Here is the Golf Magazine list of the 50 best U.S. courses that you can play for $50 or less.

1. Old Works, Anaconda, MT
2. Hawktree, Bismarck, ND
3. Gray Plantation, Lake Charles, LA
4. Wild Horse, Gothenburg, NE
5. Willinger's GC, Northfield, MN
6. Pinon Hills, Farmington, NM
7. Santa Ana (Tamaya/Cheena course) Santa Ana Pueblo, NM
8. Rock Hollow, Peru, IN
9. The Links of North Dakota, Williston, ND
10. Gold Mt., Olympic Course, Bremerton WA
11. Black Mesa, La Mesilla, NM
12. Big Mountain, Kalispell, MT
13. The Links at Hiawatha Landing, Apalachin, NY
14. Texarkana Golf Ranch, Texarkana, TX
15. Valley View, Layton, UT
16. Northwood, Rhinelander, WI
17. Old Silo, Mt. Sterling, KY
18. Red Hawk Run, Findlay, OH
19. Chickasaw Pointe, Kingston, OK
20. The Summit, Cannon Falls, MN
21. Piper Glen, Springfield, IL
22. Twisted Gun, Wharncliffe, WV
23. The Rawls Course, Lubbock, TX
24. Amana Colonies, Amana, IA
25. The GC at Fleming Island, Orange Park, FL
26. Oglebay Resort (Jones Course), Wheeling, WV
27. Riverdale (Dunes), Brighton, CO
28. Rustic Canyon, Moorpark, CA
29. Prairie Highlands, Olathe, KS
30. Lassing Pointe, Union, KY
31. The Moors, Milton, FL
32. The Tennessean, Paris, TN
33. Tokatee, McKenzie Bridge, OR
34. Devil's Thumb, Delta, CO
35. Spirit Hollow, Burlington, IA
36. Buffalo Dunes, Garden City, KS
37. Draper Valley, Draper, VA
38. Aldeen, Rockford, IL
39. The Fort, Indianapolis, IN
40. Eaglesticks, Zanesville, OH
41. Yankee Trace (Championship Course), Centerville, OH
42. Pacific Grove, Pacific Grove, CA
43. Southern Hills, Hawkinsville, GA
44. Buffalo Run, Commerce City, CO
45. Wailua, Lihue, HI
46. Radisson Greens, Baldwinsville, NY
47. Stonebridge, Rome, GA
48. Big Creek, Mountain Home, AK
49. Papago, Phoenix, AZ
50. Shennecossett, Groton, CT

Thanks to Golf Magazine the list of affordable places to play.  Several questions for the treehouse:

1. How many have you played?  (Only two in my case   )

2. Name one course you would add (no need to delete one!).
     (Cateechee, $39 to walk, $50 to ride weekdays LEAPS to mind here in GA.)

3. Are any close enough to you that you can't believe you haven't played them yet?
 (Southern Hills in Hawkinsville, GA, but I already have an angle figured out to get there next March.)

I actually played the Tennesseean today (#32).  Course opened about 5 years ago to some very high praise, so I guess that is why it is on the list.  I think if Golf Mag saw the condition of the course today, no way it makes any list.

If maintained at all, course could be really special.  Great greens (that are still actually in good shape), deep bunkering, and some really funky fairway bumps and mounding.  But is in serious need of TLC.  Keith Foster was the architect of the course.

again, where is Tobacco Road??  $29-49 right now.  And how much does a plane ticket & rental car cost to get to some of these places??

A.G. those are summer rates, but yes, they are still in effect.
I sit at work most days debating if I should skip a 2pm meeting or make the 40min. drive down to TR for the $29/rate.

If you can stand the heat, golf in the Sandhills in the summers is VERY affordable (except Pinehurst....)

I've got 8 of those notches. Additions that come to mind are the El Diablo in  Citrus co. Fl.

The respective placements, I could take issue with, but won't.

I've got four -- Black Mesa 11, Rustic Canyon 28, The Moors (right here next to Pensacola, good call) 31, Tokatee 33.

Where are the good courses on the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama?  Sherling/Canyon at Greenville, super stuff.  Links and Lake at Auburn-Opelika, poor man's Augusta.  These are solid courses, not goofy like some on the RTJ Trail, and what a bargain!

Glad to see Tokatee on there, even if it IS a T Robinson!

Eight courses for me. This is a pretty good list and certainly diverse geographically.

Bill McBride, I think they got the RTJ Trail just about right. Of course by NASCAR standards those layouts do have great cart paths.

Re: Papago in PHX at #49

www.azcentral.com/sports/golf/reviews/0404papago0404.html

This muni course is need of serious work. It's a great value but the city has let this course deteriorate. It's high rating must be based solely on reputation. There is a civic movement to put private money into this course to restore it. Let's see what happens.

Papago and Cobbs Creek in Philadelphia are 2 munis that need a serious influx of money a la Bethpage, Harding Park, Torrey Pines, Houston Memorial, etc.

Steve

AG,
Being we designed and built both Cateechee and Southern Hills, I would agree that Cateechee should be on the list if Southern Hills is.  It iis a definite bargain considering clubhouse and all amenities.  They just don't promote it.
Mike

Pete,
Thanks for the clarification; I should have read more carefully, obviously!

I've played one, Tokatee, from when I lived in Oregon, basically what this list is saying is that if you live in the Middle Atlantic and don't feel like driving 200 miles to WV you are pretty much screwed, maybe there should be regional lists of 25 courses to provide guides to people in specific sections of the country, it seems the Mid-Atlantic got left out of this one.  

Dale,  

Sorry this post didn't appear sooner or I could have saved you the time/effort/expense of playing The Tennessean.  Easily the worse conditioned course I've played in recent years - no doubt owing to the fact that it is extremely remote and appears to be the cornerstone of a housing development that was ill-conceived (I counted two new homes, total).

That's a shame because the green contours are fantastic fun and some of the fairway contouring, while bold, is well done.  I thought the work spoke highly for Foster, but absent some good money chasing bad, conditions are unlikely to improve.

Mike

Mike

Any course that can be played for $38 by over 10 million local residents should be included, especially when it is ranked as the #3 course on the top 100 - Bethpage Black.

Philip- I've been under the impression that because of the srewed-up system, those 10m couldn't play there.

However, the glaring statistical anomially is the sign that reads how one needs to be an accomplished golfer to play the Black.

 How many of those 10m fit that category?