“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complex,” Arnold Palmer said. It is also wonderfully varied, played in an astounding diversity of settings for different purposes and stakes by people ranging widely in ability and age. The near boundless forms it takes is part of the game’s beauty, along with the multitude of memories it makes — the scenery and shots and social interactions that etch themselves into our lives.
It is, ultimately, our search for those moments that inspires most of us to whack a dimpled ball around, no matter how well or frequently we do it. Where and when we find those moments is another matter. Some can be planned — a dream trip, for instance, to a distant destination — while others simply happen, as if by magic, like a tee shot landing in the cup. But all of them capture the essence of the game. They are, literally, essential golf experiences. Here are 50 everyone should have.
Playing the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass
Water, water everywhere, ringing an expansive island green that suddenly looks no larger than a pinhead. You’ve watched the world’s best soar and stumble on Pete Dye’s diabolical stage. Now it’s your turn to attempt a shot that would qualify as simple in many other settings. In a game that draws hard lines between success and failure, no hole makes the distinction clearer. Pressure’s on. But keep things in perspective. The result will become a lifelong memory, whether you find dry land or drop one in the drink.
Taking the limo ride to Shadow Creek
If the essence of Las Vegas is escapism, then this is the city’s spirit distilled: luxe, tinted-window transport that comes with your round at this extravagant oasis a few miles from the Strip. It’s a high roller’s fantasy sprung to life.
Getting beat by your kid for the first time
A major milestone for your child, this is also proof of your success as a parent. You got them into golf, and they like it. Even more important, they still like you enough to join you for a round.
Spending a Saturday in the grandstands around the 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open
A day that begins with the “Running of the Bros” — a stampede of spectators in search of seats — gives way to hours of revelry in the game’s loudest arena, where bad shots are booed, beers become projectiles and potbellied Tour pros have been known to strip their shirts off after putting out. Insane and unsustainable? Absolutely. It’s also unforgettable and only once a year.
Hitting an approach on the 8th hole at Pebble Beach
For pure exhilaration, this Evel Knievel carry is pretty much unmatched, across an ocean inlet on a hole Jack Nicklaus called the greatest par 4 in the world. Though the consequences count only toward your score, the daredevil adrenaline rush makes you feel like it is do or die.
Playing in a pro-am
Not all Tour pro personalities are created equal, but the most engaging guys and gals will treat you as a playing partner, helping with yardages and reads while sharing behind-the-scenes stories that they might not offer for TV or print. Technically, this is work for them. For you, it’s just outrageous fun.
Playing in the Bandon Dunes solstice event
The longest day of the year goes by in a flash when you take part in this marathon on Bandon’s rota of Top 100 courses. As if landing a spot weren’t privilege enough (they sell out fast), you also get the perks of a Bandon policy: The second round is half price, the third is free, and if you make it through a fourth, the head pro hands you a $100 bill as you complete your 72nd hole.
Planning a blowout buddies’ trip
The next best thing to the getaway itself is getting ready for it. Not just nailing down the details of tee times, lodging, meals and matches but dialing up the banter, which can swing from playful smack talk to excited chatter about what lies ahead.
Walking the Old Course on a Sunday
“The golf course needs a rest even if the golfers don’t,” Old Tom Morris is said to have proclaimed. In keeping with tradition, the famed links he maintained still closes once a week and a charming alternative comes into play, as the grounds give way to picnickers, pooches and locals on lazy seaside strolls.
Attending the Masters
No running. No cell phones. And no way to prepare for the jaw-dropping grandeur of the grounds or the gravity of the tournament itself when you finally — finally — absorb it in person after so many years watching on TV.
Playing under the midnight sun at Lofoten Links
In the winter, the Northern Lights dance in the night sky above the only Top 100 course in the Arctic Circle. Come summer, though, the star is the sun, which doesn’t fully set for nearly two months, allowing round-the-clock golf in a magical setting where you never want the day to end.
Replicating Tiger Woods’ U.S. Open putt at Torrey Pines
“Expect anything different?!” We wouldn’t. We’d be disappointed, in fact, if you played the South Course at Torrey on a day when the cup was cut front-right on the 18th and you didn’t try to reproduce the cold- blooded roll that inspired Dan Hicks’ famous call.
Taking a goat caddie at Silvies Valley Ranch
They’re really terrible with yardages, helpless with a good golf joke and especially baaa-d at reading greens, but character goes a long way in a caddie. And the cloven-hoofed loopers at Silvies Valley Ranch in Seneca, Ore., are as colorful as any in the trade.
Cruising 17-Mile Drive in a convertible
Multimillion-dollar homes, multi-zillion-dollar views. On its winding loop around the priciest zip code on the Monterey peninsula, the most famous road in golf that anyone can drive (the gate fee is $11.25) serves up stunning coastal scenery while curling past lifestyles- of-the-rich-and-famous compounds and a constellation of Top 100 courses. It’s the ultimate excuse to ride in top-down style.
Shooting your age
Congratulations. You are either unusually good at golf or have lived an unusually long life. Maybe both.
Sleeping in the parking lot to snag an early tee time at Torrey Pines or Bethpage Black
Some might see this as a symptom of a strange disease. We regard it as a sign of your passion and commitment. Besides, even if it is a sickness, do you really want the cure?
Going back to the course where you learned the game as a kid
Remember the days when you played the game care free, swinging to a full and fearless finish, with no phone in your pocket, no job to get back to and no concern other than finding your ball and hitting it again. You can’t reclaim your youth, but you can bring those feelings back by returning to the place where it all began.
Splurging on a once-in-a-life trip
A weekend at the Lodge at Pebble Beach. An escape to Kauri Cliffs in New Zealand. An extended stay at Kohler’s American Club. The Australian Sandbelt? Why not? There are some things money can’t buy, but a blowout trip worth saving for isn’t one of them.
Playing a round in the bad weather
“Nigh wind, nigh golf.” That old refrain is not a call for masochism; it’s merely a reminder that golf was never meant to be played in a dome. At least once in your life, make like the priest from Caddyshack and embrace the elements. Just turn in before the lightning strikes.
Reliving Payne Stewart’s U.S. Open-winning putt
If we’re being literal, a lot has to go right for this to happen on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2. The cup must be cut in the back- right and your flatstick must be working for that uphill 15-footer. No matter what, though, you can always re-create Stewart’s thrust-fist celebration by mimicking the statue of the great champ that overlooks the course.
Following your favorite player during a U.S. Open practice round
Before the pressure ramps up and large crowds arrive, the world’s best put in hours of preparation, battle-planning their way around the course in rounds that double as unhurried entertainment. Walk alongside and enjoy the show.
Spending time watching Tour pros hit balls on the range
You’ll gawk at the astonishing ball striking, but pay close attention and you’ll also get a lesson in productive practice, which isn’t so much about blasting shots as it is about all the tinkering in between.
Attending a Ryder Cup
The crowds, the noise, the costumes and the crazy fight songs competing with chants of “USA, USA!” generate an atmosphere unlike any in the game. Traditionalists will tell you that the Ryder Cup revolves around sportsmanship, not spectacle, and that it’s really meant to be a friendly exhibition. Right.
Attending a Solheim Cup
Same as above, starring players who deserve more attention than they get.
Playing a solo, walking round on your home course
Golf can be both social and competitive, but hours spent in solitude with it are sublime. No banter. No distractions. Just you and the course and the beauty of the game most of us play against ourselves.
Being the first one out
Dew sweeper. Pacesetter. By any name, you’re in a dream position, playing in the dappled early-morning light, with the course open before you, ripe with possibility, like the game itself.
Being the last one in
“Chasing daylight” is another term for this, a poetic phrase that hints at the allure of hustling to squeeze in one more hole, squinting to follow one last shot and hearing the rattle of your final putt as it drops when it’s pretty much too dark to see.
Watching your kid get an autograph from a major champ
Autographs are the inverse of alcoholic drinks — it’s sweet to see a youngster get their hands on one. And even sweeter when that youngster is your own.
Implementing a magic swing tip from a friend
Someone told you to flare your front foot or tuck your elbow while sucking in your gut. And whaddya know? It worked. Just like that, you could swear you’ve got the fundamentals mastered and that you’ll never miss a shot again. Of course, that’s false. But it sure feels great for now.
Taking a legit lesson — and it worked!
That fantastic, fleeting feeling you got from a good swing tip? This time, it’s more lasting. Better still, you’ve found a trusted guru you can go to again.
Hitting a shot exactly as you envisioned it
For some golfers this is common; for others it occurs at the cadence of a solar eclipse. Regardless of how frequent, the feeling is transcendent. And addictive. It gets you hooked and keeps you coming back for more.
Walking a match inside the ropes at the U.S. Amateur
Long before the age of multimillion-dollar purses, the most prestigious golf wasn’t played for money. This elite event carries on in that pure spirit, with a setup that allows for up-close viewing of soaring talents, some of whom are bound to earn their living in the game.
Squeezing in nine holes before work
In the search for work-life balance, this is the sweet spot, giving you the sense that you’ve gotten away with something even as there’s nothing to feel guilty about.
Playing at golden hour anywhere
The air is still, the shadows long and every wrinkle of the course stands out in sharp relief. The gauzy lighting is fit for a Hollywood film. Or a viral post on Instagram.
Getting fit for new clubs
Playing the right equipment might not put you on the PGA Tour, but it is the fastest, surest path to improvement without having to change your swing.
Playing with a crusty caddie across the pond
Of all the archetypes in the game, few cut a clearer profile than the grizzled Scottish looper, with the ruddy face and the stoic mien of someone who’s done and seen it all. He’ll keep up and mostly shut up while steering you expertly around the course, but when he speaks it’s apt to be a pearl of wisdom or a dry wisecrack that you haven’t heard before.
Playing with a caddie in Asia
Predominantly women, most loopers on this golf-crazed continent go about their work with unbridled exuberance, celebrating good shots (and giggling harmlessly at bad ones). Their comportment is a refreshing counterpoint to laconic caddie culture elsewhere in the world — and an endearing demonstration of how much they care.
Hitting a tee shot on the Extreme 19th
A literal high point for any golfer is to strike a tee shot on a par 3 with more elevation change than any in the world. This requires a trip to Legend Signature Golf Course in South Africa, where the 19th hole, accessible only by helicopter, plays from the top of Hanglip Mountain to a green shaped like the African continent, some 1,200 feet below.
Waiting to hit your opening shot on the Old Course at St. Andrews
“Jitters” doesn’t quite do justice to the nervy mix of anticipation and trepidation that fills you when the starter calls you to the tee for a moment of such magnitude in your mind that a fairway as wide as a football field somehow seems very easy to miss.
Achieving a scoring goal for the first time
Breaking 90. Breaking 80. Getting down to scratch. It’s been said that golf’s a journey, not a destination, but we all have places in the game we’d like to get to. The beauty is that the target varies from player to player, which means that it’s available to everyone.
The Top 100 Courses You Can Play, ranked from most expensive to least
Playing a round with hickory clubs
Is it the arrow or the archer? One way to find out is by trying to catch the tiny sweet spot on clubs that were bleeding-edge for Bobby Jones. It’s a raw examination that’s bound to give you renewed appreciation for what it took to play the game back then. Whether you wear knickers is up to you.
Enjoying the jacket-and-tie lunch at Muirfield
When you sit down for the most indulgent midday meal in golf, having just played 18 on one of the finest links in the world, you might never want to get up, given the quantity and quality of the food and whisky but also considering the decor, which includes the original Rules of Golf and some of the oldest trophies in the game. But get up you should, because custom calls for an afternoon 18, played boozily and breezily as alternate shot.
Reaching a par 5 in two or a par 4 in one
Routine for Tour pros, setting up a putt for eagle is a gaudy achievement for the rest of us, and the thrill that comes with it is worth any ego-blow that you might suffer by moving up to tees where you might have a chance.
Pegging it amid the livestock at Pennard and Southerndown
Cows grazing by the clubhouse, sheep roaming in the fairways. Common ground courses, like this great one-two punch in Wales, connect us to the game as it was played at its inception by 15th-century shepherds. They also put things in perspective. Golf goes back a ways, but the livestock were here first.
Playing barefoot
Sam Snead employed this practice to improve his balance, but the upsides aren’t limited to mechanics. Peel off your shoes before you ply the fairways and you’ll benefit from the primal, grounding sensation that comes from feeling earth beneath your feet.
Playing night golf in Dubai
When daytime temperatures are in the triple digits, just wait until the sun goes down and the lights come on, casting the course in an otherworldly glow. That’s what they do in Dubai, the world capital of night golf, a cool form of the game in more ways than one.
Driving the Cabot Trail from one great course to the next
John Cabot, the 15th-century, Italian-born explorer, enjoyed plenty of adventure, but he never got to drive the road that bears his name, a 185-mile ocean-meets-mountain route in Nova Scotia that a golf junkie can follow from Cabot Cape Breton, home to two World Top 100 courses, to Cape Breton Highland Links, a public- access Golden Age design that makes as beautiful a walk as any course this side of Cypress Point.
Playing a top-notch putting course
In an average round of golf, putting accounts for roughly 40 percent of shots, many of them frightening three-footers. Funny, then, on nifty layouts that call for nothing but, rolling your rock is nothing but good fun.
Ducking into one of the over-the-top comfort stations at a Discovery Land property
If you feel like a kid in a candy store, that’s because it is a candy store. And a soft-serve ice cream shop. And a well-stocked bar with a dizzying assortment of salads, sandwiches and snacks to go along with craft beers and top-shelf spirits. It’s all complimentary, and if you somehow don’t get your fill, don’t fret. There’s another stop just like it coming up in a few holes.
Making a hole in one — with a witness
For the average amateur, the odds of carding an ace are about 12,500 to 1. That’s the bad news. Good news is, when it finally happens, chances are one of your buddies will be looking on.
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