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Pro golf broke the distance barrier when the Castle Pines Golf Club, the exclusive Jack Nicklaus-designed course in the hills above Denver, hosted the 2024 BMW Championship. The course stretched to 8,130 yards, sporting an extra 650 yards since The International was last played in 2006.
Each of Castle Pines’ nines topped 4,000 yards, with the front nine eking out an extra 34 yards over the back - 4,082 to 4,048. However, both of Castle Pines 500-yard par 4s are on the back. Interestingly, the course’s longest par 4, the 545-yard 10th, plays 13 yards longer than the 532-yard par 5 17th. But the latter hole plays significantly uphill, hence the par/yardage quirk.
Despite its gaudy scorecard length, Castle Pines played shorter than many of the courses the PGA Tour this year. That’s because the course sits at an elevation of more than 6,000 feet. The thin air at that altitude adds roughly an extra 9-12% of distance on how far the ball flies on most full shots.
With its new-found length, Castle Pines cracked list of the top 10 longest golf courses in the United States. Even though the longtime-longest track, the 8,325-yard Pines Course at The International Golf Club outside of Boston, has given up its crown in the wake of a redesign by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, it lost that distinction in 2022 to RainDance National, a brand-new golf course in, you guessed it, Colorado. Tiger Woods is designing the Marcella Club, an 8,000-yard private course set to debut in 2025 in Park City, Utah.
It might be a good time to invest in golf cart tire makers. Here are the 10 longest golf courses in the United States:
What is the world's longest golf course?
America isn't the only place with courses longer than 8,000 yards. South Africa boasts two of the world's longest courses - Blair Atholl (7,523 meters equals roughly 8,227 yards) and the Signature Course at Legend Golf and Safari (7,748 meters equals roughly 8,473 yards). The world's longest golf course, though, resides in China, where Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stretches to 8,548 yards.
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RainDance National - 8,463 yards
Designed by Harrison Minchew and Fred Funk about 45 minutes north of Denver at an elevation of 5,000 feet, RainDance National made splashy headlines in 2022 when golfers heard it would open as America's longest course.
What's the longest golf course you've ever played? Let us know in the comments below.
2 Min Read![TPC Colorado 13]()
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The Links Golf Club - 8,291 yards
![Links GC]()
When The Links Golf Club opened up a new set of back tees in June 2024 - read about it here - the course bumped Antler Creek, a Rick Phelps design in Montana that debuted in 2004, out of our original top 10.
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Ross Bridge - 8,191 yards
![Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge: #8]()
Ross Bridge, a former host of a PGA TOUR Champions event, underwent an extensive greens renovations that wrapped up in fall 2023, ensuring fantastic conditions moving forward.
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Eagle Nest - 8,168 yards
Gene Ham designed Eagle Nest in 1971, but the extra-long tees were added more recently to catch people's attention. An August 2024 review from 'NJUGUSH' calls it a "Great Course", adding it's a "Long course. Great layout. Greens are perfect. I would recommended it."
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Castle Pines - 8,130 yards
![Castle Pines GC]()
The International, held from 1986-2006, previously used the Stableford scoring system, but Castle Pines held up very well in stroke play with BMW winner Keegan Bradley finishing at 12-under-par. Considering the large crowds that attended and the beautiful mountain scenery, it's safe to assume that Castle Pines will be hosting the pros again in the near future.
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French Lick Resort - Pete Dye Course - 8,102 yards
![French Lick Pete Dye Course at Dusk]()
Leave it to Pete Dye to stretch one of his designs to an unholy length, while also adding volcano bunkers to bully golfers.
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Promontory Club - Painted Valley Course - 8,098 yards
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Painted Valley, a Jack Nicklaus design from 2007, takes a back seat to the more heralded Dye Canyon Course at the exclusive Promontory Club.
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Shoals Golf Club - Fighting Joe Course - 8,092 yards
![Shoals GC - Fighting Joe: #17]()
Muscle Shoals, AlabamaPublicOne of two Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses on this list, Fighting Joe forces golfers to tighten their laces and swing for the fences.
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Prairie Club - Dunes Course - 8,073 yards
![The Prairie Club - Dunes: #4]()
Valentine, NebraskaSemi-Private/ResortArguably Tom Lehman's best design, the Dunes Course features humongous fairways and blowout bunkers perfect for the windswept prairelands of northern Nebraska.
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Dragonfly Golf Club - 8,073 yards
The experience playing Dragonfly in central California gets mostly good ratings on GolfPass. Reviewer 'caddifrz' noted in April 2024: "Great Course. This place is worth the price every time !! Love the pace of play and the course is in great condition. However there is one bad thing i do have to mention ,some areas are overwatered and get muddy."
Comments (1)
How does this affect a golfers handicap?