Top Golf Courses in Delaware: Best Public & Private Picks

Delaware may be small, but its golf scene punches way above its size. You get old-school private clubs tucked into the rolling Brandywine Valley, polished resort-style layouts near the beaches, and public-access courses that are good enough to plan a weekend around.

The best Delaware golf courses are not all the same flavor. Some are stern championship tests. Some are coastal, windy, and full of water. Some are just flat-out beautiful. That variety is what makes golf in the First State more interesting than people give it credit for.

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How We Ranked the Best Golf Courses in Delaware

This list weighs course architecture, conditioning, reputation, shot variety, setting, and overall experience. Rankings from Golf Digest, Golfweek, and Top100GolfCourses helped shape the order, but this is not just a copy-and-paste awards list. Public access mattered, too, because a great course you can actually play deserves attention.

Golf Digest’s current Delaware list puts Wilmington Country Club’s South Course, Bidermann, Baywood Greens, The Peninsula, and Wilmington Country Club’s North Course among the state’s elite, while Golfweek’s 2025 public-access rankings highlight Plantation Lakes, Bayside Resort, and Baywood Greens as major standouts.

1. Wilmington Country Club — South Course, Wilmington

Wilmington Country Club’s South Course is the heavyweight. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., it has the scale, bunkering, green complexes, and championship bite you expect from a course that hosted the 2022 BMW Championship. It is private, so access is limited, but in pure golf terms, this is Delaware’s benchmark. The course asks for disciplined driving, precise approaches, and patience when the greens start showing their teeth.

2. Bidermann Golf Course, Wilmington

Bidermann is quiet, private, and serious in the best possible way. Its roots trace back to the du Pont family estate and a 1920s Devereux Emmet nine-hole layout before Dick Wilson expanded it into 18 holes in the 1960s. It is not flashy. It is strategic, intimate, and built for golfers who like angles, placement, and a round that feels removed from the outside world.

3. Baywood Greens, Long Neck

Baywood Greens is the Delaware course most public golfers should circle first. It is polished, scenic, and memorable, with the Woodside and Waterside nines giving you two distinct looks in one round. The course is known for flowers, water features, sharp conditioning, and a resort-style feel without losing its teeth. Golf Digest ranks Baywood Greens No. 3 in Delaware for 2025–26, and it remains one of the state’s best public plays.

4. The Peninsula Golf & Country Club, Millsboro

The Peninsula is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design with water, wind, and marshland shaping the round. It is private, but if you get access, expect a course where decision-making matters from the first tee onward. Seven holes play along Indian River Bay and Lingo Creek, giving the course a coastal feel that separates it from Delaware’s inland clubs.

5. Wilmington Country Club — North Course, Wilmington

The North Course does not get the same spotlight as the South, but it is no throwaway second course. It is a Dick Wilson design and part of one of the strongest 36-hole private clubs in the Mid-Atlantic. The North is shorter and more understated, but it still carries Wilmington Country Club’s championship DNA: clean routing, strong conditioning, and enough strategy to expose lazy swings.

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6. Fieldstone Golf Club, Wilmington

Fieldstone is one of Delaware’s most underrated private clubs. The Hurdzan/Fry design sits on rolling Piedmont terrain just outside Wilmington, and the elevation changes give it a different feel from many flatter coastal-area courses. It is private, well-regarded, and more dramatic than first-time visitors usually expect. If you like uneven lies, shaped shots, and holes that move through natural land, Fieldstone belongs high on your list.

7. Bayside Resort Golf Club, Selbyville

Bayside is Delaware beach golf with a serious architectural name attached. It was the first Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in Delaware, and the layout moves through pine forest, marsh, and holes along the Assawoman Bay coastline. It is playable as a resort/public-access option, but do not confuse that with easy. Wind, water, and Nicklaus-style target demands can make it a handful.

8. Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club, Millsboro

Plantation Lakes has become a real player in Delaware public-access golf. Golfweek ranked it No. 1 among Delaware public-access courses in 2025, and the Arthur Hills design brings a modern residential-course feel with plenty of water, bunkering, and visual pressure. It is not the longest course in the state, but it asks you to pick lines carefully and commit.

9. Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club, Ocean View

Bear Trap Dunes is a strong choice for a Delaware beach golf trip. Located just a few miles west of Bethany Beach, this Rick Jacobson design offers 27 holes across the Grizzly, Kodiak, and Black Bear nines. Expect coastal terrain, native grasses, sandy visuals, and enough routing variety to make repeat rounds worthwhile. It is especially useful for groups because 27 holes gives you flexibility.

10. Heritage Shores Golf Club, Bridgeville

Heritage Shores rounds out the list because it delivers a dependable public golf experience with real challenge. The Arthur Hills-designed course stretches just over 7,000 yards, plays to a par 72, and uses water, bunkers, and multi-tiered greens to keep you honest. GolfPass named it Delaware’s No. 1 public course in its 2025 Golfers’ Choice list, which says plenty about how everyday players view the place.

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Final Thoughts on Delaware Golf

Delaware golf is better than its national profile. Wilmington brings the private-club muscle. The beach region brings public-access resort golf. Courses like Baywood Greens, Bayside, Plantation Lakes, Bear Trap Dunes, and Heritage Shores make the state surprisingly strong for traveling golfers who want quality without driving all over the Mid-Atlantic.

If you can only play one public course, start with Baywood Greens. If you want the best overall course in the state, Wilmington Country Club’s South Course is the standard. If you are building a beach-golf weekend, pair Bayside, Bear Trap Dunes, and Heritage Shores and you will have a solid trip.

FAQ SECTION

Best time to golf in Delaware?

Spring and fall are the sweet spots. April through June usually gives you good turf and comfortable temperatures, while September and October are excellent for beach-area golf once summer crowds thin out. July and August are playable, but expect humidity and busier tee sheets near the coast.

Are most of the best Delaware golf courses public or private?

The very top tier leans private, especially around Wilmington. Wilmington Country Club, Bidermann, Fieldstone, and The Peninsula are private. That said, Delaware has several strong public or semi-private options, including Baywood Greens, Bayside Resort, Plantation Lakes, Bear Trap Dunes, and Heritage Shores.

What is the hardest golf course in Delaware?

Wilmington Country Club’s South Course is the toughest overall test when set up for championship play. It has length, demanding approaches, deep bunkering, and a proven tournament résumé. Among courses regular golfers can more realistically play, Bayside Resort and Plantation Lakes can both get difficult when the wind is up.

What is the best public golf course in Delaware?

Baywood Greens is the best all-around public course for many golfers because of its conditioning, beauty, and memorable layout. Plantation Lakes also deserves serious attention after ranking No. 1 on Golfweek’s 2025 Delaware public-access list.

What is the best Delaware golf course near the beach?

Bayside Resort is the top beach-area pick if you want a premium, challenging resort-style round. Baywood Greens, Bear Trap Dunes, and The Peninsula also belong in that conversation, depending on whether you want public access, 27-hole flexibility, or private-club exclusivity.

Is White Clay Creek Country Club still open?

White Clay Creek Country Club is not currently a course to build plans around. Its official site says it is temporarily closed effective January 1 while future ownership plans are being determined, and it is not accepting reservations or events at this time.

Can you plan a Delaware golf trip without private-club access?

Yes. A strong public-access itinerary would include Baywood Greens, Bayside Resort, Plantation Lakes, Bear Trap Dunes, and Heritage Shores. That gives you a good mix of resort polish, coastal wind, water hazards, and modern course design without needing a private-club invite.