Affordability is woven into the DNA of public golf. For those courses the general public can actually play, a smaller number still fall into the category of being courses the general public can reasonably afford to play.
For all its awestriking beauty, Pebble Beach (at $550 per person, per round) does not fall into this category. Neither does TPC Sawgrass, at a beefy $600.
In the sweet spot between accessibility and affordability lives municipal golf. These publicly funded, publicly maintained courses hold a unique place in the golf world. They’re public works, not necessarily public profit.
The 30 best municipal golf courses in America, according to GOLF’s raters
Muni golf is a bit of a passion project for GOLF.com. Our Muni Mondays franchise profiles municipal courses around the world, and just this week (and in the June 2021 GOLF Magazine) we unveiled our inaugural ranking of the 30 best munis in America.
Below, we’ve taken that ranking a bit further — sorting the 30 best muni courses in the U.S. by price. For this list, we sorted all 30 by the lowest possible price for locals, who usually get a discount. That way we can truly see which courses are the best of the best for those just down the street. But don’t fret — the majority of these tracks aren’t priced to scare away out-of-staters, either.
May your handicap (and wallet) rejoice.
*CHECK OUT THE FULL MUNI RANKING HERE*
GOLF’s 30 best munis in America, sorted by price for locals
1. Wailua; Lihue, Hawaii (GOLF Muni Rank: 26) — $15
T2. Charleston; Charleston, S.C.; (GOLF Muni Rank: 19) — $20
T2 Papago; Phoenix, Ariz. (GOLF Muni Rank: 15) — $20
4. Palatka; Palatka, Fla. (GOLF Muni Rank: 29) — $22
5. Buffalo Dunes; Garden City, Kansas (GOLF Muni Rank: 8) — $25
6. Wilmington; Wilmington, N.C. (GOLF Muni Rank: 21) — $27
T7. Memorial Park; Houston, Texas (GOLF Muni Rank: 7) — $30
T7. Wintonbury Hills; Bloomfield, Conn. (GOLF Muni Rank: 25) — $30
T7. North Palm Beach; Palm Beach, Fla. (GOLF Muni Rank: 20) — $30
10. Brackenridge Park; San Antonio, Texas (GOLF Muni Rank: 16) — $31
11. Keney Park; Windsor, Conn. (GOLF Muni Rank: 14) — $32.50
T12. Sleepy Hollow; Bracksville, Ohio (GOLF Muni Rank: 13) — $34
T12. Manakiki; Willoughby, Ohio (GOLF Muni Rank: 27) — $34
14. Indian Wells (Players); Indian Wells, Calif. (GOLF Muni Rank: 23) — $35
15. Butterfield Trail; El Paso, Texas (GOLF Muni Rank: 10) — $39
16. George Wright; Hyde Park, Mass. (GOLF Muni Rank: 3) — $41
T17. Corica Park (South); Alameda, Calif. (GOLF Muni Rank: 12) — $42
T17. Triggs Memorial; Providence, R.I. (GOLF Muni Rank: 22) — $42
T19. Montauk Downs; Montauk, N.Y. (GOLF Muni Rank: 17) — $43
T19. Bethpage Red; Farmingdale, N.Y. (GOLF Muni Rank: 4) — $43
21. Torrey Pines (North); La Jolla, Calif. (GOLF Muni Rank: 18) — $44
22. Pinon Hills; Farmington, N.M. (GOLF Muni Rank: 9) — $45
23. Highland Park; Birmingham, Ala. (GOLF Muni Rank: 30) — $54
24. Gold Mountain (Olympic); Bremerton, Wash. (GOLF Muni Rank: 11) — $56
25. Torrey Pines (South); La Jolla, Calif. (GOLF Muni Rank: 5) — $63
26. TPC Harding Park; San Francisco, Calif. (GOLF Muni Rank: 24) — $64
