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The Best Public Golf Courses in Alabama

Robert Trent Jones Trail

Alabama is known for its Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail which includes eleven courses across the state. All of these are quality layouts in unique environments, but you’d be missing a number of equally impressive golf courses if you didn’t explore Alabama’s other, top ranked, public golf courses in Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, and Gulf Shores in this guide and map to the best public golf courses in Alabama as determined by the leading golf periodicals and best golf courses you can play lists.

Alabama’s topography provides a variety of golf course settings. On the northern boundary is the Cumberland Plateau of level highlands on either side of the Tennessee River bordered by steep mountains, valleys, and flat mountain tops. The Appalachian Valley to the south is a limestone belt extending along parallel rock ridges followed immediately south by the Piedmont Plateau, a gently, undulating lowland which eventually extends to the Coastal Plain and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Rayburn Resort, worth another look

The Rayburn Country Resort

The Rayburn Country Resort is on the southeast side of Lake Sam Rayburn just north of Jasper, 2 1/2 hours from either Houston or Shreveport with 27 holes.

The “Championship” 18 hole layout is carved through the pineywoods over rolling terrain with elevated greens and tees, numerous doglegs, and a variety of narrow and broad fairways. From the tips it’s 6,731 yards, 73.7/136 course/slope ratings with four shorter tees, original course designs by Jay Riviere, Robert von Hagge, and Robert Trent Jones, Sr.

Eldorado Golf Course in Cadillac-how original!

Eldorado Golf Course, Cadillac, MI

Cadillac stopped production of its Eldorado line in 2002 after 50 years of production. Fortunately, this Eldorado, the golf course, is still in production and would be described, like the automobile, as a fine classic. It’s located is on the south side of Cadillac off US 131 at MI 115 to the north.

It’s a quintessential, northern Michigan parkland layout through a mix of dense mature hardwood corridors and those more open and forgiving off the tee. There’s water features in play on 1/3 of the holes yet only a scattering of sand bunkers and generous green complexes. It can play to 7,134 yards, 72.8/137, course/slope off the tips with four shorter tees, designed by Bob Myer.

The best public golf courses in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho

The Coeur d’ Alene Public Golf Club

The Coeur d’ Alene Golf Club is located just west of downtown of I-90 at Northwest Blvd. to the north. The Coeur d’ Alene area boasts a half-dozen excellent public access golf courses in our guide-a veritable golf destination.

The layout is classic, Northwest style golf course featuring narrow, evergreen and pine tree lined fairways along a host of doglegs with just less than 30 sand bunkers defending the modest greens of varying shapes and sizes. There’s four sets of tees from 4,280 yards to 6,276 yards, 69.5/120, course/slope ratings off the tips.

Fort Myers best golf courses-Heron’s Glen Golf Club

Heron’s Glen Golf Club, N. Fort Myers, FL

According to our guide to the best golf courses you can play in Fort Myers, there are eleven golf courses open to public play within 30 miles of downtown Fort Myers. Today, we profile Herons Glen which is between US 41 and I-75 in North Fort Myers within a residential development.

The layout typifies Florida golf as it’s a centerpiece for a community of single family homes. There’s homes bordering one or both sides of the fairways throughout, a generous amount of conventional, pot, and waste area sand bunkers, and water in play on most holes. There’s multiple tees from 4,168 yards to 6,458 yards off the tips, the white tees are 5,703 yards, 67.0/119, course/slope ratings, designed by Florida based architect, Ron Garl.

Kansas City Golf Trail-The St. Andrews Golf Club

St Andrews Golf Club, Shawnee Mission

St. Andrews Golf Club is on the south side of Kansas City between I-35 and US 69 on 133rd St in a municipal park and sports complex.

A couple of items here. The locals refer to this course as “Slow Andrews” owing to the pace of play, but after all, it is a municipal golf course. Second, if you’re looking work on your game, the practice facility here is very well done with target greens on the range in addition to short game and putting greens.

The course winds through thick, three lined fairway over slightly rolling land with a mix of generous and confined corridors and numerous doglegs. There’s less than 20 sand bunkers in total, but water features in the form of lakes and streams come into play on 1/3 of the holes. There’s five sets of tees from 4,160 yards to 6,362 yards, 71.0/1126, course/slope ratings off the tips, designed by Craig Schreiner and John Nash.

Wild Turkey Trace

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Wild Turkey Trace

Wild Turkey Trace is about 30 minutes west of Lexington on the west side of Lawrenceburg on US 92.

The layout is over slightly rolling, central Kentucky terrain with only a few homes alongside a couple of fairways. The fairways are are generally open with scattered tress and there’s multiple ponds/water hazards in play, but only 11 sand bunkers mostly defending the somewhat generous, oval greens. There’s four tees from 4,816 yards to 6,383 yards, 70.2/119, course/slope ratings, par of 71, designed by Bob Eitherton.

Best public Golf Courses in Idaho Falls

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Sage Lakes Golf Course

Idaho Falls is not generally thought of when it comes to a golf destination. It’s located a couple of hours west of the Tetons along the Snake River with a generous amount of mostly outdoor activities available. Here’s a good overview from the Visit Idaho Website.

It also could be considered a definite golf destination with five golf courses located within a 30 mile radius of town and easily accessible on I-15. Check out our guide to the best golf courses you can play in Idaho Falls here. Sage Lakes is one of the better courses, a municipal layout on the north side of Idaho Falls between I-15 and US 20 on the east side of the Snake River.

The straightforward layout borders a residential development with homes along the fairways on 1/3 of the holes. It’s generally flat with scattered trees defining the fairways, 15 sand bunkers mostly green side, and ponds and small streams/canals in play on eight holes. There’s four sets of tees with the blue tees playing to 6,566 yards, 68.2/113 course/slope ratings, designed by William Neff.

Hendricks Fields Golf Course

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Hendricks Fields Golf Course

Hendricks Field, originally Branch Brook, is a municipal golf course located in Belleville off the Garden State Expressway at Belleville Avenue to the east. It’s located 18 miles west of Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel and onto Route 3.

The layout is a classic from the early 1900s featuring some unique Scottish design elements including the Principal’s Nose bunkers, a Biarritz green, a reverse Redan, and a par 3 almost completely surrounded by bunkers. There’s a stream impacting play on several holes, a host of sand bunkers both defending the landing zones as well as the green complexes, and narrow tree lined fairway corridors.There’s five sets of tees from 4,549 yards to 6,150 yards off the tips, 69.2/123, course/slope ratings, originally designed by Charles “Steam Shovel” Banks with a redesign by Stephen Kay. Banks was a protege of Seth Raynor, who was originally designated to build this course He was given the steam shovel moniker for the prodigious amount of soils he moved using steam shovels to build golf courses.

Pendleton Hills Golf Club

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Pendleton Hills Golf Club

If you’re looking for a remote course outside of the Cincinnati/Covington area, Pendleton Hills might fit the bill. It is located 40 minutes south of Covington on US 27 on the south side of Butler.

The layout is over a natural setting without homes or development save for one hole. It moves over rolling topography with several ponds in play and Harris Creek traversing the middle of the course. It’s generally straightforward along fairways bordered by scattered trees with 15 sand bunkers mostly positioned around the mid-sized greens. There’s five sets of tees from 5,429 yards to 6,601 yards, 71.8/134 course/slope ratings off the tips, designed by Brian Huntley.