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It is hard to believe that 2024 is nearly over. Where did the time go?
For us, a lot of it was spent evaluating dozens of golf courses, including several brand-new ones that have already brightened a vibrant American destination golf scene. We didn't get to any brand-new layouts outside of the U.S. this year, but if we had to guess, that will change in 2025 with some very appealing new plays both overseas and in the Caribbean.
In light of the rise of a new future mega-resort in Florida in the form of Cabot Citrus Farms, four of the 12 courses on our list come from one site, all embodying the prevailing trends in design: wide corridors, boldly contoured greens, intricate bunkering, eccentric mounding and firm and fast conditions - even the wee Wedge short course.
A quick word about how we define what a "new golf course" is in the current era of major golf course revisions, renovations, restorations and transformations. Obviously a from-scratch new-build counts; in the case of existing golf properties, we are going to consider a course with at least nine brand-new holes to be a new course. Those new holes can occupy the corridors occupied by previous golf holes, but they need to be either reversed or substantially changed in direction or character to qualify. Although they largely follow the routings of their predecessors - the former World Woods Golf Club's Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks courses - we are considering Cabot Citrus Farms' Karoo and Roost layouts to be new golf courses in light of the wholesale transformation of the property and the complete changes in design that created them.
Here are the dozen best new golf courses we played and reviewed in 2024:
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Sand Valley Golf Resort (Sedge Valley) - Nekoosa, Wisc.
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Sedge Valley is a masterclass in short holes, like the drivable par-4 6th. Tim Gavrich/GolfPass Completing a Tom Doak 1-2 punch, Sedge Valley takes the top spot among new golf courses we played in 2024. Acting as something of a counterpoint to the rest of the property's expansive and mostly sparsely treed "big courses," Sedge Valley also dares to challenge golfers' conceptions of how long a golf course needs to be in order to be a legitimate test of skill. With back tees falling short of 6,000 yards and a par below 70, Sedge Valley essentially proves that great golf doesn't need to top 7,000 yards or adhere to a par of 72 in order to be thoroughly satisfying and fun. The combination of concept and design execution ultimately give it the slightest edge over Pinehurst No. 10.
But Sedge Valley is far more than a concept course. It tackles some exciting terrain but is a wonderful walk. Every thoughtfully routed hole is interesting and challenging to play, wandering a forest-and-meadow landscape that feels distinct from Sand Valley's original, Mammoth Dunes and Lido courses. The word "intimate" has been used to describe it, but that is only true in relative terms. There is plenty of room to play at Sedge Valley, but its varied greens and strategic bunkering help make it the second-toughest 18-holer in Sand Valley's domain (behind Lido) in relation to par. -- Tim Gavrich
![Sand Valley Golf Resort - Sedge Valley: #5]()
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Pinehurst No. 10 - Aberdeen, N.C.
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The 10th hole at Pinehurst No. 10 is an epic downhill par 5. Tim Gavrich/GolfPass No. 10 marks a significant new step in the evolution of America's grande dame golf resort as it expands to a new, 900-acre tract of land five miles south of the main campus. The site, known as Sandmines, was home to the long-defunct Pit Golf Links and now has new life as a satellite property unto itself. Tom Doak tasked associate Angela Moser with overseeing the execution of this course, which heaves up and over some of the largest hills of any Pinehurst layout, with broad fairways pinched by bunkers, stands of wiry native grasses and expanses of centipede grass, which turns a pleasant reddish hue in the fall and winter. The par-4 8th hole, routed between tall sand moguls left over from the site's mining era, has gotten significant attention but it is ultimately a quirky interlude from a sophisticated and cohesive whole. --Tim Gavrich
![Pinehurst Resort & CC - No. 10: #17]()
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Gamble Sands Golf Club (Scarecrow) - Brewster, Wash.
In a rare opportunity, I played Scarecrow twice in two different weather patterns from two different tees to get two completely different experiences. And both were fantastic. David McLay Kidd turned over the creative license to partner Nick Schaan to create a complement (not a copy cat) to the original Gamble Sands course. The result is a fascinating journey across the best land on property. The owners moved dozens of power lines to make it happen, an expense necessary to take the resort from a regional destination to a national draw. The Scarecrow will play a little harder than the original, but the better views and more compelling shots might help it supplant the original as the resort's finest play. It is scheduled to open next August. - JSD
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Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Shorty's) - Bandon, Ore.
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The dunescape is what makes Shorty's so special Bandon Dunes. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass The overwhelming sentiment remains that The Preserve is the best short course at Bandon Dunes, but I'm not one of those believers. The dunes on Shorty's make the shot-making more interesting and satisfying. I've heard online chatter that 19 holes is too long. Balderdash. You're complaining about bonus golf at Bandon Dunes? Shame on you. Shorty's is everything a short course should be ... fun and inspiring, all wrapped up in less than two hours. - JSD
![Shorty's at Bandon Dunes]()
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Cabot Citrus Farms (The Squeeze) - Brooksville, Fla.
The most consistently high-quality at Cabot Citrus Farms is found on Mike Nuzzo's ode to half-par holes, consisting of several short par 4s, a reachable par 5 and some amusing par 3s. By far the most restrained bunkering found on property allows The Squeeze's rippling fairway and green contours to shine. Nuzzo, whose TX0 (formerly known as Wolf Point) is one of Texas' greatest golf courses, deserves more solo commissions, in my view. --Tim Gavrich
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Rumpled fairways animate many holes at The Squeeze at Cabot Citrus Farms. Tim Gavrich/GolfPass ![Cabot Citrus Farms - The Squeeze: #2, #3, #6]()
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Broomsedge Golf Club - Rembert, S.C.
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Bunkers play a significant role in practically every full shot at Broomsedge, a new club in central South Carolina. Tim Gavrich/GolfPass South Carolina has become a hotbed of new upscale destination golf club development, with The Tree Farm and Old Barnwell turning heads towards the Aiken area recently. About 90 miles northeast, Broomsedge's similarly sandy, rolling, pine-covered terrain was a canvas for architects Kyle Franz and Mike Koprowski to create a versatile, exciting course inspired by the likes of Los Angeles Country Club, Old Town Club and Pinehurst. Fairway contours largely follow the land, while nearly 150 scooped-out, rustic-edged bunkers serve as eye candy in virtually every direction. My favorite holes here are the more restrained ones, but Franz and Koprowski's willingness to probe both ends of the aesthetic spectrum adds considerable intrigue and setup flexibility. The club plans to hold a couple of tee times open to visiting non-members on select days of the week. --Tim Gavrich
![Broomsedge GC: #10]()
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Cabot Citrus Farms (Roost) - Brooksville, Fla.
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Roost's short par-3 14th hole plays across a sinkhole to a fiddly green. Tim Gavrich/GolfPass Roost can fairly be considered a more mild companion to Karoo's squawking swagger, but there is plenty that stands out on this more dramatic of the two big-course properties at Cabot Citrus Farms. The opening trio of holes feels similarly intense to Karoo before heading off on its own sort of adventure, swooping up along and away both sides of a lake. The long par-4 12th features an ode to Augusta National's rollicking 14th green and the stretch of holes from 13 through 17 is some of the strongest golf on property. --Tim Gavrich
![Cabot Citrus Farms - The Roost: #18]()
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Soleta Golf Club - Myakka City, Fla.
When we got word that private Soleta Golf Club near Sarasota would be opening Dec. 10, we did a double take. The land transitioned from a former cow pasture to a gorgeous new Nick Price design in just 11 months. That speedy transition didn't cut any corners, though. The course was in prime shape with interesting holes sprinkled throughout the routing. The region's sugar-white sand frames how golfers perceive and attack each hole. If you can keep it on the grass, anybody can score well. Getting off course is when the big numbers can find their way onto the scorecard. It was welcoming news that homes will only be built near two holes. The rest of the round will feel like an adventure through the Florida outback forever. - Jason Scott Deegan
![Soleta Golf GC]()
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Cabot Citrus Farms (Karoo) - Brooksville, Fla.
Karoo makes as strong an impression as any golf course I have played in recent years. Built on a tract that used to house World Woods Golf Club's Pine Barrens course, it takes the original's gestures towards sandscape golf and dials things up to 11, with some of the most intricate and everpresent bunkering - both formalized and naturalistic - in American golf. On top of this, huge split fairways and enormous greens - trumped in size among Florida courses only by Streamsong Black - layer intensity on top of intensity. It boils over occasionally but like a complicated arrangement from a marching band with the odd off-note, you have to admire the effort and ambition. --Tim Gavrich
![Cabot Citrus Farms - Karoo:]()
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Cabot Citrus Farms (The Wedge) - Brooksville, Fla.
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The Wedge at Cabot Citrus Farms may be small, but it packs plenty of flavor. Tim Gavrich/GolfPass Short courses are popping up all over golf, especially at high-end resorts like Cabot Citrus Farms. Sometimes they're not quite sure what they want to be - user-friendly on-ramps to golf or small-scale distillations of the ideas found throughout the neighboring bigger courses. The Wedge is certainly of the latter sort - a strong taste of what golfers can expect from Karoo, Roost and The Squeeze. - Tim Gavrich
![Cabot Citrus Farms - The Wedge]()
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Reynolds Lake Oconee (Richland) - Greensboro, Ga.
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The newly-opened Richland is Reynolds Lake Oconee's seventh 18-hole golf course, a private Tom Fazio design that weaves together nine existing holes with nine brand-new ones, including the downhill par-5 8th. Tim Gavrich/GolfPass Tom Fazio returned after a quarter-century to add nine holes to the 27 he had previously built at this vast and expanding community/resort east of Atlanta. Combining those new holes - on one rolling, contiguous 75-acre tract - with the existing Bluff Nine from the existing National Course enabled management and ownership to peel off a discrete 18 that will serve as part of the private club within Reynolds Lake Oconee. I found that I enjoyed the reimagined existing holes a little better than the brand new ones, but the new Richland course is a solid all-around effort that members will enjoy. - Tim Gavrich
![Reynolds Lake Oconee - Richland: #12]()
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Saltleaf Golf Preserve (The Preserve) - Bonita Springs, Fla.
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The drivable par-4 11th is the clear best hole at Saltleaf Golf Preserve. Tim Gavrich/GolfPass The former Raptor Bay Golf Club was completely changed by original architect Raymond Floyd in order to make way for the construction of new luxury high-rise residences, which meant moving several holes inland from Estero Bay. The result is a little more disjointed than the previous iteration, with a couple of head-scratcher holes in addition to some relatively pedestrian ones, but pristine conditioning and some interesting bunker work - including edges defined by stacked artificial sod - adds some visual intrigue. The new par-3 course is a nice side-dish to the main course. --Tim Gavrich
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