We've admired American golf courses for their breathtaking beauty, cunning strategy and dramatic challenge. We've celebrated courses as the toughest and the greatest and even some as the best bargains.
But until now, Golf Digest has never given much thought to golf courses as agents of change. Clearly, the evolution of golf in America has been influenced by its playing fields. The popularity of Van Cortlandt Park,
America's first muny, led to the invention of tee times. Oakmont's greens
led to the creation of the Stimpmeter. Desert Inn in Las Vegas proved you could fool Mother Nature in a desert, and two generations later, Shadow Creek
in the same town proved you could fool her all of the time.
Some courses have been groundbreakers, others merely seismic shifts, but collectively they have contributed mightily to the development of every facet of the game. Golf courses inspired us to create new turfgrasses, new playing utensils, new clothing and refreshments. (Would the Arnold Palmer exist had not Arnie been particularly thirsty after a round?)
Our challenge was to identify those courses we believe have had the biggest impact upon the game. What follows is not a ranking but a roster of the most important courses of each decade of golf in America. In many cases, we've selected individual courses, but in some decades we recognized the importance of an entire complex. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama, for example, was an audacious concept in the 1990s: 18 courses at seven sites, all built by the same design firm, all built at the same time. It has since mushroomed to even more locales within the state.
The impact of some courses -- Pinehurst
and Augusta National
, for instance -- is well known. But others have gone nearly unnoticed, an oversight we try to rectify here. Whitfield Country Club, a residential development in Sarasota, Fla., was built in the mid-1920s by Donald Ross, the country's premier course architect. To sell memberships and home sites, Whitfield's developers hired the great amateur player Bobby Jones as spokesman. And yet Whitfield failed within a year, a victim of Florida's real-estate bust that struck well in advance of the stock-market crash. Whitfield proved that even a marquee designer and a celebrity endorser don't guarantee success, a lesson with resonance even now. (Incidentally, Whitfield was revived in the late 1930s, and exists today as Sara Bay Country Club.)
We also list Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio, designed, built and operated by club pro Bill Powell in the late 1940s. Powell was a black man in what, in those days, was most definitely a white man's profession, catering to what, in those days, was mostly a white man's pastime, and it's only in retrospect that we can appreciate his perseverance and courage. Powell died last year, but his course remains, not a great design but a great symbol of achievement over adversity.
We've limited this list to American courses, not because America is the center of the golf universe, but because it offers a manageable perspective. Globally, the game is much older, and much younger, too, and it would be an interesting exercise to compile the most significant courses around the world, from the predecessors of St. Andrews to the latest extravaganzas being installed in China.
But for now, our focus is on American courses. There's not sufficient room to recite the reasons for all our selections;
for that, as well as additional courses we believe have had an influence upon American golf, go to golfdigest.com/go/importantcourses.
Golf Courses By Decade
COURSES LISTED BY YEAR OF FOUNDING
1880s
1884: Oakhurst G. Links
, WV
1886: Dorset Field Club
, VT
1886: Sarasota G.C.
, Sarasota, FL
1887: Foxburg C.C., PA
1888: Saint Andrew's G.C.
, NY
__1894: NEWPORT COUNTRY CLUB
__: America's first championship venue, site of the inaugural U.S. Amateur and the first U.S. Open, in 1895.
Photo: Getty Images
1890s
1893: Chicago G.C.
1893: The Country Club
, Brookline, MA
1894: [Myopia Hunt Club](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/22406/Myopia-Hunt-Club-Myopia-Hunt)
, MA
1894: Newport C.C.
, RI
1894: Shinnecock H. G.C.
, NY
1895: Baltusrol G.C.
, NJ
., NY
1898: Garden City G.C.
, NY
1899: Ekwanok C.C., VT
1899: Pinehurst C.C.
, NC
1900s
1909: NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA: The first melting pot of strategic concepts introduced Americans to the real links game long played in Great Britain.
Photo: Stephen Szurlej
1900: Flossmoor C.C., IL
1903: Inverness Club, OH
1903: Inwood C.C., NY
1904:
, PA
1904: Wykagyl C.C., NY 1905: Atlanta Athletic Club 1905: Skokie C.C., IL 1908: Beverly C.C., IL 1908: Seattle G.C.
, NY
1910s
1912: MERION CRICKET CLUB: Patterned after the Old Country, its "white faces" promoted a new idea: bunkers that stared back at golfers.
Photo: Stephen Szurlej
1911: Columbia C.C., MD
1912: [Merion Cricket Club,](/golf/merion)
PA
1914: Wannamoisett C.C., RI 1915: [Lido G.C.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/25704/Lido-Beach-Golf-Course-Lido-Beach)
, NY
1916: [Olympia Fields C.C.,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/21255/Olympia-Fields-Country-Club-North)
IL
1917: Engineers C.C., NY 1918: [Oakland Hills C.C.,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/23175/Oakland-Hills-Country-Club-South)
MI
1918: [Pebble Beach G. Links](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/33930/Pebble-Beach-Golf-Links-Pebble-Beach-Golf-Links)
1918: Pine Valley G.C.
, NJ
1918: San Francisco G.C. __1920s__
1929: SEMINOLE GOLF CLUB: Alister Mackenzie showed artistry at Cypress Point; Donald Ross countered with majesty in South Florida sand dunes.
Photo: Stephen Szurlej
1921: Los Angeles C.C.
1923: [Winged Foot,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/25780/Winged-Foot-Golf-Club-West)
NY
1924: [The Olympic Club,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/19120/The-Olympic-Club-Lake)
CA
1926: Oak Hill C.C., NY
1926: Whitfield C.C., FL 1926: Yale University G.C., CT 1927: [Riviera C.C.,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/18998/Riviera-Country-Club-Riviera)
CA
1928: [Aronimink G.C.,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/26667/Aronimink-Golf-Club-Aronimink)
PA
1928: [Cypress Point Club,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/18653/Cypress-Point-Club-Cypress-Point)
CA
1929: [Seminole G.C.,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/20108/Seminole-Golf-Club-Seminole)
FL
1930s
1937: PRAIRIE DUNES COUNTRY CLUB: For 20 years it was the grandest nine-hole course in the country. Its expansion to 18 was seamless.
Photo: Courtesy of Prairie Dunes
1930: U. of Michigan G. Cse.
1930: Stanford U. G. Cse., CA
1932: Pocantico Hills G. Cse., NY
1932: Ponte Vedra Club
, FL
1933: [Augusta Ntl. G.C.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/20263/Augusta-National-Golf-Club-Augusta-National)
, GA
1934: Bethpage St. Park
, NY
1936: Colonial C.C., TX
1936: [Southern Hills C.C.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/26505/Southern-Hills-Country-Club-Front-Nine-Back-Nine)
, OK
1937: [Prairie Dunes C.C.,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/21907/Prairie-Dunes-Country-Club-Prairie-Dunes)
KS
1938: Ohio State U. G.C.
1940s*
Robert Trent Jones and Dick Wilson started a postwar revolution in golf design with long tees and lots of water.*
1949: DUNES GOLF AND BEACH CLUB: Its par-5 13th, a boomerang around a lake, encapsulates the Trent Jones brand of heroic, dramatic architecture.
Photo: Courtesy Of Dunes Golf & Beach Club
1941: Normandy Shores G.C., FL
1945: IBM C.C., Poughkeepsie, NY 1947: Lakewood G.C., AL
1947: West Palm Beach C.C.
1948: [Clearview G.C.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/25873/Clearview-Golf-Course-Clearview)
, OH
1948: Northwood Club, TX
1948: Peachtree G.C., GA 1948: Raleigh C.C., NC
SC
1949: Rancho Park,
CA
1950s
1950: DuPont C.C., DE
1952: Desert Inn C.C., NV
1954: NCR C.C., OH 1955: Old Warson C.C., MO 1957: Champions G.C., TX 1957: [Torrey Pines G. Cse.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/19131/Torrey-Pines-Golf-Course-South)
, CA
1958: Point O' Woods G. & C.C., MI 1958: Surprenant National G.C., MA
1959: Firestone C.C. (South)
, OH
1959: Laurel Valley G.C.,
PA
1960s
1960: Bellerive C.C., MO
1961: [Doral C.C., FL](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/19707/Doral-Golf-Resort-And-Spa-Blue-Monster) 1962: [Hazeltine National G.C.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/23508/Hazeltine-National-Golf-Club-Hazeltine-National)
, MN
1962: Pine Tree G.C., FL
1963: The Concord, NY 1963: [Crooked Stick G.C.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/21495/Crooked-Stick-Golf-Club-Crooked-Stick)
, IN
1965: [Cog Hill G. & C.C.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/21001/Cog-Hill-Golf-And-Country-Club-4-Dubsdread)
, IL
1966: [Spyglass Hill G. Cse.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/19085/Spyglass-Hill-Golf-Course-Spyglass-Hill)
, CA
1967: [The Golf Club,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/26299/The-Golf-Club-Golf-Club)
OH
1969: [Harbour Town G. Links](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/27329/Harbour-Town-Golf-Links-Harbour-Town)
, SC
1970s
1970: Disney World G.C.
, FL
1970: Jupiter Hills Club, FL 1970: Mission Hills C.C., CA 1972: [Princeville (Makai)](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/20503/Princeville-Resort-Makai-Golf-Course-Makai-18)
, HI
1973: Butler National G.C., IL 1974: [Muirfield Village G.C.](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/29654/Muirfield-Village-Golf-Club-Muirfield-Village)
, OH
1975: Trophy Club, TX
1976: Oak Tree G.C., OK 1979: Industry Hills G.C., CA
1979: Kemper Lakes G.C., IL
1980s
1986: DESERT MOUNTAIN CLUB (RENEGADE): Five tee boxes and two flag locations per hole, and multiple avenues of play: Still the most versatile design in America.
Photo: J.D. Cuban
1980: TPC Sawgrass,
FL
1980: [Wild Dunes G. Links, ](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/27452/Wild-Dunes-Resort-Links)
SC
1981: [Castle Pines G.C., CO
1984:
](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/19212/Castle-Pines-Golf-Club-Castle-Pines)
[Desert Highlands G.C., AZ
1984: Grand Cypress G.C., FL
1986: Desert Mountain Club (Renegade), AZ
1986:
](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/18397/Desert-Highlands-Golf-Club-Desert-Highlands)
[PGA West (Stadium), CA
1987: Black Diamond, FL
1987:
](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/30500/PGA-West-Stadium-Clubhouse-Stadium)
[The Links at Spanish Bay, CA
1989:
](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/29394/The-Links-At-Spanish-Bay-Spanish-Bay)
[Shadow Creek, NV
](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/31928/Shadow-Creek-Golf-Club-Shadow-Creek)
1990s
1997: OLD WORKS GOLF COURSE: It took a golf course to rectify the landscape that a mining operation had despoiled, a harbinger of golf's future role.
Photo: Stephen Szurlej
1990: The Ocean Cse.
, SC
1990: Troon North G.C.,
AZ
AL
1993: World Woods G.C.,
FL
1995: [Sand Hills G.C., NE](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/31734/Sand-Hills-Golf-Club-Sand-Hills) 1996: Royal New Kent, VA 1997: Old Works G. Cse., MT 1997: Sanctuary G.C., CO 1998: [Whistling Straits](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/32668/Whistling-Straits-Straits-Course)
, WI
1999: [Bandon Dunes](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/32883/Bandon-Dunes-Golf-Resort-Bandon-Dunes)
, OR
2000s
__2007: CHAMBERS BAY:__This dry, firm, windswept, nearly treeless man-made links hard against Puget Sound, is already the designated site for the 2015 U.S. Open, as well as the 2010.
Photo: Joey Terrill
2001: Kinloch G.C.,
VA
2001: [Pacific Dunes,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/33643/Bandon-Dunes-Golf-Resort-Pacific-Dunes)
OR
2002: Friar's Head G.C., NY 2002: Old Collier G.C., FL 2003: [The Quarry at Giants Ridge,](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/33816/Giants-Ridge-Golf-And-Ski-Resort-The-Quarry)
MN
2006: Ballyneal G. & Hunt C., CO
2006: *Erin Hills
, WI
2006: Sebonack G.C., NY 2007: [Chambers Bay](http://courses.golfdigest.com/l/35208/Chambers-Bay-Golf-Course-Chambers)
, WA
2008: Pete Dye Cse.
at French Lick, IN
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