Not to worry. We’ve created a dream course that anyone can play. Each of the 9 holes listed is yours for the taking (to play the back–nine, head to here). And all you need to do to tackle these challenging, historic, spectacular holes is to walk up, fork over a green fee and put the peg in the ground. A few of the holes are on courses connected with a hotel, but there’s nothing stopping you, other than having to spend a little cash and a night in a bed, from getting aboard.

In order to provide 18 different playing experiences, a maximum of one hole was selected from each course. You’ll encounter top architects such as Donald Ross, Pete Dye and Tom Fazio, and play on holes from courses that have held dozens of major championships. We’ll also tell you where to eat and stay along the way. See you at the first tee!

1 Spyglass Hill Golf Course Pebble Beach, California
1st Hole, Par–5, 595 yards

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Green fees: $340–$370
Book it: 800–654–9300
www.pebblebeach.com

Fog–enshrouded and library quiet, the silence on the first tee is disturbed only by golf balls echoing off the enormous pines that pinch the fairway. Those who brave the two–hour drive south of the Bay Area encounter just what PGA Tour pros have faced since 1967: Countless deer, downhill, sidehill lies and an elevated green fortified by a trio of sprawling Trent Jones bunkers. Perhaps the Pacific vistas will ease the sting of that opening double–bogey.

Stay: The Inn at Spanish Bay boasts a modern, airy ambience, with outstanding sea access. Its off–the–beaten–path location means it’s free from Ralph–and–Alice types seeking to snag a photo. — www.pebblebeach.com

Eat: The Tap Room, within the Lodge at Pebble Beach, is an atmospheric, memorabilia–drenched version of an old–time northeastern pub. — www.pebblebeach.com

2 Pinehurst Resort (No. 2) Pinehurst, North Carolina
5th Hole, Par–4, 476 yards

Architect: Donald Ross
Green fees: $222–$410
Book it: 800–487–4653
www.pinehurst.com

Jabbed into the pine–studded sandhills an hour and ten minutes south of Raleigh/Durham sits the most harmless–looking scorecard–wrecker you’ve ever played: the fifth hole at Pinehurst No. 2. There’s no water and no fairway bunkers. Instead, bewitching contours and a maddening green inevitably funnel approaches far from their intended line. Phil Mickelson, who competed in the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens here, says, “No. 5 is a brutal hole. I don’t want to say impossible, but very close to it.”

Stay: The Carolina Hotel at the Pinehurst Resort oozes charm from every pore, right down to the rockers on the front porch. — www.pinehurst.com

Eat: For light, tasty fare, you can’t beat the cozy Ryder Cup Lounge, right off the Carolina Hotel lobby. Swivel in any direction and you’ll spot Ryder Cup artifacts, including some from 1951, when Pinehurst No. 2 played host. — www.pinehurst.com

3 Ventana Canyon (Mountain) Tucson, Arizona
3rd Hole, Par–3, 107 yards

Architect: Tom Fazio
Green fees: $115–$175
Book it: 520–577–1400
www.ventanacanyonclub.com

In 1984, when architect Tom Fazio sculpted “Hole in the Wall,” he called it, “the most expensive hole I’ve ever built.” Today, it might be his most photographed. The requirements are simple: punch a three–quarter wedge over a yawning chasm to a two–tier shelf of putting surface engulfed by a mountain full of Saguaro cacti. Easier said than done.

Stay: Loews Ventana Canyon Resort is nestled so seamlessly into the mountains, it’s hard to know where the property ends and the desert begins. 520–299–2020. — www.loewshotels.com

Eat: El Charro Café, where the Chimichanga was invented, is Tucson’s oldest Mexican eatery, dating to 1922. It now has four locations, including one near Ventana Canyon — www.elchorrocafe.com

4 Torrey Pines (South) La Jolla, California
12th Hole, Par–4, 504 yards

Architect: William F. Bell/Rees Jones
Green fees: $58–$279
Book it: 800–985–4653
www.torreypinesgolfcourse.com

There are prettier and more strategic holes on this cliff–top, seaside San Diego–area layout, but if you want a supreme test, do battle with golf’s version of a beat–down. Sheer length, dense rough and an ocean breeze into your face explains why even Tiger Woods bogeyed it three times out of five in his one–for–the–ages 2008 U.S. Open win.

Stay: The Craftsman–style Lodge at Torrey Pines features views of the Pacific and unrivaled visitor access to Torrey Pines’ courses. 858–453–4420. — www.lodgetorreypines.com

Eat: Al fresco dining at the Lodge at Torrey Pines’ A.R. Valentien offers views of the South course, but the vistas indoors are equally compelling, as is the emphasis on fresh, local ingredients. — www.lodgetorreypines.com

5 Harding Park San Francisco, California
18th Hole, Par–4, 468 yards

Architect: Willie Watson
Green fees: $46–$155
Book it: 415–664–4690
www.harding-park.com

Pros at the 2009 President’s Cup found this 85–year–old municipal course to be one spry octogenarian, notably the 15th hole, which normally plays as Harding’s 18th. The bold tee shot must carry a healthy corner of Lake Merced as well as several tall, gnarled cypress trees. Once accomplished, a daunting, undulating green awaits. Phil Mickelson calls it “a tough tee shot,” with Tiger Woods concurring, “because it forces you to shape a shot.”

Stay: Centrally located in the heart of Union Square is the historic Westin St. Francis, where ancient (the lobby’s classic grandfather clock) melds with modern (Westin’s “Heavenly Beds” are as comfortable as advertised). 415–397–7000. — www.westinstfrancis.com

Eat: The Beach Chalet offers solid American fare in a stunning setting, where the ocean meets Golden Gate Park, just five minutes up the Great Highway from Harding Park. — www.beachchalet.com

6 Pebble Beach Golf Links Pebble Beach, California
8th Hole, Par–4, 418 yards

Architect: Jack Neville/Douglas Grant
Green fees: $495–$525
Book it: 800–654–9300
www.pebblebeach.com

“The finest second shot in golf,” proclaims Jack Nicklaus of the approach to the 8th at Pebble Beach. Who are we to argue? The Golden Bear won the 1961 U.S. Amateur here, the 1972 U.S. Open and three Bing Crosby events on the PGA Tour. After a blind, uphill lay–up tee shot, you face a 185–yard, all–carry shot over an abyss of sea, craggy cliffside and beach to a tiny green ringed with five bunkers.

Stay: The classic, clubby Lodge at Pebble Beach is soaked with charm–that’s what 90 years of history and a front–row view of Pebble’s 18th will do. 800–654–9300. — www.pebblebeach.com

Eat: For special–occasion dining, Club XIX at the Lodge at Pebble Beach is the region’s ultimate “Happy Birthday/Happy Anniversary” experience. — www.pebblebeach.com

7 Bethpage State Park (Black) Farmingdale, New York
4th Hole, Par–5, 517 yards

Architect: A.W. Tillinghast
Green fees: $50–$120
Book it: 516–249–0701
www.nysparks.com

This unusual, fishhook–shaped hole proved an exciting risk/reward opportunity at the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens. Average Joes must grapple with a blind, uphill second shot over a huge diagonal glacial bunker and guard against overly ambitious approaches, which will tumble down a steep embankment. Sam Snead walked off the course in disgust after his second shot sailed over the green into oblivion during a 1940 exhibition.

Stay: A short 20 minutes west of Bethpage, the Garden City Hotel has tended to the needs of Vanderbilts, Clintons and semi–regular Joes since 1874. 516–747–3000. — www.gardencityhotel.com

Eat: For Italian, head east along the Long Island Expressway near Exit 56 to Café La Strada in Hauppauge, but be careful–it’s too easy to fill up early on the freshly baked breads. — www.cafelastradarestaurant.com

8 TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas Irving, Texas
17th Hole, Par–3, 198 yards

Architect: Jay Morrish/D.A. Weibring
Green fees: $195
Book it: 972–717–0700
www.fourseasons.com/dallas

Golf’s most untouchable record is Byron Nelson’s 11–in–a–row streak in 1945. His namesake tournament in suburban Dallas honors Lord Byron by virtue of its cast of champions, which includes Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson and by its stirring closing holes, especially the watery, downhill 17th. Surrounded by stadium mounds, this is a “hold–onto–your–hats hole,” says PGA Tour pro Harrison Frazar, one “you play with a lot of fear.”

Stay: The Four Seasons Resort and Club, Dallas at Las Colinas offers a superb spa, indoor basketball court and right–outside–your door golf access. 972–717–0700. — www.fourseasons.com/dallas

Eat: In a town renowned for its beef palaces, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, situated close to the TPC and Texas Stadium, is one of the best. — www.pappasbros.com

9 Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge Orlando, Florida
18th Hole, Par–4, 441 yards

Architect: Dick Wilson/Arnold Palmer
Green fees: $100–$185
Book it: 407–876–2429
www.bayhill.com

Perhaps the scariest second shot in golf is the over–the–lake approach to Bay Hill’s banana–shaped 18th green. Go long and a nightmare downhill chip from rough or sand awaits, with water beyond. The approach to such a slender target is so tough it even rattles six–time champ Tiger Woods. “You can’t really say ‘get up’ or ‘get down’ because you don’t really know,” says Woods. Still, Woods has won half his crowns with birdies here. Arnold Palmer may own Bay Hill, but Tiger Woods owns the 18th hole.

Stay: The glitz–free, 70–room Bay Hill Lodge exudes a private club ambience and when the King, Arnold Palmer, is in town, this is where he hangs. For serious golfers, it doesn’t get much better. 407–876–2429. — www.bayhill.com

Eat: He might have won a record 82 PGA Tour events, but Sam Snead’s legacy might be his Sam Snead’s Taverns. Orlando boasts several. Stick with the oak–grilled meats. — www.samsneadstavern.com