Budget Golf Trips
Great golf doesn't have to break the bank. 118 affordable destinations.
You don't need Scottsdale money to plan a killer golf trip. These 118 destinations deliver solid courses, affordable lodging, and enough restaurants and bars to keep everyone happy — all at a price point that won't start arguments about splitting the bill. We sorted by combined cost of the cheapest green fee and nightly lodging rate, so the most affordable options float to the top.
Pro tip: budget destinations often have walkable courses (saving cart fees), BYOB-friendly rental houses (saving bar tabs), and shoulder-season windows where prices drop even further. Check each destination page for specific pricing breakdowns and use the planner to build a trip around your group's budget.
Most Affordable Golf Destinations
Bakersfield, CA
Cheap, year-round golf and honky-tonk nights in Buck Owens country
Memphis, TN
Justin Timberlake's course, Delta golf, and Beale Street
Toledo, OH
Lake Erie public golf plus a brush with U.S. Open history
Lompoc, CA
One of California's toughest public tests in quiet wine country
Tri-Cities, WA
Sunny desert golf and big-time wine where the rivers meet
Hutchinson, KS
Make the pilgrimage to Prairie Dunes — Kansas's top-25 sandhills classic
Cedar City, UT
Affordable red-cliff golf and the gateway to Zion country
Wichita, KS
Sand Creek Station and the friendliest golf value in America
Bismarck, ND
Black-sand links golf above the Missouri River
Sioux Falls, SD
Award-winning city golf and an underrated bar scene
Montrose, CO
Two Nicklaus-and-links tracks at the gateway to the Black Canyon
Las Cruces, NM
Year-round desert golf under the Organ Mountains
Florence, AL
8,000-yard RTJ golf above the river in Muscle Shoals music country
Dayton, OH
Award-winning public golf in the birthplace of aviation
Worley, ID
Idaho's No. 1 public course with a casino attached
Auburn-Opelika, AL
Grand National — the crown jewel of the RTJ Golf Trail
Sacramento, CA
Value golf, a real downtown, and wine country at the edges
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Lakeside championship golf with casinos a short walk away
Greensboro, NC
Wyndham Championship golf country with public 36-hole value
Laughlin, NV
Cheap casino town on the Colorado with sneaky good golf
Birmingham, AL
RTJ Trail golf and a surprise-hit food-and-bar city
Bloomington, IN
Indiana University's new Pfau course meets a great college-town scene
Grand Junction, CO
Western Slope wine country with Colorado's #1-rated course
Prescott, AZ
Mile-high pines and Whiskey Row, two hours from Phoenix
Ruidoso, NM
Cool-pines mountain golf, horse racing, and casino nights
University Place, WA
Play the 2015 U.S. Open links on the shores of Puget Sound
Gleneden Beach, OR
Scottish-style coastal links on the central Oregon coast
Biloxi, MS
Casino nightlife meets championship Gulf Coast golf
Dublin, OH
Memorial Tournament country in Columbus's golf suburb
Tucson, AZ
Desert golf, Mexican food, and a chill pace
Tampa, FL
Innisbrook's Copperhead plus a downtown that actually parties
Gaylord, MI
Michigan's Golf Mecca — dozens of courses on one I-75 exit
Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ
Cool White Mountains pines — Arizona's summer golf escape
Payson, AZ
Mountain escape golf 90 minutes north of Phoenix
Temecula, CA
Wine country, casino nights, and value golf between LA and San Diego
Green Lake, WI
Wisconsin's deepest lake and a 1930 links time capsule
Moab, UT
Red-rock golf between Arches and the Colorado River
Aptos, CA
MacKenzie's finest work and beach-town golf above Monterey Bay
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
Casino golf on the Red River with budget-friendly everything
Verona, NY
Three championship courses and a full casino under one roof
Bowling Green, KY
Corvettes, caves, bourbon, and a sneaky-good golf scene
Lake Havasu City, AZ
Spring break energy meets desert golf on the Colorado River
Streamsong, FL
Three top-100 courses rising out of a Florida sand quarry
New Braunfels, TX
Tubing, beer halls, and Hill Country golf between Austin and San Antonio
Deadwood, SD
Wild West casino town with Black Hills golf and zero pretension
Mesquite, NV
Budget desert golf with casino-town swagger
Palm Springs, CA
Sunshine, mid-century cool, and wall-to-wall desert golf
Erin Hills, WI
Walk the 2017 U.S. Open links 35 minutes from Milwaukee
Tubac, AZ
Play the Tin Cup course in an artists' village south of Tucson
Boulder City, NV
Lake Mead golf 30 minutes from the Strip, minus the chaos
Mashantucket, CT
Rees Jones golf wired straight into Foxwoods Casino
San Francisco, CA
Major-championship muni golf with a world-class city behind it
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Tee it up where the pros do at TPC Sawgrass' island green
Acme, MI
The Bear and three resort courses on Grand Traverse Bay
Crested Butte, CO
Wildflower-capital mountain golf at 9,000 feet
Philadelphia, PA
Big-city nightlife with classic public golf in the suburbs
Long Island (Farmingdale), NY
Bethpage Black and a wall of world-class public golf
Baton Rouge, LA
LSU tailgate energy, Cajun food, and bayou golf at bargain prices
Little Rock, AR
River Market nightlife, affordable Ozark-edge golf, and genuine Southern charm
Corpus Christi, TX
Coastal Texas golf, deep-sea fishing, and beach-bar nights
Des Moines, IA
Iowa's sleeper food city with big-value golf
Omaha, NE
Steak capital with championship-pedigree public golf
Phoenix / Mesa, AZ
Massive metro, massive course list, zero pretense
Albuquerque, NM
High desert golf with craft beer and green chile on everything
Eugene, OR
College-town energy with sneaky good Willamette Valley golf
Salida, CO
Arkansas River town with cheap golf and big adventure
Carrabassett Valley, ME
Maine's mountain golf — RTJ II in the Western Mountains
St. George, UT
TDF-tested red rock golf at the Utah-Arizona border
Columbus, GA
36 holes of public golf and the world's longest urban whitewater
Duluth, MN
North Shore golf with Lake Superior as your backdrop
Myrtle Beach, SC
80+ courses and budget-friendly golf heaven
Atlantic City, NJ
Casino nightlife meets surprisingly solid South Jersey golf
Mystic, CT
Coastal Connecticut charm with casino backup plans and quality golf
Sheridan, WY
Wyoming's #1 course at the foot of the Bighorns
Bentonville, AR
Ozark golf and the country's best mountain biking, with a buzzing downtown
Cle Elum, WA
Mountain-resort golf 80 minutes from Seattle over the pass
San Diego, CA
Torrey Pines, perfect weather, and Gaslamp nightlife
Wickenburg, AZ
Dude-ranch country golf an hour from Phoenix
Lake George, NY
Donald Ross lakeside golf in the Adirondacks
McCall, ID
Tiny mountain lake town with perfect TDF energy
Los Angeles, CA
Cliffside Trump National, sneaky-good munis, and big-city nights
Manchester, VT
Walter Travis golf and Green Mountain charm
Reno, NV
Mountain golf, casinos, and craft beer in the Biggest Little City
Sunriver, OR
Resort golf in the Cascades with a laid-back compound vibe
Marana, AZ
27 holes of Nicklaus tournament golf in the Tortolitas
French Lick, IN
Historic resort golf, casino, and bourbon country
Edwards, CO
Vail Valley mountain golf without the Vail Village price tag
Carlsbad, CA
North County beaches, resort golf, and the Omni La Costa
Tulsa, OK
Southern Hills prestige meets Blue Dome nightlife at budget prices
Sisters, OR
Two beloved courses under the Three Sisters in Central Oregon
St. Louis, MO
Gateway to great golf with a world-class beer and BBQ scene
Kansas City, MO
BBQ capital of the world with sneaky-good public golf
Oklahoma City, OK
Bricktown nightlife, prairie golf, and OKC Thunder energy
Aiken, SC
Donald Ross golf and horse-town charm 25 minutes from Augusta
Augusta, GA
Play in the shadow of the Masters on real public Augusta golf
Knoxville, TN
Smoky Mountain views, lake golf, and a college-town Old City
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Caribbean ocean-holes and all-inclusive nights
Indianapolis, IN
Brickyard swagger meets Pete Dye's home turf
Spokane, WA
Affordable Inland NW golf with a punchy downtown bar scene
Sandpoint, ID
Lake Pend Oreille vibes with mountain golf and small-town charm
Walla Walla, WA
Wine country golf in Washington's best-kept secret
Mobile, AL
RTJ Trail golf, Gulf seafood, and the original Mardi Gras
Milwaukee, WI
Brew City with lakefront links and Big Ten energy
Rapid City, SD
Black Hills golf with Mount Rushmore as the side quest
Columbus, OH
Big Ten energy with Jack Nicklaus' backyard golf
Marquette, MI
Upper Peninsula gem with Lake Superior drama
Hershey, PA
Chocolate-town resort golf with surprising depth and amusement park thrills
Sonoma, CA
Laid-back wine country with public golf and a real plaza scene
Boise, ID
Underrated golf town with a legit downtown bar scene
Napa, CA
Wine country golf, big-cabernet nights, and Silverado
Farmington, PA
Pete Dye in the Laurel Highlands — golf, casino, and a private wildlife park
Frisco, TX
The new home of the PGA of America — two championship courses
Bluffton, SC
Lowcountry golf and oak-shaded charm next door to Hilton Head
Roanoke, VA
Mountaintop golf at Primland in the Blue Ridge
Gulf Shores, AL
Beach golf on a budget
Santa Barbara, CA
Oceanfront Sandpiper, Spanish-style nights, and beach-town golf
Bay Harbor, MI
Cliffside Lake Michigan golf at the BOYNE flagship
Truckee, CA
High-Sierra mountain golf above Lake Tahoe