TWU by Jeff Rehmar | February 20, 2025

The 25 Courses I’d Play for the Rest of My Life

Author

Jeff Rehmar
February 20, 2025

The first time I played a truly great golf course, I didn’t fully appreciate it.

It was Pasatiempo. I knew the greens were wild, the bunkering dramatic, and the routing unique—but I didn’t yet understand why it was so good.

Back then, I thought a great course was about conditioning or difficulty. I judged courses the way most people do—by reputation, by how “fair” they felt, by whether or not I shot a good score. It wasn’t until I played more firm, strategic courses that I started to see the difference between a fun course and a forgettable one.

Now, after playing 20% of the world’s top 200 courses, I think about golf differently. Some places lived up to expectations. Others felt overhyped. And then there were the surprises—courses that never make the rankings but are more enjoyable than some of the so-called best.

One thing I’ve learned: conditioning is overrated. Too many golfers (and ranking panels) obsess over perfect turf while ignoring what makes a course great—routing, strategy, variety, and how it makes you think. Give me a well-routed course with firm, fun greens over a perfectly manicured but boring layout any day.

This isn’t a ranking of the most famous courses. This is a list of the ones I’d be happy playing for the rest of my life.

What Makes a Course Worth Playing Forever?

A great course isn’t just about beauty or difficulty. It’s about how it plays—how it challenges, surprises, and rewards different styles of golf.

  • Routing – The way a course moves through the land should feel natural, like it was always meant to be there.

  • Variety – No two holes should feel the same. A mix of long and short, uphill and downhill, right and left keeps the game engaging. Also all par 3s should face different directions especially on windy sites.

  • Strategy – Great courses present choices. The best ones don’t just test execution—they test decision-making.

  • Interesting Greens – The putting surfaces should be more than just a target. Contours, slopes, and movement bring a course to life. More undulation, the better. Golf shouldn’t be fair.

  • Walkability – If a course flows well, it should be easy to walk. The best courses feel effortless to navigate. Short green to next tee walks are one of the joys in life.

For a deeper dive into what makes a golf course great, check out:
📌 MacKenzie’s 13 Principles of Golf Course Design
📌 The Tom Doak Scale

📖 Book Recommendation

📚 The 4-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss
Ever feel like you’re working too much but getting nowhere? This book rethinks work, productivity, and freedom—whether or not you want a "4-hour" workweek.

🎧 Podcast Recommendation

🎧 Huberman Lab
Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman breaks down science-backed ways to improve sleep, focus, and daily habits. If you want to optimize your brain and body, start here.

The 25 Courses I’d Play Forever

1-5: The Absolute Best

  1. Pasatiempo (California) – MacKenzie’s greens and bunkering define this course. The routing makes full use of the hills, and the par-3s are world-class. Follows the UK public/private model too.

  2. Royal County Down (Northern Ireland) – A historic links with incredible variety. I can’t stop thinking about cresting the 9th fairway.

  3. Pacific Dunes (Oregon) – The most dramatic of the Bandon courses. Incredible routing, fun shots, and the best set of par 3s I’ve ever played.

  4. Old Macdonald (Oregon) – A study in template holes and width. A course where angles matter and every shot presents a different possibility. Unique for American public golf.

  5. Lawsonia Links (Wisconsin) – One of the best values in golf, with massive greens and bold land movement.

6-10: I Could Play These Every Week

  1. Rustic Canyon (California) – Wide fairways, firm conditions, and endless shot options. The best golf course built in California since George Thomas’ death in 1932.

  2. Kirtland (Ohio) – Tom Doak called the back 9 the best inland 9 in America. Pair Royal County Down’s Front 9 with Kirtland’s back 9 and it could be the best golf course in the world not named The Old Course.

  3. Portstewart (Strand) (Northern Ireland) – The front nine is a thrilling ride through giant dunes. It’s close to playing on the moon as I’ve ever come.

  4. Pebble Beach (California) – A world-famous course with iconic oceanfront holes and an unforgettable walk.

  5. Bay Harbor (Michigan) – The Quarry Nine is especially fun, with a setting that feels unlike anywhere else.

11-25: The Ones That Stick With You

  1. Ballybandon Sheep Ranch (Oregon) (NLE) – The old 12-green version, where you made up your own course. More courses should embrace this kind of creativity. The new version isn’t as good.

  2. The Punchbowl (Oregon) – Why does a golf course need to be 18 holes? A putting course that the whole family can play.

  3. Forest Dunes (Michigan) – Fast greens, a sandy site, and walkability make it a must-play.

  4. Spyglass Hill (California) – Quite possibly the best opening stretch in the game.

  5. St. Andrews Beach (Australia) – Underrated and one of the best courses in the world that few people talk about.

  6. Royal Portrush (Northern Ireland) – Links golf at its best, with firm turf and strategic angles.

  7. Clear Creek Tahoe (Nevada) – The best mountain course I’ve played, with a routing that makes walking easy.

  8. Brookside (Ohio) – An under-the-radar Donald Ross course with some of the best greens in the Midwest.

  9. Pete Dye Golf Club (West Virginia) – Classic Dye design with a routing that keeps you thinking.

  10. Pacific Grove (California) – All I want in the game: wind, sand and fun.

  11. Kingston Heath (Australia) – A masterclass in how to make a flat site brilliant.

  12. Arcadia Bluffs (Michigan) – Spectacular views combined with a course that makes you think on every shot. Not as expensive as a course on the ocean.

  13. Kapalua Plantation (Hawaii) – A course that embraces elevation changes without being unplayable.

  14. Royal Hawaiian (Hawaii) – Feels like playing golf in a rainforest. More playable than Ko‘olau but just as dramatic.

  15. The Quarry (Ohio) - Fun, inexpensive and every hole is unique. The best public course in my home state.

Final Thoughts

I used to be happy playing anywhere. Now? It’s harder to ignore bad routing, overwatered fairways, and uninspired layouts.

Some of the highest-ranked courses in the world are overrated. But the best ones aren’t always the most famous or exclusive. Some of the most fun I’ve had was at places that don’t get the attention they deserve.

If I could only play one course for the rest of my life, it would be Pasatiempo.

What about you? If you could only play one course forever, what would it be? Reply and let me know.