The 25 best locker rooms in golf, ranked – Australian Golf Digest

What do you appreciate in a golf locker room? Is it storied history, modern luxury or simply an unassuming place to change your shoes? That’s the question we put to Golf Digest’s 1,800-plus course-ranking panelists. The answer, we found, is that no one style of a quality locker room appeals to all, although ones oozing character seem to resonate more. Swanky spa amenities and full-service restaurants don’t hurt, either.

Whether you’re a purist or enjoy being pampered, the locker rooms on this page are some of the best places to relax and ruminate about the day’s round.

MORE: The 10 best showers in golf, ranked

25. Whisper Rock G.C.

Several dozen PGA Tour players are members, including Phil Mickelson. Need to rejuvenate after your round? Hit up one of two “nap rooms,” there to let members sleep off the day’s events, if need be.

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Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Whisper Rock Golf Club Scottsdale, AZ 3.9 7 Panelists

Second 100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 24. Southern Hills C.C.

Historical artifacts, great service, and a blend of old school feel with modern amenities make this locker room a great hangout spot. Our panelists appreciate the simple touches like the excellent showers and an ice and soda dispenser.

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Brian Oar

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Gary Kellner/PGA of America/Getty Images

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Brian Oar

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Brian Oar

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Andy Johnson/Courtesy of Southern Hills

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Southern Hills marks a new era of more dynamic major-championship setups (the par-4 fourth).

Brian Oar

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Players will have to decide how far to press their luck with drives on the par-4 third.

Brian Oar

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Southern Hills Country Club Tulsa, OK 4.8 19 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 23. Olympia Fields C.C.

“It might be the largest locker room I’ve ever seen,” one panelist says. “The coolest part? Seeing a bunch of members taking Zoom meetings inside. For a classic traditional club, it’s great to see them lax their policies and evolve them to cater them to a younger membership.”

Gary W. Kellner Save for later Private Olympia Fields Country Club Olympia Fields, IL 4.4 22 Panelists

Second 100 Greatest
Best In State

To prepare Olympia Fields North for the 1961 PGA Championship (won by Jerry Barber in a playoff over Don January), the club didn’t hire a golf architect. Instead, superintendent Warren Bidwell relocated 32 greenside and 13 fairway bunkers and added new tees to lengthen the course by 320 yards. Forty years later, golf architect Mark Mungeam supervised extensive changes before the North hosted the 2003 U.S. Open and made more changes again before Olympia Fields North and then-newly remodeled South co-hosted the 2015 U.S. Amateur. In 2017, Olympia Fields North was the site of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and the course hosted the 2020 and 2023 BMW Championship. Andrew Green has since been hired to remodel the course. View Course 22. Old Memorial G.C.

With on-site cottages and no official closing time inside the locker-room bar, things can get rowdy at Old Memorial, previously named one of Golf Digest’s Best 19th Holes.

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Scott Smyers

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Scott Smyers

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Steve and Scott Smyers

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Steve and Scott Smyers

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Steve and Scott Smyers

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Steve and Scott Smyers

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Steve and Scott Smyers

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Steve and Scott Smyers

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Old Memorial Golf Club Tampa, FL 4.2 22 Panelists

View Course 21. Baltusrol G.C.

Upon entering, a massive new interactive touchscreen immerses you in the history of the club with videos and infographics. Historical photos and artifacts surround the room, which includes a grill overlooking the 18th holes on both the Upper and Lower courses.

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11 / 12 12 / 12 Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Baltusrol Golf Club Springfield, NJ 4.7 33 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 20. Pine Valley G.C.

Simple, unadorned beige metal lockers, wood-paneled walls and green carpeting ensure that all your attention is on the golf course. “The history of the place is incredible and the showers are insane,” one panelist notes. “To be able to stay in the clubhouse is like a real life ‘Night In the Museum’ experience for golf purists.”

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Carlos Amoedo

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Dom Furore

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Dom Furore

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Courtesy of the club/Charley Raudenbush

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Photo by Dom Furore

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Dom Furore

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Golf Digest/Photo by Dom Furore

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Photo by Dom Furore

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Pine Valley Golf Club Pine Valley, NJ 4.7 19 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course

MORE: Our definitive* ranking of the 11 best drinks in golf

19. Muirfield Village G.C.

Jack Nicklaus made milkshakes the signature drink at his home club as a nostalgic nod to operating the soda machine at his dad’s pharmacy as a teenager. Gulp down as many as you want while taking in views of the first and 10th tees.

Gary Kellner

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Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Muirfield Village Golf Club Dublin, OH 4.8 23 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 18. Friar’s Head G.C.

Likened by some to a new-age luxury hotel, the ambiance here is cozy. The small locker-room bar offers views of the first tee and ninth green.

Jon Cavalier

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Evan Schiller

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Evan Schiller

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Friar’s Head Golf Club Riverhead, NY 4.9 20 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 17. Hudson National G.C.

You could spend an entire day in the club’s spacious locker room. Lunch is served right in the room, and there’s no shortage of lounge chairs to sit back and watch TV. Clean up in the showers, steam room and sauna, where there’s a massive selection of luxury toiletries. Guests getting their names on one of the wooden lockers for the day is a welcoming touch.

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Tremont Sporting Co.

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Tremont Sporting Co.

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Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Hudson National Golf Club Croton On Hudson, NY 4.3 40 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 16. Garden City G.C.

Sport coats are mandatory in the men’s-only clubhouse, no matter the weather. Metal-grate lockers and coat racks to hang guest jackets are also decidedly old school.

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David Normoyle/Courtesy The Garden City Golf Club

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Garden City Golf Club Garden City, NY 4.3 15 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 15. Champions G.C.

A marker on the horseshoe-shape locker-room bar denotes where co-founder and three-time Masters champ Jimmy Demaret would drink his post-round martini.

1 / 1 Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Champions Golf Club: Cypress Creek Houston, TX 4 10 Panelists

View Course 14. Burning Tree Club

Former presidents and congressmen of both parties are members, and everyone eats together at the long dining tables.

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Courtesy of the Burning Tree Club

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Burning Tree Club Bethesda, MD 4 5 Panelists

View Course 13. The Country Club

“Old wireframe lockers that haven’t been updated since what feels like the Francis Ouimet era, which adds to the charm and the history of the club,” says one panelist. “The saloon style swinging doors as you enter and the old pictures of tournaments, players and the course just take you back to the Golden Age of golf.” And of course, don’t forget to order a Fernando, the club’s signature drink named for longtime TCC bartender Fernando Figueroa.

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James Sylvia: West Tenth Media/MembersFirst

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James Sylvia: West Tenth Media/MembersFirst

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private The Country Club: The Main Course Brookline, MA 4.3 2 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 12. Indian Creek C.C.

You’ll often find celebrities playing cards and knocking back a cocktail in this locker room featuring cathedral-style wood detailing. “High ceilings, almost cathedral-like, along with intricate wooden lockers and just a general feeling of opulence without being overbearing,” writes one panelist.

1 / 6 2 / 6 3 / 6 4 / 6 5 / 6 6 / 6 Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Indian Creek Country Club Indian Creek Village, FL 4.4 10 Panelists

View Course 11. Forest Creek G.C.

It’s like stepping inside the most glamorous horse stable. The 9,000-square-foot locker-room has stall doors that separate each set of lockers and a roof with wood shingles. “It was built to replicate an old barn and the size is impressive,” one panelist says. “The details including the exposed trusses and artwork give it great ambiance. At the far end of the locker room is a fireplace, bar and large leather chairs.”

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Wayne Freedman

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Wayne Freedman

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Forest Creek Golf Club Pinehurst, NC 4.2 26 Panelists

View Course 10. The Golf Club

A very large oil painting of club founder Fred Jones sits on a shelf above the Cotswolds stone fireplace, as if he’s still watching over the club, long after his death.

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Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private The Golf Club New Albany, OH 4.5 18 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 9. Sea Island

This is the highest-ranked locker room open to the public. The 6,000-square-foot space has an exercise room, rainfall showers and one of the best cigar rooms around—with views of the Atlantic Ocean.

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Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Sea Island Saint Simons Island, GA 4.2 27 Panelists

100 Greatest Public
Best In State

View Course 8. Oakmont C.C.

Hundred-year-old spike marks on the benches and compartments used by members to hide booze during Prohibition are just two signs of its history.

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Jeff Marsh

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Jeff Marsh

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Oakmont Country Club Oakmont, PA 4.9 25 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 7. Merion G.C.

During the Great Depression, the club looked at cutting expenses like water costs from its legendary showers, which we’ve ranked the best in American golf. A member footed the water bill for years to keep the oversize pipes and drain plates intact.

Dom Furore

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Matt Hahn

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Matt Hahn

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Matt Hahn

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Matt Hahn

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Matt Hahn

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Matt Hahn

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Stephen Szurlej

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Stephen Szurlej

11 / 11 Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Merion Golf Club Ardmore, PA 4.9 30 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 6. Winged Foot G.C.

A trophy case greets entrants with decades-old memorabilia before entering a two-level locker room filled with photos of past major champions.

Golf Digest Archive

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Dom Furore

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The 18th green at Winged Foot (West).

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No. 17

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LC Lambrecht

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The ninth hole with the iconic Clifford Wendehack clubhouse in the background.

Dom Furore

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Winged Foot Golf Club Mamaroneck, NY 4.7 31 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 5. San Francisco G.C.

“The smell of the old-school fireplace hits you as you walk in. It’s like going back in time,” one panelist says. Also helping the historic vibe: Ancient pistols are on display, a nod to the Broderick-Terry duel in 1859, which took place yards from the seventh hole.

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Courtesy of San Francisco GC

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LC Lambrecht

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LC Lambrecht

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LC Lambrecht

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private San Francisco Golf Club San Francisco, CA 4.7 22 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 4. Calusa Pines G.C.

Owner Gary Chensoff traveled to golf’s best clubs for inspiration. The result? “The best modern locker room I have ever seen, yet they did it in such a way that it feels 100 years old,” says one panelist.

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Laurence Casey Lambrecht

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Laurence Casey Lambrecht

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Laurence Casey Lambrecht

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Laurence Casey Lambrecht

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Laurence Casey Lambrecht

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Laurence Casey Lambrecht

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Calusa Pines Golf Club Naples, FL 4.6 51 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 3. Milwaukee C.C.

The bratwurst and sausage highlight the daily spread. Rumor has it Brett Favre was asked to leave after knocking over a trophy while tossing a football between locker rows.

Courtesy of Milwaukee Country Club

Courtesy of Milwaukee Country Club

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Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Milwaukee Country Club River Hills, WI 4.6 18 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 2. Castle Pines G.C.

A recent renovation has made Castle Pines perhaps the best “modern” locker room. With no amenity overlooked, it’s an upscale mountain lodge complete with a full spa. You can easily fill an afternoon in the high-pressure showers, whirlpool, sauna and steam room.

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Courtesy of the Ridge Course at Castle Pines North

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Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Castle Pines Golf Club Castle Rock, CO 4.6 20 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course 1. Seminole G.C.

“It is quiet, pleasant and elegant—one of the better places in Florida to change your shoes,” Dan Jenkins wrote in 1965. Not much has changed in 60 years. With 30-foot-high wood ceilings, taxidermy on the walls and gold lettering on boards listing winners of the club’s prestigious tournaments, it’s a step back in time.

Autumn Hartshorne

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Carlos Amoedo

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Carlos Amoedo

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Carlos Amoedo

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The par-3 17th at Seminole Golf Club.

Carlos Amoedo

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Carlos Amoedo

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Jon Cavalier

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Stephen Szurlej

Previous Next Pause Play Save for later Private Seminole Golf Club Juno Beach, FL 4.8 23 Panelists

100 Greatest
Best In State

View Course

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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com