There’s something unique and fun, and maybe a bit humbling, about playing on the same golf courses that the pros are. About getting a chance to go tee off on the same holes that your favourite PGA Tour professionals are that same weekend. Here at Prime Golf, there are a selection of courses that will allow you to do just that!
Our Trackman powered simulators feature over 400 courses for you to play on at our incredible indoor golf facility here in Nanaimo, some of which include the same courses the PGA Tour stops at through their season.
Back in February, you could have played the PGA National Members Club in Palm Beach, Florida. This course played host to the Cognizant Classic, which was eventually won by Joe Highsmith, shooting 19 under for the tournament. You could have even taken on some of the extra challenging par threes that take you entirely over water on your tee shot.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGgnlDYSmr9
But where else this year will you be able to take on the same course as the pros? Let’s run through the list!
Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course)
The next course up on the list is the Innisbrook Resort Copperhead Course in Florida! This iconic course is home to the Valspar Championship, held from March 20 – 23. This course is one of the top destinations around, included on many must play lists. It is also a challenge, with it’s long, tree-lined fairways rewarding only the best ball strikers around.
The 16th hole, nicknamed Moccasin, is one of the toughest scoring holes on the entire PGA Tour. A dogleg right with a narrow fairway, it is made even tougher by the water hazard along the entire right side of the hole.
Quail Hollow Club
One of the biggest tournaments of the year is on a Trackman course! The PGA Championship is being held at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina this year on May 15 – 18. And wouldn’t you know it, you can play this course here at Prime Golf!
Right from hole one, this course is bound to intimidate any challenger. A dangerously long par five (that plays as a par four in Championships) puts your game to the test as you try to even make the green for a well-scoring hole.
This course heavily features well-placed bunkers to increase the difficulty level and give you a chance to have a beach day in the middle of your otherwise relaxing round.
Muirfield Village Golf Club
The second tournament in May that you can play from here in Nanaimo is the Muirfield Village Golf Club! Host to the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, this course in Dublin, Ohio will feature some of the best in the world in this PGA Signature Event founded by Jack Nicklaus to honour golfers past and present, beginning on May 29.
Muirfield Village Golf Club is regularly ranked as one of the best courses in America, giving even more reason to check it out at Prime Golf. It comes with no shortage of hazards as over 70 bunkers are scattered around the course with water in play on 11 holes.
Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Links)
Yet another major tournament hosted at a course you can play where the pros are at Prime Golf. This year’s Open Championship, one of the most iconic tournaments on the schedule, is set to be played at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2025 at the Dunluce Links course. This incredible course hosted this tournament back in 2019, and the PGA Tour is back in Northern Ireland to take it on once again.
The rolling links, doglegs, narrow fairways, and scattered bunkers make this course a challenge on a good day. Now factor in the course being right alongside the ocean, and you are almost assuredly going to be dealing with wind to add to the difficulty level. Unless you choose to turn that off in the settings on your simulator, however.
The par three 16th is one of the most famous holes in golf, a long par three hitting 200+ yards with a massive green makes this hole more difficult than it may look.
Bethpage State Park (Black Course)
Perhaps one of (if not the) most difficult course in golf, the Black Course at Bethpage State Park is one that will put your game to the test. It might be best known for the warning sign at the course, indicating how difficult the course is and recommending it only for skilled golfers. And that sign does not even do the difficulty level justice as this course will wreak havoc on anyone’s game. Good thing we’ve got some Nanaimo-based golf lessons and instruction here, right?
This course will play host to the Ryder Cup in September 2025, the most iconic tournament on the schedule for many golfers on the tour.
The consensus the last time the PGA Tour got to Bethpage Black was that it is one of the best and most challenging courses around. How will you do when you try it out with the pros?
Black Desert Resort
The Black Desert Resort in Utah plays host to the Black Desert Championship, one of the newest tournaments on the schedule. The backdrop and layout of this course are extremely unique, featuring incredible rock formations amongst the challenges of the course. Luscious green fairways are set on a distinct terrain filled with red rock features and black lava rock winding around the holes.
One of the most unique features is the shared green of the second and eighth holes, a bit of a U-shape around a black rock feature.
The unique challenge this course poses is well worth trying out. With the safety of not getting your ball lost in the rocks just off of the fairways, that is.
Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course)
This incredible links-style golf course along the ocean is one of the best courses in the USA. The Seaside Course at the Sea Island Golf Club is home to The RSM Classic at the end of November. The oceanfront setting creates a new challenge every day as golfers take on new weather and wind conditions constantly. The links are filled with rolling dunes featuring local grasses and wildflowers lining the fairways.
Many holes are made even tougher with carefully placed bunkers to force golfers to plan their shots carefully, while elevated greens with large run-off areas make your approach shots incredibly difficult.
Albany GC
One of the most stunning stops on the PGA schedule is at Albany Golf Club, which is actually in the Bahamas. The pros won’t be going there until December, but you can stop by anytime at our simulators as this course is available for you to play all year round.
Home to the Hero World Challenge, the Albany Golf Club is a world-class facility with one of the most visually appealing designs around. Sharp green fairways are lined by white sand winding throughout the course to create an incredible visual contrast, while pink and red grasses fill the sand for a soft splash of colour.
Want to play where the pros do from Nanaimo?
Now that you know which PGA-calibre courses are on our Trackman simuators at Prime Golf, it might be enticing to try and play on these internationally renowned courses from the comfort of our own city here in Nanaimo. We think that’s a great idea. Play them all year long, or make a fun outing of it during the tournament to play where the pros are the weekend of that tournament. These eight courses are some of the best in the world, don’t wait to break out your clubs and see how you stack up!