Junior's Golf Tour

The top 18 Robert Trent Jones Jr. courses you can play

Links Magazine

Robert Trent Jones Jr. was 11 when he attended his first U.S. Open, the 1951 championship at Oakland Hills. There, Jones Jr. learned about the perils of being a renowned golf architect, as players, including the winner, Ben Hogan, complained about the difficulty of the course, which Jones Sr. had renovated prior to the Open.

Still, the criticisms didn’t dissuade Jones Jr. from joining the family business. And although he has yet to build as many courses as his father, who has 500 design credits, Jones Jr. has managed to escape his father’s considerable shadow with a number of stellar layouts, including his defining work, Chambers Bay, the host of the 2015 U.S. Open.

One of Jones Jr.’s hallmarks is the lack of a particular style, and the variety of his best courses, from the links-like Chambers Bay to the tropical Four Seasons Nevis to the rolling CordeValle, site of the Frys.com Open, is indicative of his design skills.

Those layouts are three of the 18 best public courses designed by Jones Jr., who has continued the legacy of great, accessible golf started by his father. Just start the slideshow below to see how many you’ve played.

Chambers Bay
Built on a former gravel pit, the site of the 2015 U.S. Open encourages the ground game and looks as though it could be a British Open course. In five years, Jones Jr. will be the first architect since his father to watch an Open played on his own original design.
LOCATION University Place, Wash.
PAR 72
YARDAGE 7,585
YEAR BUILT 2007

CordeValle
Guests of this bucolic resort have access to a scenic layout routed along the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Despite the serenity of the setting, players of the Frys.com Open will be challenged by the demanding holes.
LOCATION San Martin, Calif.
PAR 72
YARDAGE 7,169
YEAR BUILT 1999

Edinburgh USA
Site of the 1992 U.S. Amateur Public Links, this muni in the Twin Cities area has several noteworthy features, including an island fairway on the 17th and the world's second-largest putting surface, a 40,000-square-foot green shared by the 9th and 18th holes.
LOCATION Brooklyn Park, Minn.
PAR 72
YARDAGE 6,888
YEAR BUILT 1987

Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club
With bunkers that mimic snowdrifts in the surrounding Coast Mountains, this design showcases Jones Jr.'s artistic flair. Other features include massive granite outcroppings, 400-foot elevation changes and views of the Tyrolean-style village.
LOCATION Whistler, British Columbia
PAR 72
YARDAGE 6,635
YEAR BUILT 1993

Four Seasons Nevis
On a hilly site that presented routing challenges, Jones Jr. laid out a playable course, with a front nine that winds up through the mountains, and back nine that heads back down the slope offering spectacular views.
LOCATION Nevis, West Indies
PAR 70
YARDAGE 6,682
YEAR BUILT 1991

Links at Spanish Bay
Located on the Monterey Peninsula, this open layout that is part of the Pebble Beach Resorts has more of a links-like look and feel than its famous older brother. Jones Jr. collaborated on the course with two other Stanford alumni: Tom Watson and Sandy Tatum.
LOCATION Pebble Beach, Calif.
PAR 72
YARDAGE 6,821
YEAR BUILT 1987

Osprey Meadows at Tamarack Resort
The course occupies two distinct types of terrain. The meadow holes are dotted with wildflowers, lakes and wetlands, while the other part of the course sits on elevated ground with ponderosa pines. In a nod to St. Andrews, the 18th hole finishes in the resort village where passersby can watch players putting out.
LOCATION Tamarack, Idaho
PAR 72
YARDAGE 6,821
YEAR BUILT 2005

Poipu Bay Golf Course
Wind is a crucial component of this layout, which is part of the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and plays around lava, lush vegetation and archeological sites. When the wind is down, conditions are great for low scores, like the 59 shot by Phil Mickelson during the 2004 PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
LOCATION Koloa, Hawaii
PAR 72
YARDAGE 7,123
YEAR BUILT 1991

Poppy Hills
The first course to be owned and operated by a regional golf association (Northern California Golf Association), this forested design was a longtime host of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Pros and their partners were tested by the sharp doglegs and well-bunkered greens.
LOCATION Pebble Beach, Calif.
PAR 72
YARDAGE 6,857
YEAR BUILT 1986

Princeville at Hanalei (Prince)
Columnist Dave Barry once quipped that Princeville is “where people in heaven want to go when they die.” Part of the appeal is one of the Aloha State's best courses, which climbs and careens down slopes in between bogey-forgetting views of Hanalei Bay. The resort also has another RTJ Jr. course, the 27-hole Makai.
LOCATION Princeville, Hawaii
PAR 72
YARDAGE 7,309
YEAR BUILT 1991

Rock Barn Golf & Spa (RTJ Jr.)
The host course for the Champions Tour's Ensure Classic at Rock Barn, this mountain layout was Jones Jr.’s first in North Carolina. The key feature is the strategic use of a clear creek that meanders through the property.
LOCATION Conover, N.C.
PAR 72
YARDAGE 7,182
YEAR BUILT 2002

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort (Raven)
One of four courses at the premier golf resort in the Florida Panhandle, the Raven presents plenty of drama on nearly all the holes, and many are bordered by lakes, wetlands or tall pines.
LOCATION Destin, Fla.
PAR 71
YARDAGE 6,900
YEAR BUILT 2000

Sequoyah National
At one of his newest designs, Jones Jr. received help from Notah Begay III to carve a layout out of the Great Smoky Mountains. The short but challenging course is part of the Harrah's Cherokee casino resort.
LOCATION Whittier, N.C.
PAR 72
YARDAGE 6,602
YEAR BUILT 2009

Sugarloaf Golf Club
From his base in Northern California, Jones Jr. made many transcontinental trips to design two of the best courses in the easternmost state. Sugarloaf, the older of the pair, sits in a valley floor and offers great views of the surrounding mountains.
LOCATION Carrabassett Valley, Maine
PAR 72
YARDAGE 6,910
YEAR BUILT 1985

Sunday River Golf Club
Jones Jr.'s second great Maine course was built 20 years after the first. Sunday River similarly sits in a valley and its scenery stands in contrast to the course's stern challenge—it has a Slope rating of 146.
LOCATION Newry, Maine
PAR 72
YARDAGE 7,130
YEAR BUILT 2005

Turning Stone Resort (Kaluhyat)
The Empire State's biggest golf resort features courses from some of the game's most prestigious names, including Tom Fazio and Jones Jr., whose layout offers numerous risk-reward holes that fits the gambling theme of the casino-resort property.
LOCATION Verona, N.Y.
PAR 72
YARDAGE 7,105
YEAR BUILT 2003

University Ridge Golf Course
Robert Trent Jones Sr. built several college courses, including layouts at Duke and Cornell. His elder son has continued the practice with a challenging layout for the University of Wisconsin community. In addition to providing fun, affordable golf, the course has hosted the Big Ten Conference and NCAA championships.
LOCATION Madison, Wis.
PAR 72
YARDAGE 7,259
YEAR BUILT 1989

Wailea Golf Club (Gold)
Jones Jr. has designed two courses, Gold and Emerald, at this 54-hole facility in Maui. While visitors should take the time to play all three courses, those short on time shouldn't pass up a round on the Gold, former site of the Senior Skins Game.
LOCATION Wailea, Hawaii
PAR 72
YARDAGE 7,078
YEAR BUILT 1994