Ahhh, game day. Tailgating. College campuses. Football. It’s almost time. The only thing sometimes missing is golf. But it doesn’t have to be.
We looked at Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list to find the best public-access courses within a reasonable drive of all the top 25 teams’ stadiums, using the USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches preseason poll. Each of the courses listed below ranks inside that state’s top 10 public-access courses.
Most of these courses are within an hour of the stadiums, with a few stretching that mileage when appropriate. With the courses listed below, it’s entirely possible to play 18 in the morning, then drive to the stadium in time for an afternoon or evening kickoff.
Listed for each team is its stadium and the courses in the order they are ranked in the home team’s state. Some teams have no Golfweek’s Best public-access courses with a reasonable drive, but most do.
Mid Pines in North Carolina (Courtesy of Mid Pines)
And if you’re looking for the best spot to swing away then catch a game, look no further than North Carolina. There are eight courses ranked among the state’s top 10 public-access courses within a reasonable drive of the stadium, including Pinehurst Resort.
Golfweek ranks courses by compiling the average ratings – on a points basis of 1 to 10 – of its more than 850 raters to create several industry-leading lists of courses. That includes the popular Best Courses You Can Play list for courses that allow non-member tee times. These generally are defined as layouts accessible to resort guests or regular daily-fee players.