The Top 100 Courses You Can Play, ranked from most expensive to least
Shadow Creek in Las Vegas (left) and George Wright (right) in Boston are on opposite ends of the affordability scale.
Left: Brian Oar; Right: City of Boston Golf
Last week, we unveiled the latest ranking of the Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S., just one week after the publication of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S.
There are some stark differences between the two lists: the latter is ultra-exclusive, with publicly-accessible courses making up only a small percentage of the list. The former celebrates the best tracks in America where anyone can tee it up. Unfortunately, just because these courses are open to the public doesn’t mean they aren’t expensive. Many of them are, and some eye-poppingly so.
Why our Top 100 Courses You Can Play list still is so meaningful
Where does each course rank in terms of affordability? We placed the courses in order from most to least expensive. The process isn’t totally black-and-white: Some courses require a stay-and-play for access, others use dynamic pricing or require caddies as part of the green fee. In most cases, we tried to rank courses according to their peak rates when applicable.
As you’ll see below, while the majority of the courses on our list fall into the $200-$399 bracket, nearly a quarter of the list can be played for less than $200 — and five of the country’s best public courses can be played for $100 or less.
The club champion in terms of value goes to George Wright, No. 70 on our Top 100 You Can Play list, but a clear No. 1 in terms of value. The Boston muni, designed by Donald Ross, is lauded as a better track than many surrounding private clubs. And with a max green fee of $62, it sounds like a course you need to experience.
How does the rest of the list stack up in terms of price? Check out the price ranking for each Top 100 Course You Can Play below.
The 10 most expensive green fees on GOLF’s Top 100 You Can Play ranking
14. Shadow Creek, $1,250
53. Firestone (South), $550 (plus overnight stay required)
10. Whistling Straits, $735
8. TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium), $700+ (course utilizes dynamic pricing)
1. Pebble Beach, $675
52. Greenbrier (Old White), $665
6. Kiawah Island (Ocean), $650 (non-resort guest rate)
12. Harbour Town, $650
2. Pinehurst No. 2, $595
77. Trump National Doral (Blue Monster), $595
Courses with rates from $400-$550
47. Four Seasons Lanai (Manele), $550
23. Spyglass Hill, $495
15. Pinehurst No. 10, $125 plus resort stay
69. Innisbrook Copperhead, $435 plus resort stay
25. Pinehurst No. 4, $125 plus resort stay
83. CordeValle, $250 plus resort stay
56. PGA West (Stadium), $482
71. Bay Hill, $475
33. Kapalua (Plantation), $459
21. Erin Hills, $455
29. Blackwolf Run (River), $440
24. Sheep Ranch, $420
74. Karsten Creek, $400
84. French Lick (Dye Course), $400
Course green fees from $200-$399
32. Citrus Farms (Karoo), $395
11. Pasatiempo, $385
86. Cascata, $375
3. Pacific Dunes, $370 resort guest rate
7. Bandon Trails, $370 resort guest rate
9. Bandon Dunes $370 resort guest rate
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