Destination golf travel is enjoying a moment, to say the least. There can be fierce competition, and even wait lists just to book trips, at some of the top golf resorts in the country.

Popular bucket list spots like Bandon Dunes (Oregon), Pinehurst Resort (North Carolina), Pebble Beach (California), Sand Valley and Kohler (Wisconsin), Streamsong (Florida), and Big Cedar (Missouri) are all seemingly getting bigger and better. And new golf course development is at its highest levels in more than 15 years, according to the National Golf Foundation, momentum spurred in part by record or near record levels of golf travel. Among the new public golf getaways that have recently debuted, still building out or coming soon are Rodeo Dunes (Colorado), Wild Spring Dunes (Texas), Old Shores (Florida), and Candyroot Lodge (South Carolina).

But there are some resorts and regions that – while likely well-known to those itinerant and well-traveled golfers – are still flying a bit under the radar from a national perspective. And given that one great course doesn’t make a destination, the lineup below includes multiple courses across one property or area rather than simply one-off hidden gems.

Western Nebraska

This one tends to surprise some people, but the Sandhills region in Nebraska is one of the most unspoiled and unsung places for golf in the entire country, with a season that generally runs from April 1 to the end of October.

The Uber private Sand Hills Golf Club in many ways gave rise to destination golf, inspiring Mike Keiser to create Bandon Dunes on a remote stretch of Oregon coast even though many people, at the time, thought it would fail. While Sand Hills and CapRock Ranch are private, places like The Prairie Club, Dismal River, and Wild Horse boast absolutely phenomenal courses. Driving sparsely populated roads from one to the next, with a sea of rolling grassy dunes interrupted only by the occasional windmill and watering holes for cattle, golfers will invariably see hundreds of spots that would seemingly make a perfect setting for a golf hole.

The Prairie Club is home to two 18-hole championship courses – both with a par of 73 – with the Dunes Course designed by Tom Lehman and Chris Brands, and the Pines Course by Graham Marsh. There’s also the 10-hole Horse Course, crafted by Gil Hanse and Geoff Shackelford, that has no real set tee boxes, making for a choose-your-own-short-course adventure. There’s peaceful and premium lodging, from the Lodge to the Guesthouse, Bunkhouse and Cabins on a property that gets extended late-day sunlight during the summer months given that it almost hits the Mountain Time Zone.

Dismal River offers stay and play packages at a club that combines championship golf – including courses from Tom Doak and Jack Nicklaus – with guided hunting. The two courses, the White and Red, are defined by the dunes and influenced by the ever-changing wind conditions that can yield a different experience each round. The rustic cabins and lodge are designed for multiday stays, allowing for an immersive reset in the Sandhills, whether playing golf or pursuing other outdoor activities.

Not far from North Platte Regional Airport is Wild Horse, which features a highly rated championship course designed by Dave Axland and Dan Proctor in addition to a new short course called The Pony that free to play for juniors, members and on-site lodging guests.

Southwest Utah

This picturesque region, best known for its natural beauty and parks like Zion, Snow Canyon and Red Cliffs, continues to quietly emerge as a golf mecca.

It was just over 60 years ago now that the City of St. George developed the nine-hole course of Dixie Red Hills along a stretch of sandstone cliffs, part of an effort to draw in tourism and transform the region from more than just a gas station stop in the desert. Today, the area is home to some of the most visually stunning courses in the game.

And if Dixie Red Hills introduced golf to the St. George/Zion area back in the 1960s, Black Desert Resort and Sand Hollow are introducing the region to the rest of the country.

Black Desert was Tom Weiskopf’s final course design, a showstopper of a layout that cuts through black lava fields and is backed by red rocks and mountains. The massive resort, with a 600-acre campus in an otherworldly setting, landed both PGA Tour and LPGA events immediately.

Sand Hollow, meanwhile, is among the most photogenic courses in the country, particularly a string of holes on the back nine that play along the edges of steep cliffs. Nearby, UTV riders bounce across the hills at Sand Hollow State Park.

Courses like Copper Rock and The Ledges with their dramatic surrounds add to the depth of golf in the area.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

While Northern Michigan is rightfully celebrated, with terrific destinations such as Forest Dunes, Arcadia Bluffs, and multiple Boyne properties, the upper peninsula has some less heralded great golf.

Island Resort & Casino has two strong courses in Sweetgrass and Sage Run and recently had a soft opening of its new 9-hole layout (Cedar) to meet heightened demand at one of the largest golf, casino and entertainment destinations in the Midwest. With template green complexes inspired by places like National Golf Links on Long Island and Prestwick in Scotland, it’s an offering that adds to the appeal of the stay and play offerings at the resort.

The star of the U.P. might very well be Greywalls, a Mike DeVries design that takes advantage of the wilder and more geologically dramatic terrain of the region. The routing jags through granite outcroppings, with an abundance of exposed rock throughout that includes sheer gray walls – hence the course name – that frame fairways and greens.

Timber Stone at Pine Mountain Resort is yet another layout that masterfully incorporates the landscape of the Northwoods.

Pacific Northwest

While this region could encompass a wide range, in this case it’s specific to Eastern Washington and the nearby Couer d’Alene region in Idaho.

Gamble Sands has been gaining attention since fully opening its second 18-hole course this year, a spectacular addition (Scarecrow) that helps transition the property from what’s been primarily a regional escape. While embracing the same dynamic terrain and former farmland high above the Columbia River, Scarecrow is a bit more intimate and strategic than the sprawling Sands Course.

The property also boasts one of the game’s great short courses in the 14-hole Quicksands par 3 course, not to mention what is arguably the best putting course in the world of destination golf. The Cascade putting course, also designed by David McLay Kidd, is a 100,000 square-foot roller coaster of a layout that sits directly behind the inn and has majestic long-range views of the river below and mountains in the distance.

A couple hours away into Idaho is Lake Couer d’Alene and a lush, forested region that couldn’t be more different than the high plains in Eastern Washington. It’s a combination that makes for an epic golf trip. The Couer d’Alene Golf Resort features one of the game’s most iconic holes with its floating green and accompanying boat ride, while nearby Circling Raven is one of the finest casino courses in the country.

Central Oregon / Bend

There are dozens of public golf courses in the Bend area that take full advantage of the scenic Cascade Mountain views and as many as 300 days of sunshine per year.

Three of those courses are regular fixtures in Top 100 lists, including Crosswater at the Sunriver Resort, a layout that crisscrosses the Deschutes and Little Deschutes rivers multiple times and first put Central Oregon on the golf map. Sunriver has been selected to host four USGA championships from 2027 through 2036, including the 2031 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Crosswater and Sunriver’s Meadow course.

There’s also Pronghorn at Juniper Preserve, a golf and wellness resort which features a public Jack Nicklaus Signature design among its two 18-hole courses in the juniper forest of Central Oregon.

And at the Tetherow Resort, a 700-acre property 20 minutes from Mt. Bachelor, David McLay Kidd’s Scottish-links-inspired layout is a contrast to some of its desert style neighbors.

Other gems in the area include 36 holes at Black Butte Ranch, Aspen Lakes and Brasada Canyons.

Ocean City, Maryland

With other spots concentrated in the Midwest and further west, it seems appropriate to touch on a region that counts about 4 1/2 million golfers within a 250-mile radius along the Eastern seaboard but gets understandably overshadowed by places a bit further south – from Pinehurst, Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head in the Carolinas to historic resorts in neighboring Virginia.

But Ocean City, Maryland, provides value, variety and accessibility, with courses from celebrated designers that boast bay views or play through maritime forests. There’s also no lack of accomodations, with 11,000 hotel rooms in the area.

Among the 10 courses in Ocean City are The Links at Lighthouse Sound, which features picturesque holes that run along Assawoman Bay and boasts the longest cart bridge in the U.S. at nearly 1,500 feet.

There are also the two courses at GlenRiddle – a former thoroughbred training facility – that are named after Triple Crown winning horses Man O’War and War Admiral, two more at Ocean City Golf Club, and other popular public facilities such as Eagle’s Landing, Nutters Crossing and Rum Pointe.