Theoretically, public golf courses are open to any and all golfers who want to play them. Unfortunately, that statement doesn’t necessarily factor in one key component – greens fees.
Some of the best public courses in the U.S. come at a premium price, but if you can swing it, they are totally worth it. Here are 10 of the most pricey public tracks in America.
Pebble Beach Golf Links
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Greens fee: $495-$525
Pebble Beach is renowned for being one of the most beautiful public courses in the world, but that beauty comes with a price, as everything usually does these days. The host of the PGA Tour’s annual AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, as well as five U.S. Opens, you can walk the same incredible track as the world’s best. Located in Monterey, California and designed by Jack Neville, the course provides staggering views with holes that run along the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean, with the most famous being par-3 seventh, which is the shortest hole on the course. Words don’t even do this place justice, just make sure to bring your wallet. Check it out.
Shadow Creek Golf Course
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Greens fee: $500
Designed by Tom Fazio, a trip around Shadow Creek will run you a cool $500 for 18 holes which also includes limo transportation to and from the course and a personal caddie. The course has been around for more than 25 years. Fazio had more than 21,000 trees imported to this desert location to keep it hidden from view. The only kicker is that in order to play it, you must be a guest at the MGM-owned hotel in order to play it. Check it out.
TPC Sawgrass
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Greens fee: $400-$550
TPC Sawgrass plays host to The Players Championship annually and is located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida just outside of Jacksonville. This Pete Dye design is known for being one of the toughest tests of golf in the world. Of course, their signature hole is thepar-3 17th with the famous island green. Prices fluctuate depending on the season. Either way, it isn’t cheap. Check it out.
Pinehurst Resort – No. 2
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Greens fee: $375
Originally designed by Donald Ross in 1907, this championship track received a facelift in 2011 by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. It has played host to several U.S. Opens, with the last one being held in 2014. The resort has eight courses to choose from, but No. 2 is the cream of the crop. If you do go, make sure to take a picture with the Payne Stewart memorial statue behind the 18th green. Check it out.
French Lick Resort – Pete Dye Course
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Greens fee: $350
While this Pete Dye designed course located in Indiana doesn’t necessarily have the ocean views like a Pebble Beach, it makes up for it with its rugged terrain, unique features (volcano bunkers) and length (8,102 yards from the tips). The course has won many accolades and hosted the 2015 Senior PGA Championship. Winner Colin Montgomerie called it “one of the iconic courses” in America and one that golfers all over the world will want to play. For $350, it better be. Check it out.
Whistling Straits
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Greens fee: $410
Another Pete Dye design, the Straits course is designed to be a walking-only course with nearly two miles of rugged terrain and amazing views of Lake Michigan. It’s hosted the 2004, 2010 and 2015 PGA Championships and the 2007 U.S. Senior Open, and it’s the future site of the 2020 Ryder Cup. The other course on the property is The Irish, and is a solid test in it’s own right. Both are considered among the most expensive golf courses in the world. Check it out.
Kiawah Island – Ocean Course
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Greens fee: $370
Yet another expensive Pete Dye design, this gorgeous track is located right on the Atlantic Ocean in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. While the course itself is one of the trickiest around, it’s the wind that plays the biggest factor. Dye actually designed two nines due to the lack of prevailing winds and combined them – one for an easterly wind and one for westerly. The course has hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup (aka the War by the Shore) as well as 2007 Senior PGA and the 2012 PGA Championships. Check it out.
Spyglass Hill
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Greens fee: $395
Part of the Pebble Beach Resort, this Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design offers the best of both worlds in beautiful Monterey, California. The first five holes run along the Pacific Ocean, while the final meander through the lush Del Monte Forest. The course’s name is derived from the old Treasure Island legend, and many of the holes on the course are named after famed pirates from the story. Some would argue it’s a better track than Pebble itself. Check it out.
Barton Creek Foothill and Canyon Golf Club
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Greens fee: $250
Situated in Austin, Texas, these two Tom Fazio designed courses are part of the luxurious Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa. Both feature a little bit of everything, from waterfalls and hills to caves made entirely of limestone. But don’t let the beauty fool you, these courses have some bite and are considered some of the best in Texas. Check it out.
Trump National Doral – Blue Monster
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Greens fee: $450
Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster opened in 1962 but got a serious makeover by Gil Hanse in 2014 who resculpted basically every hole. The now 7,590-yard track tests all facets of your game and boasts one of the toughest finishing holes in the world. The course used to play host to the WGC-Cadillac Championship and you can play it for the low, low price of $450. Check it out.
