The Midwest Boasts 3 Of The Top-Ranked Public Golf Courses In The US For 2026

Golfers often have a bucket list of courses they dream of playing. Maybe they want to putt while ocean waves crash behind them or walk on the hallowed ground where legends have played in North Carolina and Florida. Coastal fantasies are great, but they shouldn't skip over the Midwest. USA Today recently ranked three courses in the heartland among the country's top 10 public courses – Bully Pulpit Golf Course in Medora, North Dakota; Payne's Valley in Hollister, Missouri; and the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort in Indiana.

Selected by both an expert panel and readers, these golfing havens met the award's criteria for impeccable maintenance, stunning landscapes, and thoughtful design. Think lush ribbons of fairway, tee-boxes on stark sandstone hills, and holes lined with volcano bunkers. These are the kind of courses where each hole is an experience, where you may lose lots of balls, and where each venue is more postcard-worthy than the next. So, start hitting the driving range, buying more polo shirts, and investing in that vacation fund.

Getting to these verdant beauties isn't difficult. None of them is more than two hours away from an airport. They all have nearby lodging options, from the western charm of Rough Riders Hotel in Medora to the spacious rooms at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale near Hollister to the stately feel of French Lick Springs Hotel. Their proximity to amenities can also entertain non-golfers in your group, such as the bowling alley, arcade, walking trails, and on-site casino at the French Lick resort, making them an ideal getaway for the whole family.

Named for President Theodore Roosevelt's refrain about the president's platform, Bully Pulpit is a majestic course amid the buttes of the Badlands, a National Geographic must-visit destination. Errant shots will land in heaps of trouble here with holes winding through meadows and woodlands along the Little Missouri River. Pro golfer Zac Radford says on his YouTube channel that the landscape "is nothing what he thought North Dakota would be like." You'll play off cliffside tee boxes with mesmerizing sunsets, tackling lengthy par-5s studded with bunkers or muscling over long patches of rough. Hole 15, the par-3 nicknamed Bully Pulpit, will test your shot-making over a 100-foot deep canyon. A tee time here costs about $107 and includes the golf cart and warm-up range balls. It landed at No. 3 on USA Today's list.

Boasting a 4.9 rating on Google (and ranking fifth on USA Today's list), the Pete Dye Course at French Lick, one of the most unique courses on Indiana's Pete Dye Golf Trail, seems to appeal to every level of player — from scratch golfers to amateurs to weekend whackers — in spite of its brutish length of 8,100 yards. Perched on the state's highest point, the jaw-dropping, 40-mile views "make even a double-bogey feel like a win," declares one Google golfer. Undulating terrain, sidehill lies, and infinity greens are some of the challenges dreamed up by the architect on a napkin sketch. Initially opposed to building a golf course on the rugged terrain, Dye thankfully changed his mind and, of course, included his signature intimidations such as the confounding 16th hole, a whopping 300-yard par-3 with a water hazard. Driving range privileges are part of the $450 rate for Sunday through Friday tee times, which climbs to $500 on Saturday and Sunday. 

Rated the No. 1 public course, Payne's Valley is like a love letter from Tiger Woods to his friend, the beret-wearing, knickers-loving Payne Stewart, a Springfield native and three-time Major champion who died in a plane crash in 1999. This striking, par-72 course in the Ozarks, set amid limestone formations, topsy-turvy fairways, and cascading waterfalls, was designed by Woods' firm, TGR Design, in partnership with Johnny Morris, the founder of Bass Pro Shops, and Stewart's family in 2020. Woods befriended Morris when he bought a fishing boat at Bass Pro Shops after winning the 1997 Masters and went fishing with Morris and his son. 

Payne's Valley represents the first public course designed by Woods, finally giving access to those fervently wishing to play private courses he has designed, such as Bluejack National near Houston. Golfers can test their limits with small greens protected by multiple bunkers, heavily sloping fairways, and tough approach shots. Among the trickier holes are a downhill par-3 surrounded by trouble and a never-ending, uphill par-5. A hole-in-one on the course's bonus 19th hole — not the clubhouse bar — with its signature island green set against a waterfall of exposed rock will net you a $1,000 gift card to Bass Pro Shops.

You may think you're done at this point, but hang on to your hat. The nearly one-mile Cliff Hanger Trail back to the clubhouse takes you through rocks and caverns, making for a memorable cart ride. For those lucky enough to snag a tee time, available 14 to 30 days in advance, they will pay about $600 for the privilege. If you get hungry, though, complimentary bison dogs, snacks, and candy await at the turn.