We’ll start with two prominent public-access courses, Pebble Beach Golf Links, in California, and Pacific Dunes, in Oregon, ranked 9th and 19th, respectively, on GOLF’s new Top 100 U.S. list.

Though each hole is visually dazzling in its own way, perhaps none are more breathtaking or impressive than the 13th at Pacific Dunes, a long par 4 that runs the entire length of the cliff. Over ...

But Pacific Dunes preceded all of those great original designs. Like any golf course construction, there are fascinating stories about why things ended up one way or another—and those stories ...