The 7 Most Expensive Golf Courses in the United States

Every year as the Masters approaches, golfers consider the hypothetical question: How much would you pay to play Augusta National Golf Club.

Unfortunately for us, the site of the PGA season's first major is a private course. Around the United States, though, there are plenty of iconic tournament venues—including several that have hosted majors—that are open to the public.

Of course, that doesn't come cheap.

If your golf game is comparable to mine, we'd have the opportunity to explore an awful lot of the course and get our money's worth at each of the following clubs. Well, at least until we get kicked out for being extremely mediocre and slowing the pace of play.

Built on the edge of Lake Michigan in Northern Wisconsin, Whistling Straits has become a popular stop on the PGA Tour.

In 2004, the Pete and Alice Dye-designed course hosted the PGA Championship. The major returned to the Sheboygan area for the 2010 and 2015 tournaments, and both the 2007 U.S. Senior Open and 2021 Ryder Cup were hosted at Whistling Straits, too.

For us common folk, it's a walk-only course that charged a peak-season rate of $485 in 2021, per Josh Berhow of Golf.com.

Trump National Doral is home to four courses, but the most recognizable is the Blue Monster.

From 2007 through 2016, the Miami-area venue hosted the WGC-CA Championship and WGC-Cadillac Championship. Tiger Woods won the tournaments in 2007 and 2013, along with Phil Mickelson (2009), Ernie Els (2010) and Dustin Johnson (2015). Adam Scott took the final competition in 2016.

The highest confirmed rate is $495, though bookings are only available up to 30 days in advance.

During the 2010s, the Old White course at the Greenbrier Resort held a regular spot on the Tour calendar. Angel Cabrera and Xander Schauffele were among the nine winners of the Greenbrier Classic, which was later renamed A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.

Although it's no longer part of the annual schedule, the Old White remains a destination spot for avid golfers.

As of this writing, a non-registered guest will pay $575 for a peak-season round in the prime morning slots from May to October. The good news, relatively speaking, is 18-hole rates run as low as $365 in the March-April and November windows.

Under the assumption you're not spending $1,000 for a hotel room, Pebble Beach crosses the $600 mark. Or, hey, book a night and save $50 per person on the cart fee.

Probably evens out, right?

Home to six previous U.S. Open tournaments and scheduled for 2027, the California course costs $595 at a minimum. Throw in the cart fee, and Pebble Beach―the site of Tiger Woods' legendary 15-shot victory in the 2000 U.S. Open―is $645.

Pebble Beach has also hosted five U.S. Amateurs, the 1977 PGA Championship and is slated for the 2023 U.S. Women's Open.

Nestled along The Strip in Las Vegas, Wynn Golf Course is a unique area of green located within a concrete jungle.

Built on the property of the old Desert Inn Golf Club—which had been a part of the Shriners Children's Open rotation—the Wynn initially opened in 2005, closed in 2017 and returned to operation in 2019. The course hosted Capital One's The Match between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in November 2021, too.

According to Jim Sinicropi of FingerLakes1.com, a round costs $650 at the Wynn. That's even a slight bump from Berhow's reported $600 for greens fees around the time of Capital One's The Match.

Renowned for the famous "island" hole, TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, has hosted The Players Championship since 1982.

Who else feels like going for a swim? For the low, low price of $840 at dynamic-pricing peak time, per Berhow, you could be just like a professional golfer and splash one on the 17th hole.

In all seriousness, the Dye-designed Stadium Course is a dream destination because it's easily one of the most iconic venues on the Tour. According to the TPC site, greens fees from June to August run $400 with a $600 rate between September and May.

Pinkies up, everyone, and say hello to Shadow Creek Golf Course.

In order to play this Tom Fazio design in Las Vegas, according to Stephen Hennessey of Golf Digest, you must be staying at an MGM hotel and take an MGM-owned limousine to and from the course. The peak-season rate is $1,000 per person, while the off-peak cost is still $750.

Shadow Creek welcomed the inaugural version of Capital One's The Match—a showdown between Tiger and Mickelson—in 2018. Additionally, Jason Kokrak won the 2020 CJ Cup, and Ally Ewing secured the victory in the 2021 Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play tournament held at the Sin City course.