Gothenburg, Neb.
6,805 yards, par 72; Greens fee: $36.75 and up; 308-537-7700
playwildhorse.com | GOLFCOURSE.com Profile
South-central Nebraska is a long way from anywhere, but it's worth the trail ride to get to Wild Horse. This "Carnoustie of the Corn Belt" tumbles through windswept, treeless terrain, where half the battle is keeping the ball from trundling into links-like bunkers and tall native grasses. So complete is the test offered that Wild Horse has been described as the public version of nearby Sand Hills. That comes as no surprise: course architects Dave Proctor and Dave Axland were instrumental in helping Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw create that celebrated course. 2. Rustic Canyon Golf Course
Moorpark, Calif.
6,935 yards, par 72; Greens fee: $35 and up; 805-530-0221,
rusticcanyongolfcourse.com | GOLFCOURSE.com Profile
Less than an hour's drive from downtown Los Angeles, Rustic Canyon uses Old World design challenges to achieve golf's most delicate balance: testing top-level players while providing a hugely enjoyable experience that reminds less-skilled why they play the game. The design team of Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and Geoff Shackelford deployed heaving fairways that lead to firm, fast greens, all protected by bold and imaginative bunkering. Washes and environmentally protected areas crisscross the routing, but most holes are wide enough to accommodate multiple means of approach. The only variables in a round here are your levels of skill and hubris: Rustic Canyon will let you thrive or perish on either one.
3. Old Works Golf Course
Anaconda, Mont.
7,705 yards, par 72; Greens fee: $39 and up; 406-563-5989,
oldworks.org | GOLFCOURSE.com Profile
Whenever your tree-loving kids tell you that golf is bad for the environment, tell 'em about Old Works. Thirty miles west of Butte, Jack Nicklaus capped a Federal EPA Superfund site and built a typically strong test of golf atop it. The most memorable feature is the black slag bunkers; the slag is from an old copper smelting plant, the remnants of which forms a unique backdrop to many holes.
4. Lakewood Shores Resort (Gailes Course)
Oscoda, Mich.
6,954 yards, par 72; Greens fee: $45 and up; 989-739-2075,
lakewoodshores.com | GOLFCOURSE.com Profile
Just like Wild Horse, Lakewood Shores in remote northeast Michigan is another faux links that scores high in the value department. It's all about the gales at the Gailes: the premium is on controlling your trajectory in the wind off gusts off Lake Huron. Master that and the only challenge is avoiding the deep (and often blind) bunkers and wispy fescue grasses that line the rippling fairways.
5. The Links at Hiawatha Landing
Apalachin, N.Y.
7,150 yards, par 72; Greens fee: $38.75 and up; 607-687-6952,
hiawathalinks.com | GOLFCOURSE.com Profile
Hiawatha Landing has way too many trees to be confused with a links, but the gorgeous golden fescues that frame the fairways are as attractive as anything across the pond. Located about three hours northwest of New York City, just west of Binghamton, this Brian Silva/Mark Mungeam design is highlighted by jagged edge bunkers that melt into the landscape.
6. Gold Mountain Golf Complex (Olympic Course)
Bremerton, Wash.
7,140 yards, par 72; Greens fee: $38 and up; 360-415-5432,
goldmt.com | GOLFCOURSE.com Profile
This 10-year-old gem from designer John Harbottle III is a ray of sunshine for golfers in the perpetually rainy Pacific Northwest. Sitting just across Puget Sound, west of Seattle, the Olympic Course is routed through avenues of tall firs and was a deserving host of the 2006 USGA Amateur Public Links.
