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Golf Digest does a ranking every year of “golf courses you can actually play”, focusing on all of the courses golfers can play without a private membership to the facilities. It’s a nice list, but can get somewhat silly with some of the selections featuring greens fees in the $400 to $500 range. Sure, a golfer can technically play Pebble Beach, but it’ll cost them $500 in greens fees, plus they’ll have to purchase a stay at the Pebble Beach Resort. Possibly something a golfer would treat himself to as a rare experience, but hardly something most golfers could play regularly. If you can afford that you can afford a nice country club membership. So recognizing the limitations of that Golf Digest list, we here at Every Joe have put together a list of the best golf courses in America that are actually semi-affordable. A list for the “every Joe” if you will. All of the courses on our list feature greens fees of under $200 during prime time, and many go well under that price point, especially if you are willing to play during off peak times. We also strove for geographic diversity, so you should be able to find a course on this list within a reasonable distance no matter where you might live. Enjoy!
20. Wolf Creek Golf Club
Designer: Dennis Ryder
Location: Mesquite, Nevada
Price: $85 – $195
Wolf Creek Golf Club is a beautiful par 72, 7,018-yard long desert course that was featured as a playable course in Tiger Woods ’09. The desert definitely puts it’s impression on the course, with sweeping canyons and challenging elevation changes. And the course is only 88 miles from Las Vegas making it a must hit on any Vegas vacation.
Wolf Creek Golf Club Official Site
19. Lakota Canyon Ranch Golf Club
Designer: Jim Engh
Location: New Castle, Colorado
Price: $75-$95
Lakota Canyon is a fairly new course, having opened in May of 2004. It showcases some of the most beautiful views of any course on our list, featuring Western Colorado mountains. Some holes have elevated tee boxes that drop as much as 100 feet into the fairway.
Lakota Canyon Ranch Golf Club Official Site
18. Rustic Canyon Golf Course
Designer: Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner, Geoff Shackelford
Location: Moorpark, California
Price: $30-$60
Rustic Canyon lives up to the name, featuring an offshoot of links style play reminiscent of some Australian courses. The course is gorgeous with terrific scenery surrounding the track. The location is convenient to L.A., only an hour’s drive away, and the course plays just as interesting for intermediate players as it does for advanced. Definitely one to check out if you live in Los Angeles or find yourself visiting.
Rustic Canyon Golf Course Official Site
17. The Links at Lighthouse Sound
Designer: Arthur Hills
Location: Bishopville, Maryland
Price: $59-$185
Another links course, The Links at Lighthouse Sound takes great advantage of it’s proximity to water, with ten holes bordering the wet stuff. The course is also home to the longest cart bridge in America, stretching over 1,500 feet and transporting you from the bay side holes to the marsh side. If you love sweeping water views and bountiful water hazards then The Links at Lighthouse Sound will be right up your alley.
The Links at Lighthouse Sound Official Site
16. The Quarry at Giants Ridge
Designer: Jeff Brauer
Location: Biwabik, Minnesota
Price: $60-$89
The best public golf course in a state with a lot of beautiful courses, The Quarry at Giants Ridge features over 7,000 yards of walkable course. The Quarry has a unique hole naming system, with each hole bearing the name of an area mine, past and present. This course has a little bit of everything, with raised tees, wetlands, gorgeous forests, and a former sand quarry.
The Quarry at Giants Ridge Official Site
15. Belgrade Lakes Golf Club
Designer: Clive Clark
Location: Belgrade Lakes, Maine
Price: $60-$140
Maine is a beautiful state in general, so it’s no surprise that it has some beautiful golf courses. Our pick for the best is Belgrade Lakes, a Clive Clark design that takes full advantage of the wonderful Maine scenery. Play this one in the fall for full effect.
Belgrade Lakes Golf Club Official Site
14. Hawktree Golf Club
Designer: Jim Engh
Location: Bismarck, ND
Price: $67
North Dakota has some surprisingly good golf courses, and Hawktree is it’s best public option. The course doesn’t try to stand apart from the surrounding prairie, instead it features a great deal of native grasses and only 80 total acres of irrigated turf, a tiny number. The course borders the Missouri River as well as three separate lakes, so there’s no shortage of awe inspiring scenery. A little bit off the beaten path, but well worth the journey, Hawktree is one of the more unique experiences you can have on a golf course.
13. The Greenbrier (Greenbrier)
Designer: Jack Nicklaus
Location: White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Price: $130-$195
The Greenbrier is a flat out amazing spa located in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia. The course was originally built in 1924, but was redesigned in 1977 by Jack Nicklaus. It’s since hosted both the Ryder Cup (1979) and the Solheim Cup Matches (1994). Fun fact: during the Cold War a bunker was built under this golf course to house the United States Congress in case of nuclear attack.
The Greenbrier (Greenbrier) Official Site
12. Wild Horse Golf Club
Designer: Dan Proctor, Dave Axland
Location: Gothenburg, Nebraska
Price: $34-$53
Probably the best value on our list with tee times as low as $34, the Wild Horse Golf Club is another course a little off the beaten path, but well worth the trip. Wild Horse is a beautiful prairie course, with tough bunker play and often harsh wind conditions. Another unique experience that you’re not going to get in more traditional golf areas, and an experience that’s not going to come close to breaking the bank.
Wild Horse Golf Club Official Site
11. Taconic Golf Club
Designer: Wayne Stiles
Location: Williamstown, Massachusetts
Price: $60-$145
The northeastern golf scene is sometimes dominated by private courses, but Taconic is a publicly playable gem in Massachusetts. It is the home course for the Williams College golf team and a recent course renovation is in the process of sprucing things up. The course was originally designed and built in 1927.
Taconic Golf Club Official Site
10. Longaberger Golf Club
Designer: Arthur Hills
Location: Nashport, Ohio
Price: $69-$99
Ohio’s number one public course, Longaberger is far enough east that the terrain is more interesting than you’d expect in the mostly flat state. The course is immaculately kept with nice elevation changes and sloped fairways. Longaberger is fairly new, only having been built in 1999, and it’s not a long drive from Columbus, Cleveland, or Pittsburgh.
Longaberger Golf Club Official Site
9. Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club (Ghost Creek)
Designer: Bob Cupp
Location: North Plains, Oregon
Price: $20-$150
Pumpkin Ridge has been the home to high profile events in the past, including the US Women’s Open Championship in 1997 and 2003. The 14th hole is one of the tougher you’ll find. It’s a par 3 that is 234 yards from the tips and it plays tough. This is one of the better public courses in the Northwest and a great example of Oregon golf.
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club Official Site
8. Black Mesa Golf Club
Designer: Baxter Spann
Location: La Mesilla, New Mexico
Price: $35-$87
Black Mesa has one of the most impressive backdrops on our list, featuring huge mountains that are visible everywhere on the course. This course takes great advantage of the New Mexico desert in framing the course, with fairways hugging arroyos that serve as natural hazards. This is one of the friendlier courses on our list, with wide fairways and large greens.
Black Mesa Golf Club Official Site
7. Bay Harbor Golf Club (Links/Quarry)
Designer: Arthur Hills
Location: Bay Harbor, Michigan
Price: $79-$199
Michigan golf is surprisingly good, and Bay Harbor still manages to stand out from the rest of the state’s offerings. Located in northern Michigan, the course overlooks Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay. Bay Harbor is incredibly picturesque and it’s worth making a vacation of it as there is plenty of other good golfing in the area to experience. A nice perk to golfing at Bay Harbor is the satellite system on your cart that automatically provides a graphic of each hole, plus yardage to the pin. Less work for you to do so you have more time to appreciate your surroundings.
Bay Harbor Golf Club Official Site
6. Dancing Rabbit Golf Club (Azaleas)
Designer: Tom Fazio
Location: Choctaw, Mississippi
Price: $110-$150
This Tom Fazio design features beautiful pines and oaks amidst a 7,000 yard, par 72 course. The eighth hole par 4 is considered one of the finest par 4s in the country according to Golf Magazine. This is a premier example of a well done Southern golf course, with pristine landscaping and lush vegetation. There’s not a whole lot worth seeing in Mississippi, but Dancing Rabbit Golf Club is worth the trip.
Dancing Rabbit Golf Club Official Site
5. World Woods (Pine Barrens)
Designer: Tom Fazio
Location: Brooksville, Florida
Price: $40-$145
World Woods actually has a couple of different courses to choose from, with Pine Barrens serving as it’s signature course, making the area a nice vacation spot for the serious golfer. There’s even a nine hole executive course for some laid back practice rounds. Pine Barrens is lined with pine trees, living up to it’s name, and the course’s style is said to be reminiscent of Pine Barrens in New Jersey, one of the premier courses in the world. The course is challenging with many natural bunkers, but also giving with generously wide fairways. This is overall one of the nicer facilities in the country, and a nice value if you’re looking to take a trip and stuff if full of golf related activities.
4. Whistling Straits Golf Club (Irish)
Designer: Pete Dye
Location: Haven, Wisconsin
Price: $116-$165
The Kohler Resort only lands one course on this list, but all are incredible. The Straits course is also playable by the public, but weighs in at a whopping $340 for greens fees. If you’re there to play the Irish course (or the Blackwolf Run for that matter) and you have the cash it’d be well worth it to play the Straits, which is hosting the 2010 PGA Championship. The Irish course is no slouch either however, and features four meandering streams, beautiful grassland fairways, and some sheep that wander around the Kohler courses. Kohler is quite possibly the best golf resort in America, and any golfer serious about the game should take a trip at least once.
Whistling Straits Golf Club (Irish) Official Site
3. Princeville Resort (Prince)
Designer: Robert Trent Jones II
Location: Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii
Price: $55-$200
We had to have at least one Hawaii course make the list, and Princeville comes in just under our $200 greens fees limit. Famed designer Robert Trent Jones II said of Princeville “In all the world, I never expect to find a more spectacularly beautiful place to build a golf course than Princeville, overlooking Hanalei Bay”. This is another links style course, and this one features rolling terrain overlooking the Pacific Ocean throughout most of the course. The layout is demanding and will see you wishing for a flat lie, but don’t worry too much about your score here. This is a course where the scenery and the view is more the point than the golf.
Princeville Golf Official Site
2. Chambers Bay Golf Course
Designer: Robert Trent Jones II
Location: University Place, Washington
Price: $89-$169
The newest course on our list, Chambers Bay opened for play in June of 2007. The course is scheduled to hold the 2010 U.S. Amateur as well as the U.S. Open in 2015. Chambers Bay is a government run course, owned and operated by Pierce County. The course is links style, and features only one tree on the entire track, a Douglas Fir behind the 15th green. The course might have the most beautiful scenery on our entire list, and you’re sure to really drink it all in, as carts are not allowed (except in cases of medical necessity). The 2015 US Open will be the first held in the Pacific Northwest.
Chambers Bay Golf Course Official Site
1. Bethpage (Black)
Designer: A.W. Tillinghast
Location: Farmingdale, New York
Price: $50-$120
Bethpage (Black) is, of course, best known for hosting the 2002 US Open and the recently held 2009 US Open. It’s actually just one of five courses in Bethpage State Park, and obviously it’s the most challenging. The 2002 US Open was the first Open to be held at a public course with reasonable greens fees. Playing the course requires having your driver’s license on file with the park’s reservation system, or for those who want the full Bethpage (Black) experience a spot can be obtained as a walk up early in the morning. However, this requires sleeping in the parking lot the night before. With the recent US Opens under it’s belt, and a future Ryder Cup rumored, this is the publicly playable course that every serious golfer wants to play right now, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Images: Copyright of Respective Golf Course
Great variety of golf courses… Lakota Canyon in Colorado is a little intimidating… If your ball falls into one of those caverns can you take a drop? Or must you climb down the canyon walls and play it as it lies??? :-)
Interesting list, I must admit to being spoiled over here in Scotland as most of our top courses can be played for around £50/£70 ($75-$100). There are a few like the Old Course, Turnberry, Muirfield and Gleneagles that cost closer to $200 – $300. In particular Machrihanish is an excellent links course that can be played by anyone for £50.
My review of Machrihanis on my quest to play Scotland’s best courses
http://scottish100.blogspot.com/2010/07/9-machrihanish.html
It is quite a coincidence that they are all in the USA.
Wow, these courses are gorgeous! This list should make any golfer’s bucket list! Nice research.
WOW some bueatifull looking courses
How about the best of the best – the Bandon, Oregon courses?
Great list. I would add one of my favorite courses whenever I’m visiting my in-laws in the Albany New York area is Orchard Creek Golf Club, in Altamont NY. Built on an apple Orchard, during the fall you can actually pick and eat some apples while you play and it is usually in phenomenal shape. The course is beautiful and challenging, a must play if you are in the area,
Good idea for a list – bookmarked!
Great list, have played a few of them and would agreen. I use this ForeLinksters.com website to find the top golf courses in any area of the country where I’m traveling. The only courses on there are the ones that have been published and rated by everyday golfers
Some fantasic golf courses here, all are on ForeLinksters.com where all of the best courses you can play are listed and rated by the golfers who play.
We are also inviting to the UK! Have a look at the top uk golf courses and visit the UK!
I can’t believe only one California course made it into this list. I agree Pebble is very pricy but no mention of Harding Park in San Francisco, or Poppy Hills in Monterey?
Wow, some beautiful courses there. Time to go lose some balls at a nicer course!
Great list, especially since its such a challenge to narrow down the number of amazing public courses. I would add one of the courses at Keystone in Colorado, the vistas are amazing and its just an all around excellent course.
Will,
Great list, well-researched with a tight theme. Shoot me your email address so we can keep in touch.
Best,
Shane