. We’ll go for Streamsong Black, but the Red, Blue, Bone Valley and The Chain courses are all a delight and well worthy of your time.
Stewart Golf
For over two decades, Stewart Golf has been transforming how golfers experience the course, focusing entirely on engineering the ultimate walk.
Hand-built in Great Britain, these premium electric trolleys allow passionate players to stroll the fairways completely hands-free, letting them focus on their game just like a tour professional.
By removing the physical strain of carrying or pushing, Stewart Golf ensures that walking the course becomes a pure pleasure, allowing golfers to truly immerse themselves in every step of the round.
