The seven PGA Tour courses that are easiest on the pocket

26/07/2024 15:50

The PGA Tour stops in at some of the best but also some of the most exclusive courses in the world.

However, they won’t all break the bank with some being public access courses that anyone can play.

Many are also owned by the PGA Tour and maintained to be open to the general public.

Here are the seven cheapest.

7 Vidanta Vallarta

Awarded Renovation of the Year by Golf Inc. magazine in 2022, the Vidanta Vallarta Course is home to the PGA TOUR Mexico Open at Vidanta and is designed by golf legend Greg Norman.

Featuring wall-to-wall paspalum, the layout winds along the Ameca River, providing views of the Sierra Madre mountains from every hole. Large landing areas off the tee give way to large undulating greens protected by cavernous bunkers, in typical Norman fashion.

The Peak Green fee at this course is $270 for a round but there are several ways to get a cheaper 18 holes in.

6 TPC Deere Run

There was perhaps no architect more suited to craft TPC Deere Run golf course than designer D.A. Weibring. As an Illinois native and three-time champion of the Quad Cities Classic, Weibring knew exactly how to bring out the best of the picturesque Mid-Mississippi River Valley landscape while staying true to the PGA TOUR's standards and traditions.

Weibring instilled an old-time feel to the TPC Deere Run golf course, providing a great blend of challenge and playability. "It has all the things I think you'd like to have in a golf course," said Weibring. "There are elevation changes, great views and scenery, hardwood trees. You have the Rock River complemented with small ponds and deep ravines… and best of all, there's no real estate. What's more, the natural features of the former Arabian horse farm high above the Rock River Valley have not been compromised."

Some of golf's greatest names have found themselves seriously challenged by the risk-reward layout at TPC Deere Run each year at the John Deere Classic.

The peak green fee at TPC Deere Run is $269 for a round.

5 Innisbrook – Copperhead

Copperhead is the most recognizable of Innisbrook's four courses. As host of the PGA TOUR's annual Valspar Championship, it's a favourite among the world’s finest golf professionals — including the Snake Pit, where tournaments are won and lost.

Pine tree-lined fairways and rolling terrain define this course that ideally blends beauty and challenge. Spot wildlife while trying to avoid the lake and pond water hazards. It's a lengthy challenge for even the longest hitters at more than 7,200 yards. It's a must-play course at Innisbrook.

They have stay-and-play packages starting at $465.

4 Grand Reserve Golf Club

Stretching along the Grand Reserve beachfront peninsula, with El Yunque rainforest as a backdrop, the experience is one of an epic 18 holes of championship golf in a breathtaking setting.

The Grand Reserve is one of only two championship courses in the Caribbean and offers pros from around the world a unique experience to play and learn from the very best.

"I have lots of confidence on this course. It's one of the best driving courses we play on the Championship Tour. Just enough rough to give you some problems," said designer Tom Kite.

Peak green fees are $225 plus tax.

3 Torrey Pines – North

The Torrey Pines North Course was newly Renovated in 2016 by Tom Weiskopf. It is the host of the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open (along with the South Course).

The North Course is shorter and less expensive than its brother. For many, it is more scenic than the South, having more picture-perfect opportunities along the track.

Torrey Pines’ North Course is more popular for the less-experienced golfer but will still put up a good fight for the better ones. The North is bordered on its north end by the Torrey Pines State Reserve.

Green fees typically won’t set you back more than $185.

2 TPC San Antonio – Oaks

The Oaks course, designed by Greg Norman, with consultant, Sergio Garcia, reflects the TOUR's departure from the modern tournament style course (expansive grass areas and spectator mounding) to a more natural look and feel, without sacrificing the fan experience, making it very tournament friendly.

The Oaks course plays host to the PGA TOUR's Valero Texas Open.

Green fees shouldn’t cost more than $149.

1 Memorial Park Golf Course

Memorial Park Golf Course is known as one of the best municipal courses in the nation and is visited by more than 60,000 patrons each year. The course originally began as a 9-hole course with sand greens, built near the hospital at Camp Logan for use by convalescent soldiers.

In 1935, following the closing of the hospital, golf course architect John Bredemus redesigned the course. It opened in July of 1936 and, according to legend, John Bredemus remarked that this was his "greatest golf course ever."

You shouldn’t pay more than $140 for a round at Houston’s Memorial Park Golf Course.

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