Best $25/under course (formerly the 'most bang for the bucks' thread)

[Phil McDade]

Dan Moore, on the recent Langford/Moreau thread, suggests that at a daily rate of $21.50, the L/M Spring Valley course near the Wisconsin/Illinois border is the best under-$25 course (regular rate) in the nation.

Other candidates? (No provisos, quid-pro-quos, or addendums...$25 or under as the highest rate charged by the course.)

[Powell Arms]

I absolutely have another nominee, the Kukiolono course on Kauai.  (In fact, I can't imagine how this course isnt the winner.)

The attached link has a bit more information from my visit there in August.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=30728

For $25, a twosome could play all day and get change. (That's a standard rate of $9 for the day per person, or $3 for juniors)

Add a couple of bucks more and you get two paintcans filled with rangeballs to use at the practice area overlooking the ocean.

Awesome!

[Richard Choi]

For what its worth, I don't think there are any course near where I live (Seattle, Puget Sound) that has a peak rate under $25. Unless you are talking about par 3 courses, you can pretty much rule out any courses from the coastal states.

[John Kavanaugh]

Highest rate is $27 on weekends at Spring Valley.  Please either correct your information or delete the thread.  http://www.springvalleygolf.net/golf/proto/playspringvalleygolf/rates/rates.htm

[Phil McDade]

Highest rate is $27 on weekends at Spring Valley.  Please either correct your information or delete the thread.  http://www.springvalleygolf.net/golf/proto/playspringvalleygolf/rates/rates.htm

John:

That would be the wrong Spring Valley -- we're so limited here in Wisconsin, we often run out of names and use them two or three times.

Here you go:

http://www.springvalleyccsalem.com/rates.html

[John Kavanaugh]

Highest rate is $27 on weekends at Spring Valley.  Please either correct your information or delete the thread.  http://www.springvalleygolf.net/golf/proto/playspringvalleygolf/rates/rates.htm

John:

That would be the wrong Spring Valley -- we're so limited here in Wisconsin, we often run out of names and use them two or three times.

Here you go:

http://www.springvalleyccsalem.com/rates.html

The only thing I hate more than misinformation is when I misidentify misinformation that is correct.  I apologize.

[Jason McNamara]

For what its worth, I don't think there are any course near where I live (Seattle, Puget Sound) that has a peak rate under $25. Unless you are talking about par 3 courses, you can pretty much rule out any courses from the coastal states.

Maybe Pacific Grove?  At least for residents, the wkend rate is $25 ($45 non-residents).

[John Foley]

Wildhorse - end of story

[John Kavanaugh]

Wildhorse - end of story

Wildhorse can not have a peak rate of only $25.  I refuse to even research this as I know I can not be wrong twice in such a short time.

[Phil McDade]

Highest rate is $27 on weekends at Spring Valley.  Please either correct your information or delete the thread.  http://www.springvalleygolf.net/golf/proto/playspringvalleygolf/rates/rates.htm

John:

That would be the wrong Spring Valley -- we're so limited here in Wisconsin, we often run out of names and use them two or three times.

Here you go:

http://www.springvalleyccsalem.com/rates.html

The only thing I hate more than misinformation is when I misidentify misinformation that is correct.  I apologize.

John:

Far be it for me to give a road builder a geography lesson, but this is from the home page of the "other" Spring Valley course:

"We are located in Spring Valley, Wisconsin - home of Crystal Cave and the Eau Galle Dam and Recreation Area (the Midwest's largest earthen dam). Situated halfway between St. Paul, MN and Eau Claire, WI, we are just 10 minutes south of Interstate 94 using County Highway B (exit #24) from St. Paul or State Highway 128 (exit #28) from Eau Claire."

No apology necessary; I should've listed the course's nearby town of Salem WI as being near the WI/Ill border to help with your googling.

[John Kavanaugh]

Phil,

It is not so much that I was wrong it is that I was so proud of myself for being right.  I even received an IM from a poster congratulating me on my fine work.  It was a proud 5 minutes in an otherwise dull day.

[Michael Dugger]

I suspect Bandon Crossings is worthy of this status....

In the winter, Ghost Card holders can play Pumpkin Ridge Ghost Creek on Mondays for $20.

Hard to beat that deal

Isn't Apache dirt cheap....

[John Kavanaugh]

You just can't get people to follow directions on a thread these days.  For under $25 as a peak rate all year I would go with Helfrich GC in Evansville, In.  Here is a link to the excellent Evansville City courses which has a sub-link to Fendrich.  I think it is clear that Helfrich is the more interesting of the two architecturally.  Looks like $17 is the cost all year at peak.  http://www.evansvillegov.org/Index.aspx?page=571

[Garland Bayley]

Isn't Apache dirt cheap....

According to a thread on page one Apache is $55 with a coupon from the newspaper.


Forrest's Hideout goes for $21.

[Mike Golden]

You just can't get people to follow directions on a thread these days.  For under $25 as a peak rate all year I would go with Helfrich GC in Evansville, In.  Here is a link to the excellent Evansville City courses which has a sub-link to Fendrich.  I think it is clear that Helfrich is the more interesting of the two architecturally.  Looks like $17 is the cost all year at peak.  http://www.evansvillegov.org/Index.aspx?page=571

Inspector Cloiseau (to the beggar):  Does your dog bite?
Beggar:  No, moisieur, my dog does not bite
Inspector Cloiseau:  what a nice dog (reaches out to pet him and gets bitten by the dog).  $#@$#$%$#$ I thought you said your dog did not bite?
Beggar:  It is not my dog...

Jean, it is not your thread, play nice...

[Stan Dodd]

Pacific Grove does not qualify.

[Phil McDade]

At least Mr. Kavanaugh is following directions, unlike most of the posts so far. Maybe folks missed the "no provisos" proviso.

Just to clarify, you live Anywhere, USA. You visit an 18-hole course, any day of the week (yes, that includes Saturdays) any time of year, and say, I want to walk 18 holes. They charge you $25 or less. (Mandatory golf carts, trollies, forecaddies and such are included in the $25.)

What's the best course you can play?

[Jeff Spittel]

Memorial Park in my adopted home town of Houston is a nice value in the $18 - $30 range.  

[Tom Yost]

Isn't Apache dirt cheap....

According to a thread on page one Apache is $55 with a coupon from the newspaper.

You misunderstood - not dirt cheap, it is dirt. Literally.  LOL!

Actually not a coupon, but the advertised rate and interestingly, it has been $55 for the entire year.  So while $55 is not a great bang in the summer, $55 in the winter (high season) is a pretty good bang.

The best bang for the buck I found this summer was an advertised special at the Raven @ Verrado - for $50 weekends/$40 weekdays - _Unlimited_ golf and _TWO_ meals in the restaurant (not just hot dogs either).

Not many bangs to be found in the Phoenix winter high season...  


Tom

[Scott Szabo]

I believe Wild Horse is more than $25, I think in the $40 range, but I could be wrong.  

Cross Creek, a course in Cambridge, Nebraska, charges $25 for 18 holes and is one of the fine courses that can be played in Western Nebraska.  It has recently undergone a change from nine holes to eighteen, with a wonderful new set of holes out in the dunes.  It has great contrast, with holes 1 and 6-12 the wooded parkland area, and holes 2-5 and 13-18 out in the dunes.

[Kalen Braley]

Indian Canyon in Spokane, WA by Chandler Egan

An absolute gem with some great greens, tons of undulating fairways, and loads of fun.

Peak rate is $25

If you buy the Spokane County golf card which is only $50 its $16 IIRC to play.  Hard to beat that...

[John Foley]

My bad - I missed the sub-$25 peak rate qualifier.

next time I will read the instructions better.

[Dan Moore]

What Phil fails to point out is that the Spring Valley rate at $21.50 is an all day rate.  So yesterday when a group of us played 36 holes the cost was $10.75 per 18.  The course was playing damn good too, very fast and firm tee to green and running 9-10 or so, just about ideal for those greens where in some places balls did u-turns and headed in the opposite direction.  

Can a Bendelow possibly be in contention?  The H. Chandler Egan course sounds interesting.  There must be a few Ross courses out there that would qualify.  

[Phil McDade]

Dan:

I was trying to be modest about SV's virtues, not wanting (of course) for it to be inundated.

John Kavanaugh's Evansville muni -- Helfrich -- is a Bendelow.

[Dan Moore]

John Kavanaugh's Evansville muni -- Helfrich -- is a Bendelow.

I knew that!



SV will never be inundated until it charges more.  That's one of the great things about it.  Maybe Eric will relate his story about the guys he recently tried to convince to pay a visit to Salem, Wi.