The 10 most expensive golf green fees in the world

Golf is a sport that, at its very lowest levels, has a pretty high financial barrier to entry. Factoring in the cost of clubs and green fees, only snow sports and motorsports require a more sizeable investment to really get into.

At its very upper echelons, this becomes even more extreme. People speak in hushed tones about the most expensive golf clubs in the world to join, with some clubs requesting seven-figure numbers simply for the privilege of joining. But what about those everyone can play – given they can afford it?

Pinning down the most expensive golf courses in the world at any given time is a tricky affair given green fees often change according to factors like season and inflation. However 10 publicly accessible courses are well-renowned for their sky-high green fees, deservedly earning themselves a rep as the most expensive in the world. 

Here they are, starting with the most expensive golf course to play in the world right now.

1. Trump Turnberry (Ailsa Course)

Location: Turnberry, Scotland

Green fees (peak season): £1,000 GBP (approx. £1,350 USD)

The cost of a round at Turnberry's Ailsa course has skyrocketed since its takeover by the sitting President of the United States, and while its status as the most expensive course in the world is largely dependent on exchange rates, its peak season £1000 green fee, introduced late last year, is by far and away the highest in Europe. At the time of writing, a round at this iconic seaside links, framed by the incredible lighthouse that serves as the course's halfway house, will cost you roughly $1,350 USD, higher than that of even the former record holder.

2. Shadow Creek

Location: Las Vegas, USA

Green fees (peak season): $1,250 USD

A round at Shadow Creek has become a byword for exclusivity in a city where luxuries of basically any manner can be bought at the right price. The one-time host of The Showdown, Shadow Creek is owned and operated by casino and resort group MGM (of MGM Grand fame), with access to the course largely limited to hotel and casino guests. Once you get there, a reported green fee of around $1,250 awaits in high season, making this perhaps the most expensive course in the world depending on exchange rates and incidentals like limousine and caddy tips.

3. TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course)

Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, USA

Green fees (peak season): $900

One of the most desirable public access courses on the PGA Tour rota and the home of The Players, TPC Sawgrass's Stadium Course attracts thousands of golfing pilgrims every year to sample its testing layout – and, of course, try to stick the green on the iconic island 17th. As such, TPC charges for the privilege, with green fees starting at $750 and rising to well over $900 depending on demand and the time of year.

4. Trump International (New Course)

Location: Aberdeen, Scotland

Green fees (peak season): £595 (approx. $800)

Trump International, set across from Turnberry on the windswept shores of Scotland's east coast, boasts what it claims to be the greatest 36 holes in golf having just completed work on its aptly titled New Course. Both of these undeniably majestic links are among the most expensive single rounds to be had anywhere in the world, with the Old Course ever-so-slightly more expensive than the new, while to play both will cost you well in excess of £1100.

5. Wynn Golf Club

Location: Las Vegas, USA

Green fees (peak season): $750

Another destination where golf, gambling and luxury go hand-in-hand, Wynn Golf Club sits on the property of the opulent Wynn resort and Casino, with the course quite literally flanking the prime real estate of the Las Vegas strip itself. Availability is strictly reserved for bookings through one of Wynn's golf concierges, with green fees reported by the PGA Tour at around $750. This is one of the rare courses where, in true Vegas fashion, you can actually win your money back and then some, with prizes of up to $20,000 offered if you ace the par 3 18th.

6. Whistling Straits (Straits course)

Location: Sheboygan, USA

Green fees (peak season): $735

One of the most picturesque courses in North America, the stunning lakeside layout of Whistling Straits has played host to a Ryder Cup and four separate US Opens over the years. Beloved for its natural ruggedness, population of Scottish Blackface Sheep and sense of solitude located as it is on the quiet shores of Lake Michigan, a round at this Pete Dye masterpiece comes at an expected premium (although if you're in the area, Twilight rounds are significantly cheaper.

7. Pebble Beach

Location: Pebble Beach, USA

Green fees (peak season): $675

A bucket list course with a bucket list price tag, Pebble Beach is a golfing mecca for fans of coastal golf and, thanks to its status as the annual host of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am as well as six US Opens, charges a truly stratospheric amount for the privilege of playing there. The price of a round on this iconic links was set at $675 for the 2025 season, with some particularly sought-after dates requiring a three-night minimum stay at the adjoining resort to secure. We'd expect this figure to rise further in 2026.

8. Adare Manor

Location: Pebble Beach, USA

Green fees (peak season): $675

A newly-minted Ryder Cup course that now has the ability to charge Ryder Cup rates, Adare Manor is Ireland's most exclusive track, set among the pristine grounds of the manor that lends it its name. With Adare Manor closed over the winter, the 2026 and 2027 summer seasons will be one of the very last chances to play this pristine parkland course before it shuts down in preparation for the 2027 Ryder Cup.

9. Kingsbarns

Location: Jupiter Beach, USA

Green fees (peak season): £450 (approx $600 USD)

The most expensive of Scotland's historic links courses, Kingsbarns has a reputation for luxury and exclusivity that even courses like St Andrews and Muirfield don't. Kingsbarns themselves quote that a visitors round in high season will cost £448, making it perhaps the UK's most expensive public access course not owned by a certain Donald J. Trump.

10. Te Arai Golf Links

Location: Te Awanga, New Zealand

Green fees (peak season): $975 NZD (approx. $560 USD)

Te Arai sits alongside Tara Iti and Cape Kidnappers as the very pinnacle of golf in one of the world's most visually majestic countries. The sand-laden South Course, designed by Ben Crenshaw, hugs the coast while Tom Doak's North Course ventures inland for a more rugged experience, the two combining to form one of the most spectacular 36-hole courses to be found anywhere in the world. Prices to play either will climb to $975 NZD for international visitors in the 2026/27 peak season, just pipping Royal Melbourne as the Southern Hemisphere's most expensive public access course.