The most $ youve payed to play 18 holes

[Fat Slice]

$350 at Pebble....during a price-slashing promotion!

[WUTiger]

Back in 1978, I played Pebble Beach in early March for $35. They had "slack time" off-season rates on Tuesdays, I believe.

Since then, I paid $75 a couple of years ago to play Eagle Knoll C.C. in Hartsburg, MO. Gofl Digest voted it top 5 new courses several years ago.

I was in the reserves for many years, and got to play some top military courses for moderate rates. Also, I taught college courses in Europe, and again got to play U.S. military courses and affiliated civilian resorts for moderate prices.

I got to play Picciolo in Sicily (2003) for $50 - on a Tuesday - at the base of Mt. Etna, the volcano. This is the site of some European tour events.

I guess I've been pretty lucky on greens fees.

[Clambake]

Pebble Beach. $620 for the round ($495 for greens fee + $75 caddy fee + $50 tip). All the lodging and dining costs were the "vacation costs", so I don't factor them into cost of the golf round, even though it was quite a lot.

Oh, and it was every single penny, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

[slash5969]

I played the Dolphin course at Ocean Reef on Key Largo, back in 2001. My boss was a member and sponsored our trip - but I think the green fee was somewhere around $200.

Stunning course, absolutely beautiful! I shot 103. :)

[bman1313]

TPC Scottsdale - $163 right after the Phoenix Open a few years back.
Pumpkin Ridge - $155 to walk.

You should see some of the prices on golfnow.com for the Scottsdale area. TPC is at $287 cart path only (pre Phoenix Open) Troon North is $189-$209 and the Boulders is $200.

I played Troon North for $55 over the summer and I'm hoping the low summer rates return.

[Ben]

What does a membership cost at your home course? Pretty nice looking.

It is about $45K now , where they just extended another 9 .

Wow, that place does look pretty sweet! Just browsed through the East Course. kevin, what's your favorite combo? I'd like to give the North/East combo a go.

[Chas]

$235 for Aviara in Carlsbad, CA - that was during the 2007 US Open, so not sure if the Four Seasons had some price gouging going on...

Was it worth it? (I'm thinking about playing there myself)

Mine would be about $150 (incl. cart) at a course in the Palm Springs area, the one next to the Marriott Esmerelda. Must be getting old, I forget the name of it now. Anyway it was worth every penny at the time. Fat Slice: I'll have to look out for a deal like that at Pebble. Unlike Clambake, I'm a cheap SOB ....

[doof_dizzler]

$235 for Banff Springs. It did include cart (mandatory) and a $15 lunch voucher, though $15 didn't get much in the restaurant.

I've also played Victoria Golf Club for like $16.50 as a "junior guest" when I was teen, and the regular fee, (IF you could somehow get on the private course) was over $150, and this was in 1995/6ish.

[Acropo]

Most $ - $55 to play Cog Hill. What a bargain!!
Most ££ so far - £125 at Forest of Arden. Should've gone with a group!
Likely to be most €€ - we're off to La Manga in May this year. That costs a bob or two!

[Grahaman]

$295 at Kiawah Island Ocean Course not including $100 tip to the caddy. It was 95 degrees adn 90% humidity and we walked. Almost got heat stroke but loved every minute of it. The caddy was great, it was like a 18 hole golf lesson. Definitely a one time deal for me just so I could check it off my bucket list.

[Clambake]

Was it worth it? (I'm thinking about playing there myself)

Chas, I'm a cheap SOB too!!!

And proud of it. I just skew my priorities around a bit. My father was the stingiest person I've ever known (and I mean that in a loving way), and he was always saving everything up to better enjoy life in retirement, but sadly passed away at 59 and never got to do all those things he planned. This really shaped my own version of "life is too short" way of thinking. So I'm a total cheap SOB on many things (like hiring someone to fix something when I know I can do it myself, or treasuring our resident rate at our mutually favorite Torrey Pines), but on things like enjoying Pebble Beach or a nice bottle of wine, I've learned to not blink twice when handing over the cash. The sting of the price fades away very quickly, but the pleasurable memories continue for a lifetime!!!

[GoingfortheGreen]

[QUOTE=Chas;418710]Was it worth it? (I'm thinking about playing there myself)QUOTE]

Wasn't bad - many pretty holes to be sure. Excellent service, nice locker. Being part of the Four Seasons, they probably charge a premium.

I actually wanted to play the Johnny Miller course (forgot the name - in Poway I think), but all they had during the Open was two shortgun starts, and it was even more expensive than Aviara.

[Chas]

Clambake,
Thanks for that post, very nice. And I agree about Pebble (as you know), I'll be paying whatever it costs to play there one day. My wife keeps reminding me we should fly up there for a few days and I should play that whole set of great courses as you did I believe. She doesn't play but she watches a lot on TV with me and really understands what it means. Also, she has many personal memories of visits to PB and Carmel from earlier times (before we married).

Back to the thread: if you count courses played for business and not paid by yours truly I would say Silverback, near Banff. Don't know exactly how much but it was a LOT of denarii. Maybe the co. got a break because there were about 10 of us. Unbelievably beautiful track on the slopes of the Canadian rockies, very very difficult with the altitude changes. I'd only been playing a couple years and shot well into three figures. My boss, who was a trooper for playing really, shot 151 as I recall lol ........ but who cares, we all enjoyed it - what a course!

[Chas]

Originally Posted by Chas

Was it worth it? (I'm thinking about playing there myself)

Ah yes, that would be Maderas. Haven't played it yet but I've driven through the development that surrounds it. It's probably the most high-end track in the San Diego area and looks just spectacular from what you can see.

Very posh area, many houses in 8 or 9000 sq ft range on multi-acre lots. I visited a colleague there (company party at her house recently), massive pile with large putting green AND BUNKER! Now that is cool, who cares about the vanishing pool, the outside cooking range/large TV/drinks cabinet near the pool, the guest house etc etc ? - just give me a putting green where I can work on my non-existent sand saves. Cheap as I am, I may cough up what it takes to play Maderas one day as well.

[Chultine]

I paid $325 to golf Whistling Straits in Sheboygan WI. My weekly round is $22 for 18 and a cart at my local before 8am.

[Clambake]

Ah yes, that would be Maderas. Haven't played it yet but I've driven through the development that surrounds it. It's probably the most high-end track in the San Diego area and looks just spectacular from what you can see. ...... Cheap as I am, I may cough up what it takes to play Maderas one day as well.

Maderas is my home course and I enjoy it a lot, although I don't play it that often as I enjoy getting out and playing a lot of other tracks. Normal weekend rounds are $210, but the trick is to have their "Advantage" card which gets you $99 weekends/$89 weekdays, plus a free foursome and other benefits. It isn't a forgiving course and there are a few holes that can quickly tear your score apart, but it has a lot of variety and some the best greens of any course in San Diego. They also have the what I feel is the best practice facility in the area, particularly the short game area. At $210 it's worth playing a time or two a year, but at $99 its a great place to play a lot more frequently.

[FairwayBBQ]

I didn't have to pay to play for many years. I went from HS golf team to college golf team to being an assistant golf professional, so you were always comped whereever you went. BUT, there was one course near us that still charged you no matter who or what you were, Karsten Creek. It is the home of one of the best college golf programs in the history of college golf, the Oklahoma State Cowboys. I payed 210.00 to play the course and I would pay 210.00 a week to play that course, it was that great!! Still, the only course we have had to pay to play so far.

[ajohnson161]

Quote:

Originally Posted by senorchipotle

None

you won 18 grand on a slot machine!?! i would have flipped out man. i saw an old lady over in shreveport hit 2500, and she damn near fainted. yeah, i guess $500 wouldn't have been that much of a splurge after such a big purse. but i'd probably have rented a car and driven to pebble or spyglass instead of paying 5 bills to play the wynn course. i'm sure it's nice, but i couldn't have justified paying that much to play at a course less historic than augusta, pebble, riviera, etc.

I have already played Pebble and Spyglass on someone else's dime.  I would not pay to play Pebble again, but I would to play Spyglass.  The Wynn course honestly is damn nice, but no not worth $500.  I did have the cash from the friendly slot though, I flew out my wife the next day and we partied in Vegas for an extra night... I was passing through originally on a business trip (pre slot).  So it was nice to walk out the back of my hotel and play 18 while I was waiting for her to land.