Places to Play
Here's every course you can play that has hosted a USGA championship
USGA championships—from the Opens to the Amateurs to the team events—mark the pinnacle of competition for both amateurs and professionals. To test all facets of a player’s game, the USGA stages its championships at our nation’s finest and most demanding courses. Though not every course that has hosted a USGA championship shares the storied history of Pebble Beach or Pinehurst, simply hosting one of our country’s national championships is an indicator of a quality golf course worth playing.
With the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur being played at Anchorage Golf Course in Alaska, the USGA has now held one of its championships in all 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia. And while many of those championships have been contested on private courses, there are nearly 150 courses across 40 states that have hosted a USGA championship and are currently open for public play.
Which of these public courses are worth playing? We've gathered information on each course, as well as feedback from our Golf Digest course panelists as part of the relaunch of our storied Places to Play franchise.
Alabama
![The Lakewood Club: Dogwood](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
Alaska
![Anchorage Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/anchorage-golf-course-alaska.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1659882421059.jpeg)
Arizona
![Westin Kierland Golf Club: Ironwood/Acacia/Mesquite](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/westin-kierland.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1659883144307.jpeg)
![Papago Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2016/05/02/5727a05594c7c3d226ad083e_Papago-Municipal-Golf-Course-hole-17.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1573399492035.jpeg)
![San Marcos Golf Resort](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/san-marcos-golf-resort-eighth-hole-469.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1659705466955.jpeg)
![SunRidge Canyon Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Sunridge%20Canyon%20Credit%20Courtesy%20of%20the%20club.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.344.suffix/1637202263947.jpeg)
![Omni Tucson National Resort: Catalina](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Omni%20Tucson%20National%20Catalina%20Course%20Hole%205.JPG.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1651695138806.jpeg)
California
![Pebble Beach Golf Links](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Pebble-Beach-Golf-Links-TaylorMade-20978.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1708461684218.png)
![Torrey Pines Golf Course: South](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/14/5c3bf24cf193692d16a72559_186%20-%20Torrey%20Pines%20G.%20Cse.%20(South)%20-%20Jon%20Cavalier.jpeg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1573163040843.jpeg)
![CordeValle Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2015/08/15/55cf8da84759c60c08237218_Cordevalle-Resort-Aerial-Staff.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1573513718252.jpeg)
![Haggin Oaks Golf Complex: Alister MacKenzie](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/haggin-oaks-golf-complex-alister-mackenzie-fairway-23505.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1659134967296.jpeg)
![TPC Harding Park](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/TPC%20Harding%20Park%2018.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1637183173324.jpeg)
![Pasatiempo Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Pasatiempo18_DJI_0643%20%20.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.431.suffix/1638934196824.jpeg)
![Singing Hills Golf Resort At Sycuan: Willow Glen](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![Poppy Hills Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/poppy-hills-golf-course-aerial-985.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1659643054973.jpeg)
![Quail Lodge & Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Quail%20Lodge%20Golf%20Course%20Beauty%20Shot.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1649949280234.jpeg)
![Rancho Park Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
Colorado
![The Broadmoor Golf Club East Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/The%20Broadmoor%20Golf_Courses_East_4.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1649367593486.jpeg)
![The Broadmoor Golf Club West Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/The%20Broadmoor%20Golf_Courses_West_2.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1649367670706.jpeg)
![Wellshire Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![The Greg Mastriona Golf Courses At Hyland Hills: Gold](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![Garden of the Gods Club: North/South/West](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
![Murphy Creek Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/murphy-creek-golf-course-18877.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1660495658624.jpeg)
![Riverdale Golf Courses: Dunes](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![Sonnenalp Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
![Walking Stick Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
Connecticut
![Yale Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/yale-golf-course-connecticut-prerestoration-larry-lambrecht-1575.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1695171823229.jpeg)
District of Columbia
![East Potomac Golf Course: Blue](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
Watch Golf Digest's 'Every Hole At' Series
Florida
![Omni Amelia Island Resort: Oak Marsh](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Omni%20Amelia%20Island%20Oak%20Marsh_9%20and%2018.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1649420108582.jpeg)
Omni Amelia Island Resort: Oak Marsh
Amelia Island, FL
![Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge: Challenger/Champion](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Bay%20Hill%201633.jpeg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1644519946143.jpeg)
From Golf Digest Architecture Editor emeritus Ron Whitten:
I've always been fascinated by the design of Bay Hill, Arnold Palmer's home course for over 45 years (although Tiger Woods owns it, competitively-speaking, as he's won there eight times.) For one thing, it's rather hilly, a rarity in Florida (although not in the Orlando market) and dotted with sinkhole ponds incorporated in the design in dramatic ways.
I always thought the wrap-around-a-lake par-5 sixth was Dick Wilson's version of Robert Trent Jones's decade-older 13th at The Dunes Club at Myrtle Beach. Each of the two rivals had claimed the other was always stealing his ideas. But the hole I like best at Bay Hill is the par-4 eighth, a lovely dogleg-right with a diagonal green perched above a small circular pond. Okay, I admit that it reminds me of the sixth at Hazeltine National, another Trent Jones product, but I don't think Wilson picked Trent's pocket on this one, as both courses were built about the same time, in the early 1960s.
For our complete review, visit Bay Hill's Places to Play page here.
![Ocala National At Golden Hills Country Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
![Disney's Lake Buena Vista Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
![Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa: Ocean Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/hammock-beach-ocean-18946.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1645483131095.jpeg)
![Scenic Hills Country Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![Streamsong Resort: Blue](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Streamsong%20Blue%20seventh%20Photo%20credit%20Laurence%20Lambrecht%2027504.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.861.suffix/1644519945273.jpeg)
![TPC Sawgrass: Stadium](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2021/5/TPC-Sawgrass-The-Stadium-Course-par-4-12th%20hero.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.431.suffix/1620008001485.jpeg)
Georgia
![Sea Island: Seaside](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2015/08/14/55ce5b55b91019d74c98effb_Sea-Island-Golf-Club-Seaside-5-6-7-Staff.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1573513703915.jpeg)
![Chastain Park Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
Hawaii
![Wailua Municipal Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/wailua-golf-seventeenth-2760.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1651890601068.jpeg)
![Ala Wai Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
![Kapalua: Bay](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/kapalua-bay-course-aerial-cove-2716.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1686064580811.jpeg)
Idaho
![Banbury Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
Illinois
![Cog Hill Golf & Country Club: Dubsdread (Course #4)](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/cog-hill-golf-and-country-club-4-dubsdread-second-hole-3261.JPG.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1652559914022.jpeg)
![Spencer T. Olin Golf Course: Spencer T. Olin](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![Cantigny Golf: Woodside/Lakeside/Hillside/Youth Links](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Cantigny%20Lakeside%20No.%209.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1649422028140.jpeg)
![Silver Lake Country Club: North](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
![University of Illinois Golf Course: Orange](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
Indiana
![Coffin Golf Club: Coffin](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/warren-golf-course-notre-dame-scenic-19218.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1659448399841.jpeg)
![Eagle Creek Golf Club: Sycamore Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![French Lick Resort: Pete Dye Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/French-Lick-Resort-Pete-Dye-Hills-27061.jpeg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1706820928972.jpeg)
![Otter Creek Golf Course: North/West/East](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex: Ackerman-Allen](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Birck%20Boilermaker%20Golf%20Complex%20Ackerman-Allen%20(1).jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1649444033854.jpeg)
Kansas
![Leavenworth Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
![Sand Creek Station](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/sand-creek-station-golf-course-first-hole-23486.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1653343758087.jpeg)
Kentucky
![Kearney Hill Golf Links](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![Seneca Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/seneca-golf-course-third-hole-green-4460.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1660496762432.jpeg)
![Shawnee Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
Louisiana
![Lakewood Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
Maine
![Bangor Municipal Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/bangor-municipal-golf-course-first-hole-5078.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1659454595505.jpeg)
Maryland
![Mount Pleasant Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
Massachusetts
![Taconic Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Taconic-6-Massachusetts-4800.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1686848750174.jpeg)
![Red Tail Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/red-tail-massachusetts-four.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.1148.suffix/1654614590858.jpeg)
From Golf Digest Architecture Editor emeritus Ron Whitten: Fort Devens in Massachusetts was an army facility dating back to 1917, once a city unto itself, housing 10,000 soldiers, with its own water and sewer systems, its own schools, its own airport. Just 35 miles west of Boston, it was both a training ground and stopping-off point for troops fighting in both World Wars. Before heading to Europe in 1942, General George Patton taught tank maneuvers there. In the late 1980s, much of the soil beneath the fort's thousands of acres was found to be contaminated with the residue of war: arsenic, chromium, nickel, lead, asbestos, battery acid, waste oil and incinerator ash. It became the focus of an enormous (and enormously expensive) clean-up, first by the military and, after the fort was decommissioned in 1995, as a federal EPA Superfund project. The community is now called Devens, Mass., offering a commerce center, business park, private residences, wildlife refuge and a public golf course.
![Stow Acres Country Club: North](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
Michigan
![Rackham Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
![The Orchards Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![University of Michigan Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/University%20of%20Michigan%20Golf%20Course%20Hole%203.JPG.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1651145406905.jpeg)
Minnesota
![Braemar Golf Course: Championship](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Braemar-5%20green%209373.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1649715350937.jpeg)
![Bunker Hills Golf Club: North/East/West/Executive](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
![Edinburgh USA](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/edinburgh-usa-5924.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.615.suffix/1659466443289.jpeg)
![Francis A. Gross Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
![Keller Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Keller%20Golf%20Course%20Hole%2013.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1651148746027.jpeg)
![Meadowbrook Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![Rush Creek Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/rush-creek-golf-club-eighteenth-hole-17512.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1659733672951.jpeg)
![University of Minnesota Les Bolstad Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/university-of-minnesota-les-bolstad-golf-course-skyline-6049.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1660499211166.jpeg)
Mississippi
![Old Waverly Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2015/08/15/55cf70e1b91019d74c98f106_Old-Waverly-Golf-Club-6.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1573513711611.jpeg)
From Golf Digest Architecture Editor emeritus Ron Whitten: I've always admired Jerry Pate's work in golf architecture. He was one of the few PGA Tour pros who really got down and dirty in golf design, and I especially liked the few courses he did with architect Bob Cupp. Their second collaboration was Old Waverly in tiny West Point, Miss., a dream project of West Point native George Bryan, who at the time was chairman of the meat division of the Sara Lee Corporation based in the tri-city area (West Point, Starkville and Columbus) known as Mississippi's Golden Triangle. Cupp was just two years removed from his employment as Jack Nicklaus’ chief designer, and Pate was still active on the PGA Tour when they started the project in August 1986. Both spent a lot of time on the site. I remember Pate was as proud of the massive drainage system he successfully persuaded Old Waverly to adopt as he was of the many strategies he helped impart in its holes. The course opened in August 1988 to immediate acclaim, finishing No. 3 among Golf Digest's Best New Private Courses in 1989.
(The above is an excerpt of our architecture editor's full analysis of Old Waverly. Click here for Ron Whitten's full review.)
Missouri
![Forest Park Golf Course: Redbud/Dogwood/Hawthorn](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/forest-park-dogwood-drone-6307.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1654023540863.jpeg)
![Swope Memorial Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
Nevada
![Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2021/9/100-greatest-public-new-additions/86%20-%20Edgewood-Tahoe-Golf-Course-Nevada.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1631461055836.jpeg)
New Jersey
![Flanders Valley Golf Course: Red to Gold](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/flanders-valley-golf-course-red-course-7505.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1659294312216.jpeg)
![Hominy Hill Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/hominy-hill-new-jersey-golf.jpeg.rend.hgtvcom.861.861.suffix/1716569934119.jpeg)
![Neshanic Valley Golf Course: Ridge/Lake/Meadow](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
New Mexico
![Santa Ana Golf Club: Cheena/Star/Tamaya](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/santa-ana-golf-club-cheena-sixth-hole-13945.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1659990334728.jpeg)
New York
![Bethpage State Park: Black](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/05/03/5ccc6e2aeecacf69bdc395f5_18b.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1573216546312.jpeg)
![Bethpage State Park: Blue](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
![Grover Cleveland Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![Sheridan Park Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
North Carolina
![Pinehurst No. 2](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2016/12/14/5851ce5d1657891e1ffd5beb_2017-30-Pinehurst-Resort-No-2-course-hole-17.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1573414308818.jpeg)
![Pinehurst No. 4](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2021/5/pinehurst-No4-Hole6%20hero.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.431.suffix/1620076512579.jpeg)
![Pinehurst Resort: #6](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/pinehurst-number-six-seventeenth.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1664589010400.jpeg)
Pinehurst Resort: #6
Pinehurst, NC, United States
![Pinehurst No. 8](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2015/08/18/55d348884759c60c0823777e_Pinehurst-Resort-No-8.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.431.suffix/1573513784145.jpeg)
Pinehurst No. 8
Pinehurst, NC, United States
![Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2017/03/20/58d033751f6bee0c891001dd_2017-ec-resorts-the-americas-carolinas-pine-needles-resort.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1573311408825.jpeg)
![Bryan Park: Champions](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/bryan-park-golf-course-north-carolina-6719.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.861.suffix/1715221702825.jpeg)
![Legacy Golf Links](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2017/05/08/59108bbbfa2322181c54b22c_Mid-Pines-Inn-Golf-Club-13th-hole.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1573313798740.jpeg)
![Tanglewood Park Golf: Championship](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/tanglewood-park-championship-afternoon-7052.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1659533482267.jpeg)
Ohio
![Community Golf Club: Hills](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
![Glenview Golf Course: East/West/South](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![Heather Downs Country Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
![Ottawa Park Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![Ridgewood Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
![Shaker Run Golf Club: Woodlands/Lakeside/Meadows](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/shaker-run-golf-club-9006.JPG.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1660494746895.jpeg)
Oklahoma
![Jimmie Austin Golf Club At The University of Oklahoma](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Jimmie-Austin-Golf-Club-7-Oklahoma-9318.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1687359702038.jpeg)
![Page Belcher Golf Course: Olde Page](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
Oregon
![Pacific Dunes](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/pacific-dunes-eleven-20186.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1652752962475.jpeg)
![Bandon Dunes](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/bandon-dunes-aerialtwo-18481.JPG.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1652979251493.jpeg)
![Bandon Trails](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/bandon-trails-behindeighteen-23777.JPG.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1652981266341.jpeg)
![Old Macdonald](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/old-macdonald-sixteenthcloser-25313.JPG.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1653009880107.jpeg)
![Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club: Ghost Creek](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/pumpkin-ridge-golf-club-ghost-creek-eighteenth-hole-13691.JPG.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1659465729033.jpeg)
![Eastmoreland Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![Heron Lakes Golf Course: Great Blue](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![Heron Lakes Golf Course: The Greenback](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![Sunriver Resort: Meadows](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/sunriver-resort-meadows-fourteenth-hole-9451.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1660497831270.jpeg)
![Emerald Valley Golf & Resort](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
Pennsylvania
![Downing Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![North Park Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![South Park Golf Course: Eighteen](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
South Carolina
![The Dunes Golf & Beach Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/dunes-golf-and-beach-club-eleventh-hole-10190.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1662130143824.jpeg)
![Harbour Town Golf Links](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/08/5c33f381bc9d282d38b367f0_136%20-%20Harbour%20Town%20-%2018th%20hole%20-%20The%20Sea%20Pines%20Resort_Rob%20Tipton.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1573162684752.jpeg)
![Myrtlewood Golf Club: Palmetto](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Myrtlewood%20-%20Palmetto%20Course%20-%20Hole18.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.861.suffix/1641911126210.jpeg)
![Wild Dunes Resort: Links](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Wild%20Dunes%20-%20credit%20Wild%20Dunes%20Resort.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1637202461541.jpeg)
South Dakota
![Meadowbrook Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_1.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514118.png)
Texas
![Omni Barton Creek Resort Fazio Foothills](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Omni%20Barton%20Creek%20Resort%20&%20Spa_Fazio%20Foothills_11.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1642692962829.jpeg)
![Cedar Crest Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/cedar-crest-golf-course-fifteenth-hole-10760.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.861.suffix/1659732174555.jpeg)
![Tenison Park Golf Course: Tenison Glen](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
Utah
![Soldier Hollow Golf Course: Gold](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
Virginia
![The Omni Homestead Resort: Cascades Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/omni-homestead-cascades-sixteenth-11621.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1652024224214.jpeg)
![Golden Horseshoe Golf Club: Gold Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2015/08/17/55d21a8db91019d74c98f43c_Golden-Horseshoe-Gold-GC-16.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1573513757372.jpeg)
![Golden Horseshoe Golf Club: Green](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/golden-horseshoe-green-course-11496.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1699458382956.jpeg)
![Birdwood Golf Course at Boar's Head Resort](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Birdwood%20at%20Boar%27s%20Head%2017th%20hole.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1638398113430.jpeg)
![Laurel Hill Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/laurel-hill-golf-club-clubhouse-23989.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1659989623795.jpeg)
Washington
![Chambers Bay](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/07/5c32a6eebc9d282d38b36790_129%20-%20Chambers%20Bay%203%20-%20Jon%20Cavalier.jpeg.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1573162614795.jpeg)
![Indian Canyon Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![Gold Mountain Golf Club Olympic Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/gold-mountain-golf-club-olympic-club-11749.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1659538046451.jpeg)
![Kalispel Golf and Country Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![The Home Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/the-home-course-dupont-first-washington.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1665666699021.jpeg)
![Jefferson Park Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_2.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514302.png)
![West Seattle Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/west-seattle-golf-course-scenic-11898.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1659706038870.jpeg)
West Virginia
![The Greenbrier: Old White](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2017/11/27/5a1c3527ed9b8f2d7b243e44_Best%20New%20Restoration%201.%20The%20Greenbrier%20Old%20White%20TPC%207th.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.646.suffix/1573350169183.jpeg)
Wisconsin
![Erin Hills Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2021/5/Erin-Hills-GC-hole-9-aerial%20hero.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.431.suffix/1620005705575.jpeg)
![Brown Deer Park Golf Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_4.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514620.png)
![Blackwolf Run: River](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/blackwolf-run-river-course-second-hole-12669.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1652028154873.jpeg)
![Blackwolf Run: Meadow Valleys](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/blackwolf-run-meadow-valleys-12670.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1652028484647.jpeg)
![SentryWorld Golf Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/sentry-world-wisconsin-sixteenth.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1665666660166.jpeg)
![Whistling Straits: Straits Course](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/whistling-straits-straits-fourth-18225.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1651516973629.jpeg)
![Yahara Hills Golf Course: East](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/placeholder-images/Placeholder_3.png.rend.hgtvcom.861.485.suffix/1652210514464.png)
Wyoming
![Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/course-photos-for-places-to-play/Jackson-Hole-GC-Hole18-Wyoming-12417.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.861.574.suffix/1687293368925.jpeg)