10 Best Tom Fazio Courses Open to the Public
Tom Fazio has designed more courses ranked on major national lists than any other living architect, and his body of work provokes a consistent reaction among golf architecture critics: the courses are beautiful, immaculately presented, and unapologetically focused on the visual experience. Fazio's design philosophy prioritizes aesthetics and playability over penal difficulty or strategic provocation. His courses frame shots with dramatic bunkering, move earth confidently to create elevation change, and present well from the tee box in a way that makes every hole photographable. The debate about whether this approach constitutes great architecture or merely great staging is ongoing and unlikely to resolve. What is not debatable is that Fazio's public-access courses deliver consistently excellent playing experiences, and the golfer who appreciates a well-presented, well-conditioned round will find a great deal to admire.
Fazio built the majority of his portfolio for private clubs, which makes the public-access courses on this list all the more valuable. These are the courses where Fazio's design instincts are available to anyone willing to pay a green fee.
Pinehurst No. 8 (Centennial), Pinehurst, North Carolina
Fazio designed No. 8 in 1996 to celebrate Pinehurst's centennial, and the course occupies a distinctive niche within the resort's nine-course inventory. Where No. 2 is sandy and spare, No. 8 is lush and sculpted, with dramatic elevation changes and heavily contoured greens. Pinehurst No. 8 is the course within the Pinehurst portfolio that most clearly reflects a single architect's vision, and Fazio's signature is evident in every framed tee shot and elevated green complex.
The routing moves through pine forests and around wetlands, and the visual presentation is among the finest at the resort.
Troon North (Pinnacle Course), Scottsdale, Arizona
The Pinnacle Course at Troon North is Fazio's desert masterpiece. The routing moves through the Sonoran Desert landscape at the base of Pinnacle Peak, with saguaro cacti, granite boulders, and desert washes framing every hole. Fazio's approach to desert golf is less punishing than some of his contemporaries. The fairways are generous, the bail-out areas are present, and the visual intimidation exceeds the actual difficulty for golfers who find the short grass.
The conditioning at Troon North is perpetually excellent, and the Pinnacle Course is consistently ranked among the best public courses in Arizona.
Barefoot Resort (Fazio Course), North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Barefoot Resort houses four courses by four different designers, and Fazio's contribution is the most polished of the group. The course winds through wetlands and along the Intracoastal Waterway, with the typical Fazio combination of dramatic bunkering and generous playing corridors. Green fees at Barefoot Resort are competitive within the Myrtle Beach market, making this one of the most accessible courses on this list. The Fazio Course does not pretend to be links golf or strategic minimalism. It is a well-made resort course that delivers exactly what it promises.
Pelican Hill (Ocean North and South), Newport Coast, California
The two courses at Pelican Hill occupy coastal terrain above the Pacific south of Los Angeles, and the ocean views from several holes are extraordinary. Fazio routed both courses to maximize the visual connection to the water, and the canyon-to-coast terrain produces significant elevation change. The green fees are high, reflecting both the location and the conditioning standard, but the courses deliver an experience that justifies the premium for golfers who value setting alongside design. Pelican Hill is Fazio's strongest argument for the proposition that beauty is a legitimate design goal.
Championsgate (International Course), Championsgate, Florida
Fazio designed both courses at the Championsgate resort near Orlando, and the International Course is the more interesting of the two. The design incorporates wetlands, sand, and significant bunkering into a Florida landscape that could easily have been flat and forgettable. Fazio moved enough earth to create visual interest and strategic variety on a site that offered relatively little of either naturally. The conditioning is strong year-round, and the course provides a more engaging round than the majority of Orlando-area resort courses.
Fallen Oak, Biloxi, Mississippi
Tip
We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro Course), Fort McDowell, Arizona
The Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa occupies Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation land northeast of Scottsdale, and the desert setting is more dramatic than the courses closer to town. Fazio used the terrain aggressively, routing holes through washes and around rock outcroppings with minimal artificial intervention. The Saguaro Course is less manicured than some of Fazio's other work, and it benefits from that restraint. The desert feels present rather than decorative, and the course plays as a genuine desert golf experience rather than a green carpet laid across brown ground.
Forest Creek (South Course), Round Rock, Texas
Fazio designed both courses at Forest Creek north of Austin, and the South Course is the stronger layout. The routing uses the natural creek system and rolling Central Texas terrain to create a sequence of holes with real variety. Green fees are reasonable by comparison to the resort courses on this list, and the course provides a quality Fazio experience within range of Austin and the growing Central Texas golf market.
Ventana Canyon (Mountain Course), Tucson, Arizona
The Mountain Course at Ventana Canyon preceded Troon North in Fazio's desert portfolio, and the signature hole, a par-3 played across a desert canyon to an island green backed by the Catalina Mountains, remains one of the most photographed holes in Arizona golf. The full course uses the mountain terrain more aggressively than the typical Fazio design, with elevation changes that add both drama and difficulty. Tucson's lower profile compared to Scottsdale means tee times are more accessible and green fees are more reasonable.
Dancing Rabbit (Azaleas Course), Philadelphia, Mississippi
The Azaleas Course at Dancing Rabbit, operated by the Pearl River Resort on the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians reservation, is a Fazio design on gently rolling terrain in central Mississippi. The course is well-maintained and lightly played, which means conditioning is often better than the green fee would suggest. Dancing Rabbit is an unlikely setting for a Fazio course, and that contrast is part of its appeal. The quality is genuine, the price is fair, and the drive from Jackson, Birmingham, or New Orleans is manageable.
The Fazio Aesthetic
A round on a Tom Fazio course is a curated experience. The views from the tee are composed, the transitions between holes are smooth, and the maintenance standards are typically higher than average. Critics argue that this polish comes at the expense of strategic depth, and there is some truth to that. Fazio's courses tend to reward the aerial game over the ground game, and the visual drama can obscure relatively straightforward strategic choices. But the courses on this list deliver playing experiences that satisfy a broad range of golfers, and the consistency of quality across Fazio's public portfolio is remarkable. These are courses where the round feels considered from the first tee to the final green.