San Diego CA to Newport RI Solo Road Trip Planning (I-80/90 Corridor) - Aug 2023!

[PepsiDuck]

Back in 2019, I did a golf road trip from Northern Virginia to San Diego.  In August, I'm planning another golf trip from San Diego to Rhode Island, and I'd appreciate any thoughts you have on courses, food, and sightseeing along the way.  I know I'm a little early in the planning, but I'm pretty excited about the trip after getting the notification that I'd be headed out to Rhode Island for the fall.

 

Planning Factors

• Dates: August 7 - August 20 (~13 days)
• Solo travel with one round of golf + 4-6 hours of driving per day.  I am reasonably fit and road-hardened, so I'm confident I can handle that amount of golf + driving.
• Upper scale public courses - For maximum flexibility, I plan on either walking on as a solo or making tee times the day before or day of.  This trip is in lieu of a summer Bandon trip, so it will have a "Bandon budget."

 

Route

Major cities along the way: San Diego -> Las Vegas -> Denver -> Omaha -> Chicago -> Cleveland -> New York -> Newport

 

There is also an option at Chicago to go further north into Michigan and cutting across Canada into New York and Massachusetts.  Is there worthwhile golf in Toronto, NY, and Mass. that make this the better route?  I am also open to multi-day detours off the Interstate and making up time elsewhere; upper Michigan and Wisconsin come to mind at the moment.  However, I'd really like to take advantage of the courses along the route and save the resort experience for another time.  Any thoughts?

 

 

Course List

I put together the initial course list based on various Top 100 lists and a few existing travel threads on GolfWRX.  I'm certainly open to other recommendations along the route and am willing to pay for higher end public courses.  Where I'm lacking is in the Northeast...

 

• Wolf Creek (Mesquite, NV)
• Sand Hollow Championship (Hurricane, UT)
• Redlands Mesa GC (OR) Lakota Canyon Ranch (Colorado)
• Wild Horse GC (middle of nowhere NE)
• TPC Deere Run (Silvis, IL)
• Cog Hill #4 (Chicago, IL)
• Fowler's Mill GC (Cleveland, OH)
• Yale GC (New Haven, CT)

 

Thanks again in advance for your thoughts and recommendations.  I'll try to do a better job of updating the thread along the journey when it happens!

[memberguest]

Guessing you live in SD and dont need any recs for your starting city. I see you have two Chicago courses. Could switch one for Whistling straits a couple hours north. If actually going to NY, Trump Ferry Point is public and kind of mixes it up compared to other courses on your list. Just want to chime in and also say this trip sounds fantastic. Might have to try something similar one day in my RV. Hope you have a great time.

[PepsiDuck]

3 hours ago, memberguest said:

Guessing you live in SD and dont need any recs for your starting city. I see you have two Chicago courses. Could switch one for Whistling straits a couple hours north. If actually going to NY, Trump Ferry Point is public and kind of mixes it up compared to other courses on your list. Just want to chime in and also say this trip sounds fantastic. Might have to try something similar one day in my RV. Hope you have a great time.

 

Thanks for the response and recommendations!  I'm definitely stoked and probably looking forward to this trip more than the one back in 2019, because I'll have the freedom being solo, I'll have twice as much time, and it'll be in a part of the country I've never been before.  The I-70 corridor is as far north through the Midwest as I've ever been.  And even better is that I get to do the trip back to San Diego in November, so I have another trip to plan in the fall, probably taking the southern route!

 

And you're right, I don't have any courses planned for California since I've played most everything in SoCal as well as the Palm Springs area.  Though I'm realizing I have a lot more time than I thought; it's about 48 hours of driving from point to point, so if I'm spreading it out over two weeks, I probably have time to take a detour for a few days without cutting anything out.

 

Whistling Straits is definitely on my radar...

Edited May 23, 2023 by PepsiDuck

[Argonne69]

I'd skip Fowler's Mill. 'Nothing special. Dip south into Pennsylvania and play Bedford Springs, and/or Olde Stonewall. From there continue east to Philly and play The GC at Glen Mills.

 

Can't argue with Cog Hill #4 (Dubsdread), but I'd consider heading from TPC Deere Run to Indianapolis to play The PFAU course at Indiana University and/or The Brickyard. From there I'd hit The Virtues in Ohio, and then on to the Pittsburgh area. I guess you could always play Dubs, and then head south to Indy. I believe Indy has much better public golf than Cleveland.

 

Awarri Dunes isn't bad if you're looking for a 2nd round in the middle of nowhere. A detour north to Prairie Dunes and/or Dismal River is worth it. 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Argonne69

[Dancin]

He meant Prairie Club, not Dunes. Dismal River would require an overnight stay unless you know a member and likely would have to be Mon-Wed as it is private but still doing membership previews.

[Mullenboy]

Wild Horse is a great course, it's right off the freeway, and you should play it.

 

If only you knew a member at Sand Hills.  🙂

 

Send me an IM.  Unaccompanied play is extremely tight this season.  And even if there is an opening, you'd need to stay overnight.  But one does never know.

[PepsiDuck]

9 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

I'd skip Fowler's Mill. 'Nothing special. Dip south into Pennsylvania and play Bedford Springs, and/or Olde Stonewall. From there continue east to Philly and play The GC at Glen Mills.

 

Can't argue with Cog Hill #4 (Dubsdread), but I'd consider heading from TPC Deere Run to Indianapolis to play The PFAU course at Indiana University and/or The Brickyard. From there I'd hit The Virtues in Ohio, and then on to the Pittsburgh area. I guess you could always play Dubs, and then head south to Indy. I believe Indy has much better public golf than Cleveland.

 

Awarri Dunes isn't bad if you're looking for a 2nd round in the middle of nowhere. A detour north to Prairie Dunes and/or Dismal River is worth it. 

 

 

Copy on Fowler's Mill.  I think I just threw that one in there without much research; just saw it on a random Top 10 in Ohio list.  And you're right, Cleveland doesn't seem to offer much; Ohio might just be a drive-through state.  Virtues in Columbus is a little farther south than I'd like to go, as I wanted to keep I-80 as my southern limit, but if I do end up detouring south to the I-70 corridor, I'll definitely add it to the list.  I had actually planned on playing Brickyard when I passed through on a previous cross-country road trip, but I ended up going south to French Lick instead.

 

Now I'm strongly considering a north detour in NE...

 

8 hours ago, Dancin said:

He meant Prairie Club, not Dunes. Dismal River would require an overnight stay unless you know a member and likely would have to be Mon-Wed as it is private but still doing membership previews.

 

You and @Mullenboy mentioned an overnight stay requirement.  Do these have lodging on the grounds that guests are required to stay at to get on the course?  Or is it an arrangement with offsite lodging?

[Argonne69]

19 minutes ago, PepsiDuck said:

 

Copy on Fowler's Mill.  I think I just threw that one in there without much research; just saw it on a random Top 10 in Ohio list.  And you're right, Cleveland doesn't seem to offer much; Ohio might just be a drive-through state.  Virtues in Columbus is a little farther south than I'd like to go, as I wanted to keep I-80 as my southern limit, but if I do end up detouring south to the I-70 corridor, I'll definitely add it to the list.  I had actually planned on playing Brickyard when I passed through on a previous cross-country road trip, but I ended up going south to French Lick instead.

 

Now I'm strongly considering a north detour in NE...

 

 

You and @Mullenboy mentioned an overnight stay requirement.  Do these have lodging on the grounds that guests are required to stay at to get on the course?  Or is it an arrangement with offsite lodging?

 

Dismal River has on-site cottages. 'Very nice, and a worthy visit given that they have two excellent courses designed by Nicklaus and Doak. 

 

The Prairie Club has a lodge, and two solid courses. 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Argonne69

[PepsiDuck]

5 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Dismal River has on-site cottages. 'Very nice, and a worthy visit given that they have two excellent courses designed by Nicklaus and Doak. 

 

The Prairie Club has a lodge, and two solid courses. 

 

 

Just checked out the Prairie Club with their stay and play package, and it looks pretty amazing.  Between that and/or Sand Hills, I think Nebraska will get at least two of my days, to include a definite round at Wild Horse.  I think Colorado might be the place to just drive straight through.

[Chanceman]

My kind of road trip. Ones to consider are Ironbridge a quirky course in the Rockies near Glenwood Springs, and Bayside when you get to Nebraska, not as good as Wildhorse but decent. Prairie Club and Dismal River both worth a stop. Also consider The Warren course at Notre Dame.

[trilinkrealty]

I did roughly the same route last year.  Only had time for 2 rounds of golf though.  Played Fossil Trace near Denver and Wild Horse in Nebraska.  Both were great but Wild Horse was incredible.  Ive been petitioning for the family to go back and spend a week there and they think I am crazy!

[PepsiDuck]

8 hours ago, Chanceman said:

My kind of road trip. Ones to consider are Ironbridge a quirky course in the Rockies near Glenwood Springs, and Bayside when you get to Nebraska, not as good as Wildhorse but decent. Prairie Club and Dismal River both worth a stop. Also consider The Warren course at Notre Dame.

 

Thanks for the recommendations.  Northern Nebraska is more than likely going to happen, and from the looks of it, it might be the front runner for my multi-day venue, rather than Wisconsin or Michigan...

 

3 hours ago, trilinkrealty said:

I did roughly the same route last year.  Only had time for 2 rounds of golf though.  Played Fossil Trace near Denver and Wild Horse in Nebraska.  Both were great but Wild Horse was incredible.  Ive been petitioning for the family to go back and spend a week there and they think I am crazy!

 

I played Fossil Trace on a previous road trip, and I agree that it's a great course.  I had planned on doing Wild Horse as well but opted to stay on I-70 and go through Kansas instead.

[Mullenboy]

All good!  Just be careful with the Nebraska logistics.  Sand Hills is a full hour out of your way, and Dismal is another 45 minutes, Prairie Club is another hour from there.  Wild Horse remains your best bet logistically.

[PepsiDuck]

1 hour ago, Mullenboy said:

All good!  Just be careful with the Nebraska logistics.  Sand Hills is a full hour out of your way, and Dismal is another 45 minutes, Prairie Club is another hour from there.  Wild Horse remains your best bet logistically.

Yep!  Looks like there's enough high quality golf in that area that I'll probably stay overnight and play two courses over two days.  I don't plan on any 36 hole days, in the interest of longevity over the two week trip.

[Imp]

Last leg, I'd hit up Bethpage Black in the morning, take the ferry from Orient Point to New London and finish the drive to Newport. 

 

Check your PMs. 😉

[PepsiDuck]

As I spend (or waste?) more time researching for the trip, Wisconsin might be where I blow it out for a few days and hit Whistling Straits, Blackwolf Run, Erin Hills, and maybe Lawsonia...  So I'll end up driving through South Dakota and Minnesota by way of Prairie Club / Sand Hills in Northern Nebraska, so those courses will no longer be out of the way.  

 

Is there any between Sand Hills to Whistling Straits that is worth stopping at...?

 

 

I checked the rates for the Kohler courses, and this trip might start getting very expensive...  Now the challenge will be trimming other courses from the trip...

 

 

[Argonne69]

No Erin Hills? Lol. If you're going to spend time in Wisconsin, may as well hit a host site for the U.S. Open. Sand Valley would also be an option.

 

I'll be in South Dakota this summer. I was looking at Prairie Green and Willow Run in Sioux Falls. The top two courses in the state, Red Rock and Hart Ranch) are further west in Rapid City.

 

[sabram]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Red Rock and Hart Ranch) are further west in Rapid City.

Those are good choices Click on a photo below to link to course photo tours

 

Hart Ranch

 

Red Rock

[sodak77]

If playing in Sioux Falls I would skip Willow Run.  It used to be the best course in SF but they really softened it up and added a lot of housing to it.  Not an easy walk either.  Prairie Green is a good option and I would recommend playing Elmwood instead, which is a really nice parkland course that is really walkable.  Another nearby option in the area is the casino course in Larchwood, IA which is pretty nice.  A little further out in NW Iowa are the courses in Sioux Center, Orange City and LeMars.  A good amount of solid, affordable golf in the SF region which is usually dominated by prairie golf with a little bit of parkland mixed in.     

[sabram]

Here's a route that I might take with some suggestions to sample some of the best golf course architecture in the U.S.:

 

1. In the Las Vegas/SW Utah area, you already have Wolf Creek and Sand Hollow on your short list. Wolf Creek is very memorable for its other-worldly setting. It has amazing eye candy, but golf-wise it is not everyone's cup of tea. Sand Hollow is gorgeous and has some really excellent golf. If I was going to play only one, it would be Sand Hollow.

 

2. In the Denver area if you are looking for some high quality golf that won't kill your budget, consider Common Ground (Tom Doak) or Riverdale Dunes (Pete Dye)

 

3. On your way to Nebraska see if you can get on to play at Ballyneal (Tom Doak). It is private, but worth making a call. It is very special and one of my favorite places to play golf.

 

4. Nebraska - You already have the best options discussed previously on this thread. In any event, Wildhorse remains one of the best values for golf in the U.S. 

 

5. Wisconsin - Most of the options have been discussed in this thread. My choices would be Sand Valley and Lawsonia. Kohler is good, but IMO too expensive and a little over rated

 

6. Stop in Ann Arbor, MI and play the University of Michigan course. It is an Allistair MacKenzie gem.

 

7. Next stop in Cooperstown NY and Play Leatherstocking, a Devereaux Emmet gem and visit the Baseball Hall of Fame when there.

 

8. Next stop in Williamstown, MA to play the great Taconic Golf Course designed by Van Cleek and Stiles (recenetly tweaked by Gil Hanse)

 

9. Next stop in New Haven, CT to play CB Macdonald's course at Yale

 

10. Play Donald Ross's Triggs memorial in Providence RI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by sabram

[sodak77]

Really good suggestions above. For #7 in NY if you can not get on Leatherstocking I highly recommend the courses at Turning Stone (Shenendoah and Kaluhyat).

 

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by sodak77

[PepsiDuck]

11 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

No Erin Hills? Lol. If you're going to spend time in Wisconsin, may as well hit a host site for the U.S. Open. Sand Valley would also be an option.

 

I'll be in South Dakota this summer. I was looking at Prairie Green and Willow Run in Sioux Falls. The top two courses in the state, Red Rock and Hart Ranch) are further west in Rapid City.

 

 

Well, it'll be a tossup between Erin Hills, Sand Valley, and Kohler when I get to Wisconsin.  I can probably afford to only do two of the three.

 

9 hours ago, sodak77 said:

If playing in Sioux Falls I would skip Willow Run.  It used to be the best course in SF but they really softened it up and added a lot of housing to it.  Not an easy walk either.  Prairie Green is a good option and I would recommend playing Elmwood instead, which is a really nice parkland course that is really walkable.  Another nearby option in the area is the casino course in Larchwood, IA which is pretty nice.  A little further out in NW Iowa are the courses in Sioux Center, Orange City and LeMars.  A good amount of solid, affordable golf in the SF region which is usually dominated by prairie golf with a little bit of parkland mixed in.     

 

Thanks for the recommendations.  Between you and @Argonne69's recommendations, looks like Prairie Green is the stop through Sioux Falls.  I'm not a big fan of courses with housing, i.e., I would like to avoid them at all costs... 😂

[PepsiDuck]

9 hours ago, sabram said:

Here's a route that I might take with some suggestions to sample some of the best golf course architecture in the U.S.:

 

1. In the Las Vegas/SW Utah area, you already have Wolf Creek and Sand Hollow on your short list. Wolf Creek is very memorable for its other-worldly setting. It has amazing eye candy, but golf-wise it is not everyone's cup of tea. Sand Hollow is gorgeous and has some really excellent golf. If I was going to play only one, it would be Sand Hollow.

 

2. In the Denver area if you are looking for some high quality golf that won't kill your budget, consider Common Ground (Tom Doak) or Riverdale Dunes (Pete Dye)

 

3. On your way to Nebraska see if you can get on to play at Ballyneal (Tom Doak). It is private, but worth making a call. It is very special and one of my favorite places to play golf.

 

4. Nebraska - You already have the best options discussed previously on this thread. In any event, Wildhorse remains one of the best values for golf in the U.S. 

 

5. Wisconsin - Most of the options have been discussed in this thread. My choices would be Sand Valley and Lawsonia. Kohler is good, but IMO too expensive and a little over rated

 

6. Stop in Ann Arbor, MI and play the University of Michigan course. It is an Allistair MacKenzie gem.

 

7. Next stop in Cooperstown NY and Play Leatherstocking, a Devereaux Emmet gem and visit the Baseball Hall of Fame when there.

 

8. Next stop in Williamstown, MA to play the great Taconic Golf Course designed by Van Cleek and Stiles (recenetly tweaked by Gil Hanse)

 

9. Next stop in New Haven, CT to play CB Macdonald's course at Yale

 

10. Play Donald Ross's Triggs memorial in Providence RI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, I *really* appreciate the detailed route recommendation!!  Looks like you planned out your very own road trip!

 

(1) I appreciate this recommendation between Wolf Creek and Sand Hollow.  When it comes to trimming courses, this will definitely help.  I haven't played either, but I've heard the same about Wolf Creek being other-worldly but also meh at the same time.

 

(2)-(3) Denver might be a drive-through state if I end up committing to a few days in Nebraska and/or Wisconsin.  In 2019 on the last east-to-west cross-country road trip, I actually got an invitation to play at Ballyneal when I reached out to them, but we ended up taking the southern route through Albuquerque and bypassing Colorado.  How are those two other courses compared to Redlands Mesa or Lakota Canyon Ranch?

 

(4) Yep, I'm pretty solidly committed to Wild Horse and Prairie Club (or Sand Hills if it works out).

 

(5) Appreciate the honesty.  I'm a bit torn on whether to shell out ~$1000 for two rounds at Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run; that could definitely go a long way elsewhere.  But also, it's definitely a bucket list sort of opportunity.  I feel like they are courses better experienced with a group of friends (like Bandon Dunes), rather than running through on my own.

 

(6)-(8) Noted!  Anything east of Chicago will probably depend on how much time I spend in Nebraska and Wisconsin, so it'll be time-dependent on which stops I can make going through PA, NY, and Mass.

 

(9) Yale is on the list!

 

(10) I'll probably save this one for a weekend when I'm settled in Newport.

Edited May 28, 2023 by PepsiDuck
Prairie Club, not Dunes...

[Argonne69]

Very tough call in Wisconsin. I'd probably play Mammoth Dunes and Sand Valley, and then Erin Hills and Whistling Straits. The other three courses at Kohler are no slouches, but they don't stack up to the other four. 

 

I'd play Wolf Creek 8 out of 10 times over Sand Hollow. SH has a fantastic stretch of holes on the back nine that play along the canyon, but the front nine is pretty meh, and the closing stretch also left me wanting. WC is simply eye candy. Don't think I've ever takes as many photos as I did at WC and that includes Pebble Beach and Chambers Bay. Yeah, the golf is a little wonky at times, but it's like playing on Mars. 

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by Argonne69

[PepsiDuck]

4 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Very tough call in Wisconsin. I'd probably play Mammoth Dunes and Sand Valley, and then Erin Hills and Whistling Straits. The other three courses at Kohler are no slouches, but they don't stack up to the other four. 

 

 

Seriously...I could probably spend an entire two weeks just in Wisconsin (and a year's worth of golf green fees).  Unfortunately, I'm not sure when I'll ever be in that part of the country in the summer again.

 

Decisions, decisions... 😩

[Argonne69]

By the way, good luck booking rounds at Sand Valley. As a single you'll probably have a little easier time, but it's insane how booked they are. Staying on site will certainly help with the tee times, but lodging is limited. I stayed off site, and somehow managed to get the first tee time on Mammoth Dunes. Went out as a single with a junior caddie, and had a blast. Had time to grab some tacos at the shack, and then walk an afternoon round on SV. 

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Just now, PepsiDuck said:

 

Seriously...I could probably spend an entire two weeks just in Wisconsin (and a year's worth of golf green fees).  Unfortunately, I'm not sure when I'll ever be in that part of the country in the summer again.

 

Decisions, decisions... 😩

 

Blackwolf Run is excellent, but it simply doesn't measure up to Erin Hills or the two at Sand Valley. 

 

[Argonne69]

Here are the photos from my Mesquite/St George's trip. 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6i7dytihx1f1mg4/AABj0GMctn3xqx8DwSm2nrIXa?dl=0

 

[PepsiDuck]

2 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

By the way, good luck booking rounds at Sand Valley. As a single you'll probably have a little messier time, but it's insane how booked they are. Staying on site will certainly help with the tee times, but lodging is limited. I stayed off site, and somehow managed to get the first tee time on Mammoth Dunes. Went out as a single with a junior caddie, and had a blast. Had time to grab some tacos at the shack, and then walk an afternoon round on SV. 

 

 

Really?  That's surprising that it's tough being a single...  Is Sand Valley not the kind of place that I can just show up as a standby player and fill any gaps or no-shows?  I guess it's a little higher class than a local muni?

[Argonne69]

Just now, PepsiDuck said:

 

Really?  That's surprising that it's tough being a single...  Is Sand Valley not the kind of place that I can just show up as a standby player and fill any gaps or no-shows?  I guess it's a little higher class than a local muni?

 

Lol. Just a bit. Tons of groups book trips months or even years in advance. I'd give them a call a couple of months and weeks before to see if there are any threesomes booked that you can join.