Best new golf courses we reviewed in 2023

Europe's hot new course: Portugal's Dunas course at Terras da Comporta

The sun rises on the Dunas course at Terras da Comporta. Courtesy of James Hogg

The finishing hole (right) at Dunas course at Terras da Comporta climbs uphill. Courtesy of James Hogg

The aerial views make Dunas course at Terras da Comporta look otherworldly. Courtesy of James Hogg

David McLay Kidd cut the Dunas course at Terras da Comporta from the sandy soil. Courtesy of James Hogg

The 17th hole is the most dramatic par 3 on the Dunas course at Terras da Comporta. Courtesy of James Hogg

Golfers might not know it from the ground, but the Dunas course at Terras da Comporta is close to the ocean. Courtesy of James Hogg

Large exposed, sandy waste bunkers intrude upon the playing corridors the Dunas course at Terras da Comporta. Courtesy of James Hogg

It took more than 10 years for the Dunas course at Terras da Comporta to come to fruition. Courtesy of James Hogg

There are plans for Dunas course at Terras da Comporta to be accompanied by a massive resort and residential development. Courtesy of James Hogg

The 16th is one of two short par 4s on the Dunas course at Terras da Comporta. Courtesy of James Hogg

The wise miss is to the right on the par-3 14th hole on the Dunas course at Terras da Comporta. Courtesy of James Hogg

The Dunas Course at Terras de Comporta - David McLay Kidd's new resort experience an hour south of Lisbon - could change the landscape of golf in continental Europe. The bouncy fescue turf on naturally sandy soil is an entirely new look for Portugal. It's not hyperbole to say it could change the golfing tastes of an entire country, if not an entire continent. With its sandscapes and rolling topography, we consider Dunas a 'Sand Valley of Europe'. After more than a decade of development, it was definitely worth the wait. For us, it's the best new golf course of 2023.

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10 Min Read

23 brand-new golf courses expected to open in 2023

December 27, 2022

A new 'Golden Age' of golf course architecture charges forward with several exciting new courses worldwide.

By Tim Gavrich

Reviewing the new Black Desert Golf Course in Greater Zion, Utah

The PGA TOUR will return to Utah for the first time in decades, stopping by the new Black Desert Resort in the fall of 2024. Black Desert Resort

A golfer tees off on the par-3 8th hole at Black Desert. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Black Desert is one of the most scenic inland courses in America. Courtesy of Brian Oar

Aerial view from Black Desert Resort. Black Desert Resort

The first hole at Black Desert climbs uphill and bends left. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The 196-yard third hole at Black Desert features a bunker in the middle of the green, like at Riviera. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The 490-yard fourth hole at Black Desert is the longest par 4 on the course and the No. 1 handicap. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The 320-yard fifth hole is one of two short par 4s at Black Desert. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Looking backwards from a green almost always reveals an incredible view at Black Desert. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The par-4 sixth hole at Black Desert runs between two water hazards. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The long par-5 seventh hole at Black Desert winds through the black rock to reveal an elevated green. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The 588-yard 9th hole at Black Desert is guarded by a rocky pit to the right of the green. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Golfers who bust a drive will funnel down the fairway for an easier approach to the 11th green at Black Desert. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The 12th hole at Black Desert plays long and difficult through the lava rock. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

A golfer putts on the 12th green at Black Desert. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The par-5 13th hole at Black Desert is protected by water on the left that crosses the fairway to interfere with the second shot. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The 14th green is hidden behind a lava rock wall at Black Desert. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The 15th hole at Black Desert is the longest par 3 at 202 yards. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The 508-yard 16th is the longest par 4 at Black Desert. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The 151-yard 17th at Black Desert pays homage to the Postage Stamp hole at Royal Troon, where designer Tom Weiskopf won an Open Championship. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The main putting green at Black Desert is massive and can be used as a putting course. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Until the comfort stations are completed, golfers who play Black Desert get free tacos and burritos from this truck after the round. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Black Desert was way better than expected. How could it top the scenery of nearby Sand Hollow or Wolf Creek in Mesquite, Nev.? It did. The fact that it's Tom Weiskopf's final design and a future host of the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour only adds to its appeal for traveling golfers. When the comfort stations, clubhouse and resort amenities debut in 2024, Black Desert will be squarely in the American golf consciousness.

Stop me if you've heard this one: Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner are on fire. The duo have put their stamp on some of the highest-profile brand-new, restored and renovated golf courses of the last decade, and The Park is no exception. Built over the bones of the former West Palm Beach Golf Club, Hanse and Wagner (with input from billionaire Dirk Ziff) fashioned a super-muni on one of Florida's best sites for golf: pure, rolling sand overlooking the city of West Palm Beach. While visitors will pay upwards of $300 in peak season for the opportunity to play, locals can get on for as little as $60.

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South Florida super-muni: The Park West Palm

Although the East course will get the big tournaments in future years, the West is the more fun of PGA Frisco's two big courses, with a little more room to work with off the tee and some eclectic, occasionally kooky green contours courtesy of an inspired effort by architect Beau Welling. Whereas the East is walking-only, resort guests prefer taking carts on the West, which climbs more hills than its neighbor.

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Trip dispatch: Omni PGA Frisco’s sizzle, steak and seriously impressive golf facilities

Everything's big in Texas - especially this brand-new future PGA Championship host. With tees that can stretch it to 8,000 yards, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner built maximum flexibility into every hole with meandering, freeform tee boxes that are not-quite level by design, and a dynamite set of green complexes. This will enable the course to adapt to changing winds, and the PGA of America will be able to pick and choose which holes they want to be difficult and easy each day. It will host the last pre-rollback PGA in '27, and a future Ryder Cup is a virtual certainty. Hopefully the awkward par-5 18th will be fixed by then.

After kicking off the "Signature architect" era when he gave input on the design of South Carolina's Harbour Town Golf Links to Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus helped initiate a new acolyte to the movement by bringing two-time PGA Champion Justin Thomas to contribute to this brand-new, upscale private club, Palm Beach County's first in 22 years. Enormous quantities of dirt were moved to create a totally new golfscape strewn with ridges, sandy areas of all sizes and 18 holes that stretch nearly 7,900 yards long. A community of smart-homes will eventually surround the golf course.

Minnesota Nice: Meet Brainerd's newest golf course, the Lehman 18 at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake

At 627 yards, the fourth hole on the Lehman 18 is the longest hole of the Cragun's Legacy Courses at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake. Courtesy of Cragun's

New bunkers with sodwall accents are part of the new Lehman 18 at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Watch out for the wetland on the par-5 second hole of the Lehman 18, which is part of the Cragun's Legacy Courses at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The Lehman 18 - which is part of Cragun's Legacy Courses at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake - starts off with two 600-yard par 5s in the first four holes, including no. 4. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Mother Nature accompanies golfers on the Lehman 18, which is part of the Cragun's Legacy Courses at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The par-3 sixth hole on the Lehman 18 of the Cragun's Legacy Courses at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake plays over wetlands. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

An aerial view of the 7th green on the Lehman 18, the new signature design that's part of the Cragun's Legacy Courses at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake. Courtesy photo

The eighth green on the Lehman 18 features dynamite views of Stephens Lake at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The "stacked sod reveal" bunkers on the Lehman 18 at Cragun's feature wavy faces of revetted sod walls. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Golfers pass a food trucked called "Tom's Turn" twice on the Lehman 18, which is part of the Cragun's Legacy Courses at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

The sun rises over the 12th hole on the Lehman 18 at Cragun's. Courtesy photo

The par-3 14th greets golfers after a long cart ride on the Lehman 18, which is part of the Cragun's Legacy Courses at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

This epic tee shot over Stephens Lake on no. 16 of the new Lehman 18 remains one of the signature moments at Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Cragun's Hotel & Resort on Gull Lake actually boasts two 'new' golf courses - the Lehman 18 had a soft opening in 2022, while the Dutch 27 had 18 holes in play with year with the other nine expected to be done in 2024. Tom Lehman, a Minnesota legend who won the 1996 Open Champion with five PGA Tour wins and another 12 on the PGA TOUR Champions, has led the complete overhaul of transforming 36 holes into 45 to make room for a new housing development. Unique bunker styles is what gives each golf course its personality. The Dutch’s bunkers are decorated with fescue around the edges, while the Lehman bunkers feature wavy faces of revetted sod walls. This new look, called a “Stacked Sod Reveal”, is something we haven’t seen anywhere else. Their subtle but noticeable revetted faces consist of artificial turf shipped in from overseas. The Lehman 18 golf course needs more time to grow in, but when everything's done, Cragun's will have moved up the pecking order in the Midwest's golf scene. - JSD

Par-3 courses have never been more popular, offering golfers a condensed but still intense golf experience at resorts, private clubs and even municipalities, like this 19-holer next door to a 6,300-yard layout. Longtime Nicklaus Design associate Chad Goetz had some fun with the greens here, mixing in some Macdonald/Raynor templates with original concepts and varying hole lengths from 100 to 240 yards. Despite its lack of length, it's no doubt one of the best new golf courses in 2023.

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The Nest, a new par-3 course at Sandhill Crane Golf Club, opens near West Palm Beach