View looking towards the 17th and 18th holes of the Old Course, St Andrews, with the club house o...

Best Public Golf Courses You Can Play

201 ranked courses

Two hundred and one courses in our rankings are public or semi-private: open to a visiting golfer who books a tee time, with no membership required. It is a short list, and deliberately honest about that — these are world-ranked courses, and most courses at this level are private clubs or attached to a resort. What is on it is remarkable for its size. The Old Course at St Andrews is a public course run by a trust and allocated partly by ballot; Royal Dornoch, Lahinch and Carnoustie all sit inside our world top twenty-five and all take visitors. Forty-four of the two hundred and one are links, which reflects where the public tradition is strongest — the United Kingdom and Ireland contribute eighteen between them — while the United States has twenty of its own and Spain thirteen, from Torrey Pines, TPC Sawgrass and Chambers Bay to The Lido at Sand Valley, where the limited outside tee times go to resort guests. Opening dates run from 1552 to 2025.

— Top 10 Rankings

Top 10 Public Access Courses

Updated

  1. The Old Course at St Andrews
    St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom links Par 72
    5.0
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  2. Royal Dornoch Golf Club — Championship Course
    Dornoch, Sutherland, Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom links Par 70
    5.0
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  3. Lahinch Golf Club — Old Course
    Lahinch, County Clare, Ireland links Par 72
    5.0
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  4. Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
    Carnoustie, Angus, United Kingdom links Par 72
    4.7
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  5. Torrey Pines Golf Course — South Course
    La Jolla, California, United States parkland Par 72
    4.5
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  6. Kingsbarns Golf Links
    Kingsbarns, Scotland, United Kingdom links Par 72
    5.0
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  7. Bethpage State Park - Black Course
    Farmingdale, New York, United States parkland Par 71
    4.4
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  8. Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club
    Paraparaumu Beach, Wellington, New Zealand links
    4.0
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  9. North Berwick Golf Club
    North Berwick, East Lothian, United Kingdom links Par 71
    4.6
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  10. Cape Wickham Golf Links
    King Island, Tasmania, Australia links Par 72
    4.5
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— More Courses

More Public Access Courses

About Public Access Courses

Booking windows matter more here than anywhere else. The best of these release visitor tee times months ahead and fill immediately, and St Andrews runs a daily ballot — plan around the process, not just the trip.

Ranked courses
201
Course styles
parkland 106 · links 44 · coastal 24
Access
semi-private 128 · public 73
Opened
1552–2025
Playable without membership
201 of 201

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