OT- Cheap golf courses that are good subs for expensive famous ones

Submitted by Wolverine In Exile on

A quick and fun off-topic for today as the weather starts to warm up...

I was in Monterey CA last week for work and had a chance to play Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Course. It's located on the same peninsula as the Pebble Beach complex of courses (17-Mile Drive actually cuts across the course) and the locals call it 'Pebble Beach Lite'. The course was beautiful-- front nine was on a bluff overlooking downtown Monterey and the bay. The back nine was around a lighthouse on a point so you were essentially playing the same ocean views and winds and landscapes as Pebble Beach just down the coast. And it only cost $62 for 18 + cart. Compare that to Pebble Beach proper paying $480 for a round, and you can see my happiness.

It also brought to mind when I went to Scotland in 08 and played the Troon Municipal course which literally shares a fence line with Royal Troon... same land, same winds, same course distance, little different groundskeeping but essentially a lesser replica for about 1/10 the cost. I can also point to the example of the USAF Academy Eisenhower Blue Course being about as close to a replica of the Broadmoor Championship course in Colorado Springs, again at about 1/5 the cost.

So my question to you MGoGolfers, as I finish my PhD this summer and start planning the reward golf vacation I've been promising myself, is there any good "local mirrors" for famous golf courses like I showed above that you would recommend I consider? I'm not restricting myself to any region of the country...

Wolverine In Exile

March 13th, 2010 at 1:22 PM ^

I have these two targeted as possibles (see my "to clarify" response below). Torey Pines is definately on my bucket list playing itinerary... is it hard to get the twilight rate tee time though (i.e. do they fill up six months in advance)?

I know the Bethpage thing is to camp out over night in the parking lot to get one of the tee times for the next day. Trying to avoid sleeping in cars for courses I can get reserved times at.

mgolf4

March 13th, 2010 at 3:19 PM ^

When I saw the title of this thread I immediately thought of Pacific Grove. Those who vouched for Arcadia Bluffs and Forest Dunes are completely right. There is one really good one in the U.P., I forgot the name though so I will look it up. Torrey is overrated - Arcadia is just as good with half the people. Bethpage is totally worth it though. If you go back to Scotland, make sure you get to Cruden Bay Golf Club. It is my favorite course I have been to/ ever played outside of St. Andrews, Augusta and Cypress Point, that is how good it is. Oh and New Zealand: Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs. And C. Kidnappers has chocolate chip cookies that are so good they would make my top 5.

Tamburlaine

March 13th, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^

If most are public or private--but Michigan is becomming a golfer's haven. Spend some time with the Googles and the youtubes on Michigan golfing and you will be amazed.

Beavis

March 13th, 2010 at 1:03 PM ^

All I heard was:

"Brag, brag, brag about these cool courses I've played.

Anyone got any good course ideas so I don't have to spend as much time researching"?

Dude there's plenty of F'ing golf course reviews out there. Just freaking google it or go to your local bookstore and buy something on the subject. The request was too broad (say if I found an awesome course at a ridiculous rate in... Idaho... are you going to go there just to play it?) to make it a reasonable topic on this board.

BLUEOkie

March 13th, 2010 at 1:05 PM ^

in Branson, MO is nice. It's a Troon designed course and costs around $100. I don't care for Branson all that much but if you go for just golf and Lake Tablerock it makes for a good mini vacation.

Beavis

March 13th, 2010 at 1:33 PM ^

OK I grew up in this area and let me just say...

I would never, under any circumstances, pay $100 to play golf in Branson, MO. There's nothing to do in that area (think Bible Belt of all Bible Belts) - so good luck finding a decent bar within a 30 mile radius.

I also think $100 is ridiculous since last year I was down in Florida playing private courses for less than that. The recession isn't over - these courses shouldn't be charging so much. Just talk up the golf pro at the pro shop and try to get a deal.

And it's "Table Rock Lake" for all of those interested. Not worth checking out unless you have a boat, though. And renting one down there is a ripoff.

Beavis

March 13th, 2010 at 6:38 PM ^

$100 goes as far in Branson as $500 would in the Pebble Beach area, so you've got to take that into account as well.

As someone who constantly flies into the "Springfield-Branson" airport (which is a crock seeing as how Branson is like 30 minutes away), I wouldn't want to make that trip just to play a Troon course for "just" $100.

UMWest22

March 13th, 2010 at 1:43 PM ^

There's some awesome courses on the west side of the state. Pilgrim's Run is probably my favorite golf course I've ever played, and it's really quite inexpensive.
Buck's Run in Mount Pleasant by Soaring Eagle Casino is amazing, and Pohl Cat, designed by Masters runner-up and Mt. Pleasant resident Dan Pohl is pretty nice. Riverwood golf course in Mt. Pleasant is nice, 36 holes.
Most of these, I think..., have been featured in Golf Digest. Then there's Canadian Lakes Golf Resort, (Private), and St. Ives and Tullymore, two awesome courses.

EDIT: I wasn't trying to be a jerk. I was just offering some ideas that I know of, and letting you know that they were highly regarded. There really was NO need to throw out names. What part of this post gives off that idea? Although, now that I read your response, I think you're talking to the guy telling you to look at Google Maps. I wish I could play some of those courses (Torrey, bethpage...)

Wolverine In Exile

March 13th, 2010 at 1:19 PM ^

two things:
1) I grew up in SE Michigan and know all the courses around there from Jackson to Mt Clemens and Romeo to Toledo. I live in SW Ohio now and am looking to go outside the OH / MI area for my trip.

2) I can read Golf Digest and use Google Maps just like everyone else (douchebag), but what I'm looking for is personal recommendations where there may be a local course that's nearby a more famous one that's hard to play (either too expensive like Pebble, or restricted like country club courses) that basically mimics the more famous ones. I'm pretty sure Pacific Grove won't come up as a recommendation unless you had people who actually played it. For example, you can't get on Augusta Nat'l, but is there a local course that's public/resort that is VERY similar to it? Doral is a little difficult to get a tee time to, but maybe there's a pubic course right next door that plays pretty much the same?

Thanks for the Torey Pines and Bethpage recommendations-- I already knew about those public rates there and have the San Diego area as a possible destination for my trip.

NewBallCoach

March 13th, 2010 at 1:41 PM ^

has a few good options in the southern part of the state. Crooked Stick has hosted a US Open and a few Senior Opens and that place is TOUGH. It's less than $100 to play on weekdays.

If you're looking for a challenge and some scenery The Brickyard course is pretty challenging and around 65 to play. 4 holes are actually inside the race track. Pretty scenic place to play for sure.

shorts

March 13th, 2010 at 2:04 PM ^

If you happen to make it out to Arizona, there are some beautiful courses at good prices, depending on time of day/year.

You can play Superstition Mountain, where they hosted the LPGA Safeway event until last year, for about $65 right now (and by "right now" I mean in sunny, 74-degree weather every day). There's also The Raven in Phoenix, which is probably about $80 right now, and several others I could recommend.

They're not quite TPC Scottsdale or Grayhawk, but they don't cost $300 a round right now either.

And I'm pretty sure you can play anywhere you want (including the TPC) for less than $50 in the summer.

Section 1

March 13th, 2010 at 2:17 PM ^

So yeah, there are some obvious choices, like Pebble Beach or the three (now four) Bandon, Oregon courses, or Torrey Pines or Pinehurst #2 or Bethpage Black. There are all very remote (Bandon), or very expensive (Pebble), or very hard to get a tee time (Bethpage).

Here are some of really great public courses, most of which can be played, if you time it right, for less than $100 greens fees, where you can have as great a round of golf as anywhere in the country, public or pivate, major championship or not. (This is not, in all honesty, a "cheap" list. It is not even a list, insofar as it is just some courses that I have played and thoughte were great values, where I'd happily return and spend my money all over again.

Arcadia Bluffs - Michigan
Lawsonia Links - Wisconsin
Marquette Country Club (Greywalls) - Michigan
World Woods (Pine Barrens) - Florida
Rustic Canyon - California
Presidio - California
Harding Park - California
Lincoln Park - California
Innisbrook (Copperhead) - Florida
We-Ko-Pa (three area courses, including a Coore/Crenshaw design) - Arizona
Erin Hills - Wisconsin
Pine Needles and Mid-Pines - North Carolina
Taconic - Massachusetts
Dunes Beach Club - South Carolina
Linville - North Carolina
Wild Horse - Nebraska
Wolf Creek - Nevada
Chambers Bay - Washington

Sleeper values in Michigan; also not a "list" but rather some places that I've played and would happily play again:
Belvedere Golf Club
Antrim Dells
Indian River Golf Club
Hidden River Golf and Casting Club
The Gailes
Forest Dunes (perhaps not a sleeper; just plain great)
The Cascades

For students, faculty, Victors Club members, etc., of the University of Michigan, our own Alister Mackenzie-Perry Maxwell gem is really hard to beat. It is a jewel, and for us, a fantastically cheap jewel all things considered.

MMBhorn

March 13th, 2010 at 4:19 PM ^

I'm glad you mentioned Greywalls. It's a great course outside of Marquette and definitely worth hitting if you're making a trek up to the UP. But don't take my word for it...

Top 10 New Courses You Can Play, December, 2005 Golf
America’s Best New Courses (Upscale Public, Third), January, 2006 Golf Digest
Best of the World 2005 - New Courses, Fall 2005 The Golfer
Top Ten Best New Courses of 2005, January, 2006 Travel & Leisure GOLF
Public Access Courses, #3 in Michigan, March 8, 2008 Golfweek

EDIT: forgot to mention that Marquette golf and country club also has another, slightly easier, course that's also pretty good, especially if you have some people who are kind of new to golf.

Troy MiIler

March 13th, 2010 at 4:27 PM ^

It's $48 for 18 with a cart on the south course and $55 for 18 with a cart on the North course. The coupons aren't out yet, but if you go to their webpage when it's up they have one for, Thursdays $25 for 18 with a cart on either course. Not the nicest courses, but it's the best one in the area that I live in.

It's right on Peck Road west off of M-25. This gets me to mext point. What's in your bags? And your handicap?

I have a -.7 Handicap. I play with King Cobra S9-1F 9.5 Driver. S9-1F 3 & 5 Wood. Mizuno MP-68 Iron, 60º and 54º Titliest Bob Vokey Spin Milled wedges with the oil can finish and U-Grooves. And just a generic putter, that's my next upgrade this summer.

Wolverine In Exile

March 13th, 2010 at 7:26 PM ^

good comments and I appreciate the "local knowledge". I was planning on going either out to Colorado (Denver / C-Springs area) or maybe Tampa area, but now I think I'll have to consider Northern California, San Diego, Phoenix area, and maybe I'll just bite the bullet and head back to the homeland in MI to play those northern courses I've heard so much about (not to mention visit the tremendous microbrew scene in Traverse City).

For those who asked-- I play a Lynx 11.5 deg squarehead driver with a steel stiff shaft, Nike Sasquatch 3W & 5W, I'm getting a new set of Nike Slingshot 4D irons as a gift from my dad when I finish the defense, and my putter is an old school Spalding wood shafted flat blade putter circa 1931 (grandpa's putter-- great touch with it). I'm currently a 14 handicap-- but it's coming down-- I started with a 18.7 last sppring before I decided to get serious.

And finally there was some question as to how do I get to do this stuff like travel, play golf and get a PhD... I'm work for the USAF as a spacecraft engineer and a big part of my job is to go to conferences (int'l or domestic) or satellite manufacturers to represent the Air Force. I'm on year 5 of my Phd as I've been doing it part time-- 8 hours of work, head over to the university, take evening classes and give up my weekends to go do lab work.. not a life I recommend to most. This golf vacation has been my motivation in getting this damn degree done for a while now, but my new daughter is providing a little extra umph.

Tamburlaine

March 13th, 2010 at 9:23 PM ^

You can smite the sarcasm all you want, but at least no one sank to the level of mentioning Funny Frankie's Putt Putt in Moline, Illinois and having to putt through the windmill on #7 or having to sink a birdie putt into a clown's head on the 18th hole for the win.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

March 13th, 2010 at 7:59 PM ^

Any region of the country?

Saipan.

Cheap as hell because nobody goes there, stunning tropical ocean views, excellent service and attention from the staff because nobody else is there, and did I mention nobody else is there so you can play however fast or slow you like?

Of course, to get there you've probably got 36 hours of flight ahead of you with a layover in Japan, but hey.