The construction boom of new golf courses continues unabated. While many new projects are noteworthy, here are six courses to look forward to in 2026.
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of projects worth highlighting in this area. However, we have selected six of the courses we are most looking forward to in 2026 to discuss in the video below.
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Perhaps golf’s most significant restoration of the past few decades should be ready in 2026. Yale Golf Course has always been one of golf’s great “what ifs.” Some see the landmark CB McDonald and Seth Rayner design as having the potential to become a top 25 course if it gets the TLC it needs. The multi-year project overseen by Gil Hans, Jim Wagner and their team is finally complete, and the golf world has been waiting for it for years. Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the opening of the course, so I hope that the completed product will be exhibited to commemorate the 100th anniversary.
Below is some drone footage taken by Chris Girling a few weeks ago (note that it was filmed during a harsh Northeast winter).
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Full video can be viewed here:
Jekyll Island Golf Club’s Great Dunes project is worth everyone’s attention. For just over $100, public golfers can play in a newly renovated Golden Age design by Walter Travis with dramatic sandscapes, waterfront views, and some really cool architecture. Jeff Stein and Brian Ross oversaw the renovation of the old 27-hole complex, providing an attractive course design that is accessible to everyone at an affordable price. We hope other public facilities take notice and make similar investments in their courses to improve the golf experience.
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Meanwhile, there are projects in Georgia that are going to cost a lot of money. Located approximately two hours from Atlanta on one of the most important sand stretches in the country, Fall Line boasts 36 holes designed by Jeff Ogilvy’s design team OCM. The East and West courses are very different. The East Course is inspired by British heathland accents, while the West Course is in the spirit of Australia’s sandlands. This is the next great destination club in a remote corner of Georgia, following the success of Whoopi Match Club.
Another destination club has sprung up just outside Aiken, South Carolina. This place has now become a secret mecca for golf. The newest course is 21 Golf Club, and the first course is an interesting concept. Owner Wes Ferrell sought to recreate another great “what if” in course architecture. It is a design by Alistair Mackenzie that was never built in El Boqueron, Argentina. Architect Brian Zager brought Mackenzie’s vision to fruition nearly 100 years later, and many people were excited about the concept, which featured nine double greens and two wraparound loops. Rob Collins, Tad King and Trevor Dormer are working on the second course, the Hammer, designed for match play.
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Wild Spring Dunes (above), like Rodeo Dunes, is another new destination by Michael Kaiser. The Tom Doak Course at Wild Spring Dunes will fully open next year, followed by a second 18 by Coore/Crenshaw. This 2,400-acre property is equidistant between Dallas and Houston, instantly enhancing the great golf available to Texas golfers.
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Streamsong’s new course will likely be fully open in 2027, but preview play will not be available until 2026. David McCray Kidd will be joined by Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Doak and Gil Hans at the Florida resort, which will boast a veritable Mount Rushmore of contemporary designers. Kidd’s site is at the highest elevation of the four courses, with sweeping views across the complex, and features several bold features that follow a naturalistic theme of red and blue, highlighting the unique geometries discovered during the construction process of a former phosphate mine.
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As mentioned, there are many other notable projects such as the Trout National, Rodeo Dunes, the newly renovated Dallas National or Patterson Club, Childress Hall…we can keep going as we enjoy this continuing golden age of in-course construction. Golf Digest will be highlighting the best new courses of 2025 during the first few weeks of January. Please look forward to more information.
Related: Trout National is one of the hottest new courses in recent memory. and we had a first look
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