The Best Walking Only Golf Courses
Golf was meant to be walked, and the courses that still insist on it are among the purest in the game, a caddie on the bag, no engine noise, the round taken one stride at a time. We rank eight of the world's best, from the walking only resort at Bandon Dunes to the great clubs and links where the buggy never arrived, with the verdict on each and how to play it.
Photograph: Old Course, Richard Grobben, via Google
How we ranked them
The walking only course is a statement of values, that the game is better at three miles an hour, that a caddie improves the day, and that the routing should be designed for feet rather than a cart path. Some of these places enforce it as a rule, others simply never allowed buggies and never will, and a few of the great links keep walking the firm tradition. We weight the quality of the course, the strength of the caddie experience and the purity of the walk, and we have noted plainly which are open to visitors and which are private. The reward is the same everywhere on this list, golf as it was meant to feel.
The ranking
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
The greatest walking only experience in modern golf, a remote Oregon coast resort where every course is walked, with a superb caddie programme and push trolleys for those who go without. Five championship links plus the Preserve and the Punchbowl, all firm, wild and oceanfront, make it the spiritual home of the walking game in America. Open to all and the one trip every walking golfer should make.
Resort and public. Indicative 2026 green fee around $145 to $395 by season. Always confirm directly before booking.Pine Valley Golf Club
Long rated the best course in the world, and walked with a caddie as a matter of course, Pine Valley is a brutal, beautiful test carved through New Jersey pine and sand. The walk between the towering bunkers and island fairways is part of the examination, and the caddie an essential ally. The single caveat is access, it is one of the most private clubs in golf, so most of us know it only by reputation.
Private members club. Walked with caddies. Not open to visitors.The Old Course, St Andrews
The home of golf is a walking course in its bones, buggies are not offered for general play, and the round is taken on foot with a caddie or a trolley across the shared fairways and vast double greens. Walking the Swilcan Bridge, the Road Hole and the closing stretch into the grey town is the most storied stroll in the game. Public, ballot entered and unmissable, the original walking experience.
Public, ballot or advance booking. Indicative 2026 green fee around £270 in season. Always confirm directly before booking.Cypress Point Club
The most beautiful course in the world, an Alister MacKenzie design from 1928 that runs from Monterey pine through dunes to the cliffs of the Pacific, taking in the legendary par 3 16th over the ocean. It is walked with caddies, as a place this sacred should be, the round a slow procession through changing landscapes. Intensely private, included here for the purity of the walk and the genius of the design.
Private members club. Walked with caddies. Not open to visitors.Ballyneal Golf Club
A walking only purist's dream out in the chop hills of eastern Colorado, a Tom Doak design from 2006 routed through wild, tumbling sand dunes with no rough, no carts and a caddie culture at its heart. Firm, fast and endlessly playable, it is one of the most admired modern courses anywhere and a true believer in the walking game. A private club, but the kind a keen walking golfer will move heaven and earth to play.
Private members club. Walked with caddies. Not open to visitors.National Golf Links of America
America's first great course, a C.B. Macdonald design from 1911 on Long Island that reinterprets the famous holes of the British links across rolling ground above Peconic Bay. It is walked with caddies, the way Macdonald intended, the wind and the template holes making every round a thinking walk. A revered private club, on this list for its history and the timeless quality of the on foot experience.
Private members club. Walked with caddies. Not open to visitors.Sand Valley Golf Resort
The midwest answer to Bandon, a walking focused resort built on an ancient sand barren in central Wisconsin, with a caddie programme and push trolleys across its expanding set of Coore and Crenshaw and Tom Doak courses. Firm, sandy and natural, with the celebrated Sandbox short course alongside, it carries the walking ethos of the great modern resorts. Open to all and a rising star of the walking trip.
Resort and public. Indicative 2026 green fee around $150 to $300 by season. Always confirm directly before booking.Royal Dornoch Golf Club
The great pilgrimage links of the far north, a remote and revered course in the Scottish Highlands long rated among the best in the world, where the walk along the firm turf above the Dornoch Firth is half the magic. Buggy use is very limited and the round is properly walked, ideally with a caddie. Public and welcoming despite its remoteness, the finest walking links you can simply book and play.
Public, advance booking. Indicative 2026 green fee around £225 in season. Always confirm directly before booking.Designers, opening years and access verified June 2026. Green fees are indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Pine Valley, Cypress Point, Ballyneal and National Golf Links are private. Caddie fees and tips are additional. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Check tee time availability Best courses in St Andrews and Fife
Walking only golf at a glance
| Course | Access | How it is walked |
|---|---|---|
| Bandon Dunes Resort | Resort and public | Walking only, caddies or trolleys |
| The Old Course, St Andrews | Public, ballot | No buggies, caddies or trolleys |
| Sand Valley Resort | Resort and public | Walking focused, caddies or trolleys |
| Royal Dornoch | Public | Walked, caddies available |
| Pine Valley and Cypress Point | Private | Walked with caddies |
Indicative information for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. Caddie fees and tips are additional. Always confirm directly before booking.
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Walking only golf questions
What is a walking only golf course?
A walking only course is one where golf carts are not used and players walk the round, usually with a caddie, a push trolley or a carry bag. It is the traditional way the game was meant to be played, and many of the world's greatest courses, led by Bandon Dunes and the classic links, hold to it. Always confirm directly before booking.
Which famous golf courses are walking only?
Every course at Bandon Dunes in Oregon is walking only, as is the game at Pine Valley, Cypress Point, National Golf Links and Ballyneal, while the Old Course at St Andrews does not offer buggies for general play. Sand Valley and the great Scottish links are walking cultures too. Always confirm directly before booking.
Can I take a caddie on a walking only course?
Yes, and you should. Caddie programmes are central to the walking only courses, and a good looper carries the bag, reads the greens and tells the stories. Where caddies are not taken, push trolleys are usually available. Budget for the caddie fee and tip on top of the green fee, and always confirm directly before booking.
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