Top 10 Courses for the $$$$

[Doug Wright]

Pinon Hills (Ken Dye) in Farmington, NM used to be the cover page for this type of article. 10 years or so ago it was in the $$ teens to play; still a good value--$27 weekday for residents to $47 weekend for non-residents. Decent golf course too with some wild greens and good use of the terrain.

[Phil McDade]

Whenever I read these value threads I am unsure if folks are placing value above quality.  To me, if I am paying money to golf, there must be a a reasonably high threshold of quality to bother playing at all.  Are all the courses mentioned ones people would happily recommend and to what degree?  Bottom line, just as when one plays a big gun, the most important element of good value is good quality. 

Ciao 

Sean:

The problem with your query -- and it's a good one -- is that "value" may be the most subjective thing in the world when it comes to golf (or many other things, for that matter ). I know people who would argue paying, say, $250 to play 18 at Cypress Point would be a good value because it's freakin' Cypress Point!

My favorite thread along these lines is (of course) one I started several years ago that attempted to get at the "value" equation; I bring it up because Jud T mentioned the course that prompted this thread in his post.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,31437.0.html

[Dan Kelly]

Easy call in the Twin Cities:

Keller GC (Paul Coates, 1929; redesigned by Rich Mandell, 2013-4), Maplewood, Minn.

40 bucks. Worth every penny, and then some.

[Sean_A]

Phil

Its not so much a problem as an issue of trust.  Just like with folks and "best" courses, the value aspect comes down to identfying which people one trusts in these matters.  

I too can understand CPC being considered good value if its that freakin' good.  As I say, the most important aspect about value isn't price, its quality.  

Ciao

[Greg Tallman]

By the way, the author of this article:  "His  home course is Shennecossett Golf Course in Groton, Conn., a Donald Ross-designed municipal facility where he plays to a 12 handicap and serves on the Board of Advisors. "


http://theaposition.com/brianmccallen/about

Not to mention an all world human being and consummate professional.

[Jeff Shelman]

It was a pit stop on the way to Kansas City where we had reservations at a casino.

That has to be a Willie Nelson song, and I like Willie Nelson by the way.

By the way, Sugarloaf is Top 50 in Maine!

Mike, Sugarloaf that bad?  It was added to our public upper New England tour next month.  I am wondering if it is not worth the effort?

Tim,

I made the drive from Portland to Sugarloaf a few years ago. I didn't think it was any good. There is some nice eye candy, but I didn't think the golf course was worth the drive.

I would stop if I happened to be driving by, but I wouldn't drive out of my way to play it.

[Andy Troeger]

The best value I know is Gibson Bay in Richmond, KY. Peak green fee of $24. Weekday green fee of $15. Twilight is $10. It's arguably a top five public course in Kentucky, which admittedly is a bit like being one of Nickelback's top five songs, but it really is a very good course that is extremely playable for beginners but also stretches to 7100 yards and can challenge anyone.

I played Gibson Bay about ten years ago and do recall it being a pretty darn good facility--I liked it slightly better than the more heralded Kearney Hill which we played on the same trip.

Pinon Hills is a good deal for anyone that finds themselves in Farmington, NM. The problem is that most people never have reason to go there. Heck, I live in Albuquerque and I rarely have reason to go there! If I do, I'm usually passing through on the way to something in Colorado.

[Jud_T]

The value proposition is a tough, and ultimately personal, call.  Personally I'm looking for Doak 5s and up that are cheaper than their peers and more interesting to my predilections, which I suppose is the right way to think about it.  I used to keep a detailed spreadsheet of this stuff.  This would generally lead one to steer away from highly ranked courses or courses with OTT conditioning and amenities.  Geography is of course another component that could probably be adjusted for with good COLA data.  Rustic may well be the best value going on this basis.  But then again, we all know that putting too much stock in the quantification of this stuff is a fool's errand.  Speaking of which, didn't I do an Unofficial GCA value-that-you-can-play thread a while back?

[Sean_A]

Jud

Yes, I think we are in the same ballpark as I look for Doak 4s-5s (a well designed one is good enough for me) to get my kicks on for £20-50 green fees.  Of course I cheat a lot with the county card and winter rates.  I don't think I have yet come across a Doak 7 whose full whack fee is in the £20-50 range - 6s are rare.     

Ciao

[Bill Seitz]

Rustic gets my $ for a value near a Metro. The drive really isn't that bad from say, Westwood - caveat is time of day.

It's really not even that bad from the Arcadia area.  I've done it a couple times at different times of day from my parent's home in Temple City, and generally the drive out, if it's in the morning, is mostly against traffic.  On the drive back, it's really not too bad until you get to around the Rose Bowl where the 201 and the 134 merge.  Fortunately, it's not too tough for me to just stay on the 710 extension to California and head home from there.  Probably 45 minutes or so without traffic, and maybe around an hour with.  It helps being north o the city the whole time.

I don't think this was necessarily supposed to be a top 10 list, at least according to the description.  The headline may have been written by someone other than the author, but the author describes the piece as "a sampling  of 10 splendid facilities that offer a big bang for the buck."  A sampling doesn't sound to me like someone was trying to make a definitive list. 

[Bill_McBride]

Played Rustic once, with Tommy Nacc.
He will disown me, but I think it is good,
but not really interested in the 2 hour drive to see
it again.

Like the concept of it though

Usually Tommy reappears at the death of a key member or similar type occasion, but this might be enough for the Emperor to make a brief appearance.
Pat, in your one round either you missed a lot or aren't interested in subtle strategy.  I suspect it is the latter.

Said it was good, like the concept.  Just not going to fight LA to get there.
When people are nearby, I recommend it.  Do you feel I denigrated in some way?

My mistake.  I don't blame for avoiding a 2 hour drive in SoCal.  You said it was good.  I mistook that for implying that it is overrated.  Naturally it is hard for me to be unbiased, but I think it is better than good.
When Ran said, "The only problem?  Securing a tee time-both private and public golfers will be jostling for tee times because Rustic Canyon is simply that much more fun and thought provoking to play than just about any course- public or private-that one cares to name," a long discussion ensued on GCA about the negatives.  I thought you might be joining that crowd.

Rustic has negatives?   None that I've ever seen.  I even like 15, you should be able to get a short iron somewhere near the target.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Played Rustic once, with Tommy Nacc.
He will disown me, but I think it is good,
but not really interested in the 2 hour drive to see
it again.

Like the concept of it though

Usually Tommy reappears at the death of a key member or similar type occasion, but this might be enough for the Emperor to make a brief appearance.
Pat, in your one round either you missed a lot or aren't interested in subtle strategy.  I suspect it is the latter.

Said it was good, like the concept.  Just not going to fight LA to get there.
When people are nearby, I recommend it.  Do you feel I denigrated in some way?

My mistake.  I don't blame for avoiding a 2 hour drive in SoCal.  You said it was good.  I mistook that for implying that it is overrated.  Naturally it is hard for me to be unbiased, but I think it is better than good.
When Ran said, "The only problem?  Securing a tee time-both private and public golfers will be jostling for tee times because Rustic Canyon is simply that much more fun and thought provoking to play than just about any course- public or private-that one cares to name," a long discussion ensued on GCA about the negatives.  I thought you might be joining that crowd.

Rustic has negatives?   None that I've ever seen.  I even like 15, you should be able to get a short iron somewhere near the target.

You are sure easy to please.  I told Gil I didn't like 15.

[Carl Rogers]

Riverfront, Suffolk, VA (early Doak - Renaissance Design) can buy a summer pass .... 3 rounds w/ cart for $99, but must use during the week and weekends after 2 pm.

[Jon Cavalier]

Agree completely with Bethpage Red as an underrated gem. Add the Black for NY residents and it's one hell of a 36 hole day for your buck (sub-$150 for my residents, I believe.

I'll also throw Gil Hanse's Inniscrone out near West Chester, PA into the mix. We've played there weekday afternoons on many occasions for under $30. I haven't played it since the modifications, but you were getting some really quality architecture for a minimal cost.

[John Kavanaugh]

Wild Horse lodging is an exciting addition to the affordable golf scene: http://www.playwildhorse.com/lodging/

[Phil McDade]

Wild Horse lodging is an exciting addition to the affordable golf scene: http://www.playwildhorse.com/lodging/

John:


The best part of the promo is found in the last line:


·  The clubhouse will sell package beer at package store prices.

[jeffwarne]

It's time to toss Wild Horse from these best affordable lists now that the weekend rate to walk is $51.50.  I showed up with three friends at 6pm on a Sunday evening and payed the $66 each to play with carts. 

Great course, not cheap.

$14.50 for an 18 hole cart?
seems like a steal

[BCowan]

The current best value in Chicago is Mt. Prospect GC.  Hands down.

Mt Prospect is really good, but I prefer Ravisloe even if it's $15 more.

For Florida I'm going with Ocala Golf club hands down.

[Bill Seitz]

The worst part about Wild Horse's pricing structure is the lack of a replay rate. What the hell else is somebody going to do if they show up in Gothenburg at 10 AM? You have two choices - play 18 and then go visit the Platte River Road Arch, or play 36. Every time someone drives in with an out-of-state tag prior to 1:30 PM, the club accountant probably just pencils in $100 worth of greens fees.

Seems like, from a business perspective, WH is the entirely wrong type of place to offer a replay rate.  If you have very few people playing one round, there's no incentive to offer a lower replay rate.  A replay rate is an incentive to get someone to stick around for an extra play.  If the area is so boring that you're going to do that anyway, what incentive is there to give the golfer a break?  The other option is an all-day rate, but those are designed to screw the people who only stick around for one round.  If very few people are doing that, you're not screwing anyone, so why offer it? 

[Nigel Islam]

I haven't played it lately, but played Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain a few times when it was new and always enjoyed it. Lot of good holes without Nicklaus' penchant for excessive difficulty at some of his other courses. Definitely worth a play if in the area.

This is very true. Scenic too.

[Kalen Braley]

A buddy and I played Wine Valley a few years back in the shoulder season (November)

It was $75 for as much as we could play.  We showed up to a mostly empty course and managed just short of 3 complete rounds, for an average round of ~$25 per.  Hands down the best bang for the buck I've ever paid, nothing else even close... especially given that Wine Valley is easily a 7, maybe even an 8 on the DS.

Kalen