1. Prairie Dunes Country Club Course Review

Brilliantly said and done, as the Prairie Dunes opened with 9 holes in 1937 and later in 1957, Perrys son Press opened the 2nd 9 holes, contributing to this wonderful game for the generations to come. Over its long and fortuitous history, the Prairie Dunes hosted numerous major events, like the US Senior Open in 2006, Mens NCAA Golf Championship in 2014 or the US Womens Open in 2002, while it was consistently ranked high by prestigious golf magazines, i.e. number 25 in 2013-2014 Golfs Digests America 100 Greatest Courses, number 13th in 2014s edition of Golf Weeks Best Classic Courses or number 26th in the 2013 edition of Golf Magazines Top 100 Courses in the World, together with being ranked 1st in its home state, Kansas. Located in the middle of Kansas, this perennial top-25 design utilizes masterfully the natural sand dunes as perfect locations for providing dramatic tees and green sites and the best way to enjoy it is to take a stroll on Prairie Duness walkable routing and enjoy the show.

2. Quail Hollow Club Course Review

The story starts way back in 1961, when architect George Cobb delivered the golf course at Quail Hollow Club, using 257 acres of property which were previously pertaining to a local dairy farm, transforming it into a top-tier golf course. Arnold Palmer contributed to the overall design and layout of Quail Hollow Club in 1986, together with Ed Seay (in the same year) and lastly Tom Fazio worked his magic here in 1997. The golf course at Quail Hollow Club is widely regarded by many as one of the finest facilities in the South-Eastern United States and thats mostly due to George Cobbs genius, who managed to capture the beauty of the Piedmont region and to build a challenging yet incredibly attractive golf course that will put a smile on your face every time you play it.

3. Quail Valley Golf & River Club Course Review

Visiting the Quail Valley Golf & River Club will offer you the possibility of enjoying a great round of golf courtesy of its unique course, together with savoring the sprawling tennis, boating and swim facilities, making for a social and sporting experience line none other. One of the most interesting features of the golf course at Quail Valley Golf & River Club is represented by the man made elevation changes, together with the areas rolling terrain and lakes. The layout of the golf course features 7350 yards of golf from its longest tees and it can play completely different from one day to the next courtesy of the South Florida wind, which comes into play when you expect it the least. If there ever was an excellent risk vs reward golf course, this baby comes very close to perfection in this regard. If you hit awesome drives, youll be rewarded with easy second-shots in the greens and so on and so forth. Maybe the best feature of the Quail Valley Golf & River Club is that the golf course and other amenities are totally separate, i.e. the golf club is all about golf whilst the River Club, which is located eight miles away is everything about social interaction, making the Quail Valley Golf & River Club the best of both worlds.

4. Quaker Ridge Golf Club Course Review

The Quaker Ridge Golf Club is located basically in Hudson Valley, which is a rocky and hilly area, not very friendly for building a golf course, due to the plethora of obstacles that must be avoided by architects, the likes of an occasional awkward routing or a cardiac climb. But its the minute imperfections which make a golf course great and offer it personality and character. The Quaker Ridge Golf Club doesnt suffer much from such inadequacies, as it was designed way back in 1918 by a true master, A.W. Tillinghast respectively, making for a unimpeded and smooth walk in the park, built on an area steeped in history, boasting a strategic layout and a walking-only policy (caddies provided, of course). The Quaker Ridge Golf Club was ranked 69th as per Golf Digests 2013-2014 Top 100 Greatest Golf Courses in America and 10th in its home state (New York) and playing here, youll be amazed by the elevation changes which are present all around the course. If youre a fan of Golden Age golf courses, playing the Quaker Ridge Golf Club will make for a once in a life time experience.

5. Radrick Farms Course Review

Pete Dye developed the golf course on a beautiful piece of property in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the courses initial purpose was to serve for the faculty of the University of Michigan, though others can join (alumni etc). Also, the Radrick Farms job was Pete Dyes first 18 hole course, but its signature is evident everywhere from day one. The golf course is always kept in perfect condition and most of the members choose to walk it, as everything is built and designed for a no frills, just great classic golfing experience with a fast pace of play. The Radrick Farmss inception dates back to 1965, but Pete Dye and his wife Alice returned to the scene of the crime in the late 1980s and they improved some of the holes, in order to hold a few more approach shots. Bottom line, the Radrick Farms is what a golf course should be like in this writers opinion, i.e. no adjacent housing, all trees and turf and everything focused on the purest golfing experience possible.

6. Rancho Santa Fe Course Review

The architects philosophy was to design a great golf course which blends seamlessly with the natural contours of the property, with the holes winding up and down, crossing and then re-crossing a long barranca, with an almost maniacal attention to detail and everything focused on the purest golfing experience possible. Everything at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club was created as a great test of golf and visitors of every skill level will enjoy this playable golf course, which is both memorable and challenging, being a place like no other, as unique as they come. Also its worth noticing that Max Behrs philosophy when designing this true gem of a golf course was to use the natural terrain, the trees, hazards and also the bunkers for defending the green, as opposed to penalizing errors of skill. The architect was not a believer in using the rough, hence the layout has a sense of balance that can be perceived all around the golf course.

7. Reynolds Plantation (Great Waters) Course Review

Theres also a water-hazard which comes into play on six holes, while the back nine is a completely different story. The final eight holes play on Lake Oconee and theyre arguably some of the most photographed in the South East. As per the accolades, the golf course at Reynolds Plantation was host for the 41st PGA Professional National Championship (Great Waters that is) and it was also the showcase-event for PGA Professionals in June 2008. Between 1995 and 1997, the Reynolds Plantations Great Waters played the famous Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf, which is currently known as the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. The Great Waters golf course suffered a massive renovation job in 2009, having its bunkers and its greens restored to the sizes and shapes of the original specs, and the restoration preserved the integrity and playability of the original design, together with enhancing shot value. In 2012, further modernization and enhancements of the golf courses infrastructure took place, making the Reynolds Plantation (Great Waters) one of the most beautiful and challenging golf courses in the US.

8. Rich Harvest Farms Course Review

The golf course at Rich Harvest Farms Golf Club was built on a beautiful piece of real estate near Sugar Grove, Illinois, being located about fifty miles west of Chicago. This 18 hole championship-grade golf course stretches over 1800 acres of property and it features over 7700 yards of golf from its longest tees for a 72 par, requiring utmost precision with every shot. One of the courses signature holes is the famous 4th hole, nicknamed Devils Elbow, which features truly intimidating tree lined fairways and tee boxes, being one of the most difficult Ive ever encountered in golf. The layout of the course makes for a superb masterpiece of golf-design, being nothing short than a natural wonder which provides its visitors with a challenging and unique golfing experience, which celebrates the flow and ebb of the geography. This golf course has it all: mature trees, wetlands and Illinois prairie grasses, which all add to the overall experience and give charm to the entire property.

9. Ridgewood Country Club Course Review

The layout at the Ridgewood Country Club consists of 3 separate nine hole golf courses: Center, East and West and they all begin and end at the clubhouse. Theres also a Championship Course which is basically a composite of the most difficult holes from the 3 initial 9 hole golf courses. The Championship course was designed and developed for hosting the PGA Tour Barclays Tournaments. Truth be told, Tillinghast really did arguably his best work at Ridgewood Country Club, as each of the 3 nines will provide the golf player with a unique challenge which showcases the architects trademark-course features, such as the steep faced bunkers and the back to front sloping greens on the undulating terrain upon which the courses were built, to name just 2 (of the features I mean). If youre looking for a true gem, a golf classic, comfort, class and continuity, all these qualities are to be found at Ridgewood Country Club, a place that will make for an unforgettable experience regardless of your skill level.

10. River Oaks Country Club Course Review

The original design featured 6375 yards of golf from its longest tees, while the new/present day 6868 yard golf course, though pretty much changed from the initial design, still remains what it was intended to be at its inception, i.e. one of Americas best private layouts. The original design by Donald Ross was a classic parkland-course, the essential pre-war layout basically, with many doglegged holes that follow the natural contours of the terrain, ample use of bunkers, small greens and tree lined fairways. Playing the River Oaks Country Club will make use of all your clubs in the bag, as it will require accurate iron play, accurate/long tee shots, excellent short game and, of course, consistent putting. Joe Fingers touch renewed the greens and the fairways and also stretched the layout with some 400 yards, including balancing both 9s at par 36. The end result was pure evolution, as today the River Oaks Country Club plays better than ever before, being consistently ranked high by prestigious golf publications and its one of the finest in Texas.