Sea Island

Spring is the best time of year to plan a golf trip in the United States. Temperatures across the Sun Belt sit in the 70s and low 80s, courses are in peak condition after winter overseeding programs, and green fees at many resort destinations drop below their winter-season highs. The window between mid-March and late May offers the strongest combination of weather, course quality, and value anywhere in the country. Here are 10 regions worth targeting for your next spring golf trip, along with specific courses to put on your list. Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona The Sonoran Desert is at its best in spring. Daytime highs in March and April average 80 to 85 degrees in Scottsdale, and rainfall is almost nonexistent. The desert wildflowers bloom across the hillsides, and the courses are green from winter overseeding. Scottsdale has one of the highest concentrations of quality public golf in the country. Troon North Golf Club in north Scottsdale plays 7,070 yards through boulder-strewn desert terrain. We-Ko-Pa Golf Club on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation east of town offers two courses with unobstructed desert and mountain views, since tribal land restrictions prevent any residential development along the fairways. Quintero Golf Club...

The United States has more than 14,000 golf courses open to the public, spread across deserts, coastlines, mountains, prairies, and everything in between. Choosing just one standout public course per state is a difficult exercise, but it forces a useful question: if you had a single round to play in each state, where would you go? The 50 courses below are all accessible without a private membership. Some are resort courses with green fees north of $200, while others are municipal gems where a round costs less than dinner. All of them reward the trip. Northeast The northeastern states pack a lot of golf history and terrain variety into a small geographic footprint. Coastal links, mountain resort courses, and classic parkland layouts built by Donald Ross and A.W. Tillinghast are all within a few hours’ drive of each other. Connecticut: Keney Park Golf Course – This 1927 Jack Ross design in Hartford has been called one of the best municipal courses in New England. The layout runs through mature hardwoods with firm, undulating greens that reward careful approach play. Green fees stay affordable, making it a genuine public treasure. Delaware: Baywood Greens – An 18-hole championship course in Long Neck...