Definitive Ranking

America's Top 100 Golf Courses

From Cypress Point to Pebble Beach, Pine Valley to Pinehurst — the 100 courses that define American golf, ranked with editorial commentary on architecture, history, and design.

  1. #1Private

    Cypress Point Club

    California · Alister MacKenzie & Robert Hunter, 1928

    Coastal

    Dramatic oceanside masterpiece on the Monterey Peninsula with iconic cliffside holes.

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  2. #9Private

    Los Angeles Country Club (North)

    California · George C. Thomas Jr., 1921

    Canyon/Parkland

    Strategic Golden Age design set among elite Los Angeles real estate.

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  3. #14Public

    Pebble Beach Golf Links

    California · Jack Neville & Douglas Grant, 1919

    Coastal

    America's most iconic public golf course overlooking Carmel Bay.

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  4. #16Private

    Riviera Country Club

    California · George C. Thomas Jr., 1926

    Canyon/Parkland

    Classic strategic design and longtime host of the Genesis Invitational.

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  5. #19Private

    California Golf Club of San Francisco

    California · A.W. Tillinghast, 1926

    Parkland

    Beautifully restored classic known simply as 'Cal Club'.

  6. #21Private

    San Francisco Golf Club

    California · A.W. Tillinghast, 1918

    Parkland

    Exclusive Tillinghast design featuring strategic bunkering and rolling terrain.

  7. #63Semi-Private

    Pasatiempo Golf Club

    California · Alister MacKenzie, 1929

    Parkland

    One of MacKenzie's greatest public-access masterpieces.

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  8. #65Private

    Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Dunes)

    California · Seth Raynor, 1926

    Coastal

    Classic Raynor seaside layout beautifully restored.

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  9. #67Private

    Valley Club of Montecito

    California · Alister MacKenzie, 1929

    Parkland

    Elegant and understated MacKenzie design in Santa Barbara.

  10. #73Private

    Olympic Club (Lake)

    California · Sam Whiting & Willie Watson, 1927

    Parkland

    Demanding championship venue with sloping fairways and tight corridors.

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  11. #82Private

    Bel-Air Country Club

    California · George C. Thomas Jr., 1927

    Canyon

    Hollywood-era masterpiece with one of golf's greatest routings.

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  12. #83Private

    Ladera Golf Club

    California · Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner, 2023

    Desert

    Minimalist desert design in the Coachella Valley.

  13. #89Private

    Lake Merced Golf Club

    California · Willie Lock/Alister MacKenzie, 1923

    Parkland

    Historic San Francisco-area club refined by MacKenzie.

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