EA Sports PGA Tour is here as the longtime golf franchise swings its way onto the new generation of gaming consoles. One course that has made its triumphant return is Augusta National, home of The Masters. At one point, this was the most demanded feature in the game’s history and it’s back with new graphics.
The developers at EA really wanted to make sure that all 28 real-world courses were looking as nice as ever. They did plenty of laser scanning and had professional photographers capture all of the details of each bucket list course. And the result ended up giving EA Sports PGA Tour the best looking courses the series has ever had.
But aside from these courses, what are some other ones that would be cool to see in either a future update or in future editions of EA Sports PGA Tour? They managed to get some of the most popular and exclusive courses like Augusta, and they’re also planning on adding other iconic tracks such as Royal Liverpool, Los Angeles CC, and Oak Hill among others. The world is full of legendary courses, so which ones should make the cut that haven’t been in the game before? There are many familiar names on this list that are highly ranked and we also included a historic nine-holer as well. Let’s dive in.
Pine Valley Golf Club
Let’s kick this off with a bomb off the tee, shall we? For several decades, Pine Valley has been widely regarded as the greatest golf course in the world. No, not Augusta, not Pebble, St. Andrews, or Royal County Down but Pine Valley. Yes, the other courses mentioned have been ranked number one at some point, but not quite as long as the forested course in the small, simple town of Clementon, New Jersey.
A straight, tree-lined road will lead you to a gravel parking lot. From there, you’ll see a railroad track, and across it lies the gate to the secluded track. It never hosts professional tournaments but has hosted amateur events such as its own called the Crump Cup, which opens Pine Valley to the public for one day in the Fall each year.
With EA trying to shine more of a light on the amateur scene with the additions of tournaments like the US Amateur and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, having a course like PV that prides itself on amateur golf would be a nice fit. The course itself features several great holes, including iconic ones such as the par-3 fifth and the beautiful par-3 14th among many others. It’s a course that checks many boxes and would be a fun addition to the EA Sports PGA Tour series.
Sand Hills Golf Club
Easily one of the most isolated golf courses in the United States and possibly the world, Sand Hills lives up to its name, being designed out in the open sandhills of Nebraska. The exclusive course was created by the tag team of Coore & Crenshaw in 1995 and they always mention that they didn’t need to do much earth moving to design Sand Hills as the layout sort of designed itself as if a golf course was indeed meant to be made there. Since then, it has regularly ranked among the top 20 golf courses in the world.
The amount of open land you’ll see will make you feel like you’re in a massive, epic boss area of a video game as you’re essentially isolated from the rest of the world. It’s a quiet course though where you can get a burger or hot dog straight from a grill on the 9th hole halfway house and then continue on with your round.
Despite being as laid back as it is, Sand Hills tends to attract prominent members of golf, media, and other celebrities. And it makes sense as it’s one of the most naturally designed courses in the world, featuring several unique holes. One of these is the par-3 17th, which would be a ton of fun to play on in EA Sports PGA Tour.
Cypress Point
Cypress Point is a very well-known name in the world of golf. It’s basically part of what I like to call “The Big 5” alongside courses like Pine Valley, Augusta National, St. Andrews, and its sister course, Pebble Beach (you can rotate Royal County Down or Shinnecock Hills in that five as well). This track is truly one of the more epic ocean-side courses really reminding golfers everywhere why the Monterey Peninsula is one of the lords of golf locations.
From 1947 all the way to 1990, Cypress was one of the courses that hosted the multi-course AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which is still a popular event today. It makes you wonder if the historic course would’ve made its way into the EA golf games had it stayed as part of the roster for the Pro-Am. I would like to think yes as the games always had Pebble and Spyglass Hill so it would be fair to complete the trifecta because homies have to stick together.
Because of its past and since EA has a great relationship with Pebble Beach, it wouldn’t be out of the question if Cypress Point swung its way into a game one day. The courses in the game look great so seeing a track as breathtaking as CP would be a lot of fun. Not to mention, it features what arguably could be the greatest hole in all of golf, the par-3 16th where you need to hit your shot over the Pacific Ocean to reach the green. Going back to the video game boss analogy when discussing Sand Hills, the 16th at CP is easily golf’s biggest boss battle and it’s perfect.
Old Head Golf Links
Getting straight to the point, this golf course is insane. Every golf course we mentioned so far is breathtaking, but on the overall beauty scale there aren’t many places that top Old Head Links in Ireland — and it’s open to the public.
Situated on a cliff, Old Head overlooks the ocean while a lighthouse can be seen from every area of the course, similar to tracks like the legendary Trump Turnberry. The course was designed in 1997 by several designers including Ron Kirby, Eddie Hackett, Dr. Joe Carr, Paddy Merrigan, Liam Higgins, and Haulie O’Shea. It features a balanced selection of holes with five par 5s, five par 3s, and eight par 4s.
Frankly, all 18 holes at Old Head are as dramatic as they come but hole number six could be the most fun to play if the course was in EA Sports PGA Tour. This hole is a par 5 that is reachable in two and features some castle ruins near the green. Hole 12 might be Old Head’s signature and its toughest as the fairway narrows more and more the closer you get to the green on this par 5. One of the prettiest holes is the par-3 third hole, where the green is as close to the edge of the cliff as any, giving you arguably the best view of the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the par-5 17th that offers both a great ocean view and a good look at the lighthouse while being reasonable with only one bunker that’s in front of the green.
Royal Dornoch
Another course in the upper echelon of golf, Royal Dornoch is one of the most legendary and oldest tracks in the world and is regularly ranked toward the top of course ranking lists, usually in the top 10. The home of the great course architect Donald Ross, it features plenty of coastal holes as you soak in the rich history of the club.
Hall of Fame golfer and Open Championship legend Tom Watson once said playing Dornoch was the most fun he ever had playing a golf course. And it makes sense, with a nice variety of holes to tackle, including the fair playing 14th hole that boasts a beautiful view of the ocean as you stroll down the fairway.
Another hole that pops out a bit is the 17th, which has a slightly quirky design that would make it fun to play in EA Sports PGA Tour. Going backwards, the par-3 second is a medium-length par 3 that is relatively simple and is challenging enough to gobble your ball up with a couple of greenside bunkers lying in wait.
Prestwick Golf Club
With EA Sports PGA Tour prominently featuring the majors, it feels right that EA would include Prestwick Golf Club, which is where The Open Championship originated. Yup, Prestwick was the first host of the oldest major in professional golf and did so for a whopping 24 years with its final hosting in 1925 at the 24th Open.
The place just oozes history, and as with all of the other courses we mentioned, has its own pretty views as well. Links courses typically give you some great views, and it’s no different at Prestwick. It’s also one of the rare courses where the arguable signature hole is the very first one you tee off on.
The first hole, known as “Railway” has been considered one of the greatest opening holes in golf with its stone wall on the right with a railroad track tucked behind it (hence the name). It’s a fun par 4 that narrows a bit as you near the green with bunkers protecting the putting surface. If you have a high driving rating in EA PGA and you activate a “Big Hit Moment” off the tee, it’s very possible you can reach the green in one shot here. A couple of other holes of note at Prestwick include the blind par-3 fifth hole called Himalayas and the 17th hole called Alps. The former features a large hill blocking your sight to the green and several bunkers on the left side of it, while the latter is the oldest hole in championship golf and was also originally the second at Prestwick. It would be fun seeing such a historic hole scanned and implemented into the game.
Musselburgh Links
EA Sports PGA Tour includes the always pristine Top of the Rock par-3 course in the game. Since they’re no longer strangers to the inclusion of shorter courses, how about adding Musselburgh Links, a 9-hole course in Scotland? This is no ordinary nine-holer however, it was once regarded as the oldest golf course on the entire planet until St. Andrews took over that distinction.
In fact, it’s so old that it has been reported that the Mary Queen of Scots teed it up here as early as 1567, although the earliest documented playing of the course was back in 1672. It also was one of the original hosts of The Open Championship along with the aforementioned Prestwick and St. Andrews, hosting the tournament every three years from 1870 to 1889. It makes for a fun fit in the game, considering its emphasis on major championships.
Another fun fact: Musselburgh was the original adopter of the current size of golf holes (cups) that we know today. Speaking of holes, some great spots on the course include the par-4 sixth called The Table. In real golf, this 326-yarder wouldn’t be driveable for most golfers, but in a game like EA Sports PGA Tour it’s definitely possible. And, you’ll get a breathtaking view of Arthur’s Seat, the extinct volcano that towers over Edinburgh. The par-3 fifth hole known as The Sea Hole is claimed to be one of the more copied designs in golf as this shorty boasts numerous bunkers around the green, adding a layer of challenge.
Finally, the toughest hole at Musselburgh is the fourth hole par 4 called “Mrs. Foreman” and she’s a nice lady but a stern one as this hole features a partially blind tee shot and a green that’ll give your putter a challenge. A fun fact about this hole is that drinks used to be served through a window adjacent to the green. One large iced coffee, please.
Merion
One of the most famous golf courses in the world, Merion is known for hosting several U.S. Opens and those iconic wicker baskets that are used as flags. One of the shorter major championship courses, Merion also has one of the best layouts in all of golf. It offers an incredible amount of variety as the routing is phenomenal.
You have driveable par 4s, long par 5s, short par 3s, elevation changes, and more. It would make for a fantastic addition to EA Sports PGA Tour from a fun standpoint. If there was a fun rating for golf courses, Merion East would be somewhere between 95 and 99 overall. And obviously, that’s a big thing to look for when playing video games.
Some fun facts about Merion include the aforementioned flagsticks with the wicker baskets. These flagsticks are a towering 7-foot-6 tall so picture basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama next to these, who is an inch shorter than them. Merion is also home to the picture of Ben Hogan hitting a 1-iron at the 1950 U.S. Open; it’s one of the most famous photos in golf and probably in all of sports. There are a ton of great holes on this golf course. In particular, all of the par 3s are spectacular. A couple of the standouts include the ninth hole that requires you to carry over a small river while also avoiding bunkers. Another is the beautiful 17th, which has an elevated tee box for your to take aim at the green from. One wild hole is the par 4 11th hole where you need to carry the water and avoid a sneaky bunker on the left side of the green on your second shot.
Friar’s Head
Another Coore & Crenshaw design, Friar’s Head is the second newest golf course on this list, having been built in 2003. It’s one of the unique tracks in that it offers both forest and ocean views throughout the course. It’s also filled with natural sand dunes, giving golfers bigger windows for error, complementing the challenge of the New York course.
It also offers some solid elevation changes too, adding some variety to the course. But being in a future EA Sports PGA Tour game would make this sandy place pop out. And as with a few of the other courses on our list, it’s super private so being in a game would give gamers a chance to experience it. Phil Mickelson once called it his favorite golf course in the world while Rory McIlroy called it one of the best courses he’s ever played from both a design and setting standpoint.
Some of the major holes of note include the seventh with a fairly wide fairway that narrows thanks to the presence of some sand dunes. Then you have the dynamic duo of 14 and 15, which the aforementioned McIlroy called “two of the prettiest holes in golf.” The most famous of the two is the beautiful par-4 15th that goes downhill heading towards the ocean. Once you reach the green, enjoy the view here. One last hole I’ll mention is the pretty 17th that features more sand dunes and the green is nicely tucked up against the trees.
Chicago Golf Club
Widely considered to be the oldest 18-hole in the United States, Chicago Golf is one of the five founding courses of the USGA along with Shinnecock Hills, Saint Andrews (New York), Newport Country Club, and The Country Club (Brookline), which is featured in EA Sports PGA Tour. And since The Country Club is in the game, it would be great to see a legendary track like Chicago in there as well, or frankly, all of the five historic places, especially since EA has a strong relationship with the USGA.
But Chicago is truly a jewel and along with Shinnecock and The Country Club typically ranks very highly on most top 100 golf course lists and for good reason. What makes Chicago so unique is that, although it’s more of an inland course, it has the vibes of a links course due to how open it is. Not to mention, it features those famous squared-shape greens designed by Charles B. McDonald that would be quite a thing to marvel at in a video game. Also, Chicago Golf Club has hosted USGA events in the past and will start doing so more again in the future so it could be a great fit for future EA golf games.
Designated on the National Register of Historical Places in 2020, Chicago Golf is one of the few courses to make the list. Another interesting fact is that Margaret Abbott, the first United States woman to win an Olympic event, was a member of Chicago Golf Club in the 1890s. But, talking about the holes, some of the standouts include the par-3 third that features an unusually shaped green that’s surrounded by bunkers and will require a little extra pop off the tee. Another one is probably the most famous and that’s the par-3 10th where you need to carry the water in order to land on the square green. This iconic hole is much shorter than the third one. Lastly, another that’ll pop out is the 14th hole, featuring a couple of boomerang-shaped bunkers and large square green with bunkers surrounding it. As with The Country Club, which is in the game, you’ll get a nice slice of USGA golf history if Chicago Golf Club made the cut in an EA game.
Quick Honorable MentionsÂ
There are two courses that I just couldn’t leave off the list completely. These are Cape Wickham, the spectacular seaside course in Australia designed in 2015, and Royal Portrush, the great Irish links that hosted The Open in 2019 and will do so again in 2025.
