U.S. Open Golf: 5 Sites You Can Play Right Now

Have you ever felt a desire to test your mettle on the sites that the pros play?

Of course you have. Who hasn't?

Well, several former U.S. Open sites that you could play tomorrow are open to the public.

Let's take a look at a few of them.                                                   

Chambers Bay Golf Course

Chambers Bay is a course located near Tacoma, Washington. It will be the site of the 2015 U.S. Open.

This links-y municipal course landed the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open after only seven months in existence and will bring America’s championship to the northwest for the first time ever.

The one knock against the beautiful course is that the greens are slow. Dreadfully slow.

Everything else is reminiscent of the traditional links courses that the game was founded on in Scotland. 

Expect to pay anywhere from $130 to $200 plus depending on the season and time of the day that you schedule your tee time, and as low as $80 if you play just prior to sunset. 

For lodging options, read this article.

Bethpage Black

The Black Course at Bethpage was the site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens and is located in Farmingdale, New York. 

ESPN ranked Bethpage as the sixth most difficult course in the country, so you better take every bit of skill and luck that you have in your repertoire. 

You can play the Black Course for as little as $86 in season, making it by far the cheapest course listed. 

Sad to say, their caddie program has received unsatisfactory marks, and you may not receive the same help that you would at other courses on this list. 

Getting a tee time here can be iffy, due to the fact that they are quickly snatched up by locals, and the only place to make a tee time is on site. 

Prepare to stay in Farmingdale several days prior to play. 

Pinehurst No. 2

Pinehurst No. 2, one of America's truly beautiful courses, was the site of the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens and will host again in 2014. 

Now is the time to play it, too.

Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore made major renovations to the original Donald Ross design, which will make it more suiting to the standards of the USGA for their national championship. 

Check this out: One of the major renovations is that there is no rough. None. Crenshaw and Coore stripped it all out, save for a few patches around greens, and replaced it with natural sand and pine straw. 

This has opened the fairway up 45 to 60 yards in some areas, making the course a much more strategic play. 

In my research of the resort, I found that you need to ask for the "252" package, which is available during the high season. The package includes an overnight stay at the resort, breakfast and a round on No. 2. 

For some reason, if you go to the resort and just try to get a round on No. 2, it can cost you upwards of $500 during the high season. 

Unlike Bethpage, Pinehurst has one of the best caddie programs in the country. Caddiemaster provides the caddies for the program, and their resume speaks for itself. 

Torrey Pines Golf Course

Torrey Pines is a municipal golf course in the northern San Diego community of La Jolla, California, and it was the site of the 2008 U.S. Open. 

Much like Bethpage Black, Torrey Pines has a unique method to ensure continued public access to the course. On weekends, individuals arrive as early as 6 p.m. the night before to get in line for the first-come/first-serve tee times that are given out from sunrise till the first reservations at 7:30 a.m.

Unlike Bethpage Black, it is very easy for outsiders to get a tee time here. 

All you have to do is book a stay-and-play package at the Lodge at Torrey Pines.

And people, let me tell you, the Lodge is beautiful.

Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach is located in Monterey Bay, California. It is the site of the 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000 and 2010 U.S. Opens and will host again in 2019. 

Prepare to open your check book when you come to play here, as a round costs nearly $500.

At Pebble Beach, you will find the most beautiful scenery in American golf, and you will walk the same course that famous celebrities and golfers have in the past. 

Pebble Beach has been the site of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am (formerly the Bing Crosby Pro-Am) since 1947. 

If and when you make your trip, walk this easily walkable course and take a caddie (they’re worth every penny, and carts are confined to the cart path). Just like Pinehurst, Pebble Beach caddies are provided by Caddiemaster. 

When scheduling your tee time, keep in mind that the afternoon is the best time to take in the scenery, as the fog has had time to clear out.