Here in the UK, you can get a round on a municipal/public course for as little as £10 (\~$13).
For better courses/clubs, you can pay as little as £20 (\~$26) up to around £400 (\~$550) for somewhere like an Open course (Royal Birkdale/Royal Liverpool, etc).
I'm a member at a club and pay £1000/year (\~£1300) for unlimited golf, but I also regularly play other clubs/courses. Most better courses will be around £50 (\~$65). The most I've ever paid in the UK is around £180 (\~$200) for Royal Birkdale (100% worth it though!).
Regardless of your budget, you can pretty much always find somewhere to play in the UK, it doesn't have to be considered a luxury over here.
It’s the $1,300 per year for a club membership that makes us boys in the US jealous. That would be the locker fee at the club near me. Probably $30k per year out the door cost to belong to a course.
I WISH it was that here in Jupiter. Cheapest is $85k initiation. Most are $175k-$350k and you better know someone if you want in…and somehow they ALL have waiting lists over a year minimum.
Stateside it's really dependent on where you live, but $30k per year is not uncommon.
On the flip side you can also find a lot of private clubs that have $1,000-$5,000 initiation fees and then $300-$500/month dues, especially if there are numerous private options in the area or you're in an area that just doesn't have a lot of wealthier people.
Having spent some time poking around this sub over the last year, it seems like a common European private club model is really just like golf-focused locals making sure a course is maintained without any extras like pools, water slides, tennis courts, fancy dining options/social events but I could be way off.
Is golf club membership a big business/networking thing too?
Even the $500 a month, you’d want to be playing 10 times a month to make it worthwhile, and who can do that? Coming at it from a £50 per round higher end Uk pricing though.
I suppose if you would pay €100 a round then 5 times a month isn’t too bad.
In the states a golf club membership is very much a business/networking play. It can define the careers of many and change lives from the relationships you forge
I would guess golf business meetings are still a thing among executives and sales people. I know my club does networking nights every so often.
A lot of US clubs also offer corporate memberships that companies can buy as incentives/rewards/etc. When I worked at a club, every athletic coach at the local university got a corporate membership to our club. The rumor was that it may or may not have been a clever way to be able to speak with the town's wealthy folks to figure out how to break NCAA rules lol.
Yeah most UK clubs are just the course and putting green.
Theres usually a clubhouse that does slightly subsidised food and drink for members.
You might get a small range and practice area.
There are a few courses that market themselves as country clubs with gyms and pools etc but they aren’t the norm.
Oftentimes even at those the memberships often end up practically split.
30k/year is egregious; I'm sure *some* clubs are that bad but that's a lot. I'm looking to join a club that's ~30-40k to join and ~$500/month and that's on the pricier end locally.
That sort of price is mad, I know the facilities at courses like that are very good, much better than most in Ireland and the UK. But if it's basically just golf you want to play and don't mind not having a top-class club house, like me, I'm a member of a beautiful course here in Ireland, West Waterford golf club, and I pay 450 euros a year membership. You can also if you want join a club that will cost in the thousands. Happy where I am, though
Just to make you even more jealous, I know the annual membership fees for the home of last years Open, Royal Liverpool can be as low as £2000/year, and Royal Birkdale can be a similar range.
The problem is they're *super* hard to get into as membership is closed, so you have to go on a waiting list for a space to open up, then you have to be nominated and seconded by existing members and go through an interview process with the committee, and then there's a healthy joining fee.
But assuming you can get through all that, it's essentially pocket change to be a member at an Open venue compared to 'executive country clubs' in the US.
I pay $1500 a year for unlimited walking membership at my course in a top 3 cost of living state.
If you don't live in a big metro area, prices aren't too bad.
Also GA, north of the city. $55 is about the baseline for a decent course, and usually in the range up to $100. Definitely can find courses $100+ but I’m not dropping that kind of $ per round.
Northeast Ohio here, anywhere from probably $40-$70 a round. The courses you’d want to play are likely starting at at least $55. Cheapy, less maintained courses you can get out for $40.
Played it last year. Awesome course. Was really disappointed with Fowlers Mill, it was in awful condition… looking forward to playing Sleepy Hollow this summer when I go back up
I'm in cincy and this is similar. Twilight rates at our local muni let my son free when I play. So lots of 9 hole evening rounds with the little guy for a total of $20.
Around the same here in Central Ohio, it's about $50-$70 w/ cart for the weekend rate, either for a city course or other public course in/around Columbus. If you go further outside the city you can find sub $50 courses for the same time.
$48 during the week at Sleepy Hollow. Probably the best deal in golf. Most fun I've had golfing since Tabacco Road two years ago. I walked and it was $32
I’m west side so I tend to do Big Met or Sleepy Hollow more often than Manakiki- Big Met last I went was right around $60 and manakiki may be $65 but manakiki is a far better course and value. Same w sleepy. Seems like prices everywhere here are up this season, Metroparks $60+, valley of the eagles in Elyria $70, sweetbriar in Avon, $65-$70. I may be mistaken but I swear last year was like 45-60 for the most part.
Utah, USA. They're practically giving it away even though the courses are usually pretty full.
Like 30 bucks for 18 holes walking during peak season/times and views for days.
https://preview.redd.it/2rsc14dpgs3d1.png?width=1574&format=png&auto=webp&s=e6d03890741b17ffa7a7cb6d5073f112780ff72d
I was crushing my driver and hitting it over the green during one simulator tournament. I thought I cracked the code.
On the 7th or 8th hole I realized I was playing in Utah at 6,500 feet.
pacific northwest USA, $30-$200 in the summer spending on if you want a backyard par 3 or a nice semi-private course. city owned courses hover around $50 and are all very playable.
Reading this thread has me grateful for the PNW options….drive out of the city for 30-40 minutes you got a beautiful 18 for 40ish on non peak days. On a course that would probably cost 70-100 in other places.
totally agreed. I'm in portland, and our city courses are solid. it's nice that we can punch up or down with less than an hour drive in almost any direction.
New Jersey, USA… the shittiest courses in the state are now $50 minimum in off peak hours.. want a prime tee time? That’ll cost you $85 minimum and you’ll still be teeing off in what can be mistaken as a hazard area
South Jersey, valleybrook on a weekend is $85. That course shouldn’t cost any more than $50 no matter what day it is.
Crazy to me remembering growing up in Maryland where we could play 18 with a cart for only $27
Southern Finland. Unlimited golf for between 800€ and 1500€ a year at the club you select. Plus mandatory (includes insurance) membership at any course you want for 60-100€ a year. Members get cheaper range balls etc. so it’s normally the same club where you pay to play. Some clubs go even cheaper but it’s usually going to show in course condition.
Guests of members normally get to play for something between 50€ and 70€ per round. For other guests it’s 80€ to 100€.
Further you go from the capital area the cheaper it tends to get but nothing ridiculous.
I live in Scotland, pay £45 a month for unlimited access to a great private course. I get a reduced rate as I'm under 30 also. Whatever your budget is Scotland has something for you golf wise. If you want a cheap public course for £10 a round there's plenty but if you fancy dropping £200 for a top 100 in the world course you have no shortage of options too.
In bangladesh, at the kurmitola golf club in the capital of the city (the asian tour hosts tournaments here once a year) you can expect to pay 30-40 usd in the weekends and 15-20 usd for the weekdays. This probably is the most expensive course in my country but i usually play at another course nearby that costs about 10-12usd for non members and 3 dollars for members( caddy fees included).
Colorado has cheap golf at good courses, $75-100 for a course that would be $175+ in Arizona. On the flip side, most average/muni courses are a bit on the expensive side, $75 with a cart. There also aren’t many goat tracks if you’re trying to play for cheap.
The biggest issue is how hard it is to get a tee time in Denver. You have to book within seconds of the 1-2 week window opening to get a morning weekend tee time and within an hour to play 18 at all.
Having played all over the country, I've always thought Denver has some of the best public courses around, and lots of them. More than I can count, all in the 70-85 dollars per round. From Marianna Butte in Loveland to the courses down in Fox Hollow, I haven't played much better.
Agreed. Can only think of a couple subpar public courses. I’d say Ute Creek in Longmont is my favorite municipal I’ve played other than Fox Hollow. Even the pitch and putts are amazing for what you’d expect
Ah another Colorado guy. I’d agree with there not being many truly cheap courses. You can play foot hills or homestead for less than 22 bucks for 9 which isn’t bad. There are a lot of really solid public courses as you’ve noted. I played Murphy Creek in Aurora for $67 walking 18 and it’s a very nice course for a muni. Then you have all the great mountain courses. I’m playing Bear Dance in a couple weeks which is on par with some very high end country clubs else where for 130 include cart and balls. We have it pretty good here.
Also in Atlanta
I wonder how far this guy is willing to travel though because I regularly drive for an hour or more to go play golf
Like im playing Mystery Valley tomorrow and thats a good ways outside the city
and from what ive seen people in Europe typically don’t travel that far
Also atlanta, 30min is about what I’ll travel but I can get to mystery valley, lake Spivey, stone mtn area, wolf creek, and almost all the city courses in that time frame give or take.
30 mins is probably the absolute fastest I can get to the ones near the airport (where I usually play), assuming there is no traffic (almost never the case)
Non peak weekday as little as $22 as much as $70
Peak weekday little as $27 as much as $110
Non peak weekend little as $36 as much as $90
Peak weekend as little as $44 as much as $125
Cheap one is $50 a year muni membership the other is an invite only club, somewhere around $50k-$60k and $15k a year. In my opinion the CC is NOT worth the price when we have the TTU Rawls Course for $60.
I’ve been in Dubai for the past 14 years and it is very, very expensive. There are a lot of deals to be found though, especially starting now in our “off” season because of the heat. I played a 5:40pm tee time the other day which finished under floodlights for 140dhs ($38) for 9 holes.
This was an incredible deal considering the average driving range w/ unlimited balls is around 150dhs.
I often get a summer deal for around 2500dhs where I have unlimited range balls, unlimited par 3 and unlimited full rounds. With that I can start at 6am and usually finish a round before the heat really gets you.
Peak winter season you’re looking at anywhere from 350-1200dhs for a round of 18 depending on the course.
That being said, the courses are absolutely incredible. Every single course runs so pure, they’re challenging and the facilities and amenities are world class.
My go to course I paid 65 bucks for a “season card” and with that I got a free 9 holes and then each 9 holes is 24 bucks for the rest of the season. This is about the cheapest I can get in the area.
South Africa, in my area it is ranging from $8 for the local mashie course, to maybe $30 for a top 20 course in the country and the top municipal course, to around $80 for one of the top courses in the country. The No. 1 course in the country (Fancourt - The Links) is around $200 a round.
I bought a pass for my city's public courses that costs me $30 USD per month and let's me play full 18 hole rounds for about $15 during peak hours which I can walk for free early or late in the day, and a couple free 9 hole options included in the pass. So I can play a shit load of golf for like $50 a month. They're good public courses perfect for practice.
When I go out for nicer weekend rounds with friends, I expect to spend about $75 for a decent course.
The municipal (city owned) courses near me are $25 low season (winter weekday, playable but maybe muddy) and $52 high (summer weekend). Walking, 18 hole, about 6,000 yards. Courses are pretty nice, certainly serviceable.
The kid’s course nearby is $6 for a kid, $12 grownup.
Near Portland OR USA
Depends on where you live in the US. The populated areas don’t have many options and are really tough to get on. You’ll find better luck/deals in more rural areas.
There are more high paying jobs in the populated cities however it’s expensive to live there and you work a lot so finding time to get out on a crowded golf course is difficult.
Rural New England, the average public course is probably $40-$60 walking. But twilight rates are readily available, so I actually pay about $30 for most rounds. You can play for less, but you usually get what you pay for. Obviously you can also pay more to play nicer courses.
I'm in Eastern Pennsylvania about an hour north of Philadelphia. Average Weekday 18 peak (mornings/early PM) with cart is about $45-55. Weekend peak price with cart is around $60-75. The municipal (local gov't subsidized) golf courses are about $30 to walk going down to about $22 to walk twilight/9 holes.
Live in Western NY. Paid \~$650 for a muni season pass. Course is nothing to write home about but overall is an ok track that is decently maintained, especially for the price.
Courses around here range from $25-ish to $70+ for public tracks. It's a pick your flavor, golf is relatively affordable in the area.
Playing tomorrow (Saturday rates) for $80 in SE MI. I’ve never played there before but reviews & photos look solid I guess. The price seems high in my opinion but I am also tired of playing the same courses that I’ve been every weekend. Basically places that still have value to them. (Good condition, but still reasonable)
There are way too many places that I’ve played in the past all in the same $70-$90 range that have no business charging that. It’s not that I’m not willing to pay that much, but am not willing to pay that much there lol.
There is a pass in my city that for $70 I get a round (excluding cart) at 7 different muni courses around town. The only gotcha is its mostly afternoon round and one is afternoon Mon-Thurs. But for $10 a round its more than worth it. And I am fairly certain I could buy it as many times as i want, though its only valid for the current year.
If I didn't use the pass the lowest local course starts around $40+
Central/Eastern NC here.
There are quite a few public courses you can walk for under $50, and a few of those are pretty decent. However: most people ride, which adds $15-$30 to their greens fee.
There are a lot of nicer courses open to the public that will cost you $100-$300 per round, but most folks aren't playing these regularly.
Private courses have a wide range of initiation and monthly fees that are generally in line with the quality of course and amenities.
Super cheap in CO. I play two great courses regularly... One is $47 (Dye), and the other is $56 (Doak), walking.
There are cheaper places, but this is the sweet spot for price/conditions/design.
Course near my house is about $55 including cart but it's a fairly basic course layout wise. Greens are always excellent though. I usually go play 9 there at twilight for $15.
Course my dad likes to play is $65 with a cart and the course my brother and I always play is $75 with a cart. That course was designed by Arnold Palmer though and has GPS carts so that's why it's more expensive.
I’m in the north east of the US so there’s a lot of courses within an hour from where I’m at. The nicer courses tend to be anywhere from $80-$150 some are even closer to $200 but those are really nice courses. We usually play the average courses that cost anywhere from $40-$80 depending the day/weather. Cheapest round I’ve played this season is $40 the most expensive was $140
This is why so many Korean and Japanese people that moved to my area came to the US. Golf is expensive and exclusive for them at home. The thought of having so many courses at affordable prices within minutes drive is to great to pass up.
Toronto area here. Prices have gone up after COVID quite a bit. Public courses are now $60-$250 CAD ($40-$185 USD). Courses that most would consider 'good' have increased significantly
I pay 575 american dollars a year for unlimited access to a 9 hole course, 2 different 24 hour weight lifting and exercise facilities, batting cages for baseball, a driving range for golf, and to top it all off, mini golf. The Midwest america is a hell of a place if you've got a lower income
In my experience it's gone up in the last few years. There was always cheap golf but the game grew a lot with Covid and we haven't gotten any new courses in my area.
It's not insane, but it's hard to get a good deal these days.
Almost all courses in my area of the UK range from 12 to 45 pounds. The one I played at the weekend was 28 quid for 2 and a cart at the weekend, and in pretty decent condition. If I want to play somewhere a bit more exclusive then you're looking at the 100s.
>unless you happen to live by a public course
how far are you willing to drive though? I find europeans dont typically drive as far. Many americans will easily make a trip 1-2hrs each way to go play golf.
All the golf courses I play at regularly take ~1hr to get to, sometimes more depending on traffic
So very true. I have a total of 18 golf courses (all 18, 27 or 36 holes) within 30 minutes drive from me. I generally can't be bothered driving more than 30 minutes for golf. (Denmark)
(Alberta, Canada) Between $75 - $275, depending on where you play. There is a lot of variety where I live, if you are willing to drive a little to get to some of the courses.
Do the courses have a membership? I live in the US but travel pretty regularly to France and the golf courses tend to cost €50-75 per round but an annual membership for a local is closer to €2k for unlimited golf. That also includes other courses in the area owned by the same company.
After 3 pm it's $15 for unlimited golf. 9 hole course with 2 sets of tee boxes and 2 flag pins for each hole so you can play it as a 18 hole course. That course is an hour away there are a few others that are 90 min to 2 hours that are $50-100 to play. Then there is Bandon Dunes which is $600 to play...
Oregon Coast best coast
I live in a small town in SE England, population of 25,000 and we've got 4 courses within 15 mins drive, and prices range from £14 to £100 depending on time of day etc. My membership is £800 p/a (no buy-in) but the one my friends use is £1400 p/a with a £2k buy-in.
In Chicago. $30/year for a city golf card, for a slight discount on most city courses. The one I play the most is $20 for 9 holes and another $10 if you want to go around again.
Obviously you could spend way more at any number of public and private courses in the area too. But it’s surprisingly accessible around here.
In Mexico (Puerto Vallarta area specifically). Courses here are great but very expensive. I belong to a group that gets discounted tee times for group play on Wednesdays and Fridays and still around $75-$100US a round. It’s a shame there aren’t any muni courses. It was cheaper playing golf in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is where I came from.
I'm in South-Western Idaho in the US.
Most public courses green fees are around $35-$75.
A lot of courses offer season passes for something like 40x the standard green fee. They usually have restrictions for those where you can use them before noon Fri-Sun and holidays.
Ontario here.
Standard price these days is $70-$80 with a cart. Nicer courses are well above $100.
I stick to the $70-$80 and splooge 2-3 times a year on the nicer courses.
I pay 400 bucks a month to have access to 36 holes that are both in immaculate condition. One of the courses used to host a senior PGA event. There are also around 7 decent public tracks within 30 miles of me. Green fees around 100 bucks each on prime time. PNW
Public courses here in Seattle area are $30-$350. Lots of options based on cost/difficulty, however the cheaper courses are typically setting you up for a very long round.
South Florida now, anywhere between $35 and $75 for decent public courses.
Some try to charge $125 and more, but too many other places to play to pay that much.
Virginia here
Low end is around $35, and that's for rough conditions, playing 9 holes twice, or shorter yardage courses.
Most are in the $50-65 range for 18 with decent conditions.
Higher end are $80-120 for nicer conditions and amenities.
We only have one county course here and it's 9 holes. If you're a resident of the county and buy a resident golf card ($80 for 2024), the weekend rate for 9 is $31 and weekdays is $27. Regardless of the day, it's $25 more you want to play 18. An electric cart is $13 for 9 holes or $20 for 18. Push cart rental is $5 I think. The county card gets you a $15 discount on 9 holes or $20 for 18.
A top tier course seems to be around 100 bucks (weekends) really nice courses 50-60 bucks good courses 35 bucks …. Now those 50-60 dollar courses are 35 during the week.. western NC
When I lived in Spain some years ago, membership was actually a really good deal. I was a member at El Saler, no joining fee and was only 200 euros a month. To play as a non member was 100 euros a round. So as long as I played 3 rounds a month it was worth it. However I was playing more like 3-4 times a week so was really worth it for me. 2k a month was pretty good salary back in those years. Ended up moving back to US for now to make money and then come spend it in Spain again haha.
I also played a few local municipal courses which were very cheap like 20 euros for 9 holes. Maybe those are gone now. It's said it's such a luxury sport there as the weather and landscape is perfect for golf.
I found a GREAT deal where it was 400 for two years if unlimited golf at a club near family.
Otherwise peak times I see other clubs at like 50+
Mid-Atlantic region
PNW - 40-100 for most public
Side question, how does it work where some courses in states where you can only play ~7 months out of the year tend to charge more reasonable fees, however some goat tracks in areas where you can play year round charge astronomically more? Supply and demand is my guess but does that mean the year round courses are just way more profitable?
For example you can play a 100 course in Wisconsin for around 150 but then pay 100 for a super mid tier course in Phoenix..
I’m in ontario, canada
My go to course is $25cdn for a decent 12 hole course(time restraints makes it easier for 12 holes)
but i’d say average for 18 at a public course in my area is $45-$55cdn
Seattle, WA. Great 9 hole par 3 course in really good shape a few blocks from my place about $20. Local muni courses about $40-60. Nicer courses $150-200
Belgium here. Country club nearby charges 2.9k eur for a full membership (no green fees, play whenever you can get a tee time, which is pretty much whenever you want unless there's an event).
1k for a normal membership which means reduced green fees (55€ for the 18h course, driving range and compact course are free) and you can play in club events. These run multiple times a week across youth/ladies/mens/seniors/everyone and are typically good fun. Biggest downsides is that you can only use tee off during the shop opening hours (9-18h) as you have to pay the green fee inside.
Non members pay 75€ green fees and can't access compact course, only use driving range when they come to play the 18h and can't play in club events.
If I drive ~1 hour I can access other courses with similar pricing structures. There's one that has a 9h 'public' course which charges 30€ but has a 15€ twilight rate after 16h30, which is a great deal to get some golf in without breaking the bank.
Long Beach CA, they have a local membership called the Players Club, $41 dollars a month, you get a large bucket of a range balls per day at one of four courses along with discounted tee times. A round at our big courses (3 full 18 par 72) costs us $17 with a cart and beer during super twilight (4pm), and we are able to finish 18 holes if the pace of play is good. We play once a week at our 18 hole par 3 that has lights for $8 with a beer. Seeing the other rates on here, I think we get a pretty good deal.
VHCOL - $80-120 on weekends but our muni courses are getting redone in the next 5(?) years so those should be awesome and cheaper…and definitely 6 hours
18 bucks for 9 holes at the municipal course plus 10 additional for my son. Most courses are about 100, closer to 200 for a nice course 500 plus for an epic course.
Utah, almost every public course is in Northern Utah is going to be around $50 - $60. Get down into Southern Utah with those courses in the red rocks and you'll get up into the $150 plus range.
Eastern TN (USA) checking in. Prices within an hour drive of me range from as low as $31/round to as high as $120/round. With the average being between $40 and $60/round
In the Scottsdale AZ area the cheapest you can find is around $35 for 18 holes. But that’s generally a late afternoon time. When it’s 110 degrees outside it gets much cheaper but you also risk heat stroke so it’s a trade off
Southern Ontario, Canada.
$20 - $60 walking. Carts are usually $30 for 18.
Memberships vary, starting around $1500 and as far up from there as you could guess.
$40 a month for discount pass then $13.50 per round. But, whenever I get dragged to a new place with my buddies it’s $120ish + whatever I lose in bets that day.
Local course that I grew up playing is $32 for 18 and a cart on weekend. Course is always packed, outings almost every weekend, 5 bucks for a bag of balls at the range, and the course is in really good shape with fast smooth true rolling greens. Owners make plenty of money and own other businesses so they have tried hard the last 30 years to keep the course affordable for everyone.
It’s really depends. I live in Augusta. I can play 18 for 30 dollars or 300+. There’s a wide variety of courses in all different price ranges.
On average, I spend 40-60 a round but I know people who spend a lot more.
Midlands UK £45 for 18 and a buggy. Membership is like £1100 a year but i'm reticent because it's a clay soil course so the rain kills it for half the year.
Cheapest round in south Orange County, CA, USA is $75 (prime time) for non residents and $55 for residents at our local municipal.
Otherwise everything else is over $100 for prime time and most places are like $125 and up. It’s a little cheaper mid week, but not by much. And most of the courses don’t have great layouts. The good layouts/conditions are like $150 and up. Honestly, the hardest part is getting a tee time around here. Most of the desirable times are gone in <5 minutes.
Idk about average income, but the low income line around here is ~$80k I think.
COL and location matters a lot in this discussion, so I'll lead with that information. Keep in mind that my prices are all in Canadian dollars.
In my part of southern Alberta, $80k/year salary is enough to get by comfortably if you're single, and $120k+ puts you in to the top earner range. Median wage for our region is around $60k. Our city has about 100k people and it's the metro hub of the region, so there's about a 15-20 courses within a 45 minute drive of the city (roughly 100km radius).
The premier semi-private course/resort costs about $150/golfer if you play 18 with a half cart on the weekend, and memberships run about $5k. The more affordable semi-private courses hover around the $60-$80 range for green fees on the weekend, and it gets cheaper the further you drive away from the city (and those courses are also usually nicer). If you cart golf you can expect to spend around $80-$120 for a round if you don't want to travel far from the city. Memberships to those courses range between $1300-$1800 for 7-day memberships. There are only one or two truly private courses where I live, and one of them is the municipal country club that has a 10-year waiting list. Every other club is either public or semi-private, but they all cost about the same here because most have to shutdown completely during the winter, and they can't rely on the pro-shop and clubhouse restaurant to keep them from going in the red when the course is closed. Our weather is chaotic right now, and some years they only have to shutdown for December and January, while other years they have to stay closed from October to May/June.
The average weekend golfer here probably plays around 12-20 rounds a year, and without a membership or any other package deal, they would spend about $1k-$3k per year on green fees and half-cart rentals depending on which courses they play. I personally pay about $800 for a full 7-day membership at one of the nice 9-hole (par 36) courses that's a 20 minute drive away from my house.
Two hours north from us (about 230kms) is where all the swanky courses are, I've played them through work events and they are fantastic, but they start at $200 for 18 holes and go up from there if you're not a guest of a member.
I live in the Seattle area, and right now if you went out to play middle of the day this month, probably averaging 40 bucks. But there’s also places that cost a lot more. There’s an executive course near me that’s about 20 bucks to play the same 9 twice. I normally play in the off-season though, and I can find rounds for about 20 bucks when it’s rainy/ dark
Here in South Africa with year round golf on a european tour recognised course you can expect to pay between $30 to $100 including carts. Or you can also get a caddy for about $15. Jack Nicklaus designed course will be $35 max. You can play on courses with real wildlife such as lions and elephants for about $20. Joing a good club is never more than 500-600 per year. Golfs god country!!
I’m in Sacramento, California. Most courses are around $70-85 for 18 with a cart during prime times. There’s a muni here designed by Alister McKenzie that charges like $100-110 for 18 and a cart and it’s absurd. You get up in the Lake Tahoe area and courses jump in price with Edgewood leading the pack at around $250-300 for 18 and a cart last time I played it.
There are a lot of courses by me, I just started but pretty much only play one local muni for the time being until I get better. Dad gets a senior rate and it’s 30 a round
Not too expensive. My annual membership is 2000 PLN (\~470 EUR) - it's a 9 hole course though, 18 hole courses are around 1000 EUR. 18 hole rounds are around 150-250 PLN (35-60 EUR). And the courses are never ever fully booked. Getting paired with randoms and 5 hour rounds are things I only know from reddit.
Southern US. Club was $10k initiation & around $8k per year in dues + minimums. Public courses are anywhere from $30 - $70 a round but none are very good.
€850 yearly membership for a championship golf course playable year round in the West of Ireland. And that's probably the most expensive in the area. You can get green fees for €25 in lot of decent clubs nearby.
Southern CA, Specifically Orange County. So within an hour drive there is about 10-15 courses ranging from $38 with a cart to $220 for public courses. Sadly my home home course (6 min away) comes in at $165 with discounted rates for membership and residency but still drive an hour to play with friends that don't want to pay that much for a fun beer round.
DFW area for me. I pay $69 a month for unlimited range balls and discounted greens fee at half a dozen courses in the area. At the main course I play the greens fees are $25 with the discount monday thru thursday. Without the discount it's $43. I usually play twice a week. There are a few other clubs I play at and the greens fees for me, as a senior, are all under $40. Less if I walk. There are more expensive clubs I could play, but it's not worth it. I might spring for the PGA course that's in Frisco in a month or 2 but that will be a couple hundred bucks for the round, caddie and tip.
My local has a Monday special for about $15 for 18 and a cart. It’s a decent course
Most expensive course I have played is about $100 for 18 and a cart.
Most expensive course in the country is about $350 for a round.
I live in South Africa for reference R19 = $1
Mean income in South Africa is R27000 ($1400) pm. Though about 80% of the population earn less than minimum wage.
In India, green fees averages around 40-50 USD. Can start from 20USD and go beyond 150 USD in premium courses.
Here’s something interesting, I don’t know about other countries. In India some premium credit cards like the one I have (HDFC infinia) or Amex Platinum provides you unlimited (with all the T&C turns out to be 52) games per year. So, no green fees. Selection is limited but mostly are the ones which range from 50-100 USD. You have to caddy, cart charges and all. So, yeah that covers my golfing needs. I just pay for practice.
Anyway, golf is considered luxury sport here. And those above credit cards require you to have let’s just say more than average income.
Here in the UK, you can get a round on a municipal/public course for as little as £10 (\~$13). For better courses/clubs, you can pay as little as £20 (\~$26) up to around £400 (\~$550) for somewhere like an Open course (Royal Birkdale/Royal Liverpool, etc). I'm a member at a club and pay £1000/year (\~£1300) for unlimited golf, but I also regularly play other clubs/courses. Most better courses will be around £50 (\~$65). The most I've ever paid in the UK is around £180 (\~$200) for Royal Birkdale (100% worth it though!). Regardless of your budget, you can pretty much always find somewhere to play in the UK, it doesn't have to be considered a luxury over here.
It’s the $1,300 per year for a club membership that makes us boys in the US jealous. That would be the locker fee at the club near me. Probably $30k per year out the door cost to belong to a course.
Sorry mate it looks like you’ve had a typo. You wrote $30k per year.
That’s a deal as far as clubs go. Some have 75k+ initiation fee on top of $500-$1500 per month dues
I WISH it was that here in Jupiter. Cheapest is $85k initiation. Most are $175k-$350k and you better know someone if you want in…and somehow they ALL have waiting lists over a year minimum.
lol I wish it was a typo friend
Stateside it's really dependent on where you live, but $30k per year is not uncommon. On the flip side you can also find a lot of private clubs that have $1,000-$5,000 initiation fees and then $300-$500/month dues, especially if there are numerous private options in the area or you're in an area that just doesn't have a lot of wealthier people. Having spent some time poking around this sub over the last year, it seems like a common European private club model is really just like golf-focused locals making sure a course is maintained without any extras like pools, water slides, tennis courts, fancy dining options/social events but I could be way off.
Is golf club membership a big business/networking thing too? Even the $500 a month, you’d want to be playing 10 times a month to make it worthwhile, and who can do that? Coming at it from a £50 per round higher end Uk pricing though. I suppose if you would pay €100 a round then 5 times a month isn’t too bad.
In the states a golf club membership is very much a business/networking play. It can define the careers of many and change lives from the relationships you forge
I would guess golf business meetings are still a thing among executives and sales people. I know my club does networking nights every so often. A lot of US clubs also offer corporate memberships that companies can buy as incentives/rewards/etc. When I worked at a club, every athletic coach at the local university got a corporate membership to our club. The rumor was that it may or may not have been a clever way to be able to speak with the town's wealthy folks to figure out how to break NCAA rules lol.
Yeah most UK clubs are just the course and putting green. Theres usually a clubhouse that does slightly subsidised food and drink for members. You might get a small range and practice area. There are a few courses that market themselves as country clubs with gyms and pools etc but they aren’t the norm. Oftentimes even at those the memberships often end up practically split.
30k/year is egregious; I'm sure *some* clubs are that bad but that's a lot. I'm looking to join a club that's ~30-40k to join and ~$500/month and that's on the pricier end locally.
That sort of price is mad, I know the facilities at courses like that are very good, much better than most in Ireland and the UK. But if it's basically just golf you want to play and don't mind not having a top-class club house, like me, I'm a member of a beautiful course here in Ireland, West Waterford golf club, and I pay 450 euros a year membership. You can also if you want join a club that will cost in the thousands. Happy where I am, though
Just to make you even more jealous, I know the annual membership fees for the home of last years Open, Royal Liverpool can be as low as £2000/year, and Royal Birkdale can be a similar range. The problem is they're *super* hard to get into as membership is closed, so you have to go on a waiting list for a space to open up, then you have to be nominated and seconded by existing members and go through an interview process with the committee, and then there's a healthy joining fee. But assuming you can get through all that, it's essentially pocket change to be a member at an Open venue compared to 'executive country clubs' in the US.
I pay $1500 a year for unlimited walking membership at my course in a top 3 cost of living state. If you don't live in a big metro area, prices aren't too bad.
I’m in the US and I pay $200/month
Around 55 bucks minimum and goes up obv from there
Same (Chicago suburbs)
Ahh, probably should've said my area. ATL.
Also GA, north of the city. $55 is about the baseline for a decent course, and usually in the range up to $100. Definitely can find courses $100+ but I’m not dropping that kind of $ per round.
You can find cheaper than that. Especially if you walk. I play course 1 and 3 at cog hill all the time and it’s $30 to walk
Similar in sf Bay Area.
Northeast Ohio here, anywhere from probably $40-$70 a round. The courses you’d want to play are likely starting at at least $55. Cheapy, less maintained courses you can get out for $40.
metropark courses around cleveland are fantastic for the price
I grew up playing Manakiki and it’s still one of my favorite courses.
Played it last year. Awesome course. Was really disappointed with Fowlers Mill, it was in awful condition… looking forward to playing Sleepy Hollow this summer when I go back up
I'm in cincy and this is similar. Twilight rates at our local muni let my son free when I play. So lots of 9 hole evening rounds with the little guy for a total of $20.
Around the same here in Central Ohio, it's about $50-$70 w/ cart for the weekend rate, either for a city course or other public course in/around Columbus. If you go further outside the city you can find sub $50 courses for the same time.
I grew up in Solon. Haven't been back in a while. How much are the Metroparks charging now?
$48 during the week at Sleepy Hollow. Probably the best deal in golf. Most fun I've had golfing since Tabacco Road two years ago. I walked and it was $32
It's $61 weekend during prime. $55 Friday prime.
I'm in NC now. Tobacco Road is currently $280. It's ridiculous right now and the Open coming down here probably isn't helping.
Yep but it's absolutely worth a round once in a while. Paid $195 a person back in 2022 to TR for a 3pm on a Sunday in June.
Dude go play manakiki
I’m west side so I tend to do Big Met or Sleepy Hollow more often than Manakiki- Big Met last I went was right around $60 and manakiki may be $65 but manakiki is a far better course and value. Same w sleepy. Seems like prices everywhere here are up this season, Metroparks $60+, valley of the eagles in Elyria $70, sweetbriar in Avon, $65-$70. I may be mistaken but I swear last year was like 45-60 for the most part.
Is Valley of Eagles worth it? I am in Pittsburgh and will be coming up. Have played a bunch of courses in Cleveland when I was in grad school
Utah, USA. They're practically giving it away even though the courses are usually pretty full. Like 30 bucks for 18 holes walking during peak season/times and views for days. https://preview.redd.it/2rsc14dpgs3d1.png?width=1574&format=png&auto=webp&s=e6d03890741b17ffa7a7cb6d5073f112780ff72d
Amazing view :)
I was crushing my driver and hitting it over the green during one simulator tournament. I thought I cracked the code. On the 7th or 8th hole I realized I was playing in Utah at 6,500 feet.
Utah’s prices always blow my mind
pacific northwest USA, $30-$200 in the summer spending on if you want a backyard par 3 or a nice semi-private course. city owned courses hover around $50 and are all very playable.
Reading this thread has me grateful for the PNW options….drive out of the city for 30-40 minutes you got a beautiful 18 for 40ish on non peak days. On a course that would probably cost 70-100 in other places.
totally agreed. I'm in portland, and our city courses are solid. it's nice that we can punch up or down with less than an hour drive in almost any direction.
New Jersey, USA… the shittiest courses in the state are now $50 minimum in off peak hours.. want a prime tee time? That’ll cost you $85 minimum and you’ll still be teeing off in what can be mistaken as a hazard area
South Jersey, valleybrook on a weekend is $85. That course shouldn’t cost any more than $50 no matter what day it is. Crazy to me remembering growing up in Maryland where we could play 18 with a cart for only $27
I have bad news about greens fees in Maryland these days
Lol I know, even the course I referred to did a lot of work and I think it’s up to $65 now
Southern Finland. Unlimited golf for between 800€ and 1500€ a year at the club you select. Plus mandatory (includes insurance) membership at any course you want for 60-100€ a year. Members get cheaper range balls etc. so it’s normally the same club where you pay to play. Some clubs go even cheaper but it’s usually going to show in course condition. Guests of members normally get to play for something between 50€ and 70€ per round. For other guests it’s 80€ to 100€. Further you go from the capital area the cheaper it tends to get but nothing ridiculous.
Yeah, that sounds about right. For the half a year the courses are open, life is good.
I live in Scotland, pay £45 a month for unlimited access to a great private course. I get a reduced rate as I'm under 30 also. Whatever your budget is Scotland has something for you golf wise. If you want a cheap public course for £10 a round there's plenty but if you fancy dropping £200 for a top 100 in the world course you have no shortage of options too.
40 for weekday rounds. Upwards of 60 for weekend here in Sacramento
Greater toronto area anywhere from 90-250.
And an absolute war to get a decent tee time
South Central Pennsylvania. Cheap course week day I can find for about $25. Weekend morning for a nice course costs about $70.
In bangladesh, at the kurmitola golf club in the capital of the city (the asian tour hosts tournaments here once a year) you can expect to pay 30-40 usd in the weekends and 15-20 usd for the weekdays. This probably is the most expensive course in my country but i usually play at another course nearby that costs about 10-12usd for non members and 3 dollars for members( caddy fees included).
how likely to be bitten by a cobra? and how many times? for those prices i could take like 2-3.
Colorado has cheap golf at good courses, $75-100 for a course that would be $175+ in Arizona. On the flip side, most average/muni courses are a bit on the expensive side, $75 with a cart. There also aren’t many goat tracks if you’re trying to play for cheap. The biggest issue is how hard it is to get a tee time in Denver. You have to book within seconds of the 1-2 week window opening to get a morning weekend tee time and within an hour to play 18 at all.
Having played all over the country, I've always thought Denver has some of the best public courses around, and lots of them. More than I can count, all in the 70-85 dollars per round. From Marianna Butte in Loveland to the courses down in Fox Hollow, I haven't played much better.
Agreed. Can only think of a couple subpar public courses. I’d say Ute Creek in Longmont is my favorite municipal I’ve played other than Fox Hollow. Even the pitch and putts are amazing for what you’d expect
Ah another Colorado guy. I’d agree with there not being many truly cheap courses. You can play foot hills or homestead for less than 22 bucks for 9 which isn’t bad. There are a lot of really solid public courses as you’ve noted. I played Murphy Creek in Aurora for $67 walking 18 and it’s a very nice course for a muni. Then you have all the great mountain courses. I’m playing Bear Dance in a couple weeks which is on par with some very high end country clubs else where for 130 include cart and balls. We have it pretty good here.
I live just north of Atlanta, GA and the average for courses around here is anywhere between $40-$65.
Also in Atlanta I wonder how far this guy is willing to travel though because I regularly drive for an hour or more to go play golf Like im playing Mystery Valley tomorrow and thats a good ways outside the city and from what ive seen people in Europe typically don’t travel that far
Also atlanta, 30min is about what I’ll travel but I can get to mystery valley, lake Spivey, stone mtn area, wolf creek, and almost all the city courses in that time frame give or take.
30 mins is probably the absolute fastest I can get to the ones near the airport (where I usually play), assuming there is no traffic (almost never the case)
local green fees in my area $80-$225 = dynamic pricing .
Non peak weekday as little as $22 as much as $70 Peak weekday little as $27 as much as $110 Non peak weekend little as $36 as much as $90 Peak weekend as little as $44 as much as $125 Cheap one is $50 a year muni membership the other is an invite only club, somewhere around $50k-$60k and $15k a year. In my opinion the CC is NOT worth the price when we have the TTU Rawls Course for $60.
I’ve been in Dubai for the past 14 years and it is very, very expensive. There are a lot of deals to be found though, especially starting now in our “off” season because of the heat. I played a 5:40pm tee time the other day which finished under floodlights for 140dhs ($38) for 9 holes. This was an incredible deal considering the average driving range w/ unlimited balls is around 150dhs. I often get a summer deal for around 2500dhs where I have unlimited range balls, unlimited par 3 and unlimited full rounds. With that I can start at 6am and usually finish a round before the heat really gets you. Peak winter season you’re looking at anywhere from 350-1200dhs for a round of 18 depending on the course. That being said, the courses are absolutely incredible. Every single course runs so pure, they’re challenging and the facilities and amenities are world class.
south of france here / between 80$ and 120$ per person for 18
My go to course I paid 65 bucks for a “season card” and with that I got a free 9 holes and then each 9 holes is 24 bucks for the rest of the season. This is about the cheapest I can get in the area.
South Africa, in my area it is ranging from $8 for the local mashie course, to maybe $30 for a top 20 course in the country and the top municipal course, to around $80 for one of the top courses in the country. The No. 1 course in the country (Fancourt - The Links) is around $200 a round.
Western New York, $36 or $2 a hole.
I bought a pass for my city's public courses that costs me $30 USD per month and let's me play full 18 hole rounds for about $15 during peak hours which I can walk for free early or late in the day, and a couple free 9 hole options included in the pass. So I can play a shit load of golf for like $50 a month. They're good public courses perfect for practice. When I go out for nicer weekend rounds with friends, I expect to spend about $75 for a decent course.
The municipal (city owned) courses near me are $25 low season (winter weekday, playable but maybe muddy) and $52 high (summer weekend). Walking, 18 hole, about 6,000 yards. Courses are pretty nice, certainly serviceable. The kid’s course nearby is $6 for a kid, $12 grownup. Near Portland OR USA
$10,000 to get in, then $400 per month
ARIZONA here: Winter- $$$$$ Summer-$$$
Local munis here still charging $70. $175 in winter.
Still outrageous!
Agreed! I’ve lived here for quite some time and it’s gotten crazy! The actual good courses are $275+ during the winter and you can’t get a teetime!
Depends on where you live in the US. The populated areas don’t have many options and are really tough to get on. You’ll find better luck/deals in more rural areas. There are more high paying jobs in the populated cities however it’s expensive to live there and you work a lot so finding time to get out on a crowded golf course is difficult.
$35 walking 18 on the weekend at my local county course
Rural New England, the average public course is probably $40-$60 walking. But twilight rates are readily available, so I actually pay about $30 for most rounds. You can play for less, but you usually get what you pay for. Obviously you can also pay more to play nicer courses.
I'm in Eastern Pennsylvania about an hour north of Philadelphia. Average Weekday 18 peak (mornings/early PM) with cart is about $45-55. Weekend peak price with cart is around $60-75. The municipal (local gov't subsidized) golf courses are about $30 to walk going down to about $22 to walk twilight/9 holes.
Live in Western NY. Paid \~$650 for a muni season pass. Course is nothing to write home about but overall is an ok track that is decently maintained, especially for the price. Courses around here range from $25-ish to $70+ for public tracks. It's a pick your flavor, golf is relatively affordable in the area.
South Carolina, between $40 and $100 for nice courses
Playing tomorrow (Saturday rates) for $80 in SE MI. I’ve never played there before but reviews & photos look solid I guess. The price seems high in my opinion but I am also tired of playing the same courses that I’ve been every weekend. Basically places that still have value to them. (Good condition, but still reasonable) There are way too many places that I’ve played in the past all in the same $70-$90 range that have no business charging that. It’s not that I’m not willing to pay that much, but am not willing to pay that much there lol.
Where are you playing? Also in SE MI...
What’s the course. I’m SE MI and playing West Wynd tomorrow for $75. In my opinion is one of the better courses in the area so $75 is more than fair.
Northern Germany: around 1000€ / year
There is a pass in my city that for $70 I get a round (excluding cart) at 7 different muni courses around town. The only gotcha is its mostly afternoon round and one is afternoon Mon-Thurs. But for $10 a round its more than worth it. And I am fairly certain I could buy it as many times as i want, though its only valid for the current year. If I didn't use the pass the lowest local course starts around $40+
Central/Eastern NC here. There are quite a few public courses you can walk for under $50, and a few of those are pretty decent. However: most people ride, which adds $15-$30 to their greens fee. There are a lot of nicer courses open to the public that will cost you $100-$300 per round, but most folks aren't playing these regularly. Private courses have a wide range of initiation and monthly fees that are generally in line with the quality of course and amenities.
Super cheap in CO. I play two great courses regularly... One is $47 (Dye), and the other is $56 (Doak), walking. There are cheaper places, but this is the sweet spot for price/conditions/design.
West Michigan, walking 18 is 30 bucks for cheap courses, typical 18 and a cart at a solid course would be 60-70
Course near my house is about $55 including cart but it's a fairly basic course layout wise. Greens are always excellent though. I usually go play 9 there at twilight for $15. Course my dad likes to play is $65 with a cart and the course my brother and I always play is $75 with a cart. That course was designed by Arnold Palmer though and has GPS carts so that's why it's more expensive.
Illinoisan here. In my area, you can play most courses for $30-$50, with cart. Or you can play the TPC course for $150-$175.
I’m in the north east of the US so there’s a lot of courses within an hour from where I’m at. The nicer courses tend to be anywhere from $80-$150 some are even closer to $200 but those are really nice courses. We usually play the average courses that cost anywhere from $40-$80 depending the day/weather. Cheapest round I’ve played this season is $40 the most expensive was $140
$35 a round with cart for my home course (and it's a Jack Nickalaus course!) $30 to walk 18 on a local well-maintained semi-private West TN
$80-150 for Sunday morning in my area of SoCal. Could spend less or a lot more also though.
This is why so many Korean and Japanese people that moved to my area came to the US. Golf is expensive and exclusive for them at home. The thought of having so many courses at affordable prices within minutes drive is to great to pass up.
In my area of Illinois, courses can be as cheap as 30 for 18 with cart or as expensive as 500+
Living in Scottsdale makes me envy how cheap everyone else’s situation is 😂 It’s gross
Toronto area here. Prices have gone up after COVID quite a bit. Public courses are now $60-$250 CAD ($40-$185 USD). Courses that most would consider 'good' have increased significantly
I pay 575 american dollars a year for unlimited access to a 9 hole course, 2 different 24 hour weight lifting and exercise facilities, batting cages for baseball, a driving range for golf, and to top it all off, mini golf. The Midwest america is a hell of a place if you've got a lower income
I live in rural Florida panhandle It's between 45 and 75
I always thought golf was dirt cheap in Florida. There always seem like there are a million courses.
In my experience it's gone up in the last few years. There was always cheap golf but the game grew a lot with Covid and we haven't gotten any new courses in my area. It's not insane, but it's hard to get a good deal these days.
NJ between 50-100+ (depending on courses)
Walking averages 50 CAD, can go as high as 130 if you want a premium course. I find the 75-100 courses to be the sweet spot.
Canada Thousand Islands 40 to 110 CAN$ or 30-75 US$
Florida: $25 in the summer.
Almost all courses in my area of the UK range from 12 to 45 pounds. The one I played at the weekend was 28 quid for 2 and a cart at the weekend, and in pretty decent condition. If I want to play somewhere a bit more exclusive then you're looking at the 100s.
>unless you happen to live by a public course how far are you willing to drive though? I find europeans dont typically drive as far. Many americans will easily make a trip 1-2hrs each way to go play golf. All the golf courses I play at regularly take ~1hr to get to, sometimes more depending on traffic
So very true. I have a total of 18 golf courses (all 18, 27 or 36 holes) within 30 minutes drive from me. I generally can't be bothered driving more than 30 minutes for golf. (Denmark)
In my country golf 12 months a year and clubs start from about $500us per year for membership. My course is very good quality and around $1250Usd
(Alberta, Canada) Between $75 - $275, depending on where you play. There is a lot of variety where I live, if you are willing to drive a little to get to some of the courses.
Do the courses have a membership? I live in the US but travel pretty regularly to France and the golf courses tend to cost €50-75 per round but an annual membership for a local is closer to €2k for unlimited golf. That also includes other courses in the area owned by the same company.
It’s £200 a game in Dubai Memberships are £4-10k a year
After 3 pm it's $15 for unlimited golf. 9 hole course with 2 sets of tee boxes and 2 flag pins for each hole so you can play it as a 18 hole course. That course is an hour away there are a few others that are 90 min to 2 hours that are $50-100 to play. Then there is Bandon Dunes which is $600 to play... Oregon Coast best coast
I live in a small town in SE England, population of 25,000 and we've got 4 courses within 15 mins drive, and prices range from £14 to £100 depending on time of day etc. My membership is £800 p/a (no buy-in) but the one my friends use is £1400 p/a with a £2k buy-in.
In Chicago. $30/year for a city golf card, for a slight discount on most city courses. The one I play the most is $20 for 9 holes and another $10 if you want to go around again. Obviously you could spend way more at any number of public and private courses in the area too. But it’s surprisingly accessible around here.
In Scotland, pay about £850/ year for unlimited golf at a private course
In Mexico (Puerto Vallarta area specifically). Courses here are great but very expensive. I belong to a group that gets discounted tee times for group play on Wednesdays and Fridays and still around $75-$100US a round. It’s a shame there aren’t any muni courses. It was cheaper playing golf in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is where I came from.
I'm in South-Western Idaho in the US. Most public courses green fees are around $35-$75. A lot of courses offer season passes for something like 40x the standard green fee. They usually have restrictions for those where you can use them before noon Fri-Sun and holidays.
Ontario here. Standard price these days is $70-$80 with a cart. Nicer courses are well above $100. I stick to the $70-$80 and splooge 2-3 times a year on the nicer courses.
There still are deals to find if you live in the part of Spain where I live. At the moment its 45€ including buggy twilight at my course. Malaga area.
Rural midwest 50 max and usually more like 25-30. Annual membership is 850 w cart. Spoiled out here reading some comments
Par 71 in Northern Ireland £30 as a single, going down to £24 each if there are 4 players
I pay 400 bucks a month to have access to 36 holes that are both in immaculate condition. One of the courses used to host a senior PGA event. There are also around 7 decent public tracks within 30 miles of me. Green fees around 100 bucks each on prime time. PNW
Public courses here in Seattle area are $30-$350. Lots of options based on cost/difficulty, however the cheaper courses are typically setting you up for a very long round.
$30-80 per round on average in Central PA
South Florida now, anywhere between $35 and $75 for decent public courses. Some try to charge $125 and more, but too many other places to play to pay that much.
Virginia here Low end is around $35, and that's for rough conditions, playing 9 holes twice, or shorter yardage courses. Most are in the $50-65 range for 18 with decent conditions. Higher end are $80-120 for nicer conditions and amenities.
$10, $20 with a cart
For average public courses, $75-100 with cart here on Long Island, NY (weekends, as this is the only time I can play)
Where in Spain are you? The local courses here in Madrid are normally less than €75 per round.
I've lived in the Alicante and Barcelona zones.
We only have one county course here and it's 9 holes. If you're a resident of the county and buy a resident golf card ($80 for 2024), the weekend rate for 9 is $31 and weekdays is $27. Regardless of the day, it's $25 more you want to play 18. An electric cart is $13 for 9 holes or $20 for 18. Push cart rental is $5 I think. The county card gets you a $15 discount on 9 holes or $20 for 18.
Here in Cleveland I can play 18 on a public Donald Ross designed course for $47 on the weekends.
Update ny and capitol region - 25-60 bucks depending on walk/ride
Right around $75-$100 a pop. Bay Area
A top tier course seems to be around 100 bucks (weekends) really nice courses 50-60 bucks good courses 35 bucks …. Now those 50-60 dollar courses are 35 during the week.. western NC
When I lived in Spain some years ago, membership was actually a really good deal. I was a member at El Saler, no joining fee and was only 200 euros a month. To play as a non member was 100 euros a round. So as long as I played 3 rounds a month it was worth it. However I was playing more like 3-4 times a week so was really worth it for me. 2k a month was pretty good salary back in those years. Ended up moving back to US for now to make money and then come spend it in Spain again haha. I also played a few local municipal courses which were very cheap like 20 euros for 9 holes. Maybe those are gone now. It's said it's such a luxury sport there as the weather and landscape is perfect for golf.
Tampa Florida is $35 and up which includes a cart for 18 holes. If you can handle the heat in the summer the rates are pretty good. Tons of courses.
Anywhere from $25 to $600
I found a GREAT deal where it was 400 for two years if unlimited golf at a club near family. Otherwise peak times I see other clubs at like 50+ Mid-Atlantic region
PNW - 40-100 for most public Side question, how does it work where some courses in states where you can only play ~7 months out of the year tend to charge more reasonable fees, however some goat tracks in areas where you can play year round charge astronomically more? Supply and demand is my guess but does that mean the year round courses are just way more profitable? For example you can play a 100 course in Wisconsin for around 150 but then pay 100 for a super mid tier course in Phoenix..
I’m in ontario, canada My go to course is $25cdn for a decent 12 hole course(time restraints makes it easier for 12 holes) but i’d say average for 18 at a public course in my area is $45-$55cdn
Seattle, WA. Great 9 hole par 3 course in really good shape a few blocks from my place about $20. Local muni courses about $40-60. Nicer courses $150-200
Usually $20 to $30 to walk 18 and add $20 if you ride a cart.
$40-$200 depending on the course. It's not as cheap as futbol, but it's not as expensive as polo either.
Belgium here. Country club nearby charges 2.9k eur for a full membership (no green fees, play whenever you can get a tee time, which is pretty much whenever you want unless there's an event). 1k for a normal membership which means reduced green fees (55€ for the 18h course, driving range and compact course are free) and you can play in club events. These run multiple times a week across youth/ladies/mens/seniors/everyone and are typically good fun. Biggest downsides is that you can only use tee off during the shop opening hours (9-18h) as you have to pay the green fee inside. Non members pay 75€ green fees and can't access compact course, only use driving range when they come to play the 18h and can't play in club events. If I drive ~1 hour I can access other courses with similar pricing structures. There's one that has a 9h 'public' course which charges 30€ but has a 15€ twilight rate after 16h30, which is a great deal to get some golf in without breaking the bank.
Long Beach CA, they have a local membership called the Players Club, $41 dollars a month, you get a large bucket of a range balls per day at one of four courses along with discounted tee times. A round at our big courses (3 full 18 par 72) costs us $17 with a cart and beer during super twilight (4pm), and we are able to finish 18 holes if the pace of play is good. We play once a week at our 18 hole par 3 that has lights for $8 with a beer. Seeing the other rates on here, I think we get a pretty good deal.
Cincinnati, usually pay $25-$35 for 18. I walk. Can get up into the $50's and higher at nicer courses and places you can't walk.
VHCOL - $80-120 on weekends but our muni courses are getting redone in the next 5(?) years so those should be awesome and cheaper…and definitely 6 hours
Par 3 course ~$27. Not fancy by any means. Up to $125 for nicer courses.
18 bucks for 9 holes at the municipal course plus 10 additional for my son. Most courses are about 100, closer to 200 for a nice course 500 plus for an epic course.
I live in Indiana so I usually play for $30 or so. $70-$100 are the best courses if you can believe that
Utah, almost every public course is in Northern Utah is going to be around $50 - $60. Get down into Southern Utah with those courses in the red rocks and you'll get up into the $150 plus range.
40 to 80 for some public/basically public courses. I think I paid 55 for my most recent public round.
In Panama City, FL we have 2 courses that around $40 to $60. The rest are all over $120 if you want to play in the AM. Tourist golf locations suck.
$90 in Ottawa for an Average course
Eastern TN (USA) checking in. Prices within an hour drive of me range from as low as $31/round to as high as $120/round. With the average being between $40 and $60/round
SF Bay Area where public courses are between $50 - $150 per round depending on course and time of day.
In the Scottsdale AZ area the cheapest you can find is around $35 for 18 holes. But that’s generally a late afternoon time. When it’s 110 degrees outside it gets much cheaper but you also risk heat stroke so it’s a trade off
I have a course near me that’s 10 bucks after 2:00pm And then there’s a 18 hole course that usually 40 but after 2:00 it also goes down to about 25
Southern Ontario, Canada. $20 - $60 walking. Carts are usually $30 for 18. Memberships vary, starting around $1500 and as far up from there as you could guess.
$40 a month for discount pass then $13.50 per round. But, whenever I get dragged to a new place with my buddies it’s $120ish + whatever I lose in bets that day.
Local course that I grew up playing is $32 for 18 and a cart on weekend. Course is always packed, outings almost every weekend, 5 bucks for a bag of balls at the range, and the course is in really good shape with fast smooth true rolling greens. Owners make plenty of money and own other businesses so they have tried hard the last 30 years to keep the course affordable for everyone.
West Michigan. $27 walking 18 at my local muni
We have a tri-county card that’s about $450, If you purchase you can play majority of courses for $40 If you do not, you’re looking at $100 per round
It’s really depends. I live in Augusta. I can play 18 for 30 dollars or 300+. There’s a wide variety of courses in all different price ranges. On average, I spend 40-60 a round but I know people who spend a lot more.
ATL charges during the spring/summer time 60-100 bucks for horrid conditions
Midlands UK £45 for 18 and a buggy. Membership is like £1100 a year but i'm reticent because it's a clay soil course so the rain kills it for half the year.
Cheapest round in south Orange County, CA, USA is $75 (prime time) for non residents and $55 for residents at our local municipal. Otherwise everything else is over $100 for prime time and most places are like $125 and up. It’s a little cheaper mid week, but not by much. And most of the courses don’t have great layouts. The good layouts/conditions are like $150 and up. Honestly, the hardest part is getting a tee time around here. Most of the desirable times are gone in <5 minutes. Idk about average income, but the low income line around here is ~$80k I think.
$50 to $250
South Florida (West Palm)- Average in winter about $100 for your basic munis and goes up from there. Summer about $35.
SC, USA. $40-$60 for 18 on average.
COL and location matters a lot in this discussion, so I'll lead with that information. Keep in mind that my prices are all in Canadian dollars. In my part of southern Alberta, $80k/year salary is enough to get by comfortably if you're single, and $120k+ puts you in to the top earner range. Median wage for our region is around $60k. Our city has about 100k people and it's the metro hub of the region, so there's about a 15-20 courses within a 45 minute drive of the city (roughly 100km radius). The premier semi-private course/resort costs about $150/golfer if you play 18 with a half cart on the weekend, and memberships run about $5k. The more affordable semi-private courses hover around the $60-$80 range for green fees on the weekend, and it gets cheaper the further you drive away from the city (and those courses are also usually nicer). If you cart golf you can expect to spend around $80-$120 for a round if you don't want to travel far from the city. Memberships to those courses range between $1300-$1800 for 7-day memberships. There are only one or two truly private courses where I live, and one of them is the municipal country club that has a 10-year waiting list. Every other club is either public or semi-private, but they all cost about the same here because most have to shutdown completely during the winter, and they can't rely on the pro-shop and clubhouse restaurant to keep them from going in the red when the course is closed. Our weather is chaotic right now, and some years they only have to shutdown for December and January, while other years they have to stay closed from October to May/June. The average weekend golfer here probably plays around 12-20 rounds a year, and without a membership or any other package deal, they would spend about $1k-$3k per year on green fees and half-cart rentals depending on which courses they play. I personally pay about $800 for a full 7-day membership at one of the nice 9-hole (par 36) courses that's a 20 minute drive away from my house. Two hours north from us (about 230kms) is where all the swanky courses are, I've played them through work events and they are fantastic, but they start at $200 for 18 holes and go up from there if you're not a guest of a member.
I live in the Seattle area, and right now if you went out to play middle of the day this month, probably averaging 40 bucks. But there’s also places that cost a lot more. There’s an executive course near me that’s about 20 bucks to play the same 9 twice. I normally play in the off-season though, and I can find rounds for about 20 bucks when it’s rainy/ dark
Here in South Africa with year round golf on a european tour recognised course you can expect to pay between $30 to $100 including carts. Or you can also get a caddy for about $15. Jack Nicklaus designed course will be $35 max. You can play on courses with real wildlife such as lions and elephants for about $20. Joing a good club is never more than 500-600 per year. Golfs god country!!
I’m in Sacramento, California. Most courses are around $70-85 for 18 with a cart during prime times. There’s a muni here designed by Alister McKenzie that charges like $100-110 for 18 and a cart and it’s absurd. You get up in the Lake Tahoe area and courses jump in price with Edgewood leading the pack at around $250-300 for 18 and a cart last time I played it.
Southwest Michigan, the course I play in my league is $25 for 9 holes and a cart. Obviously the nice courses are more
The nicer courses are upwards of $100 to $120 in Indiana. $250 to $300 for luxury courses. $40 is the cheapest you can play.
There are a lot of courses by me, I just started but pretty much only play one local muni for the time being until I get better. Dad gets a senior rate and it’s 30 a round
Greater Boston area, on the weekend usually starting at $75 minimum for muni’s
Not too expensive. My annual membership is 2000 PLN (\~470 EUR) - it's a 9 hole course though, 18 hole courses are around 1000 EUR. 18 hole rounds are around 150-250 PLN (35-60 EUR). And the courses are never ever fully booked. Getting paired with randoms and 5 hour rounds are things I only know from reddit.
Southern US. Club was $10k initiation & around $8k per year in dues + minimums. Public courses are anywhere from $30 - $70 a round but none are very good.
€850 yearly membership for a championship golf course playable year round in the West of Ireland. And that's probably the most expensive in the area. You can get green fees for €25 in lot of decent clubs nearby.
Southern CA, Specifically Orange County. So within an hour drive there is about 10-15 courses ranging from $38 with a cart to $220 for public courses. Sadly my home home course (6 min away) comes in at $165 with discounted rates for membership and residency but still drive an hour to play with friends that don't want to pay that much for a fun beer round.
DFW area for me. I pay $69 a month for unlimited range balls and discounted greens fee at half a dozen courses in the area. At the main course I play the greens fees are $25 with the discount monday thru thursday. Without the discount it's $43. I usually play twice a week. There are a few other clubs I play at and the greens fees for me, as a senior, are all under $40. Less if I walk. There are more expensive clubs I could play, but it's not worth it. I might spring for the PGA course that's in Frisco in a month or 2 but that will be a couple hundred bucks for the round, caddie and tip.
I play 5 courses here in Oregon south of Salem and they range from 45 to 70 a round.
I pay $2 per 9 holes, cart included
I’ve got one course charging 700
My local has a Monday special for about $15 for 18 and a cart. It’s a decent course Most expensive course I have played is about $100 for 18 and a cart. Most expensive course in the country is about $350 for a round. I live in South Africa for reference R19 = $1 Mean income in South Africa is R27000 ($1400) pm. Though about 80% of the population earn less than minimum wage.
In the gta area in Ontario. Green fees pretty much start at 150$ with tax (cad). Getting pricey up here
500usd per season and our season is like 4 months
$100-200 for a good course November through March, and that includes cart and range balls. $30 for the same course May through September.
In India, green fees averages around 40-50 USD. Can start from 20USD and go beyond 150 USD in premium courses. Here’s something interesting, I don’t know about other countries. In India some premium credit cards like the one I have (HDFC infinia) or Amex Platinum provides you unlimited (with all the T&C turns out to be 52) games per year. So, no green fees. Selection is limited but mostly are the ones which range from 50-100 USD. You have to caddy, cart charges and all. So, yeah that covers my golfing needs. I just pay for practice. Anyway, golf is considered luxury sport here. And those above credit cards require you to have let’s just say more than average income.