The 50 best golf courses in the West, according to GOLF Magazine’s expert raters
Bandon Dunes ranks 11th among GOLF's Top 50 Courses in the West.
Evan Schiller
GOLF Magazine recently unveiled its 2022-23 ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S. But why stop there? To better illuminate the scope of epic golf around the nation, we’ve broken the country into four regions and ranked the top 50 in each. The takeaway: whatever part of the U.S. you call home, you don’t lack for world-class options. Below, you’ll find the top 50 courses in the West.
Other regional rankings: Top 50 in the Northeast | Top 50 in the Southeast | Top 50 in the Midwest
The famous proclamation “Go West” didn’t apply to golf, but these days it’s an apt directive for any golfer with a nose for design. The western side of the United States is teeming with incredible courses, ranging from the glitzy all-stars on the Monterey Peninsula, in California, to the wealth of linksy fun awaiting at Bandon Dunes, in southern Oregon, to a dizzying array of options in Hawaii (lush), Arizona (desert) and Colorado (mountainous). Go West, indeed…
The 50 best golf courses in the West
1. Cypress Point — Pebble Beach, Calif. (Alister MacKenzie, 1928)
2. Los Angeles (North) — Los Angeles, Calif. (George C. Thomas Jr., 1921)
3. Pebble Beach — Pebble Beach, Calif. (Jack Neville/Douglas Grant, 1919)
4. Riviera — Pacific Palisades, Calif. (George C. Thomas Jr./Billy Bell Sr., 1926)
5. Pacific Dunes — Bandon, Ore. (Tom Doak, 2001)
6. San Francisco — San Francisco, Calif. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1918)
7. California Club of San Francisco — South San Francisco, Calif. (A.V. Macan, 1926/Alister MacKenzie, 1928/Kyle Phillips, 2007)
8. Ballyneal — Holyoke, Colo. (Tom Doak, 2006)
9. Bandon Trails — Bandon, Ore. (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2005)
10. Rock Creek Cattle Company — Deer Lodge, Mont (Tom Doak, 2008)
11. Bandon Dunes — Bandon, Ore. (David McLay Kidd, 1999)
12. Valley Club of Montecito — Montecito, Calif. (Alister MacKenzie/Robert Hunter, 1929)
13. Pasatiempo — Santa Cruz, Calif. (Alister MacKenzie, 1929)
14. Olympic Club (Lake Course) — Daly City, Calif. (Sam Whiting, 1924)
15. Monterey Peninsula (Shore Course) — Pebble Beach, Calif. (Bob Baldock, 1962/Mike Strantz, 2004)
16. Bel-Air — Los Angeles, Calif. (George C. Thomas Jr./William F. Bell, 1926)
17. Gozzer Ranch — Harrison, Idaho (Tom Fazio, 2007)
18. Shadow Creek — Las Vegas, Nev. (Tom Fazio, 1990)
19. Old Macdonald — Bandon, Ore. (Dom Doak/Jim Urbina, 2010)
20. Monterey Peninsula (Dunes) — Pebble Beach, Calif. (Seth Raynor, 1924/Tom Fazio/Jackson Kahn, 2015)
21. Gamble Sands — Brewster, Wash. (David McLay Kidd, 2014)
22. Cherry Hills — Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (William Flynn, 1923)
23. Nanea — Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (David McLay Kidd, 2003)
24. Sheep Ranch — Bandon, Ore. (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2020)
25. Colorado Golf Club — Parker, Colo.
26. Scottsdale National (The Other Course) — Scottsdale, Ariz.
27. Chambers Bay — University Place, Wash.
28. Spyglass Hill — Pebble Beach, Calif.
29. Forest Highlands (Canyon Course) — Flagstaff, Ariz.
30. Desert Forest — Carefree, Ariz.
31. Meadow Club — Fairfax, Calif.
32. Silvies Valley Ranch (Craddock/Hankins Reversible) — Seneca, Ore.
33. Kapalua (Plantation Course) — Lahaina, Hawaii
34. Reserve at Moonlight Basin — Cameron, Mont.
35. Estancia — Scottsdale, Ariz.
36. Wilderness Club — Eureka, Mont.
37. Sand Hollow — Hurricane, Utah
38. Eugene Golf Club — Eugene, Ore.
39. Wilshire Golf Club — Los Angeles, Calif.
40. Rustic Canyon — Moorpark, Calif.
41. Waverley — Portland, Ore.
42. Clear Creek — Carson City, Nev.
43. Entrada — St. George, Utah
44. Mauna Kea — Waimea, Hawaii
45. Stone Eagle — Palm Desert, Calif.
46. Castle Pines — Castle Rock, Colo.
47. Diablo — Diablo, Calif.
48. Hokulia — Kealakekua, Hawaii
49. We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro) — Fort McDowell, Ariz.
50. Challenge at Manele Bay — Lanai City, Hawaii
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