Last week, the newly unveiled premium green fee for non-resort guests at Turnberry went viral when golfers were stunned to discover that the Ailsa Course Gaming could cost £1,000 in 2025.
It should be noted that this amazing price only applies to green fees before 1pm. Later in the day, green fees cost £545 in the summer and golfers staying on site can secure a tee time for £425.
Regardless, it got us thinking about how the iconic Ayrshire layout compares to other stunning green fees around the world.
At first glance, the summit of Turnberry is the highest on Earth, but other peaks are even more restrictive for those without the deepest pockets.
If you have heard of Schattenbach in Las Vegas – perhaps because it hosted the 2018 match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson – but this venue made headlines last year when Golf Digest reported that playing the course would cost $1,250 (about £960) per person during peak season.
In addition, to be eligible for a potential tee time, you must also stay overnight on MGM property and take an MGM-owned limousine to and from the golf course. Okay, so.
Shadow Creek overtook the much more famous Pebble beach in California as America’s most expensive green fee. The prestigious course, which has hosted many US Opens, currently charges $675 (£520) for resort guests and $725 (£559) for other visitors.
You may not be familiar with Wynn Golf Clubbut it’s another Las Vegas destination, and the luxurious nature of this course is reflected in the price, which is reportedly $750 (£578) in high season. Yuck.
Former Ryder Cup host Whistling Street is a visually stunning creation – a links-style golf course on steroids – and will cost around $555 (£428) to play in 2024. That’s roughly the same as the “cheapest” price in high season at Turnberry.
Another place with championship pedigree, Kiawah Island would also cost you if you wanted to follow in the footsteps of PGA Championship winners Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson. If you’re not staying at the resort and don’t want a caddy, the current fee is $600 (£462). We doubt it’s worth that much.
If you like to watch the US Open in Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina and want to play here (which, I must say, is on my bucket list), you must stay at least two nights at the resort to qualify for a tee time. Golf.com reported in June that packages included a three-night stay with unlimited golf — with rounds on No. 2 and the newly opened No. 10 — combined with your lodging, breakfast and dinner, with prices ranging from $3,002 to $3,530.
I better start saving for it.
But these incredible numbers are not only found in the USA.
What about the brilliant Kingsbarnswhich will cost £448 ($582) to enter in 2025? Legendary Open Championship venues such as Muirfield (£365/$474), Royal Birkdale (£370/$480) and Royal Troon (£365/$480) are increasing their fees next season. Trump International Aberdeen will have approximately this price in 2024.
And Sunningdaleperhaps England’s ultimate 36-hole golf club, will next year charge £395 ($513) to play on either its old or new course. Both are available for £700 ($909), which in this universe of crazy numbers is a perfectly acceptable saving.
But wait until you hear about it Earth fin on the Scottish island of Jura. This is a remote and extraordinary looking place, but you will be surprised by the cost. Last year, the golf travel expert David Joneswho regularly publishes his informative Golfers by UKGolfGuy Blog, explained: “There is now a two-night minimum stay on site, at a cost of £1,600 per night per room, and then you have to pay an additional £500 for your golf game.”
Well, you won’t see me there any time soon. The Scottish island golf course of Bute or Arran is more my thing.
Royal County of Down is considered by many to be the most beautiful golf course in the world, but playing on this gem of Northern Ireland will cost £425 ($552) in 2025.
The remarkable landscape Old head in Ireland it will cost €475, which is about £404 or $525, during peak months next year.
If you are in the Dominican Republic and Pete Dye’s Dog Teeth Course at Casa de Campothen we recommend that you stay overnight as non-hotel guests can expect to pay over $550 (£423) for a round.
New Zealand’s Cape Kidnapper has attracted a lot of attention due to its alien appearance. During peak months it can cost around $450 or £350 for international visitors.
If you have long dreamed of playing the fairways of Royal Melbourneand you are certainly not alone, it will cost you something, as David Jones (UKGolfGuy) wrote last year that you would pay around A$850 in peak season, with a caddy (A$170) also mandatory. That equates to just over £500, which may not seem like an entirely outrageous deal compared to several others.
So these are just some of the most expensive green fees in the world. Whatever you think, the possibility of making golf fantasies a reality exists, but between us, we would rather stick to more affordable options that are easily found in the Golfshake course section.
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