x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
What are the best U.S. states for golf? A friendly podcast debate
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

InsideGOLF: +$140 value for $39.99

Join Today
Travel

What are the best U.S. states for golf? A friendly podcast debate

By: Josh Sens
  • Follow on Twitter
January 18, 2025
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
14th hole at whistling straits golf course

Whistling Straits is one of the marquee courses in golf-rich Wisconsin.

Getty Images

Even if our 50 states might seem divided some days, here’s something harmless we can argue about: which of those states make the best golf destinations.

The topic came up on a recent episode of GOLF’s new travel-focused podcast, Destination Golf, in which my co-host, Simon Holt, and I, went back and forth, each of us ticking off our four favorite states for golf.

Simon’s first choice was tough to top. He went with Oregon, which you might say has an unfair advantage as the home of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. At Bandon alone, as Simon pointed out, all five of their 18-holers (Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes, Old Macdonald, Bandon Trails and Sheep Ranch) are on GOLF’s list of Top 100 Courses You Can Play. But Oregon golf is more than its southern coast. Head inland into the high desert, and you come upon two other Top 100 tracks, the Nicklaus and Fazio designs at Pronghorn, while over in the Portland area, a bright constellation of public-access courses await.

As a counter, I offered Wisconsin. I was thinking of Sand Valley, with its four great big-boy courses (Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes, Sedge Valley and their semi-private sibling the Lido), but also of Kohler, Erin Hills, Lawsonia Links, SentryWorld and on. The Badger State punches well above its weight.

Being greedy, I also claimed my home state of California. A trip here, I suggested, could progress from San Francisco (Harding Park), south through Santa Cruz (Pasatiempo) and Monterey (Pebble Beach), then on to Los Angeles (Rustic Canyon) before turning east toward Palm Springs. The golf-loving Rat Pack hung out there for good reason.

But California is a big state, and Simon isn’t someone who, as he puts it, “likes to spend a lot of time behind a windshield.” With that in mind, he shot back with North Carolina (you could spend a lifetime playing golf in the Sandhills without getting bored); South Carolina (Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, to name just two high-quality/great-value swaths of the state); and Florida, where Streamsong and Cabot Citrus Farms highlight a rich roster of first-rate resorts.

With my two remaining picks, I went with New York (Bethpage Black was the biggie I had in mind, but there are four other courses within that single state park, all worth playing) and Michigan, where, at the peak of summer, it stays light past 9 p.m. That gives lots of time to squeeze in rounds at must-plays like Belvedere, Forest Dunes, Arcadia Bluffs, American Dunes and others. Eight hours later, you can get up and do it all again. 

You can listen to the entire best-state conversation here.

Listen and subscribe to Destination GOLF wherever you get your podcasts: APPLE | SPOTIFY | IHEART | AMAZON

Latest In Travel

2 days ago

Pinehurst Resort has another new course in the works. Here's what we know

6 days ago

Seaside swings: Exploring golf (and views) in the Dominican Republic

6 days ago

His Rory McIlroy biography was finished. Then McIlroy won the Masters

7 days ago

How to defend courses against the longest bombers? This architect has ideas

Josh Sens

Golf.com Editor

A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.

  • Author Twitter Account

Related Articles

Travel
The Tom Fazio-designed Corales course at Puntacana Resort.

Seaside swings: Exploring golf (and views) in the Dominican Republic

By: Andrew Penner
Lifestyle
Landmand in Homer, Neb.

Improbable, wildly popular Nebraska course subject of new film

By: Josh Sens
Travel
The par-4 13th hole on the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

How to defend courses against the longest bombers? This architect has ideas

By: Josh Sens
Travel
Robert De Vicenzo, Bob Goalby, 1968 Masters

How a Masters champion coped with controversy after his win

By: Josh Sens
Travel
Kye Goalby with his father, Bob, at the Masters

His father won the Masters, affording him unique view of Augusta National

By: Josh Sens
Travel
Port Fairy Golf Club's 12th green.

My Masters gift exchange at an Australian golf course in the middle of nowhere

By: James Colgan
Travel
seating at a clubhouse bar

What are the best clubhouse bars? 2 experts go deep

By: Josh Sens
Travel
the resort at Finca Cortesin.

Where to stay and play in Europe's greatest golf region

By: Shaun Tolson
Travel
The Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass

Jacksonville's best golf courses: 6 great public options near TPC Sawgrass

By: Josh Sens
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.