Big Cedar Lodge Mountain Top, Ozarks National & Payne's Valley Courses

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...