9 new (and newly renovated) public courses we can’t wait to play in 2025

The new year will bring dozens of new (and newly revamped) courses. But to keep our expectations realistic, we’ve focused on projects with public access. Here are the nine we decided to play.

Poppy Ridge Golf Course

Livermore, California.

Opening date: wine

Like its sibling, Poppy Hills, in Monterey, Poppy Ridge belongs to the Northern California Golf Association and has long been one of the Bay Area’s best daily rate values. But in its original configuration, the 27-hole course had difficult stretches, marked by steep elevation changes and long rises between holes. Enter architect Jay Blasi. In what amounts to a new build, Blasi created an 18-hole championship course, using soil selected from each of the three existing nines. The result is an attractive, pedestrian-friendly course sewn through rolling terrain, surrounded by vineyards, about an hour east of San Francisco. Call it a good value, much improved.

Scarecrow at Gamble Sands

Brewster, Wash.

Opening date: August 1

Returning to work in an apple orchard in eastern Washington, David McLay Kidd has put the finishing touches on his second 18-hole course at Gamble Sands. It occupies a site that McLay Kidd had hoped to use more than a decade ago for his first course at the resort, but couldn’t because power lines were in the way. With those lines removed, a large canvas was made ready for a sequel. Although similar in spirit to the original Gamble Sands course (which is listed on the Top 100 Golf Courses in the USA You Can Play), with expansive putting areas and a multitude of ground game options, the layout of ri, Scarecrow, is more demanding. green – and more dramatic in its movement and views of the river valley. After limited short-sighted play this past fall, the course is set for the August ribbon cutting.

Hobby

Santa Cruz, California.

Opening date: now

At the California course where he chose to make his home, Golden Age giant Alister Mackenzie foreshadowed elements of his later work at Augusta National, with its pawprint bunkers and exciting, rolling greens. Now, architect Jim Urbina has restored those greens to their original putting style and rebuilt the bunkers with modern construction methods, bringing a great course into even brighter light. Technically, Pasatiempo violates our time frame, as it fully reopened in December of 2024. But that unveiling was so recent, relatively few golfers have experienced the refreshed course.

Old Petty in the Cabot Highlands

Inverness, Scotland

Opening date: Game preview summer 2025/grand opening 2026

Already home to Castle Stuart (No. 89 on the World’s Top 100 GOLF Courses list), Cabot Highlands will soon have an addition, courtesy of Tom Doak. In collaboration with Clyde Johnson, his field project manager, the architect has devised a route that turns a walk into a scenic tour, with the photobomb of the Moray Firth in the background and the historic Old Petty Church (the landmark that gives the course its name her ) taking a look along the way. Although the grand opening is slated for 2026, preview play will be available from August 1 to September 30 this year.

7 Mile Beach Golf Club

Hobart, Tasmania

Estimated opening: Spring/Summer 2024

If you need a good excuse to haul your sticks halfway around the world, Mike Clayton, Mike DeVries and Frank Pont have you covered. They are the architects of 7 Mile Beach, in a postcard-ready location next to a stretch of sand of the same name, roughly 20 minutes from Tasmania’s capital. Delayed for years by a host of roadblocks, the course has cleared recent hurdles and is expected to be ready in the first half of 2025.

Karoo Course, Cabot Citrus Farms

Brooksville, Fla.

Opening date: January 21

A ‘karoo’ is the sound made by sandhill cranes whose trumpeting echoes around the grounds of this rugged Kyle Franz design in the Sunshine State’s sand barrens. The course is one of two 18-holes at Cabot Citrus Farms, a fledgling destination that also has a pair of fun short courses. Previews have begun at Karoo 2024, but January 21 marks its official opening — and the grand opening of the resort itself.

Other notables:

Karsten Creek Golf Club

Stillwater, Okla.

Hailed for his restorations at such lauded venues as Oak Hill and Congressional, Andrew Green signed up for a laundry list of improvements to Oklahoma State’s home course. Along with some rerouting, the work includes new geothermal greens, more suited to the climate, and a host of improvements intended to present a stronger challenge to the elite college players who have priority access to the property. With the right planning—and for a price—the public can hook it up at Karsten Creek, too. The course should be ready by the start of the 2025 season.

Teeth of the Dog

La Romana, Dominican Republic

Re-grassing, sanding and bunker and green restoration are among the planned improvements to Pete Dye’s Caribbean waterfront gem. Jerry Pate’s design firm is handling the work, which is scheduled for completion in late 2025.

PGA West Stadium Course

Palm Springs, California.

When you roll into American Express later this month, you’ll see a spied stadium course, Pete Dye’s famous desert design, where the greens have been restored to their original size and shape, among other improvements. The newly completed work was part of a three-year, multi-million dollar project that included improvements to two other Dye courses at PGA West (Mountain and Dunes). However, the Stadium is a title, and after two weeks, you can watch the pros play before you take it over.