Sunriver Resort
Long drives and longer views. Crystal lakes and clear, endless skies. There’s a lot to love about summertime mountain golf across North America. It’s no wonder many of the earliest golf destinations on the continent were established within the mountains.
These getaways offered a respite from the hot and muggy big city with their noise and factories and unconditioned indoors.
Today, mountain golf courses come in many types from bold, modern designs with lots of elevated tee shots to classics over a century old that gently wind along valley floors. Fairways are shared by golfers and wildlife like elk or bear and golfers who love to fish can always stick a line in a mountain stream before or after 18.
Many of these mountain golf destinations are at high altitude and thus have cruelly short summer seasons, so many of the tee sheets and lodgings fill up fast. By the time you wait for the ski slopes to melt, it may be too late to book.
But where to go? Fortunately, there are mountains from coast to coast, north and south and in between.
Keystone, Colorado
The Keystone Resort anchors a stellar collection of Rocky mountain courses in Summit County, located just over the continental divide from Denver. Keystone Resort features two distinct 18-hole courses, The River Course (designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry) and the more rugged Keystone Ranch (designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.). Set at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet, enjoy cool summer air and plenty of extra distance on your tee shots. Keystone is an excellent family getaway with loads of activities for the kids (including golf schools) and a variety of spacious accommodations throughout the area, both near resort amenities and more secluded single-family homes in the mountains. Horseback riding, fishing, mountain biking and so much more make Keystone one of the best summer mountain getaways for active families and groups.
Bend, Oregon
We all know a certain resort in Oregon named Bandon Dunes gets a lot of love in the world of golf travel, and rightfully so, but an area that you’ve got to look at when you are planning your next getaway is Bend, Oregon. Located in Central, Oregon, you’ll find an abundance of options for the outdoor enthusiast as this area is known for incredible hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and so much more.
If you’re looking for a one-stop property that has it all, then look no further than Sunriver Resort. The golf here is fantastic and is highlighted by the Crosswater here alongside two other great 18-hole tracks known as the Meadows and Woodlands, and a family-friendly 9-hole course called Caldera Links. The mountainous backdrops will captivate you throughout your rounds, and with what feels like a million activities to enjoy onsite, it’s a perfect spot for a family getaway or a buddies trip in the Pacific Northwest.
Sunriver Resort
Whistler, British Columbia
The legendary mountain town and 2010 Winter Olympics host is a gorgeous drive along the inland passage from Vancouver. Happy Gilmore fans may even want to pay homage to Furry Creek Golf Course along the way (site of the legendary albeit one-sided bout between Happy and Bob Barker). Famed Whistler has emerged as a summer destination in the 21st century and features a foursome of golf courses, led by Fairmont Cheateau Whistler which has the best mountain undulations (and bear encounters) in the area. Nicklaus North, Whistler Golf Club and Big Sky make for a stellar foursome for a long summer weekend here.
Whistler Golf Club
Hot Springs, Virginia
In the Allegheny Mountains, Hot Springs, Virginia has been a favorite escape for over two centuries thanks to its therapeutic mineral hot springs who welcomed such presidents as Thomas Jefferson. While this was a rustic hotel in those times, the Omni Homestead was established in the late-19th century and golf was part of its origins. The original first tee, established in 1892 (pre-dating Pinehurst) as a six-hole course and considered the oldest continuous tee box in the U.S. Golf at the resort has evolved and expanded since. Today there are two 18s, the Old and Cascades courses, designed by Donald Ross and William Flynn, respectively. Homestead has hosted both a U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Open. The Homestead is one of the Historic Hotels of America and today features numerous natural spring-fed pools and fine dining along with a mix of luxurious guest accommodations.
Alberta’s Canadian Rockies
Canada’s greatest contribution to golf course design is unequivocally architect Stanley Thompson and his designs in several National Parks commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. In Alberta, two can be experienced and are separated by about three hour-drive on the spectacular Icefields Parkway. Jasper Park Lodge and Banff Springs have many similarities: incredible Rocky Mountain scenery and wildlife and iconic par-3s (Cleopatra and Devil’s Cauldron), along with Fairmont-brand lodging onsite. Golf groups and Top 100 panelists alike are typically split on which is superior play. Spend a few days in Banff and you can also play modern complements Stewart Creek, Silvertip and the recently rebuilt Kananaskis Lodge.
Banff
Colorado Springs
The Rockies front range has a slightly longer golf season than those courses at higher altitude on the other side of the continental divide. One of the premier golf stops here is the Broadmoor, a luxurious and historic resort laid out by the famous Olmsted Brothers architecture firm that has been a mountain retreat for presidents and world leaders, Hollywood celebs, and not to mention many USGA championships. Buddies trips can rent out cottages along the 18th fairway and even go bowling in the resort at night time.
Another option we love in Colorado Springs is Cheyenne Mountain as it provides a high-end yet much more affordable experience to some other resorts in the area, and the onsite Pete Dye-designed Country Club of Colorado is a stunningly beautiful course that is surrounded by the peaks of the Rock Mountains to give you a gorgeous backdrop you won’t soon forget. And a pro tip here is that if you reach out to their team, you can usually play on most of the nearby top courses and make Cheyenne Mountain your hub for the whole trip.
Colorado Springs lies in the shadow of NORAD and for the military-affiliated, Eisenhower Golf Course has 36 holes and is arguably the best military golf facility in the U.S.
The Broadmoor
Northern Michigan
The glacial landscape of northern Michigan is severe enough to set the stage as one of the Midwest’s best wintertime ski retreats. Modern golf design and its accompanying advancement in earth-shaping spawned a golf boom on these hills starting in the 1980s with Robert Trent Jones Sr. at Treetops Resort, now home to four 18-hole courses and a par-3 course with numerous gravity-defying elevated tee shots. BOYNE Mountain’s Alpine Course is unique in that golfers begin their round with a two-mile ride to the top of the mountain before playing 18 downhill holes in a row before fishing back at base camp. And Boyne Highlands’ Hills Course may have the signature tee shot of the state on the par-5 13th hole, a sharply elevated perch overlooking treetops for miles. Crystal Mountain near the Sleeping Bear Dunes and Shanty Creek overlooking Torch Lake are two more popular multi-course resorts that hustle on in the winter and summer months with an assortment of fun mountain activities and comfortable lodging options for buddies trips and families.
BOYNE Highlands Hills course
Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada Mountains
There are over a dozen mountain ranges throughout North America but there is only one Lake Tahoe, making the Sierra Nevada mountains that tumble towards this natural beauty especially surreal. On the South Shore, Edgewood Tahoe’s finishing holes play right along the lake, while the north shore is anchored by Incline Village, a 36-hole facility located just up the mountain and overlooking the lake. Minutes from the quieter Northern Shore is Truckee home to public-access standouts like Coyote Moon and Grays Crossing. Best experiencing the Tahoe golf scene, even including front-range courses or around Reno, or tucked away nine holers like Old Brockaway, requires a bit of mileage in the car, but there’s no better summertime roads to cruise than around Tahoe and High Sierra.
Edgewood Tahoe