A buddy wants to go on a golf trip for his 40th birthday

Wondering if any THFers hit the little white ball.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Preferably the lesser known/thrifty spots.

Brandon Dunes is on the list but that’s about as pricey as anyone wants to go.

Cheers

Dusty what geographic area would you like to stay within?

Really just the lower 48, makes for easier travel

Good one with accommodations onsite. Know a group of guys that play it annually and have a good time. Squaw Valley in Glen rose is a similar setup and Garden Valley too near Lindale.

Do you mean BANDON Dunes in Oregon? Traveling that far doesn’t seem all that ‘thrifty’. However, if travel is OK, golf packages at Myrtle Beach can be quite sensible in the off season. Last time there we played on 2 different courses and had a night in a condo, less than $200.

Kiva dunes in Gulf Shores is a really nice place

Also just outside of Myrtle Beach is Calabash and they have some nice courses.

I hear the two Winstar courses are nice, hotel and casino nice and if timed correctly could work a good concert in too.

I’d consider Birmingham, AL….you’ve got Oxmoor Valley - 36 holes holes plus a 9 hole short course. Ross Bridge, which is spectacular….and you can slip up to Silver Lakes pretty easily…36 more holes. All part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

And…the Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham is a spectacularly good restaurant for southern cooking!

Dragon at Nacoma in Clio CA is great. Reno/Tahoe close by with nice courses in Truckee & Napa/Sonoma.

I’ve been wanting to go do just that. Maybe this spring when it warms up. I will also agree with Garden Valley that you mentioned is a hidden “gem”. I’ve played it a few times and it’s great. Not much to do at night though. I was told the Japanese bought that course and it was less expensive for them to fly people over to play than it was to stay and play in Japan. Probably been 15 years since I played there though.

Bears Best is an amazing course in Vegas looking down on the strip. It’s Jacks favorite 18 holes he’s designed and one of my all time favorites courses. Would be a fantastic place for a 40th guys trip. I really like the desert courses. Grayhawk and Troon are both great in AZ. Hope you have a blast and hit’em straight!

I don't play golf but heard the course next to Falcon Head Reservoir in OK is nice. Supposedly the PGA Tour or something used to go through there. I only know about it 'cause my dad was selling a lot there.

Hawks creek, the old carswell course, is pretty fun.

The Broadmore in Colorado Springs is outstanding - my buddies and I played there two years ago and going back this next year - world class

They're nice but not stunning or a hidden gem.

A recently passed friend of mine was a member there before WinStar opened. I think it's still pretty nice.

Sounds like a trip farther away is in play. I have only played in a 100 mile radius of Cooke County myself.

Mystic Creek in El Dorado, AR is a top 30 national public course not enough people know about

Buffalo Dunes in Garden City, KS, rated in the top 25 of public courses in USA.

We were in Destin, FL this past summer. These two were fun to play.

Kelly Plantation GC
Regatta Bay GC

NIce courses are not cheap to play. If you want cheap then look at muni courses, hell even those can be expensive.

When I lived in Phoenix, I used to drive up and play the course in Sedona. Spectacular views. Bonus is free drop if your ball goes out of bounds. They don't like you poking around the scrub brush looking for a ball due to the number of rattlesnakes.

Sedona Golf Course

Torrey Pines and Bethpage Black are both muni’s I’d like to play some day.

I've played Torrey Pines (North) a few years back. It was humbling. If you're not a resident of San Diego County it's pricey.

I played the North course 30 something years ago when I lived in San Diego, I think it was $18 or $28 on a weekday. Something stupid cheap, the problem was getting a tee time. Some folks were calling at the time they opened the bookings and then sold the tee times.

capitalism at it's finest.

Brackenridge Park in Texas
Aspen Lakes Golf Course in Oregon