Golf enthusiasts have much to look forward to in the coming months of 2024, including the opening of several new golf courses. Dominating the list is, the US with around two dozen new golf courses, and there is particular interest in how the Pinehurst Resort, the “cradle” of American golf, will test golfers when Pinehurst No 10 opens for tee-off. As a venue of the US Open and US Women’s Open in the past, and host of the 2024 men’s Major, the buzz around Pinehurst is driven by how it is perceived as the “St Andrews of the US”, and Pinehurst No 10 will add to the aura of this iconic venue.
There are projects all over the globe which promise to challenge all aspects of a golfer’s skill. Here’s an overview of some of the best new golf courses that will welcome golfers as the year rolls on.
New golf courses set to open in 2024
Karoo
Location: Cabot Citrus Farms, Brooksville, Florida
The Cabot brand has made a splash in the US market, launching three new courses in the Orange State at the start of this year. Designed by accomplished golf course architect Kyle Franz, the first 18-hole course to debut at Cabot Citrus Farms is named Karoo, named after the sounds of the indigenous Sandhill Cranes. Touted among the best new golf courses of the year, this dynamic 18-hole, 7,201-yard course boasts wide fairways with rustic aesthetics, multiple routes to pins, and bold greens. Karoo is thoughtfully planned that rewards imaginative short-grass recovery shots around the greens. The course takes advantage of the sandy terrain, featuring a broad, robust routing filled with holes and numerous options to play.
Find out more here.
The Roost
Location: Cabot Citrus Farms, Brooksville, Florida
A top name among the best new golf courses of 2024, the 18-hole course, The Roost, is designed by notable golf course designers Mike Nuzzo and Kyle Franz with inputs from Ran Morrissett. The course takes advantage of the area’s diverse landscapes. It winds through sandy, scrubby areas, rolling meadows dotted with native wildflowers and dogwoods in bloom, and even a 40-foot-deep sinkhole. The 7,200-yard course is dotted with moss-draped oak trees and these beautiful trees are a common spot for the wild turkeys that roam the course to roost and relax. The course also features multiple 50-foot elevation changes, making it unique in Florida.
Find out more here.
Pinehurst No. 10
Location: Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, North Carolina
Strange as it may seem, Pinehurst, widely regarded as the cradle of American golf and home to more holes than any other facility in the United States, has gone almost thirty years without adding a new 18-hole course. Pinehurst No. 10 introduces a significant shift in the scenario. The new layout was created on the site of a long-closed course and designed by renowned golf course architect Tom Doak and his star coworker Angela Moser. Highly anticipated to lead the list of the best new golf courses in 2024, the No. 10 boasts natural wiregrass, a panoramic landscape, and undulating hills sculpted by nature. It also utilises the craggy dunes that were left behind by mining activities at the turn of the 20th century. The outcome is a breathtaking 75-foot elevation change course that meanders through the sandhills and promises to be a golfing experience unlike any other.
Find out more here.
The Keep
Location: McLemore Resort, Rising Fawn, Georgia
McLemore, a master-planned mountainous neighbourhood in Northwest Georgia only 25 miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee, will soon debut a second 18-hole layout of the resort called The Keep. A work of Bill Bergin and Rees Jones, The Keep, a probable entrant in the list of the best golf courses to play in the state, is a walking mountaintop golf experience situated along the eastern cliff edge of Lookout Mountain. With its fall 2024 opening date, the course is expected to be among the most picturesque courses in the South-East. The unparalleled location, which is 2,300 feet above sea level, boasts natural streams, tiny lakes, and native vegetation such as rhododendrons and mountain laurel. Aside from the cliff edge, one of the course’s distinctive features is the wind. The breeze turns from a light one to strong gusts that remind one of a beach shore.
Find out more here.
Sedge Valley
Location: Nekoosa, Wisconsin
Similar to Pinehurst, another popular golf venue is expanding the options for visitors through the addition of a new course. This year, Nekoosa, Wisconsin’s Sand Valley Golf Resort, is launching Sedge Valley that stands in stark contrast to the other on-site courses. A second Tom Doak design to make it to our list, Sedge Valley is an 18-hole course with a par of 68, a little more compact than the resort’s other two championship courses. The course draws inspiration from London’s heathland and links courses. The course runs across sandy terrain with native groundcover and a notable rock outcrop, and is expected to be exciting and demanding for players of all skill levels.
Find out more here.
Crossroads
Location: Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina
With the debut of Crossroads this year, the golfing experience at Palmetto Bluff, a well-known community in South Carolina, is expected to be greatly enhanced. This creative 60-acre reversible golf course offers a new spin on low country golf with its distinctive features, which include breathtaking 40-foot-tall dune ridges and elevation shifts. Playable both clockwise and counterclockwise, Crossroads features two unique routings, “The Hammer” and “The Press,” doubling the number of possible course variations. Golfers of various skill levels and preferences can select their starting points and distances.
Find out more here.
Shorty’s
Location: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Oregon
Designed by the world’s best golf course architect trio, Rod Whitman, Dave Axland, and Keith Cutten, Shorty’s is the talk of the town in Bandon. The 19-par-3 Shorty’s course, which is set to open in April 2024, is located in a lovely tiny pocket of rugged dunes southwest of the Bandon Trails course. The new course is made up entirely of sand dunes; however, they are more undulating than the rest of the Bandon property. The course bears the name of the late “Shorty” Dow, who pioneered the area where Bandon Dunes currently stands and served as its first caretaker and self-appointed governor. Complementing his personality, this course features a unique 19-hole design.
Find out more here.
Old Bridge Golf Club
Location: Old Bridge Golf Club at Rose-Lambertson, New Jersey
New Jersey had not seen a new municipal golf course in over 10 years, but that would soon end with the grand inauguration of the Old Bridge Golf Club at Rose-Lambertson. Designed by award-winning golf course architect Stephen Kay, the course has the moniker “The Rose” in honour of Rose-Lambertson, where it is situated. The routing of the 18-hole layout is heavily influenced by wetlands and the surrounding terrain. Owing to certain unique characteristics of the terrain, the 9th hole does not return to the clubhouse like most American golf courses. Golfers of all ability levels can enjoy challenges and beautiful views at The Rose. The 18-hole course is scheduled to officially open in April 2024 and is expected to be one of the best new golf courses to play in the Garden State.
Find out more here.
Doon Brae Short Course
Location: The Highlands Boyne Golf, Harbor Springs, Michigan
“Doon Brae,” a new par-3 short course at The Highlands, is scheduled to open in the summer of 2024. Ray Hearn, a well-known Michigan architect, developed the course, which will have downhill, flat, uphill, and sidehill fairways that move horizontally back and forth over the slope. Each hole has two or three possible fairways, so players can be inventive in where they place their tee shots. There are also only two cut heights, fairway and green, and a thin layer of secondary rough grass, fescue, surrounds them.
Find out more here.
GrayBull
Location: Maxwell, Nebraska
The Dormie Network, which runs six upscale private destination clubs, including ArborLinks in Nebraska City, is developing GrayBull near Maxwell, Nebraska. GrayBull is designed to be the ultimate stay-and-play destination in the region. The David McLay Kidd Design course is scheduled to debut in late summer 2024. The course will have a par of 72, with five sets of tees ranging in distance from 4,870 to 7,170. When it opens, GrayBull will be the closest private golf club to Lincoln and Omaha in the Sandhills.
Find out more here.
(Main and featured image: Cabot Citrus Farms)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Which golf courses are expected to be the best new openings in 2024?
Pinehurst No. 10 at the renowned Pinehurst Resort, The Keep at the McLemore Resort, Karoo, and The Roost at the Cabot Citrus Farms are expected to be some of the best new openings in 2024.
– What determines the excellence of these new golf courses?
A new golf course’s excellence is determined by a number of factors, including its natural environment, playability and difficulty balance, intelligent design, variety of holes, skilled architects, and flawless upkeep.
– How can one secure a tee time at the top golf courses opening in 2024?
To familiarise yourself with the booking procedures at the top golf courses opening in 2024, visit the course website or contact them through the phone numbers available. Plan your golf outing well in advance to maximize your chances of getting a desired tee time. Try using apps or internet services for booking golf courses as well.
– Are there any notable events or tournaments planned at these new golf courses during 2024?
Currently, it is unclear whether any of the courses that are already open or expected to open in 2024 will host any notable events this year.