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Analyzing the data from 275,000 reviews of golf courses can feel overwhelming.
It's a task that consumes the GolfPass team every December and January, when we compile our annual Golfers' Choice lists. It's a heavy lift to get everything organized, but we feel like the effort is worth it to enrich the lives of golfers everywhere.
Golfers' Choice 2025 was revealed January 15th with the first of what will be more than 70 different lists this year. Being honored among the Top 50 Public Golf Courses in the United States is the pinnacle, although making the top 25 of any of our other subcategory lists should be celebrated accordingly. Any public facility that ranks highly for its pace of play, staff friendliness, conditions, layout or value should immediately be included in your must-play list.
Looking for trends is what makes diving into a year's worth of golf reviews so fascinating. I've always contended that Golfers' Choice is as much a buyer's guide as it is a best-of ranking. Obviously, there are some premier courses that get left off of Golfers' Choice because they don't hit the minimum benchmark of 10 reviews to qualify.
The ones that do qualify, though, are there because of one reason: they over-deliver on the golf experience compared to what golfers pay. How else do you explain a $50 course ranking higher than one that costs $250? That $50 course is getting five stars from customers because their round was so enjoyable that it felt like it was worth more. The $250 course is getting five stars because all of the extras courses of that caliber offer - the amenities, high-end service, lush conditions, etc. - are worth the spend. As with everything else in life, it all comes back to money.
We picked up on several golfer sentiments that should inform your golf course selections - both near home and on trips - this year. Here are some of the most interesting nuggets of information we can glean from Golfers' Choice 2025. Consider these some solid golf travel tips, courtesy of your fellow golfers:
Golf course green fees matter more than ever
Rates are rising everywhere. That has golfers becoming more conscious about how much they play or where they play, and often more critical after their rounds. No course ranking tool unearths more value golf courses than Golfers' Choice. A dozen golf courses with green fees between $50 and $70 made our Top 50 list. That tells me everyday golfers regard the value proposition of the golf experience just as highly, if not higher, than other characteristics like a good layout or a big fancy clubhouse.
Golf in South Carolina's Lowcountry made a big comeback in 2024
Three different courses from the Palmetto State's Lowcountry region made our 'Most Improved' list: Rose Hill Golf Club (no. 24), Crescent Pointe (no. 20) and the Golf Club at Hilton Head Lakes (no. 8), and Long Bay Club (no. 25) is not far away. Why is that? I can only speculate that the weather was more cooperative than usual, allowing superintendents the proper mix of sunshine, rain and mild winter temperatures to dial in the best conditions possible. Or maybe intense local competition forced each facility to step up their games. Let's hope that trend continues and these courses continue to make the upgrades needed to thrive in a competitive market.
Splurging in the California desert is worth it in the winter
Time and again, I see courses with high green fees struggle in Golfers' Choice rankings because if something goes wrong - the service, the conditions - the facility will get dinged severely in reviews. That rarely seems to be the case in California's Coachella Valley, though. Golfers continue to give its top courses high marks, despite the expensive winter green fees. The Classic Club in Palm Desert (no. 17), the Celebrity Course at Indian Wells Golf Resort (no. 48) and Shadow Ridge (no. 50) all made the Top 50 this year.
I have two philosophies on this. First, golfers in California are used to paying a premium for good golf, so a $200 round doesn't faze them. Second, snowbirds visiting from Canada, the Pacific Northwest and Midwest are so happy to be playing golf in the sun, they're willing to pay anything (and let minimal imperfections or service glitches slide) to escape the winter blues of back home. That gratitude comes across in the reviews they leave.
Get to the Omni Bedford Springs Resort right now
If you're a lover of history and classic architecture - both on the golf course and off - it's time to put the Omni Bedford Springs onto your bucket list. The golf course at a historic Pennsylvania resort dominated in Golfers' Choice like none ever has, finishing in first place in four subcategories - Layout, Course Conditions, Pace of Play and Staff Friendliness. If I was picking a dream course, I'd want to play somewhere with a dynamite layout in mint condition where I could play quickly and be spoiled by a friendly staff. The Omni Bedford Springs did all those things in 2024, finishing second overall in the Top 50. It's hard to get to in rural Pennsylvania, but easy to love. I visited in 2016. Time to get back there.
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