The only constant in life is change. Seasons turn. Children grow. And golf courses, inevitably, evolve. Here are 8 of the most dramatic transformations of 2025.
Livermore, CA
On rolling hills an hour east of San Francisco, Jay Blasi repurposed the best land from three existing nines to create what amounts to a brand-new 18-holer. The result features gentler elevation changes, far shorter walks from greens to tees, and more intrigue throughout. Owned and operated by the Northern California Golf Association, Poppy Ridge remains a rare Bay Area bargain, with sub-$100 green fees for NCGA members. The combination of quality and accessibility makes Blasi’s work a top contender for most notable public-course opening of the year.
Alameda, CA
Delayed by a series of pandemic-era snags, renovations on the back nine were completed this spring, completing a full 18 that nods to old-school links golf with firm turf, sod-wall bunkers, and wildly contoured greens and surrounds. Alongside the Rees Jones–renovated South Course, the North (by Rees’s brother, Robert Trent Jones Jr.) has been a game changer for daily-fee golfers — a municipal facility with multiple options and conditions on par with many private clubs.
Medinah, IL
Everything old is new again, including reversible routings. This one comes courtesy of architect Dave Zinkand, who reimagined a former nine-hole course at Medinah Country Club into a clever layout that plays in two directions. Whether tackled clockwise (the Purple routing) or counterclockwise (the Green), the course begins and ends on a shared double-green par 3, with inventive, rollicking golf in between.
Jekyll Island, GA
It was both a Golden Age and a gilded one when Walter Travis completed Great Dunes on an island that doubled as a winter retreat for dynastic families like the Rockefellers, Morgans, and Vanderbilts. Nearly a century later, Travis’s original nine holes were refreshed by Brian Ross and Jeffrey Stein and combined with land from an adjacent Dick Wilson design to create a full 18. The course now meanders through dunes toward the coast and back, reconnecting the site with its architectural and cultural roots.
Lake Oswego, OR
As a counterpoint to today’s boom in extravagantly priced private clubs, muni golf continues to gather momentum. For proof, look just south of Portland, where Dan Hixson transformed an underused 18-hole par-3 course into a compelling nine-hole executive layout. It’s modest in scale but rich in interest—a reminder that good design doesn’t require excess.
Ashland, NE
A renovation by original architect John LaFoy introduced new turf, a dozen new tees, and freshly shaped bunkers, while opening long-suppressed views across a property that ripples over a former mining site. Highlights include the ninth hole, converted from a par 4 to a risk-reward par 5, and a new tee on the 15th, perched atop an abandoned dynamite shack with sweeping views of the Platte River.
Bolton, MA
In its former incarnation, the Pines stretched past 8,000 yards and once laid claim to being the longest golf course in the world. Bill Coore’s redesign pulled the layout back from that extreme, trading sheer length for far greater interest. Routed across a wrinkled New England landscape of pines, ponds, and rocky outcrops, the course now offers a richer mix of shots and strategy, including tantalizingly short par 4s, reachable par 5s and a wonderfully varied collection of par 3s.
Fort Worth, TX
Fresh off its centennial, on Forth Worth’s revitalizing east side, an endearing muni has been refreshed: every hole rerouted, turf and paths upgraded, drainage improved and ponds deepened with the aim of creating more pleasant environs for favorite local character: the black-bellied whistling duck. In addition to having a better place to bathe, the birds now enjoy elevated status as the inspiration for Meadowbrook’s new logo.
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