Is there anything more American than taking a summer roadtrip to a bucket-list baseball stadium and exploring a new city? Well, maybe adding in a round of golf to your weekend plans might take things one step further.
While the majority of MLB teams play in metropolitan markets like Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, that doesn’t mean there aren’t countless public golf courses within driving distance that can easily add another memorable experience to your trip. Beats spending time in a museum, right?
In alphabetical order, here are 10 MLB/golf weekend pairings perfect for your summer travels.
Arizona Diamondbacks/Quintero Golf Club
Located in downtown Phoenix, Chase Field has served as the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks since the organization joined as an MLB expansion team in 1998. If you’re in town for a ballgame and want to play golf, too—honestly, who wouldn’t in Arizona?—you and your buddies have plenty of options a short drive away with more than 200 courses in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area.
Quintero Golf Club, the top-ranked public course in the state, is approximately 45 miles from the baseball stadium in Peoria, Ariz. With holes framed by mountain ridges to man-made irrigation lakes and the Sonoran Desert, Quintero offers all of Arizona’s diverse topography in one golf course.
Other nearby notable options: TPC Scottsdale (~25 miles), We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (~30 miles) and Troon North Golf Club (~33 miles)
Houston Astros/Memorial Park Golf Course
Built as a replacement for the historic Astrodome, Minute Maid Park has been the home of the Houston Astros since 2000. Despite no Texas public golf courses on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses published biennially by Golf Digest, that doesn’t mean there aren’t quality options in and around Houston.
About six miles west of Minute Maid Park is Memorial Park Golf Course, a must-play in the state that averages 60,000 rounds a year. With a significant renovation completed by Tom Doak in collaboration with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, Memorial features signature Doak green complexes and “Tour-level” conditioning. It’s also the home of the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Other nearby notable options: Hermann Park Golf Course (4 miles), Gus Wortham Park Golf Course (4 miles), Golf Club of Houston Tournament Course (~18 miles)
“Las Vegas” Athletics/Shadow Creek Golf Course
This season will be the Athletics’ last in Oakland as the organization plans to relocate to Las Vegas for 2028. With a multi-year pitstop in West Sacramento, Calif., in between, we thought it would be fun to look ahead to the A’s impending move to Sin City and a potential baseball/golf weekend at their soon-to-be-built $1.5-billion, 33,000-seat stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
Approximately 13 miles from the tentative stadium site is one of the top public golf courses in the country: Shadow Creek Golf Course. Ranked No. 5 in the country and tops in Nevada, the Tom Fazio-designed Shadow Creek transports golfers from the desert to a forested wilderness in this often-imitated design.
Other nearby notable options: Wynn Golf Club (~2 miles), TPC Las Vegas (~16 miles), Cascata Golf Club (~21 miles), Wolf Creek Golf Club (~88 miles)
Miami Marlins/Trump National Doral Miami: The Blue Monster
Like the Tampa Bay Rays, if you’re watching the Miami Marlins play at LoanDepot Park, it’s most likely because your favorite team is in town for a series. While both Florida organizations struggle annually with attendance, that doesn’t detract from the game-day experience and potential to have a fun weekend in Miami.
With plenty of private golf clubs in and around South Florida, The Blue Monster at Trump National Doral Miami is a can’t-miss public option just 10 miles inland from LoanDepot Park. The marquee track of the four-course complex that makes up the property, The Blue Monster was given a facelift for some added bite by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner in 2014.
Other nearby notable options: Miami Springs Golf & Country Club (~6 miles), Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne (~8 miles), Trump National Doral Miami: The Golden Palm (10 miles), Miami Lakes Golf Club (~15 miles)
Milwaukee Brewers/Whistling Straits Golf Course
Situated a stone’s throw from Milwaukee Bay in Lake Michigan is American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Whether you’re in town for baseball, beer or both, be sure to add a round or two of golf to your weekend itinerary. As an increasingly popular golf destination, Wisconsin offers a variety of courses, including a number that aren’t too far from its most populous city.
Approximately 65 miles up I-43N is Whistling Straits Golf Course, a Pete Dye masterpiece along Lake Michigan. The Straits Course features rugged fairways and windswept greens with more than 1,000 bunkers in a links style that has hosted a trio of PGA Championships, 2007 U.S. Senior Open and 2021 Ryder Cup.
Other nearby notable options: The Bog (~31 miles), The Club at Lac La Belle (~34 miles), Erin Hills Golf Course (~35 miles) and Grand Geneva Resort (~50 miles)
New York Yankees/Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point
Baseball’s most successful organization has called The Bronx home since it began playing at the original Yankee Stadium in 1923. Playing at the new Yankee Stadium one block from the original venue’s site since 2009, the Bronx Bombers are situated near a number of public courses in and around New York City, including Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point.
Located approximately nine miles from Yankee Stadium, Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point offers unbeatable views of the Manhattan skyline from most holes of this links-style course that opened in 2015.
Other nearby notable options: Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course (~6 miles), Mosholu Golf Course (~6 miles), Pelham Bay & Split Rock Golf Courses (~11 miles), Skyway Golf Course (~20 miles)
San Diego Padres/Torrey Pines Golf Course: South
As the stomping grounds for the San Diego Padres since 2004, Petco Park has also hosted other sporting events from rugby to tennis and basketball. Since 2015, the venue has been converted to a nine-hole par-3 course each November in partnership with Callaway.
Luckily, you don’t have to wait until the offseason to play golf with Torrey Pines Golf Course a mere 18 miles away. Situated atop coastal bluffs with remarkable views of the Pacific Ocean, Torrey Pines South is a top public course in the country and has been home to countless professional events, including the 2021 U.S. Open.
Other nearby notable options: Balboa Park Golf Course (~2 miles), Torrey Pines Golf Course: North (~18 miles), Maderas Golf Club (~29 miles), Aviara Golf Club (~33 miles),
San Francisco Giants/Pebble Beach Golf Links
Home to the San Francisco Giants since 2000, Oracle Park sits along San Francisco Bay. While fans have no problem diving for home-run balls beyond the right-field wall in McCovey Cove, golfers will need to do their best to avoid getting wet playing a number of great courses nearby, especially Pebble Beach Golf Links.
While most of the courses on this list are approximately an hour’s drive from their respective stadiums, an exception had to be made for the No. 1 public course in the U.S.—roughly 125 miles from Oracle Park. Featuring unforgettable views, including nine holes perched above the Pacific Ocean, Pebble Beach is a bucket-list destination for any golfer and well worth the drive from San Fran.
Other nearby notable options: TPC Harding Park (~12 miles), Corica Park Golf Course (~17 miles), The Course at Wente Vineyards (~47 miles), Spyglass Hill Golf Course (~125 miles)
Tampa Bay Rays/Streamsong Golf Resort
Home to the Tampa Bay Rays since the organization joined the MLB in 1998, Tropicana Field is located in St. Petersburg, Fla. While you won’t catch any rays inside “The Trop” with its domed roof, there’s plenty of sun to be had in The Sunshine State, especially on the golf course.
Boasting a trio of courses, Streamsong Golf Resort is less than a 1.5-hour drive (~68 miles) from Tropicana Field. Coore and Crenshaw’s Red, Tom Doak’s Blue, and Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner’s Black give golfers the opportunity to compare and contrast different golf course design styles and philosophies all under one proverbial roof.
Other nearby notable options: Mangrove Bay and Cypress Links Golf Courses (~ 6 miles), Mainlands Golf Club (~9 miles), Largo Golf Course (~17 miles), Innisbrook Golf Resort (~30 miles)
Texas Rangers/Texas Rangers Golf Club
Come for the baseball and stay for the golf—or vice versa. Watch the Texas Rangers play at Globe Life Field and potentially see players working on their golf game at nearby Texas Rangers Golf Club.
Located three miles from the stadium, this MLB-themed course which opened in 2019 is a partnership between Arlington Golf and the Rangers. Utilizing 55 feet of elevation changes on the property, this course with large, undulating greens also boasts baseball-themed features including the “On Deck” circle near the first tee.
Other nearby notable options: Meadowbrook Park Golf Course (2 miles), TPC Las Colinas (~15 miles), Stevens Park Golf Course (~15 miles), Golf Clubs at the Tribute (~40 miles)
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