The Best Golf Buddies Trip Destinations

A buddies golf trip lives or dies on logistics. The golf matters, obviously, but so does the ability to house eight people without a spreadsheet, feed them without a reservation crisis, and move them between courses without a convoy. The destinations that work best for groups are not always the ones with the single best course. They are the ones where the infrastructure supports the chaos of multiple handicaps, competing preferences, and the inevitable late-night debates about who actually won the skins game.

Some are obvious. A few may not be.

What follows is an honest assessment of the destinations that handle group golf trips with the least friction and the most reward.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The original American buddies trip destination, and still the default for good reason. The Grand Strand corridor contains more than 80 courses spanning every price point and difficulty level, which means a group of 12 with handicaps ranging from 4 to 30 can find courses that satisfy everyone without requiring anyone to sit out. Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue are the quality headliners, but courses like TPC Myrtle Beach, Barefoot Resort (four courses on a single property), and Tidewater provide excellent rounds at lower rates. The depth of the course inventory means that even groups playing 72 or 90 holes over four days will not need to repeat a layout.

Myrtle Beach also solves the accommodation problem better than anywhere else on this list. Golf package houses sleeping 12 to 16, condo complexes with shared common areas, and villa rentals with private pools are built specifically for groups, with pricing that reflects volume. The dining scene along Restaurant Row and in Market Common offers variety without pretension, and the nightlife exists at whatever level the group wants. Package deals bundling courses, accommodation, and sometimes food are available from multiple operators, which simplifies the planning burden that usually falls on one unfortunate organiser. A four-day Myrtle Beach trip with 72 holes, a group house, and dinners out can come in under $1,500 per person in shoulder season, which is hard to match anywhere else for this volume of golf.

Scottsdale, Arizona

The upscale alternative to Myrtle Beach, with fewer courses but a higher average quality floor. TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course), Troon North (Monument and Pinnacle), We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro and Cholla), and Grayhawk provide a rotation that could fill a week without a weak round. The desert landscape is visually dramatic and photographs well, which matters to groups that document their trips.

Scottsdale excels at the non-golf hours. Old Town's bar and restaurant scene is walkable and varied, the resort hotel inventory is deep, and the weather from November through April is close to guaranteed sunshine. Groups that want to mix golf with spa days, hiking in the McDowell Mountains, or an evening at a high-end steakhouse will find all of it within a short drive. The only downside is cost: peak-season green fees and accommodation in Scottsdale run 30-50% higher than comparable Myrtle Beach trips.

Pinehurst, North Carolina

Ten courses on a single resort property, which eliminates the transit problem entirely. A group stays at the Carolina Hotel or one of the surrounding lodges, walks to breakfast, walks to the first tee, and repeats for three or four days. Pinehurst No. 2 is the marquee round, but No. 4 (Gil Hanse), No. 8 (Tom Fazio), and The Cradle (a 9-hole par-3 course ideal for side bets and post-dinner competitions) provide variety and strategic interest that sustain multi-day visits.

The Pinehurst village atmosphere is uniquely suited to group trips. The Deuce bar is a golf bar in the truest sense. The dining options are solid without requiring reservations weeks in advance. And the entire property operates on a rhythm that assumes you are there to play golf and enjoy the company of people who play golf. The only limitation is that Pinehurst is a golf-first destination. Non-golf companions will find their options narrowing after the first day.

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Alabama

Eleven sites across Alabama, 26 courses in total, all built to a consistent standard and priced at levels that make other destinations look unreasonable. A group can base in Birmingham and play Oxmoor Valley, Ross Bridge, and Capitol Hill (Prattville) within manageable driving distances. Green fees range from $50-$100, which means a four-day trip with 72 holes of quality golf costs less than a single round at some of the courses mentioned elsewhere on this list.

The RTJ Trail is not glamorous. The accommodation tends toward chain hotels and Airbnbs rather than luxury resorts. The dining is regional and casual. But the golf is consistently good, the value is unmatched in American destination golf, and the Trail's geographic spread allows groups to design itineraries that hit different parts of a state most golfers have never considered visiting. For groups where budget is a real constraint, the RTJ Trail is the answer that does not require compromise on course quality.

Las Vegas, Nevada

The golf is not the primary draw, but it is better than most people assume. TPC Las Vegas, Shadow Creek (a Tom Fazio design that costs $600 but delivers accordingly), Paiute Golf Resort (three courses, 54 holes, all Pete Dye), and Rio Secco provide genuine quality. The courses play through desert terrain that feels nothing like the Strip, which creates a pleasant separation between the golf day and the evening's entertainment. Wolf Creek, 90 minutes south in Mesquite, is worth the drive for groups that want one visually dramatic round to anchor the trip.

Las Vegas wins the non-golf hours convincingly. No destination in America offers more options for what a group does between 5 PM and midnight. The restaurant scene has matured well beyond the buffet era, with outposts from celebrated chefs across every cuisine and price point. Direct flights from nearly every American city keep travel costs down, and the hotel inventory means accommodation for groups of any size is straightforward, often at rates that undercut resort destinations by a wide margin. Las Vegas is the right choice for groups where golf is one of several planned activities rather than the sole purpose of the trip. It is also the easiest destination on this list to organise, because the hospitality infrastructure was built to handle groups.

Bandon Dunes, Bandon, Oregon

The purist's buddies trip. Five courses, all walking-only, all ranked nationally, on a remote stretch of Oregon coastline. Bandon strips away the distractions and leaves nothing but golf, meals, and conversation. The resort's accommodation is designed for groups, with lodge rooms and cottages that encourage communal evenings around a fire. The Punchbowl putting course provides an ideal after-dinner competition venue, and the resort's caddie programme adds a layer of local expertise that enhances every round.

The remoteness is both the strength and the limitation. Getting to Bandon requires either a five-hour drive from Portland or a regional flight through North Bend. Groups that make the effort are rewarded with an experience that resets expectations about what a golf trip can be. Groups that need nightlife, shopping, or activities beyond golf should look elsewhere without apology.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

A more refined alternative to Myrtle Beach, with fewer courses but a higher quality floor and a stronger non-golf proposition. Harbour Town Golf Links is the headliner, and courses like Robert Trent Jones at Palmetto Dunes and Arthur Hills at Palmetto Hall provide supporting rounds of genuine quality. The island's bike-friendly infrastructure, beach access, and restaurant scene (particularly in Bluffton) create a trip that works for mixed groups where not everyone plays every round.

Hilton Head villa and house rentals accommodate groups well, and the island's compact geography means nothing is more than a 20-minute drive from anything else. The atmosphere is quieter than Myrtle Beach, which is either a benefit or a drawback depending on the group's disposition. For groups that skew older, include partners and families, or simply prefer their golf without a side of neon, Hilton Head threads the needle between serious golf and civilised coastal living.

Kohler, Wisconsin

The American Club solves the accommodation and dining question in a single reservation, and the property's spa and non-golf amenities provide options for rest days between rounds. Kohler lacks the nightlife of Scottsdale or Las Vegas, but it compensates with a seriousness of purpose that appeals to groups whose primary interest is playing significant golf on courses with genuine history.

Sand Valley, Nekoosa, Wisconsin

The newest entrant in the premium buddies trip conversation. The Lido, Mammoth Dunes, and Sand Valley provide three distinct design experiences on the same property, and the resort's lodge and cottage accommodation is designed with groups in mind. The sandy, walkable terrain and the absence of real estate development create an atmosphere that feels closer to Bandon than to any other Midwest resort.

Sand Valley's relative youth means availability is more generous than it will be in five years, and the pricing remains competitive with destinations offering less interesting golf. For Midwestern groups accustomed to long drives or expensive flights to reach top-tier destinations, Sand Valley provides quality that no longer requires a coastline or a passport.

How to Choose

It is the one that minimises the gap between the best day and the worst day across a multi-day itinerary, while keeping the logistics simple enough that no one needs to manage the trip as a second job.

The best buddies trip destination is not the one with the single best course.

Three questions tend to clarify the decision. First: what is the honest budget per person, including travel, accommodation, green fees, dining, and the incidentals that always exceed projections? If the answer is under $1,500, the RTJ Trail and Myrtle Beach are the strongest options. If budget is secondary to experience, Bandon, Kohler, and Scottsdale deliver at a higher tier. Second: does the group want the evening to be part of the trip or a footnote to the golf? Las Vegas and Scottsdale win the nightlife category. Bandon and Sand Valley win the early-to-bed-early-to-tee category. Third: how many people are travelling, and can they all fly to the same airport without a connecting flight? Direct flight access eliminates more potential destinations than most groups realise.