Best Course for your money

« **on:** June 08, 2005, 09:24:51 AM »

What is the best deal for playing a great golf course? That is, what is the most affordable golf course to play that is also a great course? My money would be on Wild Horse in Nebraska. I believe it is around $50.00 with cart for 18 holes. Any other great deals on great courses?

« **Reply #1 on:** June 08, 2005, 10:03:44 AM »

Sean,

No Tobacco Road? Or did you pay more than that on your package? We paid $49 in high season w/coupon. Usually $39 in low season.

Great bangs for the buck for me:

Wild Horse $35 (Cory, a cart would ruin a round there and bumps up the price unnecessarily

)

Bethpage (Black) $39 out-of-state weekend fee in 2000.

Rustic Canyon $35 weekday in 2003, a little less for replay, I think.

Tobacco Road $39 state resident off-season/coupon fee

Twisted Dune $49 (I think), new course fee to attract players before raising rates, 2001

Beechtree $55 twilight in-season rate, 2001 (same day as Twisted Dune)

Southern Pines $18 guest of member, 2001.

No carts, of course.

« **Reply #2 on:** June 08, 2005, 10:08:06 AM »

Southern Pines: $750 yearly golf membership

« **Reply #3 on:** June 08, 2005, 10:08:59 AM »

Ol'Colony in Tuscaloossa, Alabama. Great Jerry Pate course.

$22 non-resident rate. Last Month.

« **Reply #4 on:** June 08, 2005, 12:25:57 PM »

I would hope that after some of you come visit we would be added to this company:

Angels Crossing

M-Th: $39
F,Sa,S & hol: $44

Cheers!

JT

« **Reply #5 on:** June 08, 2005, 01:25:53 PM »

I played the Black back in '01 for the first time. They had an $18 twightlight rate (after 4 PM). Enjoying that course for the first time in the long shadows of a late June day was one of my favorite golf experinces.

If there is a better course for a better price I'd like to hear about it

.

« **Reply #6 on:** June 08, 2005, 01:29:56 PM »

Bro - I played NGLA and Shinnecock for free. Methinks I have you trumped.

I only make that smartass comment to make the point that special deals can be found at a lot of places at a lot of times. Sure twilight ought to count I guess, but well... this is a better comparison when we use standard rates.

And the Black ain't cheap for non-New Yorkers, right?

Thus when it comes to bang for one's buck, I'm with those who trumpet Wild Horse. It's never gonna set you back more than $50, is it? And for that you get a course that Dick Daley, and likely others, prefer to Sand Hills. Dick Daley knows his stuff, I trust him completely. I have Sand Hills as the #1 course on the planet, as I see things. 'Nuff said.

TH

« **Reply #7 on:** June 08, 2005, 01:34:52 PM »

The best course for my money right now is Stonebrook GC in Pace, FL, the home course of two Nationwide tour pros-Bubba Watson and Boo Weeckly. I guess when you're from the South a normal first name just isn't in the cards

Anyway, the monthly dues are $125-unlimited golf, walking allowed, no initiation, and pretty good 2 man best ball games 5 days a week.

« **Reply #8 on:** June 08, 2005, 01:35:49 PM »

Anyway, the monthly dues are $125-unlimited golf, walking allowed, no initiation, and pretty good 2 man best ball games 5 days a week.

Quote

I am weeping. Mike, you know what $125 gets you in CA.

« **Reply #9 on:** June 08, 2005, 01:35:58 PM »

DuPont CC in Wilmington, DE. VERY low monthly dues... But it's really tough to get in - you need a relationship with DuPont. They had opened it up about 5 years ago, but quickly filled their ranks.

« **Reply #10 on:** June 08, 2005, 01:39:02 PM »

Folks, Bethpage Black was $78 for this out of stater during the week last fall, so reminiscing about its bottom dollar fees from the past doesn't have much relevance to current fees.

(BTW I still think its a good deal at its current fee).

Now, paying $22 last week to play Lawsonia at 2:30 in the afternoon is what I consider quite a deal (their first twilight time, it was $33 for morning tee times, this in the early season).

Paying $17 to play University Ridge as a grad student at UW (which included a sleeve of logoed Pinnacles to boot) was also a great bargain, but, again, is not available to the general public.

Mid $30s in high season to walk Wild Horse has got to be one of the best bargains anywhere, a great layout with maybe the best maintenance meld I have personally experienced.

Cheers,
Brad Swanson

« **Reply #11 on:** June 08, 2005, 01:53:44 PM »

Huck,

Let's see-$125 in California gets you...

-a caddie, a sleeve of balls, a hat, and a beer at Pebble Beach (but no golf)
-one round at Spanish Bay (if you're a member of the Dukes Club)
-3 rounds at Shoreline
-two early morning rounds at Cinnabar Hills
-holes 1-15 at Pasatiempo
-4 rounds at DeLaveaga
-probably a twilight round at Half Moon Bay
-5 rounds at Sunnyvale Muni
-two senior, mid-week rounds at Oak Creek in Irvine

and last, but not least.....

-Dinner for about 6 (with margaritas) at Aqui.

Maybe the dinner at Aqui makes up for the rest of it

« **Reply #12 on:** June 08, 2005, 02:09:16 PM »

Become a student of St. Andrews University.
Get the government to pay tuition (in my day) and give you a grant of a couple of thousand pounds. Trot on down to the links trust offices and buy yourself the 1 year subscription for, at the time, less than 100 pounds.

Unlimited golf on the Old/New/Jubilee/Eden and get paid 1900 pounds (2000 grant less 100 fees). Can't get much better than that.

« **Reply #13 on:** June 08, 2005, 02:13:11 PM »

Quote from: Mike_Golden on June 08, 2005, 01:53:44 PM

Huck,

Let's see-$125 in California gets you...

-a caddie, a sleeve of balls, a hat, and a beer at Pebble Beach (but no golf)
-one round at Spanish Bay (if you're a member of the Dukes Club)
-3 rounds at Shoreline
-two early morning rounds at Cinnabar Hills
-holes 1-15 at Pasatiempo
-4 rounds at DeLaveaga
-probably a twilight round at Half Moon Bay
-5 rounds at Sunnyvale Muni
-two senior, mid-week rounds at Oak Creek in Irvine

and last, but not least.....

-Dinner for about 6 (with margaritas) at Aqui.

Maybe the dinner at Aqui makes up for the rest of it

I was weeping before.
I am bawling now.
Only because it is all so true....

BTW, went to Aqui again recently... good stuff, I am re-convinced. I still prefer more traditional Mexican food, but that is a darn fine place.

TH

« **Reply #14 on:** June 08, 2005, 02:15:10 PM »

Quote from: Allan Hutton on June 08, 2005, 02:09:16 PM

Become a student of St. Andrews University.
Get the government to pay tuition (in my day) and give you a grant of a couple of thousand pounds. Trot on down to the links trust offices and buy yourself the 1 year subscription for, at the time, less than 100 pounds.

Unlimited golf on the Old/New/Jubilee/Eden and get paid 1900 pounds (2000 grant less 100 fees). Can't get much better than that.

We have a winner!

« **Reply #15 on:** June 08, 2005, 02:18:23 PM »

This is easy.

Wild Horse.

Bob

« **Reply #16 on:** June 08, 2005, 02:21:48 PM »

Huck,

Let's not forget some others....
-2 rounds at Poppy Hills (including their great chili for lunch and the part of the entrance fee to the 17 Mile Drive you don't get back).
-a morning round at Bayonet, afternoon at Pacific Grove
-Valet parking at Sharon Heights
-an appetizer and a glass of wine at Masa's in SF

and, how many rounds at Santa Teresa?

I knew you would come around on Aqui-it's not traditional but it's just a great place to eat.

« **Reply #17 on:** June 08, 2005, 02:28:37 PM »

Hmmm... these days $125 gets you 2.5 rounds at Santa Teresa, weekend rates.

I have dissolved in tears.

« **Reply #18 on:** June 09, 2005, 12:29:29 AM »

Hey, that $125 will do you pretty well at Pacific Grove! Do they have a daily fee there, so you can just play the back nine over and over again?

« **Reply #19 on:** June 09, 2005, 11:49:42 AM »

Best courses I've ever played, or best deals, for my money (and having struggled through college traveling around the U.S. playing and trying to make ends meet I know a thing or two about good deals).

Tanglewood Park-Championship (Clemons, NC) = $25*
*[Was their walking rate for 18 holes during peek season. ($35 for 18 and cart Mon.-Fri., $45 for 18 and cart Sat. & Sun.) A Robert Trent Jones course, played host to 1974 PGA Championship, countless Senior PGA Championships and consistently ranked, until this year, in Top 100 public by Golf Digest or Golf Magazine.]

Tullymore (Stanwood, MI) = $25*
*[normally is $59 for after 4:00 dear peek season non-weekend ($69 after 4:00 peek-weekend and $99 peek-weekend regular) but I insisted on walking and since they didn't have a walking rate they charged me roughly 1/2 the normal rate]

World Woods-Pine Barrons (Homosassa Springs, FL) = $35*
*[Was there about 6 weeks ago and played after 2:00 for this rate. Although I wasn't overly thrilled, compared to all the hype with the course, it was still a great value.]

Arcadia Bluffs (Arcadia, MI) = $75*
*[Their rate after October 10th and you can play as many holes as you want. I managed to squezze in 54 on a cool, windy, Fall day this past year

]

I'm playing Wild Horse later this year and I'm pretty excited about their rate, or lack of a rate, as well as The Harvester Golf Club in Iowa (#21 on Golf Digests Top 100) which is only $35 to walk.

« **Reply #20 on:** June 09, 2005, 12:55:49 PM »

Doug,
Just last week I played the back nine at Pacific Grove for the twilight rate of $20 and went around 3 times. Not a bad deal. though the yearly rsident rate of $470 is like stealing.
And as I have just taken a job in Pacific Grove I hope to jump on that bandwagon.

Cheers
Stan

« **Reply #21 on:** June 09, 2005, 03:41:34 PM »

It's gotta be The Black Course or Wild Horse - sounds like lyrics to a song. Maybe set to the tune of Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman":

"It's Black Course or Wild Horse, can't make up my mind."

« **Reply #22 on:** June 09, 2005, 03:48:10 PM »

El Diablo GC, Dunellon FL

News:

Cory

Scott_Burroughs

SPNC_Chris

Jeff_Stettner

Jim Thompson

JDoyle

THuckaby2

Mike_Golden

THuckaby2

Dan Herrmann

Brad Swanson

Mike_Golden

Allan Hutton

THuckaby2

Scott_Burroughs

BCrosby

Mike_Golden

THuckaby2

Doug Siebert

Brian Cenci

Stan Dodd

Gene Greco

EAF