Best Golf Courses Under $100: Hidden Gems USA

Q: Can you really play a US Open or PGA Tour course for under $100?

Yes, if you pick the right municipal course. Several venues that have hosted the very biggest events in golf are city-owned and open to the public. Bethpage Black on Long Island, which hosted the 2019 PGA Championship and the 2025 Ryder Cup, costs New York State residents about $70 on a weekday. Torrey Pines South in San Diego, a two-time US Open host, is about $71 a round for a San Diego resident. Memorial Park in Houston, which hosts a PGA Tour event every spring, is well under $50 for a Houston resident. The catch is almost always residency: the cheapest rate needs proof that you live in the city or state that owns the course.

Q: What is the best golf course under $100 in the USA?

There is no single answer, but the strongest case belongs to Bethpage Black, an A.W. Tillinghast design of championship severity that a New York resident can play for around $70 on a weekday, and which has staged US Opens and a Ryder Cup. For pure architecture at a low price, Wild Horse in Nebraska and Rustic Canyon in California are cult favourites that appear on national best-public rankings while topping out under $100. For the best value that also lets you walk in the footsteps of Tour pros, Memorial Park in Houston is hard to beat: a Tom Doak redesign that hosts a PGA Tour event and still charges a municipal green fee.

Q: Is Bethpage Black under $100?

For New York State residents, yes. The resident green fee at Bethpage Black is roughly $70 on a weekday and $80 at the weekend, with cheaper twilight rates, plus a small per-player reservation fee. Non-residents pay a good deal more, around $140 on a weekday and $160 at the weekend, which pushes them over the $100 line. The course is owned by New York State and run as part of Bethpage State Park, so the two-tier pricing rewards residents. It remains one of the best value championship courses anywhere in the world.

Q: How much does it cost to play Memorial Park in Houston?

Memorial Park Golf Course is a Houston municipal course, so residents pay very little: the rack rate for locals is around $38 on a weekend and as low as about $21 for weekday twilight, with a cart an extra fee. Non-residents pay more, from about $90 for weekday twilight up to around $140 at peak weekend times, and a cart is separate. Given that it hosts the PGA Tour's Texas Children's Houston Open and was rebuilt by the architect Tom Doak, it is one of the best value rounds in American golf. It sees more than 50,000 rounds a year.

Q: What is the cheapest good golf course in America?

For a genuinely acclaimed course, the Winter Park Golf Course in Florida is close to unbeatable on price. The 9-hole municipal course, reimagined in 2016 by architects Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns, charges residents around $15 to $17 and non-residents around $17 to $19 for nine holes, and has been named one of the best short courses in the country. It is a walking-only, community layout that plays through the town of Winter Park. It proves that a small green fee and interesting golf are not mutually exclusive.

Q: Do I have to be a resident to get the cheap green fee?

At the famous municipal major venues, usually yes for the very lowest rate. Bethpage requires proof of New York State residency for the resident fee, and Torrey Pines requires a City of San Diego Resident Golf ID Card, which means proving you live within the city limits. Non-residents can still play these courses, they just pay a higher rate that often rises above $100. Many other value courses on this list, such as Wild Horse, Rustic Canyon, Lawsonia and Winter Park, charge everyone the same low rate with no residency test at all.

Q: Are cheap public golf courses actually any good?

The best ones are excellent, and several are ranked among the finest public courses in America regardless of price. Wild Horse in Nebraska, built by Dan Proctor and Dave Axland, sits on national best-public lists. Rustic Canyon near Los Angeles is a minimalist Gil Hanse design beloved by architecture enthusiasts. Lawsonia Links in Wisconsin is a 1930s Langford and Moreau course famous for its bold platform greens. What these share is strong routing and interesting greens rather than expensive conditioning, which is exactly where a green fee can be low and the golf still first rate.

Q: Has Rory McIlroy played any of these courses?

Yes. The clearest link is Bethpage Black, where Rory McIlroy played for Europe in the 2025 Ryder Cup, a week in which Europe won 15 to 13 for their first away victory since 2012. McIlroy has also played the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines South early in his career, another municipal course on this list. The wider point fits McIlroy's story: he learned the game at Holywood Golf Club, a modest members' course near Belfast, rather than at an exclusive academy, which is a reminder that accessible golf and top-level talent are not opposites.

Q: Is Torrey Pines worth playing if you are not a San Diego resident?

It depends how much the US Open history matters to you. Torrey Pines South, a clifftop municipal course above the Pacific, hosted Tiger Woods's 2008 US Open playoff win and Jon Rahm's 2021 title, and stages the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open every January. San Diego residents play the South for around $71 on a weekday, but non-residents pay several times that, plus a reservation service fee and a cart fee, which takes it well over $100. If the budget is the point, the sister North course and off-peak twilight times bring the cost down, though the South is the championship test.

Great Golf Does Not Have To Be Expensive

The most famous golf courses in America are eye-wateringly expensive, but the best value golf is not. Across the United States there is a small group of municipal and public courses that charge a green fee under $100 and yet stand comparison with anywhere: some have hosted US Opens, PGA Championships and even a Ryder Cup, others are cult-favourite designs that appear on national best-public rankings. The trick is knowing where to look, and in the case of the big municipal venues, understanding the resident-rate system that unlocks the low price. This guide picks eight of the best, from Bethpage Black and Torrey Pines to the Houston muni that hosts a PGA Tour event, and out to the hidden gems of Nebraska, California, Wisconsin and Florida.

We focus on courses you can genuinely book as an ordinary golfer, list the green fees honestly (including where the residency catch applies), and finish with the Rory McIlroy connection, because the game's biggest star learned it at a modest members' club, not an exclusive academy. For the bucket-list end of the scale, see our tours of Pebble Beach and the Old Course at St Andrews.

The Value Numbers

8

value courses under $100

3

have hosted a US Open or PGA

$70

Bethpage Black, resident weekday

$17

Winter Park 9, a full round

2025

Ryder Cup, played at a muni

$21

Memorial Park, resident twilight

Featured: Memorial Park, The PGA Tour Muni

If one course proves that a municipal green fee and championship golf can live together, it is Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston. First opened in 1936, the city-owned course was rebuilt in 2019 by the acclaimed architect Tom Doak, with on-course input from the major champion Brooks Koepka, in a $34 million project funded by the Astros Golf Foundation. Since 2020 it has hosted the PGA Tour's Texas Children's Houston Open, which makes it one of the very few municipal courses in the world on the professional calendar.

Owner / managerCity of Houston (municipal)

ArchitectTom Doak, 2019 redesign (opened 1936)

LocationHouston, Texas

Par70

Championship yardage~7,400 yards

Resident green feeFrom ~$21 twilight to ~$38 weekend

Non-resident green fee~$90 to ~$140 (cart extra)

Tour eventTexas Children's Houston Open

The Doak design is deliberately wide off the tee and defended by small, firm greens and a handful of deep bunkers, which is why it can hold a Tour event and still be fair for a weekend player. The 2026 Texas Children's Houston Open, played from 26 to 29 March, was won by Gary Woodland at 21 under par, a tournament-record 72-hole score and his first Tour win since the 2019 US Open. A member of the public can walk the same holes days later for a fraction of any other Tour venue's fee. It draws more than 50,000 rounds a year.

For the equipment side of playing a course like this, see our guides to fairway woods and launch monitors.

The Municipal Major Venues

Three of the courses on this list have hosted the biggest events in the sport and are still, for local residents, cheaper than a mid-range daily-fee course. This is the single best value in golf: championship history at a city-golf price.

NEW YORKBethpage BlackResident ~$70 weekday

The most severe public course in America, an A.W. Tillinghast design in Bethpage State Park on Long Island, complete with the famous warning sign on the first tee that the Black is "an extremely difficult course recommended only for highly skilled golfers." It hosted the 2002 and 2009 US Opens, the 2019 PGA Championship (won by Brooks Koepka) and the 2025 Ryder Cup. New York State residents play it for about $70 on a weekday and $80 at the weekend; non-residents pay roughly double, which nudges them over $100. Tee times are hard to get, but the price, for a course of this pedigree, is close to a miracle.

CALIFORNIATorrey Pines SouthResident ~$71 weekday

A clifftop municipal course owned by the City of San Diego, high above the Pacific. The South Course hosted Tiger Woods's 2008 US Open playoff win over Rocco Mediate and Jon Rahm's 2021 US Open title, and stages the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open every January. San Diego residents, with a Resident Golf ID Card, play the South for about $71 on a weekday and $88 at the weekend. Non-residents pay several times that, plus a reservation service fee and cart fee, so the deal is very much a local one, but for a city golfer it is one of the best in the world.

TEXASMemorial ParkResident from ~$21

Covered in full above: the Houston muni that hosts the Texas Children's Houston Open, rebuilt by Tom Doak in 2019. Residents play for well under $50, and even non-residents can get on for around $90 at quiet times. Of the three municipal major-type venues here it is the easiest to book and the friendliest to a mid-handicapper, because the Doak design gives you room off the tee.

The Cult-Favourite Value Gems

The second group is different. These are not major venues, but courses that architecture enthusiasts travel a long way to play, all of which charge everyone the same modest rate with no residency test. They punch far above their green fee because they are built on strong routing and bold greens rather than expensive polish.

NEBRASKAWild Horse Golf ClubTops out ~$75

A links-style course on the sandy soil of Gothenburg, Nebraska, built in 1999 by Dan Proctor and Dave Axland, two shapers who worked on some of the most celebrated modern courses in America. Firm, fast, walkable and wind-blown, it plays 6,805 yards to a par of 72 and regularly appears on national lists of the best public courses you can play, while a walking round tops out around $75. It is the definition of a hidden gem: a long way from anywhere, and worth the drive.

CALIFORNIARustic Canyon~$24 to ~$84

A minimalist Gil Hanse design (with Geoff Shackelford and Jim Wagner) in Moorpark, north of Los Angeles, opened in 2002. It runs low along the floor of a canyon with wide fairways, subtle contours and clever greens, the kind of ground-game golf usually reserved for far pricier courses. Green fees run from about $24 to $84 depending on the time, and walkers get the best of it. It is a top-100-public-standard course at a daily-fee price, and a favourite of the design-minded golfer.

WISCONSINLawsonia LinksPeak ~$90

A 1930s masterpiece in Green Lake, Wisconsin, designed by William Langford and Theodore Moreau, famous for its bold, geometric platform greens raised above deep bunkers that were dug with steam shovels. It rewards a player who will hit driver and then think carefully into the greens. A darling of architecture writers, it peaks around $90 in high season, which for a course this historically important is a bargain.

FLORIDAWinter Park Golf Course~$17 for nine holes

The cheapest genuinely acclaimed course in America. A 9-hole municipal walk in the town of Winter Park, reimagined in 2016 by Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns, it plays across streets and through the community and has been named one of the best short courses in the country. Residents pay around $15 to $17 and non-residents around $17 to $19 for the nine. It is the proof that fun, interesting golf and a tiny green fee are not mutually exclusive.

WASHINGTONChambers BayResident rate under $100

A treeless, dune-like Robert Trent Jones II design on a former gravel quarry above Puget Sound in University Place, Washington, which hosted the 2015 US Open won by Jordan Spieth. It is owned by Pierce County and remains public; residents and off-peak players can get on for under $100, though peak non-resident rates climb higher. Walking-focused and dramatic, it is the one US Open venue on this list you can still play on a public tee sheet at a county-golf price if you catch it right.

Worth noting: a few beloved value courses have crept above the $100 mark as their fame has grown. Tennessee's 9-hole Sweetens Cove, once the ultimate cheap cult course, now runs around $175 in peak season, a reminder that the best bargains do not always stay bargains.

At A Glance: Eight Courses Under $100

Course	Where	Green fee	Claim to fame
Memorial Park	Houston, TX	Resident from ~$21	Tom Doak muni, hosts a PGA Tour event
Bethpage Black	Farmingdale, NY	Resident ~$70 weekday	US Opens, 2019 PGA, 2025 Ryder Cup
Torrey Pines South	San Diego, CA	Resident ~$71 weekday	Two US Opens, the Farmers Insurance Open
Wild Horse	Gothenburg, NE	Tops out ~$75	Proctor and Axland links, top-100 public
Rustic Canyon	Moorpark, CA	~$24 to ~$84	Gil Hanse minimalist design
Lawsonia Links	Green Lake, WI	Peak ~$90	1930s Langford and Moreau platform greens
Winter Park	Winter Park, FL	~$17 for nine	Acclaimed 9-hole community muni
Chambers Bay	University Place, WA	Resident under $100	2015 US Open venue, still public

Green fees change with season, day and time; twilight and shoulder-season rates are lower still. Resident rates require proof of residency. Cart fees are usually separate.

How To Play Championship Golf For Under $100

The low rate is real, but it is not automatic. A few habits separate the golfer who plays Bethpage Black for $70 from the one who pays $160.

Understand the resident system

At the big municipal venues, the cheapest price is reserved for people who live in the city or state that owns the course. Bethpage needs proof of New York State residency; Torrey Pines requires a City of San Diego Resident Golf ID Card, which means proving you live inside the city limits. If you live in the area, getting the card is the single biggest saving in golf. If you are visiting, you can still play, you just pay the non-resident rate.

Chase twilight and shoulder season

Twilight rates, which usually begin in the early or mid afternoon, can cut a green fee by a third or more, and municipal courses publish them openly. Weekdays are cheaper than weekends, and the shoulder seasons either side of peak are cheaper again. A course that costs $140 at a peak weekend can be well under $100 on a Tuesday afternoon.

Walk, and book in the resident window

Walking rather than riding saves the cart fee, which at a course like Memorial Park is around $20, and most of these courses were designed to be walked. Residents also get an earlier advance-booking window, so learning exactly when your local muni opens its tee sheet, often at 7pm a set number of days ahead, is the difference between a Saturday morning slot and no slot at all.

For more on getting the most out of a round on an unfamiliar course, see our guide to course management.

The McIlroy Connection: Accessible Golf And A Ryder Cup At A Muni

Rory McIlroy is the face of elite modern golf, but his story is a case for accessible golf, not against it. He learned the game at Holywood Golf Club, a modest members' course near Belfast, rather than at an exclusive academy, a reminder that a low green fee and top-level talent are not opposites.

Bethpage Black, 2025 Ryder Cup: The clearest link on this list. McIlroy played for Europe at the municipal Bethpage Black in September 2025, a week in which Europe won 15 to 13 for their first away victory since Medinah in 2012. He and Shane Lowry took down Justin Thomas and Cameron Young in the fourballs; on the Sunday, Scottie Scheffler edged McIlroy in the singles. A city-owned course a New York resident can play for $70 staged the biggest team event in golf.
Torrey Pines, the Farmers: McIlroy has teed it up at the Farmers Insurance Open at the municipal Torrey Pines South earlier in his career, walking the same clifftop muni that any San Diego resident can book for around $71.
The wider point: the courses that host golf's grandest occasions are not all gated and private. Some of the very best are owned by cities and states and open to anyone, which is exactly the spirit of a public game.

For McIlroy's own equipment and game, see what is in Rory's bag and Rory's swing; for the historic venues at the top of the scale, see Pebble Beach, another public course that hosts US Opens, and Whistling Straits, the 2021 Ryder Cup host you can also play.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you really play a US Open or PGA Tour course for under $100?

Yes, if you pick the right municipal course. Bethpage Black (2019 PGA, 2025 Ryder Cup) is about $70 for a New York resident on a weekday, Torrey Pines South (two US Opens) is about $71 for a San Diego resident, and Memorial Park in Houston (a PGA Tour host) is well under $50 for a Houston resident. The catch is almost always residency: the cheapest rate needs proof you live in the city or state that owns the course.

What is the best golf course under $100 in the USA?

There is no single answer, but Bethpage Black has the strongest case: a fearsome Tillinghast design a New York resident can play for around $70. For pure architecture at a low price, Wild Horse in Nebraska and Rustic Canyon in California are cult favourites under $100. For best value that also puts you in Tour pros' footsteps, Memorial Park in Houston is hard to beat.

Is Bethpage Black under $100?

For New York State residents, yes: around $70 on a weekday and $80 at the weekend, with cheaper twilight rates, plus a small reservation fee. Non-residents pay roughly $140 on a weekday and $160 at the weekend, which is over $100. The course is owned by New York State and run as part of Bethpage State Park, so the two-tier pricing rewards residents.

How much does it cost to play Memorial Park in Houston?

As a Houston municipal course, residents pay very little: around $38 at the weekend and as low as about $21 for weekday twilight, with the cart extra. Non-residents pay from about $90 for weekday twilight up to around $140 at peak weekend times. Given it hosts the Texas Children's Houston Open and was rebuilt by Tom Doak, it is one of the best value rounds in American golf.

What is the cheapest good golf course in America?

The Winter Park Golf Course in Florida is close to unbeatable on price. The 9-hole municipal course, reimagined in 2016 by Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns, charges residents around $15 to $17 and non-residents around $17 to $19 for nine holes, and has been named one of the best short courses in the country. It is a walking-only community layout that plays through the town.

Do I have to be a resident to get the cheap green fee?

At the famous municipal major venues, usually yes for the lowest rate. Bethpage requires proof of New York State residency, and Torrey Pines requires a City of San Diego Resident Golf ID Card. Non-residents can still play, they just pay more. Many value courses here, such as Wild Horse, Rustic Canyon, Lawsonia and Winter Park, charge everyone the same low rate with no residency test.

Are cheap public golf courses actually any good?

The best ones are excellent and rank among the finest public courses in America regardless of price. Wild Horse (Proctor and Axland), Rustic Canyon (Gil Hanse) and Lawsonia Links (Langford and Moreau) share strong routing and interesting greens rather than expensive conditioning, which is exactly where a green fee can be low and the golf still first rate.

When can you get the lowest green fees?

Two levers matter most: time of day and time of year. Twilight rates, usually starting in the early or mid afternoon, can cut a fee by a third or more. Weekdays and shoulder seasons are cheaper than peak weekends. Walking saves the cart fee, around $20 at a course like Memorial Park. Booking as a resident within the resident advance window is the single biggest saving at the major-venue munis.

Has Rory McIlroy played any of these courses?

Yes. He played Bethpage Black for Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup, a week Europe won 15 to 13 for their first away win since 2012. He has also played the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines South earlier in his career. The wider point fits his story: he learned the game at Holywood Golf Club, a modest members' course near Belfast, not an exclusive academy.

Is Torrey Pines worth playing if you are not a San Diego resident?

It depends how much the US Open history matters to you. The clifftop South Course hosted Tiger Woods's 2008 US Open win and Jon Rahm's 2021 title and stages the Farmers Insurance Open. San Diego residents play it for around $71 on a weekday; non-residents pay several times that, plus a reservation and cart fee, which takes it over $100. Off-peak twilight times and the North course bring the cost down.