1.For The Dads: Pinehurst, North Carolina

Image: Pinehurst

 

If someone in your group has never been on a guys golf trip before, start here. Pinehurst Resort has nine courses on property, the most famous being No. 2 – which has hosted the U.S. Open and is genuinely one of the best courses in the country. The town of Pinehurst is small, clean, and built for exactly this. You won’t spend two hours on a highway between golf and dinner. The food is good. The lodging is dialed in. The pace is right.

It’s not trying to be flashy. It’s just excellent golf in an excellent setting, and that’s usually exactly what you need.

2.For Golf Sickos: Bandon Dunes, Oregon

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort links course on Oregon Pacific coast

Image: Bandon Dunes

 

If your group consists of people who argue about course architecture, debate which Masters was better – 2019 or 1986 – and genuinely want to play 36 holes a day in the wind off the Pacific Ocean, Bandon is for you. Five courses, all walkable, all world-class.

The whole property is designed around the idea that golf is supposed to be hard and beautiful and a little brutal. You will get rained on. You will love it. No one at Bandon is there casually. Everyone is there to play golf, and that energy is contagious. It’s a pilgrimage. 

3. For The Bachelor Party: Scottsdale, Arizona

Image: We Ko Pa

 

Not every guys trip is a spiritual experience. Some of them are four days of golf during the day and whatever happens after dinner stays in Scottsdale. The golf options are legitimately good – TPC Scottsdale, We-Ko-Pa, Troon North – but the real selling point is what happens off the course.

The restaurant scene is excellent. The bars stay open. The weather in spring is perfect. If your group has a Derek who’s going to want to extend Thursday night into Friday morning, Scottsdale gives Derek a safe place to do that while the rest of you can still make your 7:30 tee time.

Bonus: you can book your trip during Superbowl / WM Open weekend. 

4. Best Value Trip: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Image: TPC Myrtle Beach

 

Myrtle Beach gets underestimated because the vibes are a little chaotic and the town itself can have a lot going on (anybody ever been to Bike Week?). But there are over 100 golf courses within driving distance, aggressive pricing, and packages built specifically for guys trips.

You can play four rounds in four days for what one round costs at a resort destination. If your group’s budget is a real conversation – and for most groups, it is – Myrtle delivers more golf per dollar than anywhere else in the country. Go in April or October for the best weather.

5. Best Underrated Trip: Northern Michigan

Image: Arcadia Bluffs

Nobody’s group chat ever says ‘Northern Michigan.’ That’s the whole point.

Arcadia Bluffs is the anchor of the trip and the reason it belongs on any serious list — a clifftop links course overlooking Lake Michigan that plays as hard and looks as good as anything in the country. But the surrounding area gives you legitimate depth: Boyne Highlands, Treetops, Bay Harbor, The Bear. You can build a four-day itinerary without repeating yourself and without driving more than an hour between stops.

The prices are reasonable, the courses are quiet, and the scenery doesn’t look like it belongs in Michigan. Stop sleeping on it.