Askernish Golf Club
Ranked · 8 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf Courses You Can Play for Under 100

Great architecture has never been the preserve of the expensive. Some of the most enjoyable rounds in the world cost less than a tank of fuel, on links and links style courses by Old Tom Morris, Alister MacKenzie, Gil Hanse and others. Here are eight outstanding courses you can play for under 100 pounds or dollars, ranked, with our verdict on each.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Askernish Golf Club, golftraveller, via Google

How we chose them

The rule for this list is simple. The course had to be open to visitors, genuinely excellent, and playable for under 100 pounds or dollars at least some of the time in 2026. We leaned toward natural, walkable layouts with real architectural merit, the kind that prove a famous name and a high fee are not the same as a great course. Several here are attributed to or designed by golf's most admired architects, and most are daily fee or municipal courses anyone can book.

Every green fee quoted is indicative, drawn from published 2026 rates, and seasonal, so some courses sit well under the line and others just under it at peak. Where a course charges residents less than visitors, or holds its lowest rate for twilight, we say so. The verdicts are ours and the order reflects our editors' view. Always confirm the current fee and visitor access directly before booking.

The ranking

01

Askernish, Scotland

routing attributed to Old Tom Morris · about GBP47.50, 2026

The most romantic round on this list and the best value in serious golf. Askernish, on the machair of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, sits on a links routing attributed to Old Tom Morris and rediscovered and restored in recent years. There is no irrigation and little artifice, just firm turf, wild dunes and the Atlantic, and a visitor green fee of around 47.50 pounds. Remote and unforgettable, it is a pilgrimage for golfers who love the game at its purest. Confirm the fee before booking.

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02

Rustic Canyon, United States

Gil Hanse, 2002 · about USD24 to 84 · Moorpark, California

The course that showed American golf you could build something world class on a public budget. Gil Hanse, with Geoff Shackelford and Jim Wagner, laid Rustic Canyon lightly over a Ventura County arroyo north of Los Angeles in 2002, all firm ground, wide fairways and subtle, brilliant greens. Green fees run from about 24 to 84 dollars depending on the day, and it is regularly named the best value course in the country. Minimalist design at a municipal price. Confirm current rates.

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03

Wild Horse, United States

Axland and Proctor, 1997 · about USD64 · Gothenburg, Nebraska

Perhaps the best course you can play for under 100 dollars any day of the week. Wild Horse, in the small town of Gothenburg, Nebraska, was built in 1997 by Dave Axland and Dan Proctor, who learned under Bill Coore, and it plays like a Sandhills links transplanted to the prairie, firm and fast with wonderful greens. A 2026 weekday eighteen costs around 64 dollars. A genuine pilgrimage course at a small town price. Confirm the fee before booking.

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04

Cavendish, England

Alister MacKenzie, 1925 · about GBP40 to 80 · Derbyshire

One of the most affordable ways to play an Alister MacKenzie design anywhere. Laid out in 1925 above the spa town of Buxton in the Peak District, Cavendish is a compact, clever moorland course full of the bold green contours and strategic angles that made MacKenzie famous at Augusta and Cypress Point. Visitor fees run from about 40 to 80 pounds. A short, charming, architecturally rich round for a fraction of the cost of the architect's grander work. Confirm rates.

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05

The Links at Lawsonia, United States

Langford and Moreau, 1930 · about USD65 to 95 walking · Wisconsin

A bold, geometric gem of the golden age, built by William Langford and Theodore Moreau in 1930 beside Green Lake in central Wisconsin. The Links is famous for its dramatic squared off bunkers and huge, sharply raised greens, a style almost extinct elsewhere, and it is consistently rated among America's best public courses. Walking rates sit around 65 to 95 dollars depending on the day, dropping further in the evening. Time travel to golf's golden age at a fair price. Confirm current rates.

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06

Cruit Island, Ireland

9 holes · about EUR60 for 18 · County Donegal

The bargain of the Wild Atlantic Way. Cruit Island is a tiny nine hole links on a rocky island off the Donegal coast, reached by a short bridge, with a clifftop par 3 over an Atlantic inlet that draws comparisons to far grander, far pricier courses. Eighteen holes, played as two loops of the nine, cost around 60 euros, a fraction of the marquee Irish links. Raw, scenic and gloriously good value, it is one of the most fun rounds in Ireland. Confirm the fee before booking.

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07

Memorial Park, United States

Tom Doak redesign, 2019 · residents from about USD38 · Houston

Proof that a municipal course can host the PGA Tour and still welcome everyone. Tom Doak rebuilt Houston's Memorial Park in 2019, and it has staged a Tour event ever since, yet remains a true city muni. Houston residents pay from around 38 dollars and non residents from about 90 dollars at twilight, rising toward 140 at weekend peak, so pick your slot and it plays well under 100. Serious, modern architecture at a public price. Confirm current rates and resident rules.

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08

Painswick, England

historic downland · about GBP18 to 22 · Cotswolds

The most eccentric and one of the cheapest rounds in Britain. Painswick is an ancient downland course laid across a Cotswold hillside dotted with Iron Age earthworks, full of blind shots, shared fairways and quirks that modern design would never allow, and all the more fun for it. Eighteen holes cost barely 18 to 22 pounds, with sweeping views over the Severn Valley thrown in. A joyous, characterful walk that proves great fun need not cost much. Confirm rates before booking.

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Green fees are indicative, drawn from published 2026 rates, and seasonal. Some courses sit well below 100 and others just under it at peak; resident, twilight and off peak rates often apply. Always confirm the current fee and visitor access directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Build a value golf trip

Tell us which of these courses tempt you and roughly when, and we will string the best value rounds into a trip with the travel and stays sorted. One concierge does the planning and costs it to the head, with no obligation.

Value golf questions

What is the best golf course you can play for under 100?

Askernish on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides is our pick, a raw, natural links on a routing attributed to Old Tom Morris, with a 2026 visitor green fee of about 47.50 pounds. Rustic Canyon in California and Wild Horse in Nebraska, both around 60 to 85 dollars, run it close. All three prove that some of the most enjoyable golf in the world costs a fraction of the marquee names. Confirm current fees before booking.

Are cheap golf courses any good?

The best of them are exceptional. Several courses on this list are designed by or attributed to figures such as Old Tom Morris, Alister MacKenzie, Gil Hanse, Tom Doak and the Langford and Moreau partnership, and rank among the most admired layouts in their countries. A high green fee buys conditioning, history and a famous name, but it does not guarantee better architecture. Many of golf's great walks are inexpensive.

Can visitors play these courses?

Yes, all eight welcome visitor play, most as daily fee or municipal courses with no membership needed. Tee times can be booked online or by phone at each. Some hold their lowest rates for off peak or twilight slots, and a few, such as Memorial Park in Houston, charge residents far less than visitors, so the exact fee depends on when and who you are. Always confirm current rates and access before booking.

Is the fee in pounds or dollars?

Both. This list spans Britain, Ireland and the United States, so under 100 means under 100 pounds for the British and Irish courses and under 100 dollars for the American ones. Every figure quoted is indicative and seasonal, drawn from published 2026 rates, and some courses sit comfortably below the line while others sit just under it at peak. Always confirm the current green fee directly before booking.

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Green fees drawn from published 2026 rates and verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.