{"id":10398,"date":"2026-08-14T14:56:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/?p=10398"},"modified":"2026-08-14T14:56:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:56:32","slug":"best-golf-courses-in-atlanta-memphis-st-louis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/best-golf-courses-in-atlanta-memphis-st-louis\/","title":{"rendered":"Following the FedEx Cup: Best Golf Courses in Atlanta, Memphis & St. Louis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"best
Photograph Courtesy of Evan Schiller<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Every August, the best players in the world spend three weeks fighting their way to the FedEx Cup, and in 2026 that road runs through three great golf cities: Memphis, St. Louis, and Atlanta. The 20th edition of the playoffs tees off August 13 and crowns a champion on August 30, hopscotching from TPC Southwind to Bellerive to East Lake along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All three host courses are off-limits to the public. But each city is loaded with terrific public and resort golf, so whether you’re flying in to watch the pros or you’re just inspired to plan a late-summer trip of your own, you can absolutely tee it up near the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is where to actually play in each host city, timed to each stop on the playoff schedule. And if you’re building a trip around it, do yourself a favor and skip the airport baggage carousel\u2014shipping your clubs ahead<\/a> means they’re waiting for you at the course instead of riding a conveyor belt somewhere five states over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Memphis \u2014 FedEx St. Jude Championship (Aug 13\u201316)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The playoffs open where they’ve opened for years: TPC Southwind, host of the FedEx St. Jude Championship and its famous water-guarded finishing stretch. It’s a private club, so you’ll be watching rather than playing\u2014but Memphis is one of the most affordable golf towns in the South, and most of its public courses sit within 30 minutes of downtown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Links at Audubon<\/strong> \u2014 This city-run course in the heart of Memphis got a full reimagining from Atlanta-based architect Bill Bergin, and it’s since earned Golf Digest recognition. It’s the pick if you want a well-conditioned, walkable muni close to the tournament without a resort price tag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mirimichi Golf Course<\/strong> \u2014 About 15 minutes north in Millington, Mirimichi is the eco-conscious standout of the Memphis area. Justin Timberlake, who grew up playing the property, bought it and funded a massive eco-friendly redesign before selling it in 2014; it remains one of the most environmentally certified courses in the Americas. Rolling terrain, water in play, and a strong practice facility make it worth the short drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Links at Galloway<\/strong> \u2014 A perennial local favorite inside the city limits, Galloway is affordable, tree-lined, and forgiving enough to enjoy after a long day of walking tournament grounds. An easy, relaxed round with well-kept greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tunica National Golf & Tennis<\/strong> \u2014 If you want the most challenge, this Mark McCumber design sits about 40 minutes south, just over the state line in the Mississippi Delta casino region. At 7,200-plus yards, it’s a popular championship-caliber day trip for Memphis golfers who want to open up the driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Louis \u2014 BMW Championship (Aug 20\u201323)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Week two moves to Bellerive Country Club in Town and Country, one of the Midwest’s most storied championship venues and a private club through and through. Good news: the St. Louis metro has more than 30 public courses within a 15-mile radius, so you’re spoiled for options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tapawingo National Golf Club<\/strong> \u2014 Consistently rated among the top public courses in the St. Louis metro, this 27-hole Gary Player design in Sunset Hills delivers a rolling, wooded layout with dramatic elevation changes and championship conditioning at public pricing. Start here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forest Park Golf Course<\/strong> \u2014 A 27-hole public facility minutes from downtown, with three nine-hole layouts you can mix and match. Despite sitting inside the city near Busch Stadium and the Missouri Botanical Garden, it plays with a surprisingly serene, parkland feel, and it hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links back in 1929.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Missouri Bluffs Golf Club<\/strong> \u2014 A scenic Tom Fazio design out in St. Charles County, perched on the bluffs above the Missouri River. Hilly, beautiful, and demanding\u2014it’s hosted PGA Tour and USGA qualifiers and remains one of the area’s most celebrated public tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gateway National Golf Links<\/strong> \u2014 For something completely different, cross the river into Madison, Illinois, for a true links-style course<\/a>\u2014windswept, treeless, and framed by views of the St. Louis skyline and the Gateway Arch. It’s about as close to Scotland as the Midwest gets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atlanta \u2014 Tour Championship (Aug 27\u201330)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The season ends at East Lake Golf Club, the Tour Championship’s permanent home for more than two decades and a Donald Ross design<\/a> steeped in history. In fact, it was the home course of the legendary Bobby Jones, and a recent Andrew Green restoration returned the layout closer to Ross’s original vision. East Lake is private, but metro Atlanta is one of the South’s most underrated public-golf cities, with accessible tracks in every direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chastain Park Golf Course<\/strong> \u2014 A city-run course in Buckhead that’s routinely called Atlanta’s top public option. Rolling hills, skyline views, and a central location make it the easiest in-town round to slot into a Tour Championship trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bobby Jones Golf Course<\/strong> \u2014 Just north of downtown, this is one of the most innovative munis in the country: a reversible nine-hole layout played in different directions on different days, built on the site of Atlanta’s first public course, which opened in 1932 as a tribute to Jones himself. A fitting play the same week the pros compete on Jones’s home turf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stone Mountain Golf Club<\/strong> \u2014 About 30 minutes east, Stone Mountain offers two championship courses with views of the mountain and lake. The Stonemont Course rewards accuracy and strategy; the more target-oriented Lakemont makes a good complement. A scenic half-day escape from the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cobblestone Golf Course<\/strong> \u2014 Roughly 30 miles northwest in Acworth, this Cobb County muni on the banks of Lake Acworth shows what an elite public course can be\u2014great value, great conditioning, and some of the best public-golf vibes in the metro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Cities, Three Chances to Play Near the Pros<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There’s something fun about walking a tournament all afternoon and then teeing it up yourself the next morning in the same city. Memphis, St. Louis, and Atlanta each give you that chance this August\u2014affordable munis, scenic resort tracks, and championship-caliber public golf, all a short drive from where the FedEx Cup gets decided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning a trip to any of the three? Don’t wrestle your clubs through three airports. With ShipSticks<\/a>, you schedule a pickup from home, office, or club, and your sticks are waiting at your first tee\u2014protected, tracked door-to-door, and backed by complimentary insurance. Hop off the plane, grab your rental car, and head straight to the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pick your city, book your tee times, and let your clubs travel the easy way. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every August, the best players in the world spend three weeks fighting their way to the FedEx Cup, and in 2026 that road runs through three great golf cities: Memphis, St. Louis, and Atlanta. The 20th edition of the playoffs tees off August 13 and crowns a champion on August 30, hopscotching from TPC Southwind…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":10400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[249,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","category-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10398"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10402,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10398\/revisions\/10402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipsticks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}