Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Are the Championship golf courses too expensive?
Thread: Are the Championship golf courses too expensive?
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Old 03-08-2022, 05:31 AM
Laker14 Laker14 is offline
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Originally Posted by Rainger99 View Post
I just checked the price for the best public courses in Georgia and in Alabama - two nearby states.

In Georgia, the course is The Lakes at Laura S. Walker. During the week, the standard rate is $15 for 18 holes ($12 for 62 and older) plus $20 for a cart. On weekends, it is $20 for 18 holes. There are specials right now that you can play for $22.99 for 18 holes including a cart!

The best course in Alabama is Ol' Colony Golf Complex. The green fees for Monday to Thursday are $65 with a cart – $40 walking. Weekends the price is $75 with a cart - $50 walking. And for golfers over 62, the price (Monday to Friday is $55 with a cart and $35 walking).

They aren’t accessible for golf cart from The Villages but they were the highest rated public courses in Georgia and Alabama. I saw an article from Golf Digest which ranked the top 75 public courses in Florida. None of the Championship courses were listed.
Many of the public courses listed on the Golf Digest list of greatest public courses are funded in part by local municipalities. For example, Bethpage in NY is part of the NY State Park system.
The "Ol Colony Complex" you referred to is part of the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority.
It's not really a fair comparison to compare a privately funded and operated course to a course that getting money from a municipality, when comparing greens fees.