Rankings
Best Value Courses in America (2022 Edition)
We are excited to introduce our “Value Series,” where we identify the best bargains across the U.S. golf landscape. The first step is to define what value means when it comes to golf. When thinking about value, you want the best possible product for the most reasonable price. Translating this to golf courses, we came up with the following criteria:
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Ranked by a major U.S. publication* as “Best in State”
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Max green fee** of less than $100
Via our free website, we were able to identify 207 quality courses (value courses) that are accessible to all at a reasonable price point. In this article, we’ll share some of the courses that made up our inaugural Value Series, as well as identify some themes that may be useful for our audience of traveling golfers.
Course Info
Type
We categorize courses into five types based on ownership and accessibility: Muni, Public, Resort, Semi-Private, and Private. Public (i.e., Daily Fee) courses made up the majority of our value courses, with 57%, followed by Muni (17%), Semi-Private (14%), and Resort (13%). Private courses are not part of our Value Series since they are not open to the public. Legends Resort in South Carolina could be considered the overall best value resort, as it has three courses on our list (Heathland, Heritage Club, and Moorland). Grand National in Alabama, Magnolia Grove in Alabama, and Ocean Ridge in South Carolina were the other resorts with multiple value courses. Soldier Hollow in Utah was the only other establishment with multiple value courses.
Holes
204 out of 207 value courses were 18-hole courses. The three courses that were 9-hole courses were Hotchkiss School Course, Sewanee, and Palmilla Beach Resort.
Location
Region
For our analysis, we broke the country up into regions defined by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis:
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Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI)
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Mid-Atlantic (DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV)
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New England (ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
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Pacific Northwest (AK, WA, OR)
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Plains (IA, KS, MO, NE, ND, SD)
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Rocky Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
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Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN)
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Southwest (NM, OK, TX)
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Tri-State (CT, NJ, NY)
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Western-Pacific (AZ, CA, HI, NV)
The Southeast led the way with 43 value courses, followed by the Great Lakes (35) and Plains (23) regions. The Southeast had the most value resort courses (8), followed by the Mid-Atlantic (4) and Southwest (4).
While this regional breakdown is interesting, logistically, the traveling golfer looking to plan a multi-day golf trip that includes as many ranked courses as possible might be best served by using the Open Links Regions. These are curated based on areas that make the most logistical sense for a multi-day golf trip. Listed below are the Open Links Regions with the most value courses:
Below is a “heat map” of the Open Links Regions. The size and color of the circle are determined by the number of value courses in the Region.
State
Illinois led all states with nine value courses: Highlands of Elgin, Mistwood, Mount Prospect, Preserve at Oak Meadows, Ravisloe, Stonewall Orchard, ThunderHawk, WeaverRidge, and Prairie Landing. Ohio came in second with eight value courses, followed by Connecticut, New Mexico, and Virginia, all with seven value courses. The three most populated states, California, Texas, and Florida had four, four, and three value courses, respectively.
Metro
If one wanted to visit a city with the most value courses, Cleveland and Myrtle Beach top the list, with six each. Value courses in Cleveland are Fowler’s Mill, Little Mountain, Manakiki, Sleepy Hollow, Valley of the Eagles, and Pine Hills. Value courses in Myrtle Beach are King’s North, Legends Resort (Heathland), Legends Resort (Heritage Club), Legends Resort (Moorland), Ocean Ridge (Leopard’s Chase), and Ocean Ridge (Tiger’s Eye).
Architecture
Era/Decade
Significantly more value courses were built after 1960 (Modern) than before 1960 (Classic). 85% of value courses were Modern, and only 15% were Classic. Significantly more value courses have been built in the past 30 years than any other 30 year period before it, and we hope the trend of good, affordable golf continues.
Architect
As far as original designs go, the Jones family portfolio is filled with value. Robert Trent Jones, Jr. has the most value courses in his portfolio with eight, followed by brother Rees Jones (7), father Robert Trent Jones, Sr., (7), and Donald Ross, (7). The eight value courses in Robert Trent Jones Jr’s portfolio are Cochiti, Seneca Hickory Stick, The Orchards, Three Crowns, ThunderHawk, University Ridge, Woodmont, and Prairie Landing. The architects with the most value courses in their portfolio are shown below. Disclaimer: the architect has nothing to do with the ultimate green fee charged, which is decided by ownership and management, but it’s still interesting to look at.
Tournaments
USGA
The below value courses have hosted a USGA event. Golden Horseshoe, Indian Canyon, and Wailua Muni have hosted the most USGA events, with three tournaments each.
Professional
No value courses have hosted a major PGA or LPGA event, but a handful have hosted regular PGA (1st image) and LPGA Tournament events (2nd image).
Additional Factors Worth Considering
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Only four courses are ranked “Best in the USA,” with a max fee under $100: Wild Horse, Black Mesa, Rustic Canyon, and Lawsonia Links. Wild Horse is the cheapest of the four ($79 for 18 holes)
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Hotchkiss School Course in Connecticut was the cheapest value course ($18 for 9 holes). As far as 18-hole courses go, Hideout in Utah was the most affordable ($30)
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Five value courses also have top practice facilities (i.e., Top Range filter in our tool): CommonGround, Anchorage GC, Neshanic Valley, Hawktree, and Mistwood
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The following value courses offer caddie programs: CommonGround, Rutland CC, and Golden Horseshoe (Green)
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The following value courses have an Easy Walkability Rating: Harrison Hills, Mount Prospect, Swope Memorial, George Wright, Capital City CC, Franklin Park (William J. Devine), Ravisloe, Wild Horse, Warren GC at Notre Dame, Legends Resort (Heathland), and Seaview (Pines)
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23 value courses offer a “short course” (i.e., par-3, executive, putting, pitch n’ putt), and six are in Alabama along the Robert Trent Jones Trail. The RTJ Trail offers some of the best, if not the best value of any trip that one could put together in the USA
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14 value courses have casinos on property. If one wants value and to play Blackjack, three of these courses are located in Gulfport, Mississippi (Shell Landing, Bridges at Hollywood Casino, and Windance)
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153 out of the 207 value courses have no housing on the course, per our Housing Index data
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2022 edition honorable mentions are Hooper (NH), Cobblestone (GA), Copake (NY), Penobscot Valley (ME), Fields (GA), Kankakee Elks (IL), The Mines (MI), Pacific Grove (CA), Desert Dunes (CA), Canyon Springs (ID), Beau Pre (MS), McGregor Links (NY), Amana Colonies (IA), and Mark Twain (NY). These courses are not currently in any of the major U.S. publication state rankings but are solid courses and are under $100. As more and more user ratings are added, we’ll be able to identify more “Gems” for everyone to enjoy at a reasonable price
* Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, Golfweek
** The maximum cost to play the course, as per the club’s website.
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$ = 0-49
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$$ = 50-99
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$$$ = 100-199
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$$$$ = 200+
Cost is non-resident, peak season, weekend rate and includes motorized cart (if an option). Likely would be less expensive if you are a resident, played during the offseason and/or on a weekday, and/or walked (if permitted). $0 green fees may be for resort/daily fee guests only. Please see the course website or call the course to get today’s rate.
Featured photo of Commonground GC in Denver taken by the USGA