Forest Dale Golf Course

You do not need to spend $150 to play a good golf course. Across the country, thousands of public and municipal courses charge economy-level green fees and still deliver a round worth remembering. Some have architectural pedigrees from designers like Perry Maxwell and Robert Trent Jones. Others sit in settings that more expensive courses cannot match. The 25 courses below are all priced at the economy level in the FairwayDB directory, and each one gives you more than your money suggests. Northeast The Northeast is one of the more expensive regions for daily-fee golf, but municipal courses and smaller nine-hole layouts keep the game accessible. Several of these have historical credentials that far outweigh their green fees. Coakley-Russo Memorial Golf Course in Lyons, New Jersey was designed by Robert Trent Jones in 1947 and dedicated to New Jersey PGA professionals who died in World War II. The nine-hole, par-34 layout plays 3,300 yards on rolling Somerset County terrain, and the Jones pedigree makes it one of the more notable affordable designs in the state. Shady Rest Golf Club in Scotch Plains, New Jersey is the first African American country club in the United States. Opened in 1921, the club hosted...

Golf arrived in America in the 1880s, brought by Scottish and British immigrants who carved rough layouts into pastures, farmland, and coastal dunes. Remarkably, many of those original courses are still in operation. Some have hosted U.S. Opens and produced legends. Others remain quiet nine-hole tracks where you can walk on for under $30. All of them offer a direct connection to the earliest days of American golf. Before the boom: the 1880s pioneers The debate over which American golf course is truly the “oldest” depends on how you define it. Several claim the title based on different criteria: oldest club, oldest course in continuous use, or oldest incorporated club. Dorset Field Club (1886) in Dorset, Vermont is one of the strongest contenders. Originally called Dorset Golf Links, the course was laid out in 1886 by summer residents who played across roads, through swamps, and amid apple orchards. It operated as a nine-hole course for over a century before expanding to 18 holes in 1999. Dorset Field Club is private, so access requires a member invitation, but the course has been in continuous operation for nearly 140 years. View Dorset Field Club on FairwayDB. Foxburg Country Club (1887) in Foxburg,...