MAJOR COURSES YOU CAN ACTUALLY PLAY Championship Venues You and Your Boys Can Battle On

Like seasons, the world’s best golfers get four opportunities every year to etch their names among golf’s legends. With all due respect to the fine people at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana; the club will forever be known as the place where John Daly won the 1991 PGA Championship. And sadly, Trump Turnberry in Scotland is a reminder of the 2009 Open Championship. It was there that Tom Watson three-putted the final hole for a bogey, which put him in a playoff with Stewart Cink that he lost. Watson was 59 at the time; he had the chance to win his sixth Claret Jug and become the oldest major champion in history…no dice.

To walk in Daly’s footsteps will require some help of a member as Crooked Stick is a private club. However, Trump Turnberry is a resort and for around $250 per person, per night, you can stay and play where Stewart Cink broke the hearts of the golfing world.

Here are some other major championship venues you and your buddies can host your own major championship.


Erin Hills Golf Course, Erin, Wisconsin; 2017 U.S. Open Championship
There are no trees at Erin Hills, however there is fescue tall enough to hide a Volkswagen. This is the first major championship to be played in Wisconsin (the cheese curds and Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy will be flowing). And can you believe Steve Stricker, a Wisconsin legend, had to fight and claw to get in the field?

Want a piece of Erin Hills? Here’s the damage, October 9 to October 28, play one round for $280, pay to spend the night at Erin Hills, and play the next day’s round for $180. Do the math, that’s a massive savings of $100. The moral to the story is that everyone in the world will want to play Erin Hills this year, which explains why the only perks they’re offering is a $100 off in the unpredictable weather month of October.


Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California; Six-Time Major Championship Host 
At the top of most people’s bucket list is “Pebble.” In 2000, Tiger Woods won his first U.S. Open by an insane 15 shots. Tiger could’ve made a 15 on the final hole and would have won by five shots. So many incredible moments have happened there, including the most amazing wedding proposal ever by John O’Hurley, which we wrote about earlier this year.

While slamming bottles of vino from Napa, stay at the Lodge at Pebble Beach, Inn at Spanish Bay or Casa Palmero. And as expected, Pebble is one of the most desired golf courses in the world and it’s one of the most expensive—the green fee is $525.


South Course at Torrey Pines, La Jolla, California; 2008 U.S. Open Championship
The golf courses at Torrey Pines are owned by the City of San Diego and operated by the San Diego Park & Recreation Department. Torrey Pines has 36 holes and is on a short list of best municipal golf courses in the country. Both tracks were designed by William F. Bell and the South Course was redesigned by Rees Jones in 2001. It’s an annual stop on the PGA Tour, but in 2008 it famously hosted the U.S. Open. No one knew it, but that was the last time Tiger Woods would win a major tournament. The green fee on the South is about $250 or stay three nights at the Lodge and play for free, rates start at $445 per night.


Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, South Carolina and Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst, North Carolina; PGA Championships and U.S. Opens
If you’re chasing majors, head for the Carolinas. These two legendary golf resorts are just a four-hour drive apart. Kiawah Island sits along the Atlantic Ocean near Charleston and is one of the great golf resorts anywhere in the world. It hosted the Ryder Cup in 1991 and Rory McIlroy won the PGA Championship there in 2012. Stay and play packages start at around $350 per person, per night.

To the north is another iconic resort, Pinehurst Resort. The resort has nine golf courses and its No. 2 Course designed by Donald Ross has hosted three U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship. In 1991, Payne Stewart made a 15-foot par saving putt to win the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Tragically, he died 127 days later in a plane crash. A statue of Payne sits behind the 18th green. Stay and play packages at Pinehurst start at around $400 per person, per night. Oh yeah, there’s an extra charge to play the U.S. Open No. 2.

Inevitably, when you finally make it to these golf courses, you will leave with your tail between your legs. Your level of respect for PGA Tour players will increase because more than likely, these courses will beat you like a drum. Good luck! 

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