Our series on America’s finest golf courses continues with a look at the three best modern courses in the western U.S., as determined by Golfweek magazine’s handpicked panel of 385 course raters. The raters, who are students of architecture, attend national workshops and each evaluate 15 to 20 courses per year.

Here’s what distinguishes the West’s top modern courses, according to Golfweek architecture editor Bradley S. Klein. We’ve also included information on the most convenient places to land your business jet near each course.

Look for a report on the best classic courses in the south central U.S. in our next issue.

Sand Hills, Mullen, Neb.

The design team of Bill Core and Ben Crenshaw let nature do the work at this heartland golf oasis, routing the holes atop rolling dunes and grassland. Linksland golf is normally a coastal phenomenon, but you couldn’t be farther from the sea here, in the middle of Nebraska and the geographic center of the U.S. Make the trek. It’s golf’s version of Mecca. And it’s number 1 on the Golfweek list of the country’s best Modern courses.

Airport:
North Platte Regional (LBF), 8,000-foot runway, 55-mile drive. FBO: Trego Dugan Aviation, (800) 645-2958.

Spyglass Hill, Pebble Beach, Calif.

Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s 1966 design gem holds up incredibly well after 40 years. The opening holes tumble headlong to the sea; then the course turns inland and meanders through dense forest. No tricks–just solid, demanding holes in impeccable condition (thanks to a recent refurbishing of fairway drainage). The course ranks 16th on the Golfweek Modern list.

Airport:
Monterey Peninsula (MRY), 7,599-foot runway, eight-mile drive. FBOs: Million Air Monterey, (831) 373-4151, (800) 452-6184; Monterey Bay Aviation,  (831) 375-2359, (831) 373-3201; Monterey Jet Center,  (831) 373-0100,  (888) 679-2992.

Pacific Dunes/Bandon Dunes, Bandon, Ore.

Bring your rain gear–and enough stamina to walk to 36 holes a day. Pacific Dunes ranks second on the Golfweek Modern list and neighboring Bandon Dunes ranks fifth. The wind howls here, and the ocean crashes into the coastline below the Oregon bluffs on which this stunning resort sits. Imagine Ireland transported to the U.S. It helps that the food and accommodations here are as first-rate as the golf.

Airport:
Bandon State (SO5), 3,600-foot runway, 10-mile drive. FBO: Frank’s Flight Service, (541) 347-2022.

'The Best Modern Golf Courses in the Western U.S.' PDF