The International's first course, the Pines Course, was renovated by Robert Trent Jones in 1972, adding smooth greens and challenging bunkers to make it not just one of the world's longest, but also one of the most difficult. The 8,325-yard course was purchased by major owner Daniel Weadock in 1999.

The International is a golfer's paradise, including The Oaks, a Tom Fazio masterpiece, open to both guests and members. The International, in addition to its two outstanding golf courses, boasts one of New England's largest practice facilities. The International offers golf, corporate off-site seminars, business entertainment, and weekend vacations.

Distance: 8,325-yard

Address: San Diego, California

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail reaches its midway point at Ross Bridge. Even the finest golfers will be challenged by the course, which is beautifully cut into Shannon Calley's undulating topography. There are a variety of tees available for players of various ability levels, so don't feel obligated to play the entire 8,191-yard course. It's impossible to pick just one signature hole because each one is beautiful and challenging in its own way.

The parkland-style course features 10 holes that run along the banks of two big lakes, as well as a beautiful 80-foot waterfall that runs between the 9th and 18th greens. The par 3s, as on many Trail courses, are magnificent, and the entire course features significant elevation change as well as water and other natural impediments. Despite its length, the RTJ Golf Trail at Ross Bridge is a fun and challenging course.

Distance: 8,192 yards

Address: Ross Bridge in Birmingham, Alabama

This public golf course, designed by Ricky Phelps, is 8,114 yards long, but if you're in the area, don't let that stop you from playing it. Antler Creek's six sets of tees provide a challenge and delight for golfers of all skill levels.

In fact, despite its length, the course is designed with the player in mind. It has wide fairways that wind their way through the Woodmen Hills and Meridian Ranch subdivisions. The dunes-style course is unique to the Pikes Peak region, because of the combination of Colorado geography and natural grasses. The three lakes and 73 bunkers on the course add to the course's already enticing features.

Distance: 8,114 yards

Address: 6347 Nicklaus valley Road, Park City, UT 84098, United States

The Painted Valley Course, one of two at Promontory Golf Club, was designed by Jack Nicklaus and is often regarded as Utah's most difficult. Nicklaus designed the links-style course to run alongside a stream through Promontory's high-altitude valleys. The course's length encourages big drives, but it also features forward tees and spacious fairways to appeal to golfers of all ability levels.

From practically every point on the course, you can see Park City's three major ski resorts. Starting with a mammoth 718-yard par 5, the course's longest hole, the front nine carries you up and down a valley. The back nine features a number of long holes, notably the 673-yard par-4 12th. A 480-yard par four rounds out the course.

Distance: 8,098 yards

Address: 6347 Nicklaus valley Road, Park City, UT 84098, United States

Another Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail course, the Fighting Joe course in the Shoals was the first to break 8,000 yards on the RTJ Golf Trail. The course is situated between the Wheeler and Wilson dams on the Tennessee River, and the Wheeler Dam, like the course, is named after General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler.

The longest hole on this hard links course is the mammoth par 5 12th hole, which measures 716 yards from the back tees. Some players believe the course's signature hole is the magnificent 17th, but the Tennessee River, which the 18th green overlooks, is tough to overlook.

Distance: 8,092 yards

Address: 990 Sunbelt Pkwy, Muscle Shoals, Alabama 35661, Colbert County

This 8,058-yard course in Nebraska is known for its enormous elevation changes and endless views of the Sandhills in all directions. The course was designed by Tom Lehman and Chris Brands and is set in a rolling environment of prairie grasses, undulating fairways, and high tees.

The course is designed in the style of a links course, so players will have to not only smash the ball a long distance but also control its flight and direction. The Prairie Club also provides two additional courses – the Pines Course and the 10-hole, par-3 Horse Course – as well as stay and play packages.

Distance: 8,058 yards

Address: 88897 State HWY. 97 Valentine, Nebraska 69201

Golfers are intimidated by a notice at the 1st tee that says the course is "only for extremely talented golfers." Among the well-educated? Tiger Woods, winner of the 2002 "People's Open," as the United States Open was dubbed. Due to the difficult, steep par-4s, large bunkers, and wrist-fracturing rough features on this Rees Jones-restored A.W. Tillinghast layout, Woods was the only golfer to break par for 72 holes.

The Black is one of the classic routings, with Tillinghast's superb placement of fairways and greens from the 2nd hole in a valley all the way to the dogleg left 9th hole. The par-5 4th hole, with its famous cross-bunkering, is one of the best in the world

Distance: 7,468 yards

Address: Farmingdale, N.Y.A.W. Tillinghast, 1936

The turf is firm and undulating. The wind is howling off the ocean. Fescue-covered mounds dot the fairways. On Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, there are times when you think you're on the coast of Ireland. However, you recall that you're blasting automobiles on an old garbage dumping field in the Bronx when you glance up and see the Whitestone Bridge and the stunning New York City skyline.

This Jack Nicklaus masterpiece, dubbed "The Chambers Bay of the East" by some, is one of golf's great reclamation efforts and the first course completed in New York City since the 1960s. The wait was really worth it. (Nicklaus Design and GOLF.com are 8 AM Golf affiliates.)

Distance: 7,242-yard

Address: Bronx, N.Y.

Another magnificent 18-hole Pebble Beach golf course to add to your bucket list is The Links at Spanish Bay. Its location on the rocky coast of Monterrey is reminiscent of old Scottish courses. It's a classic "links" golf course, a Scottish phrase meaning a sandy wasteland by the sea with jagged grasses and persistent wind, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Watson, and Sandy Tatum.

A bagpiper concludes each day's course, adding to the Scottish feel. The picturesque course is well-known for its conservation efforts. The craggy coast's splendor, on the other hand, might just draw your attention away from your game.

Distance: 7,075 yards

Address: 2700 17 Mile Dr, Pebble Beach, CA 93953-2668

Another Tom Doak restoration project that pays homage to the game's history while looking to the future. From 1951 to 1963, the Houston Open was held on the original John Bredemus course, which opened in 1936. In the years afterward, Memorial Park has become one of the busiest munitions facilities in the country, with over 60,000 rounds fired each year. Doak's $18.5 million facelifts, which included Brooks Koepka's help, enhanced irrigation and modernized the course, making it more accessible to the public while still challenging professionals. The fairways are wide, and there are just 19 bunkers on the course, according to Doak.

The back nine, on the other hand, is engineered for scoring swings and tournament drama, thanks to his target-oriented design. Memorial Park was the first Doak course to host a PGA Tour tournament in 2020. However, the fees are still muni-friendly, making this one of the best golf bargains around.

Distance: 5.9- yard

Address: Houston, Tex.

This classic Donald Ross design is located about 45 minutes southwest of the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida, and is way off the usual route. It's a pushover from the past, right? It's only 5,862 yards from the tips, with spacious fairways and no forced carry. Wrong. The winner of this year's renowned Florida Azalea Amateur (held at Palatka since 1958) finished three rounds at four under par.

Hilly landing zones, Ross greens that are tiny in size and frequently topped, and steep greenside bunkers all add to the challenge. This is a stop well worth making on the golf road less traveled, as it has been revitalized over the last decade by Florida-based course architect Bobby Weed and his team.

Distance: 5,862 yards

Address: Palatka, Fla.