Best "cheap" golf courses

[inthehole]

for the TAMPA guys ... heading down there in a few weeks - any recommendations on $30-50 courses that play better than what they cost ?     Thanks !!

[meenman]

for the TAMPA guys ... heading down there in a few weeks - any recommendations on $30-50 courses that play better than what they cost ?     Thanks !!

Tampa is a big area, narrow it down a bit because the choices are endless. But you really wont have to pay more than $50 for something good.

[inthehole]

Originally Posted by meenman

Tampa is a big area, narrow it down a bit because the choices are endless. But you really wont have to pay more than $50 for something good.

I'm staying about 15 minutes NE of Tampa.  Played Pine Barrens last time I was in town & loved it.     Playing with the wife this time (she's almost as avid as I am, but doesn't do well on courses with alot of sand or water), so just looking for moderately priced decent courses, say within world woods distance from Tampa (max) ... really appreciate it !!

[meenman]

Brooksville CC is worth it just for the quarry holes on the back 9 (front is kind of non-descript.) You can usually get a golf and lunch deal there. One of my personal faves is Lansbrook in Palm Harbor, short and tight. Lake Jovita in Dade City is raved about by many of my friends, but I havent played it.

[inthehole]

awesome - thanks for the insider info !!

[RayG]

+1 on the Lansbrook. Another one I play each visit. There is also the Silver Dollar Trap and Golf Club. Inexpensive but it IS a fun little track but don't expect Country Club conditions. The Eagles down the road is okay, but a bit more condo-golf and narrow when there aren't houses...

[Rick Martin]

Originally Posted by preisman

Best cheap course in San Antonio would be Canyon Springs. I played last weekend for $45.

Pecan Valley was pretty good - site of a PGA Championship in the 1960s, if I recall. Last time I played it was when I went to UTHSCA now nearly ten years ago. There are a lot of really good courses in that area.

EDIT: nevermind - looks like it was closed down last year....

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Pecan-Valley-set-to-close-on-Sunday-2439277.php

[Rick Martin]

Originally Posted by inthehole

I'm staying about 15 minutes NE of Tampa.  Played Pine Barrens last time I was in town & loved it.     Playing with the wife this time (she's almost as avid as I am, but doesn't do well on courses with alot of sand or water), so just looking for moderately priced decent courses, say within world woods distance from Tampa (max) ... really appreciate it !!

Quail Hollow is a public course in the NE part of Tampa. I played there several months ago for the first time and really liked the layout. Not too tight like a lot of FLA courses. Using Golfnow, you could find some decent rates.

http://www.golfnow.com/tampa/tee-times/golf-courses/fl---downtown-tampa-ne/quail-hollow-golf-course/search

[inthehole]

^ great, thanks for the tip on Quail Hollow !!

[tuffluck]

i live in DFW and there are ton of courses, which drives down individual course demand and thus prices.  there are some beautiful courses here that you can play for less than $50 twilight.  possibly the best value per $ i have ever played is this course:

http://www.waterchasegc.com/

in contrast when i go down to austin, the courses are not as abundant.  most courses are private or semi-private, and only a handful are public.  therefore they are quite a bit more expensive (generally more than $65 during a twilight), and a lot of times the quality of the course doesn't even compare to the quality of a cheaper course in dallas.  not to mention they are usually more crowded in austin also due to the fact that choices are limited.

[k-troop]

Originally Posted by tuffluck

i live in DFW and there are ton of courses, which drives down individual course demand and thus prices.  there are some beautiful courses here that you can play for less than $50 twilight.  possibly the best value per $ i have ever played is this course:

http://www.waterchasegc.com/

in contrast when i go down to austin, the courses are not as abundant.  most courses are private or semi-private, and only a handful are public.  therefore they are quite a bit more expensive (generally more than $65 during a twilight), and a lot of times the quality of the course doesn't even compare to the quality of a cheaper course in dallas.  not to mention they are usually more crowded in austin also due to the fact that choices are limited.

You're not finding the right places in Austin!!

I'll agree with Waterchase--it's my favorite DFW course, and the price is fantastic.  It's usually pretty easy to get a tee time too.  I've got several close buds (and some parents and a sister) that live in DFW, so I play there at least twice a year.

I lived in Austin for 3 years (2002-2005) during law school, so I played a ton of golf.  There are a lot of really, really good courses in Austin.  Was almost 10 years ago, but the economy was much better then--and we rarely had trouble getting a tee time at one of our favorites.  Falconhead, Avery Ranch, Bluebonnet, Wolfdancer, Plum Creek, ShadowGlen, Highland Lakes, Lago Vista, Teravista, Forest Creek:  all great courses, all but a couple were under $70 on a Saturday morning and under $30 during weekday twilight.  Abundant tee times available on Golf512.com.  Every now and then you could find a tee time at Flintrock Falls or Hills for super cheap too--I think I've played both courses under $30 on more than one occasion.

[tuffluck]

Originally Posted by k-troop

You're not finding the right places in Austin!!

I'll agree with Waterchase--it's my favorite DFW course, and the price is fantastic.  It's usually pretty easy to get a tee time too.  I've got several close buds (and some parents and a sister) that live in DFW, so I play there at least twice a year.

I lived in Austin for 3 years (2002-2005) during law school, so I played a ton of golf.  There are a lot of really, really good courses in Austin.  Was almost 10 years ago, but the economy was much better then--and we rarely had trouble getting a tee time at one of our favorites.  Falconhead, Avery Ranch, Bluebonnet, Wolfdancer, Plum Creek, ShadowGlen, Highland Lakes, Lago Vista, Teravista, Forest Creek:  all great courses, all but a couple were under $70 on a Saturday morning and under $30 during weekday twilight.  Abundant tee times available on Golf512.com.  Every now and then you could find a tee time at Flintrock Falls or Hills for super cheap too--I think I've played both courses under $30 on more than one occasion.

i only get to play austin on weekend twilights, and i'm thinking maybe prices have gone up.  i played plum creek and grey rock and they were both around $60 twilight.  many of the others you listed were around $75.

[preisman]

Originally Posted by Rick Martin

Pecan Valley was pretty good - site of a PGA Championship in the 1960s, if I recall. Last time I played it was when I went to UTHSCA now nearly ten years ago. There are a lot of really good courses in that area.

EDIT: nevermind - looks like it was closed down last year....

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Pecan-Valley-set-to-close-on-Sunday-2439277.php

Pecan Valley was a fun course. I love the layout and it was always in nice condition. I played it last just before it closed down. At first it was only going to be closed for a short time, but it is still closed.

Golf Club of Texas is less than $40 and is one of the best layouts. Very fun and never busy. I was a member for a year, but they started repairing a lot of the course and was not in great condition. Seems fine now.

Cedar Creek, about $45, awesome muni course.

SA has about 10 courses under $50 and most are not too bad. Some are boring and some are not well maintained. But stick with these and the muni courses and you will be jsut fine.

[k-troop]

Originally Posted by Rick Martin

Pecan Valley was pretty good - site of a PGA Championship in the 1960s, if I recall. Last time I played it was when I went to UTHSCA now nearly ten years ago. There are a lot of really good courses in that area.

EDIT: nevermind - looks like it was closed down last year....

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Pecan-Valley-set-to-close-on-Sunday-2439277.php

What??!?!  I've played Pecan Valley dozens of times.  Every time I did, I can remember thinking that the greats of the game had played these fairways.

This pretty much sums it up.

“This is really a tragic loss to the golf community because it's kind of an anchor of all the public golf facilities in San Antonio with the history and the legend of Pecan Valley,” said Chip Puhl , a former San Antonio Light golf columnist and golf pro. “We just can't replace a golf course like that. To see that it's just shut down in less than a week is devastating. It's like a kick in the stomach to all of us golfers.”

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Pecan-Valley-set-to-close-on-Sunday-2439277.php#ixzz2MIkDIwXm