Most new golf courses wow members, guests and media by threatening to overwhelm them with the scale of the topography, and in-your-face features. Kinsale is the cure for all that. There is plenty of drama, but the relatively modest property - fewer than 150 acres - and design approach of Jim Wagner and Gil Hanse lent itself to something altogether more sophisticated than the more bombastic norm. With an aesthetic reminiscent of the Hamptons and bunkering that mostly sits below eye level and creates mystery and doubt, Kinsale instantly jumps to the upper tier or two of courses in all of Florida - a feat made more impressive by the fact that it's on an originally dead-flat site.

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This brand-new golf course is destined to be one of Florida's very best

Kinsale Golf Club

Naples, Florida

Private

5.0

1

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The competition to finish on top was fierce. The rebirth of Great Dunes, spearheaded by architects Brian Ross and Jeff Stein, expanded the neglected nine-hole Great Dunes course that existed for years into an 18-hole homage to original architect Walter Travis. Their creative use of land from the shuttered Oleander Course tied everything together, taking golfers on a unique journey from the forest to the natural sand dunes and finishing among the wetlands and woods. Now it's up to the Jekyll Island Authority, a state agency that manages the island and the 54-hole Jekyll Island Golf Club, to care for and protect its $20-million new toy. - JSD

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The new Great Dunes takes golf next level on Georgia's Jekyll Island

Jekyll Island Golf Club - Great Dunes Course

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Resort

4.0

2

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A bucket-list par-3 golf course? If such a thing is possible, then Johnny Morris and his son J.P. managed to build it at their sprawling, indulgent Big Cedar Lodge domain, now the undisputed tourist-jewel of Missouri's Ozark Mountains. Several one-of-a-kind holes splash by golfers, including a wedge shot from beneath a waterfall and down to the green. This comes after a unique opening "putting hole" followed by a cart ride through crashing rapids and over bumpy limestone. Eye-opening by the standards of most traveling golfers, but all part of the deal at Big Cedar.

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Big Cedar Lodge's new Cliffhangers seeks to invent short-form bucket-list golf

Cliffhangers Golf Course

Hollister, Missouri

Resort

5.0

1

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I am on record as not being as big a fan of 12-hole golf courses as some. A dozen-hole loop feels like it sits in an uncanny valley between 9 and 18. But the Commons, Sand Valley's sixth golf course, is threatening to change my mind. The first solo design by architect Jim Craig brings the longtime Coore & Crenshaw associate into his own, showing a willingness to be a little wilder than his famously genteel mentors while still upholding many of the design principles they hold dear, and have exposed many golfers to. The Commons' par-5 first hole is one of my favorite openers anywhere.

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First look: Sand Valley's new golf course brings another shorter but satisfying experience to the popular resort

Choose-your-own-adventure golf is a rare pleasure in the game. Rarer still is a golf facility that mainly exists for a higher purpose than the amusement of its paying customers. Storm King is both of these things at the same time: a place where you can hit practically any shot you can dream up and a home for adaptive, wounded-veteran and first-responder golf meetups as well as an occasional private enclave for donors. The rollicking property, deep and flat-bottomed bunkers and occasionally outrageous greens make it inscrutable and unforgettable.

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How a stunning, reimagined 130-year-old golf course will make the game more inclusive than ever

Storm King Golf Club

Cornwall, New York

Semi-Private

4.7777777778

28

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What would it take for an inland course to rival oceanside ones for scenery? The Keep, a new Rees Jones/Bill Bergin collab at a resort 45 minutes south of Chattanooga, offers an answer: drape it on the east face of Lookout Mountain such that several holes tiptoe right to the rocky edge of a cliff more than 1,000 feet above the valley below. On a clear day you can see for dozens of miles back towards Rome (Georgia). Those views can be a salve for what is a stern test of golf, with broad, rolling fairways and fast, contoured greens that can be tough to putt on a windy day. For golfers worn down by doing battle with The Keep, the Cloudland hotel, which is part of the McLemore resort onsite, is one of the best in the Hilton portfolio.

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The Keep at McLemore Resort brings contemporary big-ballpark golf to a mountaintop setting

McLemore Club - The Keep

Rising Fawn, Georgia

Private

4.0

2

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Building a new course over an existing one is always a risky proposition. It's much more expensive than just a traditional renovation and you risk alienating the old-timers who have grown to love what's there. Bay Area Architect Jay Blasi did a masterful job making the 18-hole routing he created a completely new experience, one that's more walkable and playable. The third nine has transitioned into a hybrid, shorter course for beginners and families, which fits the ethos of the Northern California Golf Association that owns the facility. While there are a few locals who miss the old 27-hole routing, I think the majority of golfers love this modern version more. - JSD

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New era begins at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in northern California

Poppy Ridge Golf Course - 18-Hole

Livermore, California

Public

5.0

2

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Davis Love III had a very successful career as a professional golfer...but could he actually be a better golf course architect than a player? It's not a ridiculous question to pose anymore - he and his Love Golf Design firm, which involves his brother Mark and associate Scot Sherman, have quietly produced excellent work for decades. Their latest 18-hole design, at this impressive Florida Panhandle club, has big shoulders but also a sense of sophistication, with eclectic bunkering, classically-inspired green complexes and strategy-laden par 4s and, especially, par 5s that are fun to try and figure out.

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Davis Love III's design firm raises the bar for Florida Panhandle golf with The Third at Watersound Club

The Third Golf Course

Panama City Beach, Florida

Private

5.0

1

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I fully believe the 6,948-yard first course at Rodeo Dunes will rank among the top two courses on this list in 2026. I only got a taste of it earlier this year, playing 12 holes (nos. 1-4 and 12-18) and walking parts of the other six holes still growing in during a "First Look" preview. Honestly, I was blown away by Coore & Crenshaw's use of the dunes. It surpassed my expectations. I expect the full 18 will do the same when it's revealed. - JSD

First look at Rodeo Dunes, the new Dream Golf resort taking shape on Colorado's front range

The Coore & Crenshaw Course, the first of potentially six on site, will open to public play in 2027.

Windsong Song was already firmly established as one of Minnesota's finest private clubs, but the addition of the scenic and demanding North Course raises the bar even higher. Set across the street in a rural setting, the new North is 1,000 yards shorter (6,492 yards compared to 7,552) and set within a much smaller footprint (125 acres vs. 220) than its sister South Course. That doesn't matter ... it still packs a punch with so many wetlands and hazards in play. It's a peaceful walk. - JSD

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New North Course transforms Minnesota's Windsong Farm into an elite destination private club

Windsong Farm Golf Club - North Course

Maple Plain, Minnesota

Private

4.0

1

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The transition from 36 holes on the original Legacy Courses to 54 new holes by Minnesota legend Tom Lehman has taken years, but the end result was worth it. The signature Lehman 18 has grown in nicely since I first played it in 2022, but I personally find the Dutch 27 completed this year to be more fun. Memorable holes can be found on all three loops - the Red, Blue and White. Under new ownership, Cragun's is upgrading accommodations and investing to move up the pecking order among the Midwest's top golf resorts. - JSD

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A new chapter begins at Cragun's Resort in northern Minnesota

Cragun's Legacy Courses - Dutch 27- Red Nine

Brainerd, Minnesota

Resort

4.0

1

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This is another project that could have ranked higher if it were completely finished. When I visited in July, only nine holes of the spectacular new Ocean Course was completed. It will be paired with nine holes of the new Vineyard nine, which was still growing in this year, for an 18-hole experience for golfers next year. When both the Ocean Course and Vineyard Course are completed by 2027, Atlantic Canada will boast another impressive new 36-hole playground (in addition to Cabot Cape Breton). - JSD

Fox Harb'r set to become Canada's next hot golf destination

Canadian architects Thomas McBroom and Doug Carrick are leading a three-year transformation, turning 18 holes into the vastly improved and redesigned Ocean and Vineyard courses.

Jim Furyk has long been regarded as a thoughtful tactician, something of a throwback in golf's new era of power and flash. His first significant sortie into golf course design, Glynlea Country Club, reflects that reputation. Teaming up with longtime architect MIke Beebe, Furyk made more than 50 site visits at Glynlea, giving an unusually high amount of attention to a course within a master-planned community. It paid off in the form of 18 holes that are more on the subtle side visually, but are already engaging members and daily-fee players.

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Jim Furyk stakes out his territory in golf course design

Glynlea Country Club

Port Saint Lucie, Florida

Private

4.5

2

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While I only played nine holes of the ongoing redesign of the old 27-hole Braemar Country Club, it was enough to convince me that the impressive work of Lanny Wadkins and architect Kurt Bowman will elevate the status of the newly rebranded Mulholland Hills Country Club, which remains one of Invited's signature private clubs. - JSD

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L.A. Story: The transformation of Invited's Braemar Country Club into Mulholland Hills Country Club

We love that short course golf has returned to Williamsburg, a popular family destination where a faster, more affordable golf option makes a ton of sense. The addition of a wildly undulating practice putting green - which is free to use and doubles as a putting course - is something every golf resort should have. - Jason Scott Deegan

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A golf and history lesson in Virginia's Colonial Williamsburg

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The Shoe Course at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club

Williamsburg, Virginia

Resort

4.0

2

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