Best Courses on WGT by TopGolf: What to Play

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WGT by TopGolf is the most accessible golf sim software on the market. Free to download, free to play, works with everything from a mouse to a Full Swing launch monitor, and runs on PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Android. No other golf sim platform covers that range.

But the trade-off is a small course library. 20 courses. That is it. No user-created content. No community marketplace. No hidden gems from hobbyist designers. You get exactly what TopGolf licenses, and nothing more.

I used to think this was a weakness. Then I spent an afternoon on TGC 2019 scrolling through 400 rated courses to find one that did not have glitched greens. Suddenly 20 courses that all work correctly sounded pretty good.

WGT’s library is curated. Every course is officially licensed. Every course plays correctly. Every course looks good. And because the physics engine is the same across every course, your yardages and shot shapes transfer without the weird behavior you get jumping between community creators on other platforms.

How WGT Course Access Works

WGT has a tiered access model that confuses people coming from subscription-based sims.

Free tier: You download the game for free. Every course is available to play, but you pay in-game credits (earned through play or purchased) to rent a course for 24 hours. A typical course rental costs around 3,500 credits, which is about $3 if you buy credits directly. You earn credits by playing rounds, completing challenges, and leveling up.

WGT Premium ($9.99/month): Unlimited access to every course in the library. No rental fees. No credit costs. This is the smart play for anyone playing more than three rounds a month.

WGT Home Simulator: If you connect a launch monitor (Full Swing, SkyTrak, Uneekor, GCQuad, etc.), the software automatically detects the hardware and switches to sim mode. The same course library applies. Same premium tier. No extra fees for sim use.

The key advantage over every other platform: you can try before you buy. Download WGT for free, play Pebble Beach for $3 worth of credits, and decide if you like the platform before committing to anything. You cannot do that with GSPro’s $299 annual subscription.

Tier 1: The Must-Play Courses

Pebble Beach Golf Links — WGT’s version of Pebble Beach is genuinely excellent. The cliffside holes on the back nine (6-10 specifically) are rendered with proper elevation changes and ocean views. The tiny greens play true to size. The wind off the Pacific is modeled correctly — you feel it on 8, 9, and 10 in ways that flat sim versions miss. This is a top-3 Pebble Beach sim experience across any platform, and the only one you can play for $3 a round.

St Andrews Old Course — The WGT version of St Andrews respects the old girl. The double greens are correct. The Road Hole bunker on 17 is positioned right where it ruins your day. The Valley of Sin on 18 makes the putt harder than it looks. WGT’s physics engine handles the links-style ground game better than most platforms — bump-and-run shots actually behave like real links golf instead of sticking where they land.

Pinehurst No. 2 — This is where WGT punches above its weight class. Pinehurst No. 2 after the Coore and Crenshaw restoration is a different animal from the old sawgrass-laden version. WGT has the post-restoration routing: the wasteland areas, the crowned greens, the turtleback surfaces that reject anything not hit to the right spot. If you have never played Pinehurst No. 2 post-restoration in a sim, the WGT version is a revelation. It is harder than you remember. It is also better.

Bandon Dunes — WGT has the original Bandon Dunes course (not Pacific Dunes, not Bandon Trails — just the original). The ocean views, the fescue rough, the wind off the Pacific coast — it all translates. The 4th hole along the cliff edge is one of the best sim golf experiences available. Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast is the kind of course that makes you want to book a trip. WGT’s version will sell you on it.

Wolf Creek — If you want to see what WGT’s engine can do visually, load Wolf Creek. The dramatic elevation changes, the desert landscape, the risk-reward holes through canyons — it is the most visually striking course in the library. The 11th hole (the signature par-3 over water with the clubhouse in the background) is a screenshot generator. It is also a legitimately fun course to play, which is rare for a showpiece course.

Tier 2: Courses That Deliver

Bethpage Black — WGT’s version has the famous warning sign on the first tee. The rough is appropriately punishing. The fairways are narrow. The greens are firm. If you want to test your ball-striking, this is the course in the WGT library to do it on. The only knock is that GSPro’s version is slightly more detailed in the bunker shaping, but for free or $10/month, WGT’s Bethpage is outstanding.

Torrey Pines South Course — The 2021 U.S. Open version with the rough that swallowed golf balls. WGT gets the canyon holes right, particularly the 3rd through 6th stretch along the Torrey Pines reserve. The back nine is a beast — 12 through 18 might be the hardest finishing stretch in the WGT library. The coastal views on the par-3 3rd and par-5 18th are well done.

Kiawah Island Ocean Course — The wind here is the course. WGT models it effectively. The 17th hole (the par-3 along the Atlantic) is exactly as terrifying as you hope. The only disappointment is that the visual quality is a generation behind the newer courses in the library, but the gameplay holds up.

Oakmont Country Club — The Church Pews bunkers are there. The lightning-fast greens are there. The brutal rough that made the 2016 U.S. Open a survival test is there. Oakmont is not fun in the traditional sense — it is a punishment simulator disguised as a golf course. But if you want to know what a real U.S. Open test feels like, WGT’s version delivers.

Harbour Town Golf Links — The tiny fairways lined with trees. The RBC Heritage atmosphere. The iconic lighthouse on 18. Harbour Town in WGT plays tighter than almost anything else in the library. The approach shots need to be precise because the greens are small and the penalties for missing are severe. This is a course that rewards shot-making over power.

Tier 3: Worth a Round or Two

Chambers Bay — The 2015 U.S. Open course plays as weirdly in WGT as it does in real life. The fescue fairways, the blind shots, the massive elevation changes — everything is correct. It just is not a course most people fall in love with. Worth playing once for the novelty. Probably not a regular rotation course.

Valhalla Golf Club — Jack Nicklaus’s design in Kentucky. The 18th hole with the waterfall is the highlight. Valhalla plays fair — wide fairways, reachable par-5s, greens that reward good approach shots. It is a good course, but it does not stand out in a library full of iconic venues. If you have WGT Premium, play it. If you are renting by the course, prioritize the must-plays first.

Congressional Country Club — The Blue Course, host of the 2011 U.S. Open and the 2022 WM Phoenix Open… wait, that is TPC Scottsdale. Congressional hosted the 2011 U.S. Open (won by Rory McIlroy at -16). The course is solid — tree-lined, good variety, strong finishing stretch from 15 through 18. But it is not a bucket-list course for most players.

Merion Golf Club — The East Course, host of the 2013 U.S. Open. Famous for being too short for modern golf and proving everyone wrong when it was one of the best U.S. Opens ever. WGT’s version captures the wicker basket pins (a Merion tradition) and the tight driving corridors. If you are a golf architecture nerd, this is the course for you. If you just want to have fun, play Pebble Beach again.

Erin Hills — Wide fairways, deep fescue, massive green complexes. The 2017 U.S. Open course that let bombers bomb away. Erin Hills is fun in WGT because you can actually hit driver on most holes without fear. The downside is the course is huge and the rounds can feel long. Not a bad course. Just not a tight one.

Quail Hollow Club — The Wells Fargo Championship host and 2025 PGA Championship venue. The Green Mile (holes 16-17-18) is a legitimately great finishing stretch. Quail Hollow in WGT plays well, though the course underwent significant changes in 2024-2025 that may or may not be reflected in the current WGT version.

Fields Ranch East (PGA Frisco) — Newest addition to the WGT library. Host of the 2027 PGA Championship and 2026 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. It is a modern Gil Hanse design — risk-reward, strategic, with serious teeth from the back tees. The course is still finding its reputation, but the WGT version is well done.

Royal St. George’s — The only current UK links course in the WGT library besides St Andrews. Royal St. George’s is quirky — blind shots, hidden bunkers, bounces that make no sense. That is links golf. The WGT version handles the ground game well, which matters here more than anywhere.

Tier 4: Play on Another Platform

The Olympic Club (Lake Course) — Host of five U.S. Opens, most recently 2012. The course is a tree-lined brute with some of the toughest driving corridors in golf. WGT’s version is fine, but Olympic Club is the kind of course that rewards local knowledge in real life and plays like a generic tough course in sim. You will not miss anything by skipping this one on WGT.

What WGT Does Not Have

No Augusta National. No Cypress Point. No Pine Valley. No Seminole. No Winged Foot. No Shinnecock Hills. No Royal County Down. No Royal Portrush. No Turnberry. No Muirfield.

Those are real gaps. If you came from GSPro or TGC 2019 and those courses are your regular rotation, WGT will feel limiting. There is no workaround. WGT only has what TopGolf licenses.

The trade-off is that WGT is the only platform where you can play Pebble Beach for $3 or $10/month without buying a launch monitor. It runs on a five-year-old laptop. It runs on an iPad. It runs on your phone in the airport. No other sim software can say that.

WGT Premium vs. Pay-Per-Course

Courses per month	Premium ($10/mo)	Pay-per-course (~$3/rental)
1-3	Pay-per-course wins	Pay-per-course wins
4-10	Premium wins ($1-2.50/course)	Pay-per-course ($12-30)
10+	Premium wins big ($1/course)	Pay-per-course gets expensive

WGT Premium also includes unlimited replay of any course, no credit costs, and access to all game modes. If you play more than three rounds a month on WGT, premium is the obvious choice.

The Bottom Line

WGT by TopGolf is the best entry point into golf simulation. Period. The 20-course library is curated, consistent, and all officially licensed. No guesswork. No quality roulette. Every course on this list plays correctly.

For the serious sim owner with a launch monitor: WGT is not a GSPro replacement, but it is an excellent secondary platform, especially if you travel and want to play on a laptop or iPad. For $10/month for premium, it costs less than one round of real golf.

For the casual golfer who just wants to play famous courses on a decent sim: WGT is the answer. Download it for free. Spend $3 to play Pebble Beach. If you like it, spend $10/month for everything.

For how WGT compares to the big platforms, see our best golf simulator software guide and the GSPro vs E6 vs Awesome Golf comparison. For course-specific guides, see Pebble Beach on GSPro and St Andrews on GSPro — the versions are different, but the courses are the same.