Check out the host venue for every men's golf major in the year to come.
The holidays have passed and it's the dead of winter in many areas of the U.S.
With the College Football Playoff already underway, the NFL playoffs on the horizon and winter sports getting into full swing, golf might be an afterthought for many sports fans at this very moment. But before we know it, the birds will be chirping, the grass will be greening and Jim Nantz will call us his friends while that lovely soft piano music plays behind his eloquent voice.
The Masters kicks off the men's major golf season every year, and with less than 100 days to go until the world's best players descend upon Augusta, let's look take a look at the host venues for all four majors in 2026.
Augusta National Golf Club - 2026 Masters Tournament (April 9-12)
Uh, duh. Perhaps the most famous golf course in the world — Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia — will host the Masters for the 90th time in 2026. It's the only men's major championship that doesn't change venues every year.
Designed by Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones, this legendary, ultra-exclusive course opened in 1932 and has been home to some of the most memorable moments in golf. It's ranked No. 3 among Golfweek's Top 200 Classic Courses in the U.S.
Augusta has undergone several changes since MacKenzie first laid out the loop, including significant lengthening of the fifth, 11th, 13th and 15th holes. It measured 7,550 yards for the 2025 Masters, which saw Rory McIlroy complete the career Grand Slam by defeating Justin Rose in a playoff, culminating in one of the most dramatic and thrilling golf tournaments of the century. This event and this golf course seemingly always deliver, and we shouldn't expect anything different this year. Just 96 days until the first tee shot at the 2026 Masters... but who's counting?
Aronimink Golf Club - 2026 PGA Championship (May 14-17)
It might sound surprising, but for first time in more than 60 years, a men's major will be played at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
Aronimink is a household name in pro golf, but the last men's major played there was the 1962 PGA Championship, which saw Gary Player complete the third leg of his career Grand Slam. However, it has hosted several big-time tournaments since then, including three PGA Tour events, a Senior PGA Championship and, most recently, the 2020 KPMG Women's PGA. The last time we saw the best male golfers in the world at Aronimink was the 2018 BMW Championship, when Keegan Bradley defeated Justin Rose in a playoff with the likes of Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy also finishing inside the top five.
Aronimink is a Donald Ross design measuring 7,190 yards that opened in 1928. It has undergone several rounds of renovation and restoration that altered the design Ross initially laid out, with architects like George Fazio, Robert Trent Jones and, most recently, Gil Hanse, getting involved. It ranks No. 65 among Golfweek's Top 200 Classic Courses in the U.S.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club - 2026 U.S. Open (June 18-21)
The USGA returns to its roots for its biggest event in 2026 as Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is set to host the U.S. Open for a sixth time. Founded in 1891, this legendary track located in Southampton, New York, is one of the oldest in the nation and was one of five original charter clubs that helped form the USGA.
Ranked No. 1 among Golfweek's Best Private Courses in New York, Shinnecock (par 70, 7,440 yards) was originally designed by Willie Davis but has undergone some significant restorations, including the most recent one by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who removed some trees, widened the fairways and expanded some of the greens. But still, most golf fans call for "carnage" at the U.S. Open and there's usually no shortage of that at Shinnecock. It's known as one of the most challenging loops in the world and the USGA has a tendency to ramp up the difficulty when the U.S. Open arrives there — so much so that it has stirred up controversy in the past.
At the 2004 U.S. Open, some players claimed many parts of the course were "unplayable" due to dry conditions that made Shinnecock extremely firm and fast. That same thing happened again on Saturday of the 2018 U.S. Open — even after the Coore-Crenshaw renovation — when the scoring average was 75.3 (remember that hilarious clip of Phil Mickelson chasing after his ball on the green?) The entire field finished over par that week, with Brooks Koepka outlasting the pack to win his second of five major titles.
Royal Birkdale Golf Club - 2026 Open Championship (July 16-19)
The finale of the 2026 major season will take place on a golf course that has seen some of the game's most notable legends emerge victorious, as Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, will host the Open Championship for the 11th time.
The list of players who have been crowned Champion Golfer of the Year at Royal Birkdale is a real who's who: Arnold Palmer, Peter Thomson (twice), Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Ian Baker-Finch, Mark O'Meara, Padraig Harrington and, most recently, Jordan Spieth in 2017. It also hosted the 1969 Ryder Cup, made famous by "The Concession," when Jack Nicklaus conceded a putt to Tony Jacklin to halve their match and force a 16-16 tie in the overall competition.
Like Shinnecock, Royal Birkdale is really, really old. It first opened in 1889 as Birkdale Golf Club and later earned Royal status in 1951. It was originally designed by J.H. Taylor and Frederick G. Hawtree. Hawtree's son and grandson both completed their own renovations of the course throughout the 20th century, but the layout remains very similar to the original routing. Measuring just over 7,100 yards with a par 70, this classic links-style track features flat fairways and hundreds of bunkers nestled between the rolling coastal dunes of North West England.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 2026 men's major golf courses: Venues for every major championship
Category: General Sports
