Once a golf course starts to struggle with a lack of conditioning or run-down facilities, word travels fast among local golfers.
The same thing happens when a golf course starts a comeback after a downturn. Once golfers find out a course has a new owner or has invested back into the facility to improve things, they will come back to see what’s happening and support the cause.
Courses are like houses. They need constant upkeep and reinvestment every 30 years or so. Irrigation needs modernizing. Bunker liners and sand need to be replaced. The grass on greens or tees might need to be changed out for a better strain.
Sometimes, something as simple as a fresh coat of paint can prove to golfers that things are on the up and up.
These 25 public courses impressed customers most with how they improved from 2024 to 2025, as measured by their improved GolfPass review scores. Every golf course needed at least 10 reviews to be eligible for this list of most improved golf courses. Let’s hope they can keep it up in 2026.