The next best thing to a city dotted with golf courses is one with a great selection of craft beer breweries and brewpubs.
Nothing tastes better than a cold beer after a round. We're not just talking about any beer, either. Craft beers -- which are painstakingly brewed for maximum flavor, aroma and appearance -- are the best way finish a day of birdies or three putts.
Here are 10 cities with fantastic golf and beer offerings:
1. San Diego
Billing itself as the "Craft Beer Capital of America," San Diego has more than 100 breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, including four breweries among the 50 largest craft brewers in the U.S. It also has major festivals such as San Diego Beer Week (in November) and San Diego International Beer Competition (in June). It's a golf capital as well with more than 90 golf courses in San Diego County. Suggested places to play: Aviara, The Crossings at Carlsbad, Maderas Golf Club, Sycuan Golf Resort and Twin Oaks Golf Course.
2. Portland, Oregon
Known as "Beervana," Portland helped propel the craft beer movement back in the early 1980s. Today, there are more than 65 breweries with more opening up each year. There are brewpubs in every part of the city, so you can always find a good IPA easily. Suggested places to play: The Reserve Vineyards-North & South, Stonecreek Golf Club, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club-Ghost, The Resort at the Mountain and OGA Golf Course.
3. Milwaukee
Beer is what made Milwaukee famous. The mega-breweries are gone, but they've been replaced by a long list of superb brewpubs such as the Milwaukee Ale House, Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, Horny Goat Hideaway and Old German Beer Hall. Suggested places to play: Edgewood Oaks and Pines, The Bog and Broadlands Golf Club.
4. Denver
The Coors Brewery -- located 12 miles from Denver -- has a fantastic tour and put Colorado beer on the map. A plethora of craft beer makers are enhancing its image. Excellent places for a microbrew are Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Rock Bottom Brewery, Falling Rock Taphouse and Ale House at Amato's. Suggested places to play: Arrowhead Golf Club, Colorado National Golf Club, Lone Tree Golf Club and Ridge at Castle Pines North.
5. Tampa, Fla.
With nearly 30 craft breweries in the bay area, you don't have to travel far for a great beer after a round. Some of the more popular suds spots are Cigar City Brewing, Tampa Bay Brewing Company and Dunedin Brewery. Suggested places to play: Temple Terrace, Copperhead at Innisbrook, TPC Tampa Bay and Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club.
6. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
Dozens of brewpubs are available in the Twin Cities. If you have some extra energy after golf, try the Craft Beer Bike Ride, an eight-mile long trek that includes several breweries. Suggested places to play: Bluff Creek Golf Course, Deer Run Golf Club, Mississippi Dunes Golf Links and Albion Ridges Golf Course.
7. Tacoma, Wash.
Tacoma's craft beer scene has boomed in the past five years, and there are now 15 craft beer breweries in the area. You'll find the most draught beers at Engine House No. 9, which has 23 taps. Suggested places to play: Chambers Bay, Salish Cliffs Golf Club, Allenmore Public Golf Course, Brookdale Golf Club and Golf Club at Hawkes Prairie Links.
8. Philadelphia
Voted one of "The Five Best Beer Cities in America" by GQ Magazine, Philly has a slew of great places to drink craft beer. Popular watering holes include Dock Street, Manayunk Brewery, Tired Hands and Round Guys. Suggested places to play: Downingtown Country Club, Inniscrone Golf Club, Lederach Golf Club and Wyncote Golf Club.
9. San Francisco
Home to the annual San Francisco International Beer Festival, the City by the Bay has a well developed craft beer scene with top brew havens such as Mikkeller Bar, Monk's Kettle and Tornado heading the list of options. Suggested places to play: TPC Harding Park, Crystal Springs Golf Course and Sharp Park Golf Course.
10. Seattle
Exceptional hops from the Yakima Valley, two hours east of Seattle, help make Seattle's craft beers great tasting and popular. Favorite brew spots include Hale's Ales, Pike Brewing Company, Elysian Brewery and Fremont Brewing Company. Suggested places to play: Druids Glen, Gold Mountain (Cascade Course and Olympic Course), McCormick Woods Golf Course and White Horse Golf Club.
If you are a Balls & Beer Golfer, you need to come over to England and play three British Open Championship courses in Kent (www.golfinkent.co.uk), just SE of London, and enjoy a glass of Spitfire, brewed by Shepherd Neame, Britain's oldest brewer, and also visit the south west to play the best six championship links in the region, England's Atlantic Links (www.atlantic-links.co.uk) and finish your round with cask ale ,Tribute, produced by a family brewery since 1851, based at St Austell, Cornwal. Cheers!
If you are a Balls & Brew Golfer, then you need to come to England! You can play three British Open Championship courses in Kent (www.golfinkent.co.uk) (just SE of London) whilst enjoying Shepherd Neame Spitfire ale, made by Britain's oldest brewer, or visit England's Atlantic Links (www.atlantic-links.co.uk) , comprising the six premier links in the south west of England and drink Tribute, a cask ale produced by a family brewery since 1851, based at St Austell, Cornwall. Cheers!
Craft Beer and Golf and no Traverse City, Michigan ? This area in NW Michigan is noted in many surveys as a top nationally ranked destination for its craft beers and bars. Jolly Pumpkin, Seven Monks, North Peak, Right Brain, Terra Firma - all well known nationally and all in Traverse City. And the golf is excellent, too. Within an hours drive of TC - Arcadia Bluffs, Crystal Downs, Grand Traverse Resort, Kingsley Club, Boyne, Forest Dunes, Treetops and Crystal Mountain. How about a new article just devoted to Traverse City, Michigan, Brandon. Come for a visit and you'll see what you've missed in this article.
Spent some time in TC and I agree, solid beer & golf scene up there too.
It's not the city that most of these destinations are, but the small town of Bend in Central Oregon is probably the top golf & beer destination in the country IMO. Additionally, Grand Rapids on Michigan's west side has a fabulous microbrew scene, a neat downtown and a handful of really good public golf courses like Pilgrim's Run and Thousand Oaks. Where I live currently, Austin, has excellent golf and a beer scene that, like most cities with lots of hipsters, has tons of microbrews to choose from and some are pretty solid.
Thank you! How Bend is not #1 is beyond me.