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The Roaring 20s are back.
After a dozen-year hiatus in the wake of late-2000s Recession, golf course development has lurched back to life as golf has seen a huge popularity spike since 2020. As a result, dozens of exciting new golf courses have opened, with more on the horizon as long as the economy cooperates.
We may never again see the sheer volume of new golf course development that the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s engendered, but that's probably for the best, as a lot of the overbuilding of that era ended up prolonging golf's post-2008 hangover.
Looking at the average quality of new golf courses, the 2020s look to comprise the most fruitful decade since, well, the 1920s. The pre-Depression decade saw arguably the greatest flowering of American golf, with dozens of world-class courses designed by practically all of the great architects of the day, from Donald Ross to Seth Raynor to A.W. Tillinghast.
One architect who has never received enough credit for his own contributions to the growth of American golf was Tom Bendelow, who laid out some 800 courses in his career. One of his later works, Dubsdread Golf Course, opened in Orlando, Fla., in 1924. Aspects of Dubsdread have been tweaked in recent years, but the course retains plenty of charm from its cozy confines as it weaves its way through mature neighborhoods.
Dubsdread is joined on this list of notable, accessible (i.e. public, semi-private or private with confirmed access for hotel guests) 100-year-old courses spread across the United States. Visiting any of them will help transport a golfer back to the game's first boom time, with quaint and engaging features that continue to be compelling.
Hubby and I have enjoyed this course for years. We snagged a hot deal and played for next to nothing. Staff is super friendly. Course was in great shape considering we hadn’t had rain recently. Great course and great food.
9 more notable, publicly accessible golf courses that opened in 1924
Lions Municipal Golf Course - Austin, Texas
This beloved local haunt, which goes by "Muny", has served countless golfers for a century, although the fact that the University of Texas owns the valuable land beneath it puts its long-term survival into question. Two-time Masters champion and Longhorn legend Ben Crenshaw and design partner Bill Coore have reportedly been interested in renovating the course if it is going to be preserved for golf.
Hollywood Beach (Fla.) Golf Course
This layout between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, is currently closed for renovations, while architect Richard Mandell overhauls the course ahead of a fall 2025 reopening and, hopefully, a proud second century of existence. The course's architectural provenance is murky - it has been attributed to Donald Ross without concrete evidence - but its compact routing is competent, and Mandell seeks to build on it in a way that honors the golf design masters of the past.
(Ed. Note: Despite years of speculation, Hollywood Beach is not a confirmed Donald Ross course. This section has been updated to reflect this fact.)
Linville (N.C.) Golf Club
Primarily a private club for folks retreating from the summer heat into the mountains of North Carolina, this Donald Ross design is also playable by guests of the nearby Eseeola Lodge hotel.
Gilroy (Calif.) Golf Course
This muni in the town best known for its (now canceled) annual garlic festival wasn't built by any big-name architect, but it does have an intriguing architectural distinction: it is an 11-hole golf course, earning it a spot on GolfPass managing editor Jason Scott Deegan's entertaining list of America's weirdest golf courses.
Key West (Fla.) Golf Club
Key West's first nine holes opened in 1924 and it eventually expanded to 18, but Hurricane Wilma practically destroyed the course in 2005, prompting it to be redesigned by Rees Jones and rebuilt in 2006 and 2007.
William Land Golf Course - Sacramento, Calif.
This beloved muni's nine holes are part of a city-wide golf revitalization plan that also includes the nearby, Alister MacKenzie-designed Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. Architect Brett Hochstein is in the process of positioning both golf courses for the next century of service to the game.
Shelby Park Golf Course - Nashville, Tenn.
This humble 6,000-yard city muni in east Nashville helped introduce a young Brandt Snedeker to golf. The 2024 Payne Stewart Award recipient and former FedEx Cup champion's original home course is celebrating its centenary year by receiving a $2-million upgrade to its greens.
Bloomingdale (Ill.) Golf Club
Like Orlando's Dubsdread, Bloomingdale is a Tom Bendelow design, which operated for the first 72 years of its life as a private club until the Village of Bloomingdale took it over in 1996, turning it over to local golfers who enjoy its parkland design and reasonable green fees.
Harrison Hills Golf Club - Attica, Ind.
Harrison Hills has gained something of a cult following in recent years from golfers who appreciate its original design by the duo of William Langford and Theodore Moreau, whose Lawsonia Links in Wisconsin is regarded as one of the Midwest's best golf courses. Though Harrison Hills is not quite as perfectly preserved, it has its share of admirers nonetheless, plus weekend green fees that max out at a reasonable $55.
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Comments (1)
I've only played three of those courses, but I find Dubsdread a real gem. Hollywood and Key West are serviceable and enjoyable enough, but Dubsdread has some holes with real character that you'll remember and a neat old club house. Well worth the effort to play it if you happen to be in the land of the Mouse. Very different from the resort courses there.