The USA is home to some of the best golfing in the world. There are courses to players of every level here, from amateur and advanced, and every sort of backdrop you could want: palm fringed beaches, rugged mountains ranges cactus peppered deserts, city skylines. Here’s our pick of some of the best - and most interesting - places to play a round in the USA.
Tee off between the trees, North Carolina
The Pinehurst Resort in
North Carolina, pictured right, has hosted more golf championships that any other club in America. You can take a tour of the resort’s nine courses to discover its history dating back to 1895. Or plan your trip to the U.S. Open Championship in 2024. Follow a round with a treatment in the hotel’s 31,000 sq ft spa - their ‘Golfer’s Massage’ is designed to target golfer’s most used muscle groups.
Laidback golf in Las Vegas
You might head to
Las Vegas for gambling and extravagant shows, but there’s plenty of fun for golf fans too. There are more than 50 sun-kissed Las Vegas golf courses to choose from. Take your pick from a range of backdrops: desert, links, mountain, parkland, you’ll find it in Las Vegas. You don’t even need to leave the centre of town - there’s golfing fun to be had at Top Golf Vegas at MGM Grand. This a four-level entertainment venue boasts 107 climate-controlled hitting bays, two pools and even a concert venue for 900.
Champion courses, in Virginia
There are more than 200 golf courses to choose from in
Virginia. The state is also home to two of the world’s best mountain golf courses, the Cascades Course at The Omni Homestead Resort and The Highlands Course at Primland Resort. There’s something for everyone here though. You’ll find magnificent sea level courses including the Jack Nicklaus Course and Arnold Palmer Course at Bay Creek Resort, courses designed by Pete Dye and Robert Trent Jones and one of the country’s best municipal courses at Laurel Hill in Lorton. It’s also a great spot to combine colonial history and championship golf. Combine a visit to historic Jamestown with brushing up your skills at a golf clinic Kingsmill Resort, left, which has two 18-hole golf courses that have hosted both PGA and LGPA tours. [Photo credit: Scott K. Brown Photography]
Putt in the desert in Greater Palm Springs
You’ll find more than 100 golf courses in
Greater Palm Springs, right, a desert oasis made up of nine distinct cities. Golf courses here are glamorous and exotic, with pristine palm fringed greens and extraordinary views over the mountains.
Get a hole in one by the lakes, Texas
Take in a refreshing round at The Horseshoe Bay Resort, an upmarket, lakeside golfing haven close to Austin and San Antonio in
Texas. This lush resort boasts award-winning golfing facilities, and when you've finished your round, you can enjoy sunset cruises, tropical bird-viewings, jet-skiing, tennis and more.
High flying golfballs, Colorado Springs
Did you know that golf balls actually fly farther at higher altitudes? You can tee-off at a number of stunning Rocky Mountain golf courses in
Colorado Springs. Try the Valley Hi Golf Course for some of the region's most scenic views, or the Broadmoor, left, which is home to three of the finest championship golf courses in the world and open to guests of the hotel.