With nearly 20,000 courses, the United States is undoubtedly a destination that brings together everything golfers look for in a trip. Its variety of courses, climate, and topography allow golfers to play 12 months a year.

In the following ranking, we present the 10 best places to visit and play on a golf trip through the United States:

1) Bandon Dunes + Chambers Bay

Bandon Dunes is considered the best golf resort in the United States. It is an experience for true golf fanatics. Located in the middle of nowhere, four hours from the Portland airport, the resort has five 18-hole courses and one 13-hole par-3 course.

Bandon Dunes features five 18-hole courses and recently hosted the 2020 US Amateur.

The accommodation is of the highest level with excellent dining alternatives. The five courses themselves are very different, created by different designers with distinct concepts.

About six hours away by car is Chambers Bay, host of the 2015 US Open and featuring characteristics similar to the Bandon Dunes courses.

Jordan Spieth secured his US Open victory at Chambers Bay after Dustin Johnson (who lost by one) three-putted on the 72nd hole.

2) Pebble Beach + San Francisco

The stunning landscape begins with massive dunes to the north in Sand City, followed by the bay and a dense forest. The centerpiece is the "17-Mile Drive," the iconic road that runs along the coast and through the Del Monte forest, offering views of famous golf courses, the "Lone Cypress" (the world's most famous cypress), and mega-mansions.

In a relatively small area, you will find several of the best courses in the world, many of which are public (allowing non-members to play).

The jewel, of course, is Pebble Beach Golf Links due to its exposure compared to other courses. Cypress Point is the other hidden gem, but it has the major hurdle of being extremely private and difficult to access.

It has hosted the US Open six times, most recently in 2019 with Gary Woodland’s victory.

Two hours north of Pebble Beach is San Francisco. TPC Harding Park and the Olympic Club (private) are two fabulous Major-hosting courses. Both are very close to each other, separated only by Lake Merced.

3) Pinehurst + Mid Pines + Tobacco Road

Just as the Old Course at St Andrews is the legacy of golf in Scotland, many consider Pinehurst the cradle of American golf. Highlanders from northern Scotland discovered this picturesque area in Moore County (North Carolina), characterized by its rolling lands and sandy soil, to found Pinehurst and transform this small site into the epicenter of U.S. golf.

With nine of its own courses, Pinehurst is an inexhaustible golf mecca where many American golfers stay to enjoy a week of golf.

Pinehurst #2 is the resort’s masterpiece. It has hosted the US Open, the 2014 US Women’s Open, and the 1951 Ryder Cup. This course is an emblem for its complicated, mostly convex and undulating greens, recognized as some of the most complex in the world.

Pinehurst #2 creator Donald Ross said: "It is the fairest test for championship golf I have ever designed."

4) Hilton Head & Kiawah Island

Opened over 50 years ago, it remains a symbol of rest and traditional, quiet vacations. This resort is located south of Hilton Head Island across 2,200 hectares overlooking the ocean and features three 18-hole courses. The most famous is Harbour Town Golf Links, host of the RBC Heritage. The tournament is one of the most traditional on the Tour, known for being played the week after the Masters and where the winner receives a tartan jacket.

Just 10 minutes from the internationally famous Harbour Town Lighthouse, which tells the heritage of the PGA Tour, is a town where finding a good place to eat and drink is not difficult at all.

Harbour Town is one of Pete Dye’s great designs, featuring a final hole with one of the widest fairways on the PGA Tour.

About two hours north is Kiawah Island Resort, which has five courses. The pearl of Kiawah Island is the Ocean Course, where the PGA Championship was played twice in the last decade and which hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup.

5) New York

The golf in and around New York is very good, perhaps some of the best in the United States. However, there is some ambiguity because the best courses are very private: Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links of America, Maidstone, Quaker Ridge, Fishers Island, Winged Foot, Sebonack, Friar’s Head, and Liberty National GC.

Bethpage State Park is a must if you are in the area. An hour from Manhattan, this municipal complex has five courses. The Black Course is the most recognized for hosting the US Open (2002 and 2008), the PGA Championship (2019), and soon the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Bethpage Black is considered one of the most difficult tests in golf. Playing from the fairway is fundamental.

Another public course is Trump Ferry Point near the Bronx. A fabulous Jack Nicklaus design with majestic views of Manhattan, similar to those at Liberty National GC.

6) Florida

Perhaps the most frequented destination for Latin American golfers and the only one where you can play 12 months a year due to the weather. There are many courses that host PGA Tour tournaments: PGA National, Doral (Blue Monster, though not currently on tour), Innisbrook, Bay Hill, and TPC Sawgrass.

An hour and a half from Orlando is Streamsong Resort, which has three golf courses and features characteristics similar to Bandon Dunes. The place was created and designed for golf fanatics.

Streamsong is Florida’s newest gem as a golf destination.

7) Myrtle Beach

It is considered the "Grand Showcase of Golf" for having 90 courses in 90 miles spanning from South to North Carolina. It is a destination "for everyone," accessible and with very convenient prices, multiple accommodation options, beaches, entertainment centers, restaurants, and bars—ideal for trips with friends with almost one golf course per block.

The designs feature the best names in the world including Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Rees Jones, and Dan Maples. With varied styles, you can play anything from Scottish-style links and parklands to typical "Florida" designs with layouts full of wetlands extending along rivers and even the sea.

8) San Diego, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs

While Pebble Beach is a more desired destination in California, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs are three cities very close to each other that gather excellent courses.

In San Diego, you will find Torrey Pines, where a PGA Tour tournament (Farmers Insurance Open) is held every year. The North and South courses are municipal with accessible green fees.

The South Course at Torrey Pines is the most recognized, having hosted two US Opens in 2008 and 2021.

In Los Angeles, there is great golf, though the best courses are private: Riviera Country Club and Los Angeles Country Club.

In the middle of the desert lies La Quinta Resort & Club, which has five courses. Every year, the tournament now called The American Express is played there. The resort has nearly 800 rooms and its courses were designed by Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, and Pete Dye. The most recognized is the Stadium Course.

9) Las Vegas

Sin City is not as well known for its golf, but it has a great variety of courses, several of them excellent. Starting with TPC Las Vegas (formerly TPC Summerlin), where a PGA Tour tournament was held for several years.

TPC Las Vegas hosted the PGA Tour tournament in "The Sin City" for several years.

It is the perfect combination for a golf trip with friends to be complemented by everything Las Vegas itself offers.

10) Scottsdale

An unbeatable climate, superlative courses, and fastidious yet accessible mansions make Scottsdale an excellent destination. Its desert-style courses are characterized by the strong contrast between the green of the fairways/greens and the yellow/orange of the roughs and waste areas. With a great variety of high-quality courses, the chance to see the most attended tournament in the world, tour the Ping or PXG factories, and even take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, it is an irresistible attraction for any golfer.