A ticket to this year’s Ryder Cup would set you back $750, and we’ll let you decide if that price was worth the admission. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t.
But there is probably little debate over the value found in the entry fee play the course that hosted the event. Consider this:
You can link it Black Bethpage five times in one day – for almost the price of one of the aforementioned tickets.
And that’s if you’re out of state ($140 during the week). New York State residents can play 10 times ($70 during the week).
Bethpage Black, therefore, tops our list of the five most affordable courses in our country Top 100 in the world rankingwhich you can watch below.
The 5 most affordable courses in our Top 100 in the world ranking
1. Bethpage (Black), Farmingdale, NY, No. 56 in the Top 100: Black scares off players with a sign on the first tip recommending the course “for very skilled players only”. Among them? Tiger Woods, who won the People’s Open in 2002, as the US Open became known. Woods was the only golfer to break par for 72 holes, thanks to the rugged, uphill par-4s, massive bunkers and wrist-breaking rough found on this Rees Jones-restored AW Tillinghast layout. Black enjoys one of the great fairways, highlighted by the masterful way Tillinghast laid out the fairways and greens from the second hole in a valley to the left 9th. The par-5 4th and its iconic cross-bunker is a world beater.
2. Cruden Bay, Cruden Bay., Scotland, No. 61 in the Top 100: This cult classic is a personal favorite of Pete Dye and Tom Doak. Twenty-three miles north of Aberdeen, Cruden Bay offers many new features, including the postcard-perfect par-3 4th, which overlooks Cruden Water and the fishing village of Port Erroll, and the par-4 14th, with its funnel-shaped green tub. The fourth begins a five-hole stretch that any links course would love to claim as its own, so varied and well-conceived is each hole.
3. Machrihanish (Championship), Campbeltown, Scotland, No. 92 in Top 100: At the Mull of Kintyre, the course makes the most of its romantic setting, starting with the opening rooftop group on a diagonal along the beach. One panelist considers the third to be an ideal links hole, writing: “The tee ball is blind over a rising dune, which creates a sense of adventure as you drive the ball into the unknown. Then, as you climb the hill, a view of the Irish Sea appears in the distance, with the green beautifully situated in the foreground, immersed in its nature.” Rounded fairways don’t give up and serve up awkward stances that complicate play in the wind. But the real star is the array of greens. The fairways from 12 to 16 are all excellent and highlight that the best links holes are not necessarily confined to those closest to the sea. It’s always a pleasure to find a course that poses so many questions, all measuring under 6,500 yards.
4. Utrecht de Pan, Bosch en Duin, Netherlands, No. 89 in the Top 100: Modern architecture did itself no favors by following holes that constantly scream at the golfer, because at some point the golfer becomes deaf. Designer Harry Colt never went that route and so his courses enjoy a timeless appeal. At Utrecht de Pan, he did what he does best: produce a course that is a joy to play every day. De Pan may not have the topography of St. George’s Hill, but there are sand dunes all over the property. A master router, Colt incorporated the dunes in every way possible.
5. Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin), Woodhall Spa, England, No. 74 in the Top 100: Credit architects HS Colt and SV Hotchkin for improving Harry Vardon’s initial work and turning the course into one of the supreme delights of inland golf, an oasis in the middle of the surrounding flat Lincolnshire fenland. Deep bunkers are the defining feature of Woodhall Spa, along with ample fairways and a stellar set of par-3s. A meticulous restoration carried out by Renaissance Golf Design in recent years without felled trees and regeneration of heather. Located 150 miles north of London, Woodhall keeps a relatively low profile as it is not on a set of great courses. It’s a shame, because this postal course is definitely worth the trip.
Editor’s Note: Below are additional links to the top 100 courses in the world:
Top 100 courses in the world 2025-26: Our reviewers’ votes revealed! | Complete methodology: How we evaluate courses | World list 2025-26 ranked by country | 2025-26 List of world courses you can play
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