How our staffers would spend $1,000 on GOLF's Top 100 Courses You Can Play

You could play Shadow Creek successful Vegas — but request to get a small fortunate connected the slot machines first. 

Or you could play George Wright 16 times — and person alteration near over.

But you could play them, and entree is possibly the champion portion of GOLF’S latest database of the top 100 courses you tin play successful the U.S. You request nary rank for these gems. Just money. And that sewage america thinking:

How would our unit walk a expansive connected the list?

Would we salary Shadow’s four-figure fee? Or Wright’s two? Our answers are below. For reference, we utilized the article headlined: “The Top 100 Courses You Can Play, classed from astir costly to least,” which you tin publication by clicking here. (For further reading, please click here for our database of the apical 100 courses successful the U.S.) 

How our staffers would walk $1,000 connected GOLF’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play successful the U.S. 

STAFFER: Josh Sens 

HOW YOU WOULD SPEND $1,000: A 1000 bucks, eh? Is that expected to screen my recreation expenses, too? If so, I’m staying section successful Northern California, buzzing down the seashore from my location successful Oakland to Pasatiempo ($385) successful Santa Cruz, 1 of the uncommon Alister Mackenzie designs successful the state that anyone tin play. The people is group to reopen successful mid-December pursuing a greenish and bunker restoration task that I’m having a difficult clip wrapping my caput astir because it’s difficult to ideate really those greens and bunkers could get overmuch amended than they were. I’ll astir apt hold til precocious outpouring aliases summertime for this outing, erstwhile the days are longer, which will springiness maine clip to play 36 connected what is my favourite nationalist people successful California. From there, I’ll thrust location (complimentary furniture and breakfast), past get up the adjacent greeting and transverse the bay into San Francisco for 18 astatine Harding Park ($125), a awesome title big that happens to beryllium a muni. The backmost nine, which loops on Lake Merced, is arsenic bully a agelong of play location is successful the city. This two-day itinerary will springiness maine 54 holes connected a brace of top-notch courses, each pinch a vivid consciousness of place. And it will time off capable successful the fund for maine to drawback a burrito successful the Mission territory connected my thrust home, pinch other guacamole, even. 

STAFFER: Dylan Dethier

HOW YOU WOULD SPEND $1,000: I started my ain entry, but past I publication Sens’ and I realized something: I’ll conscionable double-up connected his! The champion play travel is 1 that your buddy plans, aft all. If that travel includes free lodging, 36 astatine Pasatiempo, an water position and a burrito? All the better. The only point that concerns maine is Sens’ wily game. Before long, I consciousness for illustration he could beryllium staring down a 4-for-3 par putt and I’d beryllium down the other thousand. …

STAFFER: Nick Dimengo

HOW YOU WOULD SPEND $1,000: Don’t get maine incorrect — playing immoderate spot connected GOLF’s Top 100 Courses is ever incredible, but if I’ve sewage $1,000 to spend, I’m booking my tee clip astatine Pinehurst No. 2. Sure, location are plentifulness of spots pinch oceanfront views and sprawling cliffs, but I’m choosing the location of the 2024 U.S. Open, wherever I saw firsthand really the layout gave the champion players successful the world each sorts of fits. How good would a mid-handicapper for illustration myself negociate Pinehurst No. 2, pinch its globed greens and tricky “native areas?” My conjecture is not awesome — but the champion portion astir play is the constituent of surprise, truthful possibly I’d sprout the information of my life and yet break 80 connected the people wherever Bryson DeChambeau won his 2nd awesome title.

STAFFER: Jessica Marksbury

HOW YOU WOULD SPEND $1,000: Am I the only personification connected unit who has yet to make the sojourn to Bandon Dunes? That needs to beryllium rectified, stat! With 4 courses connected the Top 100 You Can Play database (Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Bandon Dunes, Old Macdonald — each classed successful the apical 13!), I would effort to maximize the worth and get each 4 successful for that $1K. That intends playing successful the offseason, erstwhile the prices are lower. Resort impermanent fees are highest from June done September, astatine $370 per round. But you tin prevention rather a spot by visiting successful April, erstwhile greenish fees are $235 apiece — and $235 x 4 = $940! A comparatively smokin’ deal, to beryllium fair, pinch room for taxes, too.  

STAFFER: Connor Federico

HOW YOU WOULD SPEND $1,000: This is simply a nosy game! Let’s build an itinerary pinch arsenic overmuch assortment arsenic possible, and not a attraction successful the world for lodging and recreation costs. Variety successful earthy surroundings, architectural styles and costs will really adhd to our wholly hypothetical experience. Let’s commencement pinch the champion bang for our buck. Black Mesa ($93) places america successful the New Mexico desert, Rustic Canyon ($104) winds done Southern California mountains, Wild Horse ($75) provides immense views of the Nebraska Sandhills, and George Wright ($62) is simply a Donald Ross-designed muni conscionable extracurricular Boston. Spending little than $350 connected 4 Top 100 Courses disconnected the bat now allows for immoderate existent bucket database destinations. The Lido ($295), the epic C.B. Macdonald masterpiece revived astatine Sand Valley Resort, is simply a must-experience for immoderate play architecture nerd. After that, I’ll return the remainder of my rate to the Oregon seashore for a ace astatine Pacific Dunes ($370) and existent links play present successful the U.S., bringing this trip’s expansive full to $999.

STAFFER: Josh Berhow

HOW YOU WOULD SPEND $1,000: Since this is simply a nosy workout and it doesn’t person to make consciousness logistically — if you want those trips, I already created 8 Top 100 roadworthy trips you tin take — I want to get astatine slightest a fewer rounds in, which intends Whistling, Pebble, etc., are out. I will splurge and walk $420 astatine Sheep Ranch, since it’s the only Bandon people I person yet to play, and past driblet $265 astatine Chambers Bay (as you tin see, I’m a sucker for a view). I’ll past caput to South Carolina for a $120 tee clip astatine Caledonia, and past decorativeness disconnected my itinerary pinch rounds astatine Lawsonia Links ($99) and Wild Horse ($75). That leaves maine $21 to walk connected a brat and beer.

STAFFER: Zephyr Melton

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000: I’d commencement my thousand-dollar splurge pinch a information astatine 1 of my favourite courses, Pasatiempo ($385) successful Santa Cruz, Calif. With the remaining ~$600, I’d bargain arsenic overmuch merch arsenic I perchance could from the pro shop — I kid (kind of). The Loop astatine Forest Dunes ($195) has been connected my bucket database for a while, truthful I’d person to sound that 1 retired connected this boondoggle. Assuming I could play the reversible people guardant and backward connected a azygous greenish fee, I’d person astir $400 remaining. With that, I’d caput to the sandhills of North Carolina for a information astatine Pine Needles ($305), 1 of Donald Ross’ astir underrated designs. I’d return my last ~$100 down the roadworthy to Pinehurst and walk it connected a speedy information astatine the Cradle ($50), pinch the remaining costs going to cocktails connected the structure overlooking No. 2’s famed 18th green. 

STAFFER: Jack Hirsh

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000: Knowing that each and each 1 of these courses is brilliant, I would commencement by splurging connected 2 premium courses earlier scattering the remainder among the cheapest options to guarantee I agelong that $1,000 arsenic acold arsenic I can. To start, I’m going to make a trek retired to Bandon because I person been connected spot erstwhile earlier and sewage to play only Bandon Trails arsenic portion of a tournament. So I will adhd Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Old Mac and Sheep Ranch to touch them all. Normally, this would beryllium acold much than $1,000, but we’ll spell successful March, erstwhile the complaint is conscionable $200 for edifice guests, pinch a replay complaint of $100. Sure, we could get cold, 40-degree days, but we person almost the aforesaid chance of getting sunny-and-65 weather. I’ll settee for thing successful the precocious 40s and 50s, though. We’ll walk 2 days, play 36 each time and get to tee it up astatine 4 Top 100 nationalist courses for $600. Now let’s make that $400 last. We’ll commencement pinch the cheapest action connected the list, George Wright successful Boston ($62), arsenic I americium ever partial to Ross munis, having grown up adjacent Jeffersonville successful PA. Next, we’ll spell to Wisconsin and play Lawsonia Links ($99), the cheapest action connected the Top 100 list, nationalist aliases private. Finally, we’ll caput complete to the East Coast to play some Bethpage Black ($140) and Red ($90) during the week. That leaves america $9, which unluckily will get you only a basking canine astatine astir of these places, isolated from possibly George Wright.

STAFFER: Nick Piastowski 

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $1,000: What’s the value of postage these days? Whatever it is, conscionable disagreement it by our number truthful I’d cognize really galore letters I’d person to constitute to Chairman Ridley asking for Augusta membership. Kidding, kidding. I’m from Wisconsin, but person unluckily yet to play Erin Hills ($455), truthful I’d commencement there. Then let’s spell volume, because if this is connected the institution dime, I want max vacay, too. So we’ll play Wright ($62), Wild Horse ($75), Black Mesa ($93), Lawsonia (Links) ($99), Bethpage (Red) ($100) and Rustic Canyon ($104) — and person $12 near over, which we’d walk connected a brew and a brat astatine the nutrient shack astatine the move astatine Lawsonia.