College Road Trips

From the dramatic links of Chambers Bay in Washington to the legendary replicas at Tour 18 in Texas, every road game offers a bucket-list golf course nearby.

Whether you’re chasing the Rams, the Buffaloes, or even the Ore Diggers, these matchups double as the perfect excuse to explore standout public courses across the country. Pack your clubs and get ready for the ultimate football and fairways road trip.

AUGUST 30 | COLORADO STATE VS. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (SEATTLE)

There is really no other choice here – Go to Chambers Bay. Built in 2007, Chambers Bay is one of the best public courses in the Pacific Northwest. It’s cracked the top 25 in Golf Digest’s Top 100 Public Courses in the U.S. The links course – a true links course, built on land linking the sea to the inland – features all the challenges one would expect: native sea grasses, rolling terrain and waste bunkers that stretch for miles. ChambersBayGolf.Com.

SEPT. 12 | COLORADO AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

Play Tour 18 Golf in Humble, Texas. Billed as ‘America’s Greatest 18 Holes,’ the course has reconstructed 18 of the greatest golf holes in the country, and brought them all to one site.

The course features holes that are homages to Augusta National’s 11, 12 and 13 holes – Amen Corner. Later players take on no. 17 at Sawgrass TPC, No. 18 from Doral Golf Club, the famous Blue Monster, as well as No. 14 from Pebble Beach, the hole that Phil Mickelson once shot an 11 on. Tour18Golf.com.

SEPT. 27 | COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES AT BLACK HILLS STATE (SOUTH DAKOTA)

It is worth it to become a Colorado School of Mines fan just for one week, as they travel to Spearfish, South Dakota, to play Black Hills State and give you a reason to play one of the best courses in the state, Elkhorn Ridge Golf Club in Spearfish. In the Black Hills area of South Dakota, the Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort puts visitors just a few minutes outside of Spearfish but smack in the middle of gorgeous, rolling hill country. ElkhornRidgeResort.Com.

OCTOBER 4 | COLORADO AT TCU (FORT WORTH)

About a 15-minute drive from Amon G. Carter Stadium, where Colorado will play TCU in Fort Worth, sits Hawks Creek Golf Club. The public course in Westworth Village costs $75 for 18 holes on weekends. It provides deep forest cover throughout and the course just completed a full bunker renovation project. HawksCreek.Com.

OCTOBER 11 | AIR FORCE ACADEMY AT UNLV

The Falcons of the Air Force Academy play UNLV, which gives everyone an excuse to visit Las Vegas. If you have $750 to spare, you can bust it out for the Wynn Golf Club, one of the most expensive green fees in the country. Or else consider Pete Dye’s Paiute Golf Resort Wolf Course. It is the longest course in Nevada at 7,600 yards and Dye oversaw the construction of all three Paiute Tribe courses – Snow Mountain, Sun Mountain and Wolf. lvpaiutegolf.com.

OCTOBER 25 | COLORADO AT UTAH

Daytime temps in Salt Lake City this time of year are usually in the 60s and 70s, so after Colorado takes on Utah, you can play Mountain Dell Golf Course, just off Interstate 80 east of town. It is a Salt Lake City public course and is reminiscent of many Colorado courses, sitting at an altitude of about 6,000 feet. Slc-golf.com.

NOV. 15 | COLORADO STATE AT NEW MEXICO (ALBUQUERQUE)

Colorado State visits Albuquerque, NM, to play the University of New Mexico. While you’re there, drop by the Sandia Resort and Casino and play Sandia Golf Club. The course opened in 2005 and stretches out to 7,700 yards to challenge all manner of players. The practice range and putting greens are enormous. SandiaGolf.Com.