What It Costs To Play On America’s 10 Best Golf Courses
What It Costs To Play On America’s 10 Best Golf Courses
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Although you might be itching to hit the club’s green, many of the top-rated golf clubs are open to members only. Some, however, are open to the public. Read on to discover the costs of teeing off at some of the best private and public golf courses in the U.S.
America’s Best Private Golf Courses
Initiation fees at some of the most exclusive golf clubs can cost well into the six-figure range — if you’re able to secure membership in the first place. Here’s a look at what some of the top-rated golf clubs have to offer for members.
Augusta National Golf Club
Location: Augusta, Georgia
No golf course in America is more steeped in history than Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters Tournament each year. Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer are among the golf legends who have enjoyed historic moments during the Masters at Augusta National.
Each of the 18 holes at Augusta National has a name derived from a tree, flower or plant on the course. Some include Tea Olive, Magnolia and Holly. The 11th, 12th and 13th holes are collectively known as Amen Corner, due to the difficulty of the holes in combination with the wind in that location.
Make Your Money Work for You
Augusta National is not only one of the best golf courses in America, it’s also one of the most exclusive. It is a members-only club and any guest must be accompanied by a member at all times.
The club was restricted to white men from the time it opened in 1932 until it admitted its first black male member in 1990. In 2012, Augusta National admitted its first women members: former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina investor Darla Moore. Although Augusta National’s official list of members is confidential, Golf Monthly lists billionaires and other high earners in the club’s speculated members.
As is generally the case among the most famous golf courses in the world, the cost of initiation is steep, with reported figures varying widely. SportsCasting reported in 2021 that the initiation fee is in the ballpark of $40,000 — cheap by the standards of world-class golf clubs.
Pine Valley Golf Club
Location: Pine Valley, New Jersey
Consistently ranked among the top courses in the U.S., Pine Valley is set along the edge of southern New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. ESPN once described the course as the “greatest 18 holes of golf ever created by man.”
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Pine Valley is among America’s most exclusive private clubs. While the membership list is confidential, The Press of Atlantic City reported that former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, actor Sean Connery and pro golf legends Ben Crenshaw and the late Arnold Palmer were all members at one time or another.
In 2021, Pine Valley started allowing women to become members, for the first time in its 108-year history. Prior to this, women were only permitted to play on Sunday afternoons.
Membership is tough to come by, nonmembers must receive an invitation from a member in order to play at Pine Valley. The club does not accept applications, the club’s board must reach out to potential members.
Every year on the last Sunday in September, Pine Valley invites the general public to watch the final round of the club’s annual George Arthur Crump Memorial Tournament, named after its founder and course designer. This is the only opportunity to explore the course without a membership or invitation. No credible estimations on price are available and the club is famous for its discretion and secrecy.
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Merion Golf Club
Location: Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Built in 1912 by course architect Hugh Wilson, Merion Golf Club has borne witness to many golf milestones. Its storied history includes Robert Tyre Jones Jr.’s Grand Slam completion in 1930 and Ben Hogan’s stunning one-iron finish on the 72nd hole in the 1950 U.S. Open. The course itself holds a historical footnote: Merion was the first club in the nation to include two 18-hole championship layouts.
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus himself once said, “Acre for acre, [Merion] may be the best test of golf in the world.” The par-70 course covers nearly 7,000 yards for players to dominate, and offers a mellow atmosphere boosted by the surrounding tree line.
The private golf club reportedly boasts an impressive two-level locker room, and you might see it one day — if you can front the initiation fee. The cost of initiation starts at $70,000, and annual dues are at least another $6,000, Forbes reported. Furthermore, even if you can afford all that, you’ll only be able to apply by member referral.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Location: Southampton, New York
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, which opened in 1891, is located near the eastern end of Long Island. It was a charter club of the organization that would later become the United States Golf Association. The course has hosted five U.S. Opens — including the second ever in 1896 — with a sixth scheduled for 2026.
The ultra-exclusive Shinnecock Hills keeps quiet about its initiation fees and dues. If you know a member, you can be invited to the course as a guest, but guest tee times usually fill up months in advance. If you ever make it to the club as a guest, you’ll pay a $350 green fee, Insider reported in May 2021.
Oakmont Country Club
Location: Oakmont, Pennsylvania
Oakmont Country Club hosted its ninth U.S. Open in 2016, with Dustin Johnson conquering the course’s notoriously fast greens to claim his first major victory. A 10th U.S. Open is scheduled for Oakmont in 2025. The club has also hosted five U.S. Amateurs and two U.S. Women’s Opens.
Oakmont’s entrance fees start at $36,000. It’s hard to gauge what comes after as they keep their prices under wraps. In previous years, it has been said that their initiation fees can be up to $75,000.
You must be invited to become a member at Oakmont Country Club; however, members reportedly bring guests to the club often to try their hand at the infamously difficult course — but that could be because they enjoy watching their guests struggle.
America’s Best Public Golf Courses
You don’t have to be a highly paid professional golfer or even a member to play at some of the best golf courses America has to offer. The following quality courses are open to the public.
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Location: Pebble Beach, California
Few natural settings for golf match Pebble Beach Golf Links, located on the Monterey Peninsula, where golfers can enjoy views of the Pacific Ocean along the course. The 2019 U.S. Open marks the course’s sixth time hosting the championship. Pebble Beach is also slated to host its first U.S. Women’s Open in 2023.
Since it first opened in 1919, Pebble Beach has built a reputation as a standout golf destination. It was ranked No. 1 on Golf Digest’s 2021 list of America’s 100 greatest public courses, and it holds the No. 1 spot on Golfweek’s 2022 list of the top 200 resort golf courses.
The green fee costs $595, but golfers who are not staying at Pebble Beach as resort guests will also have to pay $50 for a cart.
Pacific Dunes
Location: Bandon, Oregon
Pacific Dunes, a resort course in Bandon, Oregon, is located adjacent to waves crashing into the rocky coast.
The signature hole at Pacific Dunes is the 11th, a 148-yard, par-3 hole. While coastal winds often wreak havoc on golfers’ shots, the hole is among golf’s most picturesque. Golf Course Gurus, a website that offers course reviews, called it “the definition of a postcard hole.”
If you’re a resort guest, the green fees at the year-round course range from $100 to $295. If you’re a day guest, fees range from $140 to $345, though reduced rates are available for Oregon residents.
Pinehurst No. 2
Location: Pinehurst, North Carolina
The No. 2 course at Pinehurst Resort is steeped in history. The course, which opened in 1907, was first designed by Donald Ross, who worked on improving it until his death in 1948. The most recent renovations in 2010 by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw restored many of the original design elements.
Pinehurst No. 2 has hosted the 1936 PGA Championship, the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens and both the men’s and women’s 2014 U.S. Opens. It will also serve as the site of the 2024 U.S. Open.
Greens fees range from $50 to $495, depending on the time of year and which of the club’s courses you play.
Whistling Straits
Location: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
The Straits course has hosted three PGA Championships over a relatively short span — 2004, 2010 and 2015 — as well as the 2007 U.S. Senior Open. Whistling Straits was also host to the Ryder Cup, becoming the first public course to host the event in 25 years.
8 of the 18 holes on the Straits course are played along Lake Michigan. Golfers who play the course have to keep an eye out for the sheep that freely roam about.
A round of golf on the Straits course will run up to $555, Golf News Net reported in 2021. It’s a walking-only course, and a caddie — which costs $70 — is required.
TPC Sawgrass
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass was designed in 1982 by celebrated course architect Pete Dye.
The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is one of the most famous in all of golf. The 137-yard, par-3 hole features an iconic island green that is surrounded by water. A thin bridge is a golfer’s only access to the green. The cost of playing on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass varies at different times of the year. According to Golf.com, however, playing where the pros play will run you $700 to $840 per round.
Andrew Lisa and Elizabeth Constantineau contributed to the reporting for this article.
Information is accurate as of June 14, 2022.
About the Author
Scott Wilson
At GoBankingRates.com, Scott has written about the business side of sports, including player contracts, how to play at the top-ranked golf courses in the country and the financial impact of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Currently, Scott is a copy editor working on the ticker at FOX Sports and FS1, where he and his colleagues write about breaking news and all other sports news of import every day.