( CNN ) -- Thursday sees the start of the most intense major golf championship of them all : the U.S. Open , played this year on the East Course at Merion Golf Club just outside of Philadelphia . The tournament is recognized as the most challenging major by golf professionals and fans alike -- the winning score is frequently over par , the rough is normally grown to penal lengths and the greens are normally extremely tough to putt on . If you 're a golf fanatic , no doubt you 'd love to play on some of these U.S. Open courses to see how you score compared to the world 's best . Unfortunately , the U.S. Open is mostly played at private clubs such as Merion -- you ca n't play on these courses unless you 're lucky enough to be or know a member . However , six public courses already have or will host the U.S. Open . The great news is that anyone can play them as long as they can afford the green fee . Bethpage Black Course , Farmingdale , New York . Bethpage Black , the toughest of five courses at Bethpage State Park on Long Island , joined the U.S. Open roster in 2002 after the U.S . Golf Association decided to bring its flagship tournament to a public venue . The experiment proved such a success that the U.S. Open was again held at Bethpage Black in 2009 . Golf Digest ranked the course No . 42 on its 2013 list of America 's 100 greatest courses . Tiger Woods won the first U.S. Open held at Bethpage Black in 2002 . Lucas Glover took the 2009 event . Anyone can play this monster 7,468-yard , par 71 course . Be advised that this is a walking-only course , and there 's a sign near the first tee that reads `` WARNING : The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers . '' Intimidated yet ? That 's championship golf ! Bethpage State Park ; green fee : $ 130 weekdays , $ 150 weekends ; +1 516 249 0707 . Chambers Bay , University Place , Washington . After the success of the Bethpage Black experiment , the USGA began adding more public courses to the U.S. Open roster . The superb Chambers Bay course is one . It will host its first U.S. Open in 2015 . Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened for play in 2007 , this stunning 7,165-yard , par 72 course hosted the 2010 U.S . Amateur . Visitors are warned that cart use is available only with a medical certificate and prior arrangement . But if you 're up to it , this 950-acre property on the shores of Puget Sound is an absolute joy to walk . Chambers Bay ; green fee : $ 219 ; +1 877 295 4657 . Erin Hills , Erin , Wisconsin . Near Milwaukee , Erin Hills will host the U.S. Open in 2017 . Specifically designed on gently rolling wetlands to accommodate a major championship and opened for play in 2006 , Erin Hills hosted the U.S . Amateur in 2011 . The 7,823-yard , par 72 course is another walking-only venue , with neither buggies nor pull carts allowed ; caddies are available for $ 50 ( plus tip ) per round . Erin Hills ; green fee : $ 200 ; +1 866 772 4769 . Pebble Beach Golf Links , Pebble Beach , California . Always in the discussion of most beautiful U.S. golf courses , this magnificent course features many holes beside the Pacific Ocean on California 's Monterey Peninsula . In 1972 , it was the first public course to stage the U.S. Open , won by Jack Nicklaus . It hosted subsequent U.S . Opens in 1982 , 1992 , 2000 and 2010 , and its next is scheduled for 2019 . `` If I had only one more round to play , I would choose to play it at Pebble Beach , '' Jack Nicklaus has famously said . `` I 've loved this course from the first time I saw it . It 's possibly the best in the world . '' Pebble Beach Resorts ; green fee : $ 495 ; +1 831 622 8723 . Pinehurst No . 2 , Pinehurst , North Carolina . Memorably won by the late Payne Stewart , the Donald Ross-designed Pinehurst No . 2 course held its first U.S. Open in 1999 . The course had already hosted a PGA Championship in 1936 and a Ryder Cup in 1951 , and held its second U.S. Open in 2005 . Next year , it 'll become the first venue to host a U.S. Open and a U.S. Women 's Open in subsequent weeks . The historic course opened for play in 1907 and measures 7,485 yards -- it 's a par 70 from the back tees . There are eight fantastic courses at the Pinehurst Resort , so it 's worth staying a few days to play some of the others , especially numbers 4 and 8 . Golf at Pinehurst is available only to overnight resort guests . Pinehurst Resort ; stay-and-play packages from $ 488 ( includes a round on the No . 2 course , cart and range balls ) ; +1 855 235 8507 . Torrey Pines Golf Course , La Jolla , California . Just north of San Diego , the south course at Torrey Pines -- a lush , 7,643-yard , par 71 course , with a number of clifftop holes overlooking the Pacific Ocean -- hosted the 2008 U.S. Open . That 's the event Tiger Woods won after hobbling his way around the course with a knee injury . He won on the first sudden death playoff hole after finishing tied with Rocco Mediate after 72 holes and again after the 18-hole playoff round . Le Tigre won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January 2013 , his eighth victory here . Torrey Pines Golf Course ; green fee : $ 183 Monday-Thursday , $ 229 Friday-Sunday and public holidays ( prices include a cart ) ; +1 877 581 7171 .
Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in U.S. in 2002 . You can tee off here for as little as $ 130 . On the shores of Bethpage Black , Chambers Bay will host U.S. Open in 2015 . You can play it today . 71 of the most beautiful courses in the world , Pebble Beach Golf Links is open to the public .