GOLF staffers: we’re just like you!
Every year, one of our most enjoyable traditions is rehashing the courses we loved most and dreaming about the ones we’re most looking forward to playing once the calendar page turns.
With writers spread all over the country, this year’s wish list is a varied one, extending all the way across an ocean to the Old Course at St. Andrews for the chance to play the course under a very specific set of circumstances: in reverse!
There are two other courses, though, that received just a bit more hype than others. The newly-opened Pinehurst No. 10 is on the docket for both Josh Sens and James Colgan, while Bandon Dunes remains a popular must-play for both Nick Dimengo and Jack Hirsh.
Which other courses made our list this year? Check out each alluring pick below.
The 12 courses we can’t wait to play in 2024
The Park at West Palm Beach. Just about every year, I go on a father-son trip to Mets Spring Training in Port St. Lucie, Florida. We usually try to make it a perfect trifecta of baseball, fishing and golf. For this year’s trip, I’m already eyeing up a tee time at The Park. I love a good Muni, and early indications point to this being one of them. —Tim Reilly
Lots of stiff competition this coming year, with Citrus Farms in Florida and Sedge Valley in Wisconsin both coming online. For now, though, I think I have to put Pinehurst No. 10 atop my wish list. A Tom Doak design, in what is often called the ‘cradle’ of American golf, on what a few of my architecture-nerd friends tell me is the best land of any course in all of Pinehurst. That sounds pretty tough to beat. —Josh Sens
Warnimont Park Golf Course, in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Warnimont, a par-3 along Lake Michigan, is no joke, with more than half of its holes over 150 yards. And I like that challenge. But the reason it’s on my bucket list is more personal. It’s the only course I played with my grandpa, the man who bought me my first clubs and took me to my first courses — but couldn’t play anymore by the time I started. Except one Warnimont round. He’s gone now, but I still remember the day, the drive down there, the round. I’ll be back this summer. —Nick Piastowski
In my experience, World Top 100 Course Bethpage Black isn’t the most difficult tee time to get at The People’s Country Club. Every Bethpage-lover I’ve spoken to raves about the Red Course – it’s not overly difficult, it’s a fun and creative design, it could be a Top 100 Course in the U.S. if it was kept in better shape. It’s for all these reasons, I suppose, that I’ve never lucked into a coveted spot on the Red, instead settling for the Blue or suffering through the Black (yes it’s incredible, but the iconic sign is there for a reason!). Playing Bethpage Red, hopefully more than once, is my number one priority in 2024. —Connor Federico
As a native Long Islander, the bevvy of epic LI golf courses I’ve yet to play remains top of my list every year. But as an adopted Pinehurst resident (I don’t live there, just visit for large stretches of time each year), the new No. 10 is top of my “can’t wait to play.” Early word out of the North Carolina Sandhills is that Tom Doak worked his MAGIC on No. 10, which looks like a fitting closing argument to the absolute gems at Nos. 2 and 4. With the U.S. Open coming to No. 2 this year, I can’t think of a better time to visit. (And, in the meantime, I’m planning out my takeout order from Stubbs & Son.) —James Colgan
How you can play the Old Course in St. Andrews like never before
If I could be so lucky, the one course that I would look forward to playing more than anything would be the Old Course at St. Andrews, under the unique circumstances of playing it in reverse. There are only so many spots up for grabs next year and with my fingers crossed I’m hoping to be able to snag a coveted spot to enjoy this rare routing. —Ryan Barath
Bandon Dunes. I think it’s officially time to expand on some of the classic PNW courses. My all-time favorite is Chambers Bay (site of the 2015 U.S. Open), but everyone seems to proclaim Bandon Dunes as its main competitor. Both places are links-style courses with an abundance of unpredictable weather and wide open fairways, so I can’t wait to get down to Bandon to experience it for the first time. Let’s go low! —Nick Dimengo
Since my wish didn’t come true last year, I am reusing my course I can’t wait to play from 2023 this year too: In 2021, I was lucky enough to play in the Oregon State Amateur at Bandon Dunes. If I was going to pick one spot to play a state championship during my short time in the Beaver state, that was the place. There are five courses currently at the resort (all are in our Top 100 list) and soon-to-be three par-3 courses and the tournament was hosted at Bandon Trails. Unfortunately, given the tournament, the only other course besides Trails I got to play was the 13-hole par-3 course, Bandon Preserve (which is one of the best short courses in the world). Alas, I don’t currently have any plans to get back to the South Oregon coast, but getting back to play the other four tracks will be goal of mine every year until it happens. —Jack Hirsh
It’s criminal that Sand Valley’s just 200 miles from my home and I’ve yet to make the trip there, especially since it doesn’t involve a flight and is an easy drive. I know plenty of people who have visited, and they’ve rave about it. In 2024, I’m making it my goal to go explore myself. Can’t wait to report back my findings! —Josh Berhow
Earlier this month, Arizona opened its first fully-lit golf course: Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills. In July, Grass Clippings committed to overhauling, operating and expanding the existing property via a 30-year partnership with the City of Tempe. The course recently emerged from a four-month renovation, with loads of other enticing developments still to come in 2024. The par-54 routing includes holes that range from 90 to 200+ yards and will be open until 11 p.m. during the week and midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and includes. It’s a hugely welcome addition to the Phoenix golf scene, and I can’t wait to play. —Jessica Marksbury
Gamble Sands — a massive, wild expanse of a golf course in central Washington where you feel like you can hit a 300-yard drive and wander the Oregon Trail in the same round — rocks as it is. But now there’s a sequel coming. It’s on the same property. It’s also designed by David McLay-Kidd. The second course will be on a slightly tighter but arguably even more epic piece of land, winding through old corn fields and adjacent apple orchards and overlooking a dramatic S-curve of the massive Columbia River. I’m hoping for a look next summer… —Dylan Dethier
The Loop at Forest Dunes is a course I’ve had my eye on for the last several years. With a routing that can be played in both directions, it’s always intrigued me. I think 2024 will be the year I finally trek to northern Michigan to check it out. —Zephyr Melton