These 6 Top Golf Destinations Measure Up to the Hype
Since Dormie Network’s inception in 2015, we’ve consistently elevated the standard for golf experiences across the country. We have no plans of slowing down—GrayBull opens in 2024, marking another chapter in our rich history.
When it comes to our clubs, there’s not a ranking we won’t go after. Case in point: when Dormie Club opened in 2010, it earned the #3 Best New Course nod from Golfweek… but received little fanfare shortly after, when it became a heavily trafficked public course just north of Pinehurst. Few thought new ownership would be up to the challenge, but when the network acquired the club in 2017 (and were so invested in its success we adopted its name as our own), we soon got to work upgrading and adding facilities and resting the turf with limited tee times.
Explore our list of Dormie Network’s standout clubs, ordered from East to West.
Top Golf Destination in New Jersey: Hidden Creek in Egg Harbor Township
Hidden Creek clubhouse
Offering an entirely different experience than Atlantic City just 30 minutes away, this quiet walk in the woods is a satisfying display of Coore & Crenshaw’s minimalist style. In a county brimming with exceptional golf courses, Hidden Creek stands tall. Recognized by WPG Talk Radio 95.5FM as one of the top 10, it's an experience you won't soon forget.
Hidden Creek is also home to the network’s largest lodging style: four mansion-style houses with up to 12 bedrooms, perfect for hosting a crowd. The club gets consistently rave reviews for its seafood-forward menus, wood-fired pizzas, and Italian wine list. Trust us—this isn’t the Jersey Shore you’re used to.
Hidden Creek’s rankings of note:
#12 Best Private Course in New Jersey – Golfweek – 2024
#118 Best Modern Course in the U.S. – Golfweek – 2024
#16 Best Course in New Jersey – Golf Digest – 2021
Top Golf Destination in North Carolina: Dormie Club in Pinehurst
Dormie Club clubhouse
Experience a piece of history reborn at our namesake course, Dormie Club. Our investment in the course has more than paid off: Dormie Club earned the #15 Best Course in North Carolina distinction from Golf Digest in 2021 (following the grand opening of its new facilities) and made the North Carolina Golf Panel’s list of best courses in 2022, cementing its place as a top golf destination.
Dormie Club’s rankings of note:
#13 Best Private Course in North Carolina – Golfweek – 2024
#181 Best Modern Course in the U.S. – Golfweek – 2024
#20 Best Course in North Carolina – NC Golf Panel – 2022
#3 Best New F&B Facility – Golf Inc. Golden Fork Award – 2022
#15 Best Course in North Carolina – Golf Digest – 2021
#3 Best New Course – Golfweek – 2010
Top Golf Destination in Virginia: Ballyhack in Roanoke
Ballyhack clubhouse
If it's expansive tee shots and epic views you’re after, nobody offers refined rustic quality better than Ballyhack. This club is a favorite for sunset dinners on the patio overlooking the 18th and its knockout 200-bottle glass-encased wine room housing acclaimed regional and imported vintages.
Ballyhack is steeped in southern hospitality and proudly displays its roots as a retired dairy farm, with the original silos still standing and a herd of goats on site to help maintain the rough. The club leads the Appalachian region (and the network) in environmental stewardship thanks to a lean water management philosophy to keep the course firm and fast while reducing runoff, and was awarded the 2021 National Golf Course Owners Association Mid-Atlantic Sustainability Award. Ballyhack is consistently ranked by Golf Digest as a top course in Virginia.
Ballyhack’s awards of note:
#6 Best Course in Virginia – Golf Digest – 2023
#191 of America’s Next Greatest Golf Courses – Golf Digest – 2023
#8 Top Golf Courses of Virginia – Virginia Business Magazine – 2019
#5 Best Private Course in Virginia – Golfweek – 2019
#3 Best New Private Golf Course – Golf Magazine – 2009
Top Golf Destination in Indiana: Victoria National in Newburgh
Victoria National clubhouse
On the bucket lists of purists across the country is Victoria National, a former coal mine filled with more than 500 million gallons of water, and one of the most formidable courses you’ll have the chance to play. This course is so tough it’s been used as the final testing ground for players graduating to the PGA Tour since 2019, the winding path through a handful of walking bridges culminates in The Gauntlet: five of the most difficult finishing holes found anywhere in golf. It’s no surprise Victoria National secured a spot on Golf Digest’s list of the most challenging courses in America. Don’t worry—we sell extra balls in the shop.
Besides its formidable course, Victoria National’s cottages redefine Southern luxury, with sumptuous king suites, shared elegant spaces, and breezy, screened-in patios. Victoria National offers a variety of dining spaces, though we suggest the Peabody Room’s 8-top with a view of the 9th green.
Victoria National’s award nods:
#1 Best Private Course in Indiana – Golfweek – 2024
#47 Best Modern Course in the U.S. – Golfweek – 2024
#53 Greatest Golf Course in America – Golf Digest – 2023
Top Golf Destination in Nebraska: ArborLinks in Nebraska City
ArborLinks clubhouse
We challenge you to find a horizon larger than that found at ArborLinks. One hundred and eighty degrees of bright sky and over 300 acres of rolling hills await you at the first Dormie Network club, found inconspicuously nestled between heritage corn fields.
Lauded as one of Nebraska’s best, ArborLinks is a favorite of Signature corporate partners for its variety of private meeting spaces and of Member-Guest contenders for the heckling deck above the 18th green. Sink into the plush leather armchairs by the clubhouse fireplace and put your feet up: this club’s all about casual comfort.
ArborLinks’ notable accolades:
#5 Best Private Course in Nebraska – Golfweek – 2022
#3 Most Improved Facility of the Year – Golf Inc. Golden Fork Award – 2019
Top Golf Destination in Texas: Briggs Ranch in San Antonio
Briggs Ranch clubhouse
Leading the network standard in warmth of reception, greens sustainability, and yeehaw, Briggs Ranch just outside San Antonio, Texas has a unique flair you can’t find anywhere else. Truly a course interesting yet friendly enough to play every day, Briggs Ranch is a masterpiece design by Tom Fazio, with challenges for every level of golfer.
The club effortlessly exudes both an upscale polish and a relaxed refinement, in no better way displayed than the tucked-away specialty bourbon bar offering more than 40 rare potables, our best-seller custom canned cocktails, and the made-to-order Chef’s Table experience. We recommend reserving the second-floor veranda for your private dinner—the cross-breeze can’t be beaten.
Briggs Ranch’s notable distinctions:
#21 Best Course in Texas – Golf Digest – 2021
#4 Best New Course – Golf Digest – 2002
Just like you’re able to customize your dining adventure for your party’s size and preferences, we encourage you to select the location that plays to the skill level of the group you’re bringing—whether you’re looking for a fun, light-hearted match or want to show off your home court advantage and let the rest get pummeled, Dormie Network has the course for you.
And because your membership gets you access to all clubs (and the cross-club team’s trademark anticipatory hospitality), we’ll have your favorite cigar and a fresh sleeve of your preferred golf balls waiting on your cart, no matter which club you choose to play next.
