As part of our countdown to 2026, we’ve been offering up a snapshot of the top 5 stories from each of Golfweek’s most popular sections, including equipment, the PGA and LPGA tours, college golf and instruction.
Today, we’re focusing on one of our most important areas — golf courses. The tracks featured in these posts are from all around the globe.
Here’s a look at the top 5 golf course stories, as clicked on by you:
1. Illinois’ second-oldest golf course will re-open after being closed for seven years
A golf course on an Army installation near the Mississippi River that’s been lying dormant for seven years was scheduled to re-open for play in the spring.
Listed as the second-oldest course in the state of Illinois, the Rock Island Arsenal Golf Course was slated to reopen to the public on April 26. The course was 18 holes, but only nine holes will be reopened, using the most historic holes from a course whose origins date back to 1897.
Here’s more on the story.
2. Pennsylvania golf course owned by Vietnam vet has permanently closed, sold to farmer
A Pennsylvania golf course that was opened by a Vietnam vet more than three decades ago has permanently closed, with the land having been sold to a local farmer.
Cedar Ridge Golf Course in Gettysburg opened as a 9-hole course in 1988 and another nine was added the following year, but after Dennis Seymore recently sold the land, the course has seen its final day.
Here’s more on the story.
3. Golfweek’s Best 2025: Top public-access golf courses in every state, ranked
Are you looking for the best public-access golf courses in your home state, or planning your next getaway? Golfweek’s Best has you covered with our annually updated ranking of the Best Courses You Can Play list for each state, as judged by our nationwide network of raters for 2025.
Click here for the full rankings.
4. Social media erupts after Michigan officials have family of beavers killed at golf course
When officials overseeing a municipal golf course in Michigan found a beaver dam causing a water backup, they decided the best option was to eliminate the animals. According to reports, a decision to terminate the beavers came this week.
The municipal Leslie Park Golf Course in Ann Arbor had a group of beavers damming up Traver Creek, which runs through the property. Since the state of Michigan considers beavers a “nuisance animal,” it was difficult for the city to relocate them.
Here’s a deeper dive on the story.
5. Pennsylvania resort begins renovation to 56-year-old course
Toftrees Resort in State College, Pennsylvania, has hired architect Jim Nagle to renovate its golf course, which opened in 1969 with a design by Ed Ault. The course renovation is part of a larger upgrade to the entire resort, which is managed by Shaner Hotel Group.
Nagle was initially brought in to investigate a problem with the course’s bunkers, and a comprehensive renovation plan was subsequently developed. Design work is to commence immediately, with no date yet targeted for completion.
Here’s the rest of the story.
