by Edward Schmidt

Created on: November 18, 2009

The Most Scenic Golf Courses in the U.S.

Bring your camera! That's the universal suggestion when you play America's most scenic golf courses. Combining beauty, challenge and playability, the following 10 courses never has a shortage of admiring players.

Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California

C'mon, this is the ultimate no-brainer. With its rugged coastline, wide-open views of the Pacific Ocean and carpet-like fairways, Pebble Beach is universally regarded as one of the most beautiful courses on the planet. If you can't appreciate Pebble's beauty, you might need to take up tennis, where all the courts look the same

. www.pebblebeach.com

Pacific Dunes, Bandon, Oregon

If you haven't been to Bandon Dunes, get there as fast as you can. It's one of America's best-kept secrets, especially to East Coasters. With ocean views, gigantic sand dunes and natural grassy waste areas, this is the closest thing in the U.S. to Scottish linksland golf.www.bandondunesgolf.com

Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, New York

You've seen it on T.V. It's even better looking in person. Site of the 2009 U.S. Open, this tree-laden gem is a phenomenally attractive public layout at Bethpage State Park. www.nystateparks.state.ny

TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

A beauty with immense waste bunkers, towering pines, grassy knolls and, of course, the famous par-3, no. 17 island hole. Believe me, it's just as difficult as it is pretty. If you're a mid-handicapper, you might need a calculator to keep score. www.tpc.com

Bay Harbor, Bay Harbor, Michigan

A 27-hole complex with three distinctly different nines featuring The Links, which winds along a 150-foot bluff overlooking Little Traverse Bay. Take along a camera and get postcard type shots on almost every hole. www.bayharborgolf.com

Torrey Pines, La Jolla, California

Tiger and Phil always give Torrey Pines lots of love in interviews. The two 18-hole courses, designed by Billy Bell, are perched on the edge of a canyon that drops 300 feet to the ocean. www.sandiego.gov/torreypines

Mountain Course at Ventana Canyon, Tucson, Arizona

The cacti-dotted layout set in the high Sonoran Desert is one of the most photographed courses in the western U.S.www.lodgeatventanacanyon.com

Red Sky Ranch & Golf Club, Vail, Colorado

Incorporating craggy rock outcroppings, rugged gulches and wildflower meadows, this Greg Norman designed beauty is a majestic mountain golf experience. Norman was definitely on his "A" game on this one. www.redskygolfclub.com

Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club, Albuquerque, New Mexico

This course is not well known, but it's a stunner. Set at elevations ranging from 6,500 to 7,000 feet, the course features spectacular high-desert and mountain views with many holes playing through ponderosa and juniper. www.paakoridge.com

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