Golf in 2009 - On a Shoestring Budget

[Nathaniel Amrine]

Even though the "Where would you golf if you had $10,000 and a week to play..." topic has been covered several times, 2009 may well be the year of budget golf. So here's the question:

You and 3 buddies each have $200 to spend on FOUR (no less, no more) rounds of golf that all must be played within a 50 mile radius at different courses over the span of two days.
                       
        How do you spend your $200? Be specific with how you break down your money.

I'll start. Since I have limited travel I'd play:

Angels Crossing         $44
Yarrow                      $55
Diamond Springs       $40
Grand Haven GC        $50

                   
                   

[Dan Herrmann]

Pretty good municipal courses in Portland, OR - Heron Lakes(two courses), Eastmoreland.  And some decent daily fee courses too.

[Chip Gaskins]

Great question, but $200 is a little tight for four rounds of decent golf, even in a recession.

My first thought is Wild Horse four times, but it would cost me $500 to get there....so...

I would drive to Pinehurst on a Tuesday, 4 hour drive from DC then:

Southern Pines CC
Tobacco Road
UNC - Finely (with my Alumni card discount :-)
The Pit (and carry a cooler on the cart :-)

[Tim Gavrich]

In CT:

Day 1:
Manchester CC (Manchester, CT): $43
Shennecossett GC (Groton, CT): $35 after 2 PM
Day 2:
Topstone GC (South Windsor, CT): $53
The Ranch GC (Southwick, MA): $70 after 2 PM

All within 50 miles of Hartford, CT.

[Patrick Kiser]

Might I suggest New Mexico.

Black Mesa, Paa Ko Ridge, UNM, and ... I'll go with Twin Warriors.  Stay in or around Santa Fe in a Motel 6.

You get away with 4 rounds under budget AND cheap lodging.

Quality / price is pretty good I'd say.

 

[Buck Wolter]

I'd start in Ames, IA with a round at Veenker Memorial (Perry Maxwell) for $24, head to The Harvester (Foster) and break the bank at $89, on to Waveland Municipal in Des Moines (Oldest Muni West of the Mississippi) $30 and wrap it up at The Legacy Golf Club in Norwalk by our own Jeff Brauer at $50.

I put in the highest weekend rates so you could no doubt do it even cheaper.

[Lloyd_Cole]

In CT:

Day 1:
Manchester CC (Manchester, CT): $43
Shennecossett GC (Groton, CT): $35 after 2 PM
Day 2:
Topstone GC (South Windsor, CT): $53
The Ranch GC (Southwick, MA): $70 after 2 PM

All within 50 miles of Hartford, CT.

Tim,
Scrap the Ranch and come 15 miles North up here around Holyoke
Southampton and The Ledges will cost you less than $50 for the 36. Neither are great, both are good and I've had very enjoyable matches at both.
And you won't have to drive 1/4 mile and look at macmansions between holes

[JohnV]

Sticking to the Monterey area I'd do  (assumes weekday rates):

Pacific Grove - $20 (resident rate)
Pajaro Valley - $40 (twilight rate)
Poppy Hills - $55 (NCGA Member Rate)
Bayonet - $75 (twilight rate)

Total $190

I can play Poppy Hills for free, but I figured that was too much cheating, the resident rate at PG Muni was enough.  Without the resident rate, it would go to $210 total.

[Bob_Huntley]

Sticking to the Monterey area I'd do  (assumes weekday rates):

Pacific Grove - $20 (resident rate)
Pajaro Valley - $40 (twilight rate)
Poppy Hills - $55 (NCGA Member Rate)
Bayonet - $75 (twilight rate)

Total $190

I can play Poppy Hills for free, but I figured that was too much cheating, the resident rate at PG Muni was enough.  Without the resident rate, it would go to $210 total.

John,

Anyone can join the NCGA and get their $55.00 rate for Poppy Hills but I sure cannot get the resident rate at Pacific Grove, so that's out.  However  I think I could replace it with Laguna Seca for a about $50.00.

Bob

[Joe Bausch]

This is a fun one for the Philly area.  Here is one of many ways to accomplish this:

1.  Downingtown - a wonderful George Fazio design that was spruced up by Gil Hanse years back.  I think in 2009 it can be played for 75 rack rate.

2.  Reading CC - a sporty little Findlay course.  I think 50 bucks will cover it.

3.  Jeffersonville - a Ross course renovated by Ron Prichard many years ago (~$40).

4.  Lederach - the new kid on the block by KBM that frequently sends out early bird specials to play it for 30 bucks.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Joe,

I'd add Berkleigh(also less than 50) as it is very close to Reading CC so a morning/afternoon play is easily possible there.

[Richard Boult]

California Central Coast (weekday walking rates, twilight rates for PM round)

Day 1 AM ($57) - Monarch Dunes (Nipomo)
Day 1 PM ($40) - La Purisima (Lompoc)
Day 2 AM ($60) - Hunter Ranch (Paso Robles)
Day 2 PM ($30) - Cypress Ridge (Arroyo Grande)
--------------------
Total Fee ($187)

That leaves enough for the $10 fee to play Monarch Dune's new 12-hole Challenge course on Day 1 over lunch.

[Brian_Ewen]

It amazes me that even with this so called "credit crunch" going on , no one knows what a shoestring budget is !

[David Stamm]

Good call, Art. A little further south....


Rustic Canyon
Soule Park
Ojai Valley Inn (twilight)
Olivas Links

$190.

[Tom Huckaby]

I was hoping to read something like that from you, David.

And alluding to other threads, well....

Hmmmmmm.......

No further comment.

BTW I tried to do this for the environs of San Jose and gave up.  It was either gonna suck or be too expensive.  It can be done with four decent courses, but we have to combine San Jose and Oakland and the distance was a bit over 50 miles from one course to another.  So I gave up.  If asked I will send people to Monterey and do one of those suggested in this thread.

TH

[PCCraig]

This is really tough in Chicago when even most local Muni's are charging $50-$70 on a weekend morning.

I would think the play from Chicago is driving a couple hours to an area like West Lafayete and playing the Kampen Course...or another hour south to the awesome and cheaper Indy area courses. (The Fort, Purgatory, etc...)

[Jason Topp]

I'd start in Ames, IA with a round at Veenker Memorial (Perry Maxwell) for $24, head to The Harvester (Foster) and break the bank at $89, on to Waveland Municipal in Des Moines (Oldest Muni West of the Mississippi) $30 and wrap it up at The Legacy Golf Club in Norwalk by our own Jeff Brauer at $50.

I put in the highest weekend rates so you could no doubt do it even cheaper.

I came up with the same trip as my first thought.

[Phil McDade]

This is really tough in Chicago when even most local Muni's are charging $50-$70 on a weekend morning.

I would think the play from Chicago is driving a couple hours to an area like West Lafayete and playing the Kampen Course...or another hour south to the awesome and cheaper Indy area courses. (The Fort, Purgatory, etc...)

Pat:

Head north!

Here's a foursome that meets the criteria:

-- The Waukegan Park District's Bonnie Brook, a Foulis-designed course from 1929 that has maintained its original routing and holds some interest, particularly on the back nine. $34/$40 non-resident (weekday/weekend).

-- Keith Foster's Shepherd's Crook, in Zion and run by the local park district, recommended by some GCA posters. $42 non-resident weekdays and weekends.

-- Kenosha's Petrifying Springs, which dates to the 1930s and is 5,900 yards worth of enjoyable and sometimes funky golf. $22/27 for non-residents.

-- Spring Valley, near Salem, WI (about 20 minutes west of Kenosha), an original Langford/Moreau with no bunkering but very tough greens and plenty of odd, blind holes, still the steal of the Midwest at $21.50 all day on weekends.

[Kalen Braley]

Nathaniel, Why be constrained with "only" 4 courses.

Here in the SLC area...all are really good, fun tracks with 1st two being excellent tracks.

Thanksgiving Point $50 twilight
South Mountain $28 twilight
WingPointe $27
Bonneville $27
Mountain Dell $27
Bountiful Ridge $25
And...you can even throw in the neat 9 holer at ForestDale, oldest course in Utah. -$12

In total 7 courses, all for $196...total.

[John Burzynski]

Here in N. Indiana you can play some good courses for cheap.

South Bend area, w/most expensive rates for out of towners:

Warren Course at ND (Coore & Crenshaw) walking $51 peak rate on weekend.
Blackthorn Golf (Hudzan) $57 peak walking on non-ND home football weekends.
Mystic Hills Culver, IN (1 hour south) (Pete Dye) $55 peak weekends (includes required cart on weekends before 1PM).

Most of the muni's here are $25 or less walking at peak times on weekends for out of towners.   

Hamilton County north of Indy has lots of well known courses and is less than 2 hours away.  Lots of courses by Pete dye and other well known architects there, and most all of them are reasonably priced if you walk.

Great affordable golf here in the north part of Indiana, when the snow isn't flying, and if you are looking for a summer trip of a couple of days I wouldn't consider us a well known golf destination as we have no top 100 courses here, but good golf is available here on a budget.   

As an added bonus you can visit Charlie Weis when in town and give him a piece of your mind.

[Kirk Gill]

You'd have a number or choices around the Denver area, but here's one possible tour (all prices quoted are non-resident weekend rates, so you could get off cheaper during the week. All prices are without cart):

Murphy Creek, a terrific layoud by Ken Kavanaugh - $42

Riverdale Dunes, linksy, Pete and Perry Dye, et. al. - 45

Wellshire - a Denver municipal originally designed by Donald Ross back in 1926. Dream of finding out how much of his work is still there, and working on the restoration - $31

Fossil Trace - A really fun and interesting design by Jim Engh - $58.


Four very different courses, different experiences, $176. There are less expensive choices, also, but these are some of my favorites.

[Carl Nichols]

Lloyd, Tim G:
Why not substitute Simsbury Farms in Simsbury, CT (home course of my high school golf team and a solid muni) for $31 -- the non-resident rate?

[Tim Gavrich]

Carl--

It was the home of my high school team and I wouldn't object to that.  You could throw the following into the mix at between $30 and $60-65 within 50 miles of Hartford:
 
Oak Ridge (George Fazio) in Feeding Hills, MA
Blue Fox Run in Avon
Fairview Farm in Harwinton
Blackledge--Anderson Creek and Gilead Highlands courses in Hebron
Rockledge in West Hartford
Tunxis Plantation--Green and White courses in Farmington
Pequabuck in Bristol
Stanley GC in New Britain
Gillette Ridge (at the right time of the day) in Bloomfield
Wintonbury Hills (later in the fall) in Bloomfield
Timberlin in Berlin
Laurel View in Hamden
Tallwood, also in Hebron
Portland GC in Portland
Quarry Ridge in Portland
Hunter GC in Meriden
Lyman Orchards--Gary Player and RTJ courses in Middlefield
Crestbrook Park in Watertown
Rolling Meadows in Ellington

I've played most of the courses on that list, but for the others that are listed, I've heard pretty good reports on them from others.  I believe Gillette Ridge and Wintonbury are the only two that are more than $60.  Frankly, the middling-income public golfer living near Hartford could keep himself busy for the year by playing all of these courses and not really break the bank at any of them.

[JC Jones]

Early season (before mid-late May) in Northern MI:

Belvedere - $50
High Pointe - $25
Twilight @ the Bear - $50
Crystal Downs guest fee - $75

[Scott Coan]

Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers seem to get all the press in regards to NZ golf but there is some outstanding value for money once you get past these heavyweights.

The GM/Superintendant of Paraparaumu took a golf trek up to the New Plymouth region and he reckons these 4 courses  offer the best value golf he has seen anywhere in the world.  The courses are not only fun but they play out over some very interesting golfing country.  And you can play all 4 for a whopping total of  $105 NZ (at today's exchange rate that works out to be ~ $56 US dollars!)

Ngamotu Golf Links   $60



Fitzroy Golf Club   $20



Waverley Golf Club   $10




Waitara Golf Club   $15