Value" is a relative term, and a very personal one at that.
It can mean an overachieving $50 golf course that feels like it's worth $100. Or maybe its a course that, for the dough, offers a far better experience than its nearest peers.
Near Charlottesville, Virginia, Spring Creek Golf Club earned the highest value marks in 2014 from Golf Advisor raters. The course, opened in 2006, can cost up to $125 on the weekends in peak season. But even still, golfers are smitten by this operation and seem all too willing to fork over the cash. The course moved up three spots in Golf Digest's newest America's 100 Greatest Public Courses ranking to 55th for 2015-16. Golf Advisor rater thancutler, a female golfer in the 25-34 age group, summed up the experience best in her October review of Spring Creek:
"I have played many courses in Virginia, and Spring Creek may very well be the best-maintained layout I have ever played on," she wrote. "If you want to play on a tour-level course for less than $100, this is someplace you should visit."
The inaugural top 25 list features courses from coast-to-coast and has multiple entries from Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina and California. A minimum of 20 reviews in 2014 were needed to qualify for the list.
Top 25 Best Value Courses in 2014 on Golf Advisor
1. Spring Creek Golf Club, Gordonsville, Va.
2. PrairieView Golf Course, Byron, Ill.
3. Rolling Greens Golf Club, Newton, N.J.
4. Black Oak Golf Course, Auburn, Calif.
5. Gaylord Country Club, Gaylord, Mich.
6. Marshallia Ranch Golf Course, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
7. Twin Birch Golf Club, Kalkaska, Mich.
8. Royal Hylands Golf Club, Knightstown, Ind.
9. Coyote Crossing Golf Course, West Lafayette, Ind.
10. Point Venture Country Club, Point Venture, Texas
11. Kankakee Elks Country Club, Saint Anne, Ill.
12. Woodstock Inn & Resort Golf Club, Woodstock, Vt.
13. Cobleskill Golf & Country Club, Cobleskill, N.Y.
14. Hueston Woods Golf Course, Oxford, Ohio
15. Albany Golf & Event Center, Albany, Ore.
16. Dayton Valley Golf Club, Dayton, Nev.
17. Ledges Golf Club, Roscoe, Ill.
18. The Trails at Chickasaw Point Golf Club, Westminster, S.C.
19. Chequessett Yacht & Country Club, Wellfleet, Mass.
20. Pheasant Hills Golf Course, Hammond, Wis.
21. The Tillery Tradition Country Club, Mt. Gilead, N.C.
22. Eagle Pines Golf Club, Mooresville, Ind.
23. 7 Lakes Country Club, West End, N.C.
24. Gibson Bay Golf Course, Richmond, Ky.
25. Marion Lake Golf Club, Nebo, N.C.
What is your favorite value golf course? Tell is in the comments section or find the course in our course guide and leave a review.
probably what should be #1 on the list was left off somehow. A course currently in the US Open rota, host to 2 previous Opens, also a Fed Ex playoff event, as well as a future site of the PGA Championship AND a Ryder Cup. I played it recently for $65-75(for NY residents, double if not), the one & only Bethpage Black.
Brandon, sure would like you to come play at the Dancing Rabbit Golf Club near Philadelphia, Mississippi! Dancing Rabbit has had some great reviews and has some attractive golf packages & shoulder time rates available to anyone!