Must-play Courses: Ryder Cup edition

Where legends have battled — and will again

This month, we’re featuring four must-play venues with Ryder Cup pedigree — two from each side of the Atlantic. Bethpage Black is already getting plenty of attention, so we’re leaving the 2025 host out of this list. Instead, we’re shining the spotlight on courses that have delivered legendary matches and unforgettable finishes (or promise to do so soon).

From a British battleground to a bluegrass beauty, each layout brings its own flavor, its own challenges, and its own role in Ryder Cup lore.

Let’s get ready to rumble.

The next European host course is already turning heads. Adare Manor will stage the 2027 Ryder Cup matches — and if you want a sneak preview, Virtual Golf 3 delivers every angle in full detail.

Originally laid out by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and reimagined by Tom Fazio in 2018, the course is all manicured drama: river crossings, immaculate greens, and risk-reward holes wrapped in luxury.

The par-5 18th is the closer to watch — reachable in two, but only if you flirt with water all the way home. Elsewhere, you’ll find tightly mown runoffs, testy approaches, and a parkland setting that puts your short game on notice.

Adare Manor may not have Ryder Cup history yet, but it’s already built for the big time.

Royal Birkdale has seen more than its share of drama — and not just at the Open.

It hosted the Ryder Cup in 1965 and 1969, the latter ending in a tie after Jack Nicklaus famously conceded Tony Jacklin’s short putt to halve the final match. The moment lives on in highlight reels — and the course remains one of the best tests in British golf. (Fun fact: The Concession, co-designed by Nicklaus and Jacklin, is also in our library.)

Bold, natural contours frame every shot and punish the slightest miss. Holes like the par-3 12th demand precise flight control, while the finishing par-5 18th tempts big swings with wind swirling in every direction.

If you like your golf with history, grit, and seaside bravado, this is the one.

Valhalla was built for big moments — and it’s delivered. Nicklaus’s bold design played host to the 2008 Ryder Cup, where the Americans ended Europe’s run of three straight wins and gave the Americans their first victory of the century.

The course leans into its modern championship DNA: wide corridors, deep bunkers, tiered greens, and par-5s that dare you to go big. VG3 brings all the drama front and center. Look out for the sweeping 7th, the risk-reward 13th, and a final stretch that demands your very best (and then some).

It’s long. It’s loud. It’s Cup-tested. And it’s waiting to see if your game stacks up.

This is the most old-school venue on this list, but don’t let that fool you. Scioto hosted the third edition of the Ryder Cup back in 1931 and helped shape the future of American golf. The Golden Bear himself learned the game here, and the Donald Ross design — restored to his original specifications in 2021 — remains a masterclass in subtle strategy.

Give Scioto a go and you’ll see how understated can still mean demanding. The par-5 8th winds around a stream toward a well-defended green, while the uphill 9th par-3 is all about holding your nerve.

It’s not the longest or flashiest track, but it’s one of the most quietly brilliant — and a bona fide piece of Ryder Cup history.