Public Golf Courses for Budget Travelers
Public Golf Courses for Budget Travelers
Golf can be an expensive proposition for budget travelers.
Many of the nation's so-called premier golfing destinations are filled with private courses and resort links that require expensive stays in order to play.
Public golf courses provide the best opportunities for affordable golf. Where can you find them?
What follows is a list of 10 urban areas that have large numbers of public golf courses. These urban areas are among the top 25 air destinations in the U.S.
They all offer roughly one public course for every one million airline passengers boarding planes at their airports. Some offer far better ratios. The public courses were found within a 25-mile radius of the city centers via data base on the web site PublicCourses.com.
A few confessions: I am not much of a golfer. Serious golfers with low handicaps might not set foot on some of the courses that are linked here. This story is about finding affordable golf in the top travel destinations of the U.S., not necessarily the most challenging or famous public courses.
You won't find Orlando and Las Vegas on this list. Why? Both places certainly offer ample golfing opportunities. But many of those courses are tied to resorts or part of private clubs where -- if you're allowed to golf at all -- you'll pay extra for the privilege of a tee time.
Some of the destinations that did make the list might surprise you...
Minneapolis-St. Paul
This picture shows the 18th hole at the TPC Twin Cities tournament at Blaine, a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. But the area offers many public courses from which budget travelers may choose.
In all, the Twin Cities metropolitan area offers no less than 39 public courses. Nearly half of them are within 10 miles of downtown Minneapolis, making it easy for those who are attending a convention or business meeting to take in an affordable golf game.
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is known for winter sports, especially skiing. This city hosted the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. You might not know that public golf courses are easy to find in Utah's capital city.
There are 22 public courses in the metro area. Forest Dale Golf Club is just a few miles from the center of the city, and offers green fees of well under $25.
Detroit
Michigan is a leading destination for golfers. Northern resort areas such as Traverse City offer some fine courses, but not too many public links. In the Detroit area, Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills has hosted 16 major championships, including six U.S. Opens.
But the Detroit area also boasts 31 public golf courses, making it possible for a budget traveler to combine a visit here with some affordable golf.
The suburb of Southfield offers two municipal courses that are open to non-residents for 18-hole rounds under $25/person.
Chicago
A third Midwestern city enters the picture, and Chicago enters it with style: there are 53 public golf courses in Chicagoland.
You'll need a car to get to most of them, but one that is fairly close to the Chicago Loop is Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course at 3600 Lakeshore Drive. Despite its prime location on the north shore, rounds of golf here are less than $30/person.
Boston
The Boston area offers much to see and do, but if you decide to take a break from sightseeing and do some golfing, you'll find 21 public golf courses. A number of them offer green fees less than $25.
For example, Reedy Meadow Golf Course in Lynnfield offers a nine-hole outing for $20 and a full 18 for just $10 more.
Los Angeles
It won't surprise you that the nation's second-largest metropolitan area, bathed in warmth and abundant sunshine, offers a wide variety of golf courses. Amid some of the nation's most prestigious golf clubs, you will also find 43 public golf courses in greater Los Angeles.
Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course at 2650 N. Vermont Ave. offers non-residents a chance to play a round for $19-$22.
Tampa
Tampa might not be the first Florida location that comes to mind when you're thinking about golf, but the city offers 11 public courses within a short distance of its busy international airport.
Many of the courses are across the bay in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area. Twin Brooks Golf Course at 3800 22nd Ave S. offers an 18-hole round for about $15/person.
Philadelphia
Ardmore, Pa. and nearby Pine Valley, N.J. are two fine golfing areas within the Philadelphia region. You'll be happy to know there are also 20 public golf courses in or near the City of Brotherly Love.
Within 15 miles of downtown Philadelphia in New Jersey is the Washington Township Municipal Course, where an outing costs non-residents $15 and senior citizens pay even lower fees.
Miami-Fort Lauderdale
Denver and Colorado Springs are known for resort golfing, but the Denver area boasts 32 public golf courses.
Aurora offers three public golf courses where 18-hole green fees come in at or under $30/person. There is also a par-three course where you'll pay $11 for 9 holes. Aurora is located about midway between downtown Denver and the international airport.
Flying into or out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale, it won't be hard to find several golf courses on the horizon. In fact, Dade and Broward counties offer 23 public golf courses for visitors to enjoy all year.
Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department maintains six municipal courses. Haulover Beach Golf Club on Collins Ave. in trendy Bal Harbour offers a short 9-hole course for about $7.
A municipal course in Lauderhill at 4141 N.W. 16th street offers a par 30, 9-hole course for reasonable prices.
Golf can be an expensive proposition for budget travelers.
Many of the nation's so-called premier golfing destinations are filled with private courses and resort links that require expensive stays in order to play.
Public golf courses provide the best opportunities for affordable golf. Where can you find them?
What follows is a list of 10 urban areas that have large numbers of public golf courses. These urban areas are among the top 25 air destinations in the U.S.
They all offer roughly one public course for every one million airline passengers boarding planes at their airports. Some offer far better ratios. The public courses were found within a 25-mile radius of the city centers via data base on the web site PublicCourses.com.
A few confessions: I am not much of a golfer. Serious golfers with low handicaps might not set foot on some of the courses that are linked here. This story is about finding affordable golf in the top travel destinations of the U.S., not necessarily the most challenging or famous public courses.
You won't find Orlando and Las Vegas on this list. Why? Both places certainly offer ample golfing opportunities. But many of those courses are tied to resorts or part of private clubs where -- if you're allowed to golf at all -- you'll pay extra for the privilege of a tee time.
Some of the destinations that did make the list might surprise you...
Minneapolis-St. Paul
This picture shows the 18th hole at the TPC Twin Cities tournament at Blaine, a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. But the area offers many public courses from which budget travelers may choose.
In all, the Twin Cities metropolitan area offers no less than 39 public courses. Nearly half of them are within 10 miles of downtown Minneapolis, making it easy for those who are attending a convention or business meeting to take in an affordable golf game.
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is known for winter sports, especially skiing. This city hosted the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. You might not know that public golf courses are easy to find in Utah's capital city.
There are 22 public courses in the metro area. Forest Dale Golf Club is just a few miles from the center of the city, and offers green fees of well under $25.
Detroit
Michigan is a leading destination for golfers. Northern resort areas such as Traverse City offer some fine courses, but not too many public links. In the Detroit area, Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills has hosted 16 major championships, including six U.S. Opens.
But the Detroit area also boasts 31 public golf courses, making it possible for a budget traveler to combine a visit here with some affordable golf.
The suburb of Southfield offers two municipal courses that are open to non-residents for 18-hole rounds under $25/person.
Chicago
A third Midwestern city enters the picture, and Chicago enters it with style: there are 53 public golf courses in Chicagoland.
You'll need a car to get to most of them, but one that is fairly close to the Chicago Loop is Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course at 3600 Lakeshore Drive. Despite its prime location on the north shore, rounds of golf here are less than $30/person.
Boston
The Boston area offers much to see and do, but if you decide to take a break from sightseeing and do some golfing, you'll find 21 public golf courses. A number of them offer green fees less than $25.
For example, Reedy Meadow Golf Course in Lynnfield offers a nine-hole outing for $20 and a full 18 for just $10 more.
Los Angeles
It won't surprise you that the nation's second-largest metropolitan area, bathed in warmth and abundant sunshine, offers a wide variety of golf courses. Amid some of the nation's most prestigious golf clubs, you will also find 43 public golf courses in greater Los Angeles.
Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course at 2650 N. Vermont Ave. offers non-residents a chance to play a round for $19-$22.
Tampa
Tampa might not be the first Florida location that comes to mind when you're thinking about golf, but the city offers 11 public courses within a short distance of its busy international airport.
Many of the courses are across the bay in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area. Twin Brooks Golf Course at 3800 22nd Ave S. offers an 18-hole round for about $15/person.
Philadelphia
Ardmore, Pa. and nearby Pine Valley, N.J. are two fine golfing areas within the Philadelphia region. You'll be happy to know there are also 20 public golf courses in or near the City of Brotherly Love.
Within 15 miles of downtown Philadelphia in New Jersey is the Washington Township Municipal Course, where an outing costs non-residents $15 and senior citizens pay even lower fees.
Miami-Fort Lauderdale
Denver and Colorado Springs are known for resort golfing, but the Denver area boasts 32 public golf courses.
Aurora offers three public golf courses where 18-hole green fees come in at or under $30/person. There is also a par-three course where you'll pay $11 for 9 holes. Aurora is located about midway between downtown Denver and the international airport.
Flying into or out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale, it won't be hard to find several golf courses on the horizon. In fact, Dade and Broward counties offer 23 public golf courses for visitors to enjoy all year.
Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department maintains six municipal courses. Haulover Beach Golf Club on Collins Ave. in trendy Bal Harbour offers a short 9-hole course for about $7.
A municipal course in Lauderhill at 4141 N.W. 16th street offers a par 30, 9-hole course for reasonable prices.
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