Eleven of the best golf courses in New York State you can play on a budget

New York State is spoiled for choice when it comes to playing challenging and fun layouts, but not all of them are friendly on the wallet.

Here we touch on some of the best layouts in New York State that anyone can play and that won’t break the bank.

Phillip J. Rotella Memorial

The Town of Haverstraw is understandably proud of its fantastic Muni, the Phillip J. Rotella Memorial course. Hal Purdy designed its original layout, which took two years to build, with the 6,517-yard, par 72 course opening in 1984.

This is a track that does a good job of balancing challenge and playability with hazards that augment the golfing experience rather than acting purely as punitive features.

Rotella is known for having the best greens in Rockland County and despite recent increases in green fees it’s still possible to play 18 for less than $50 under certain circumstances.

Black at Bethpage State Park Golf Course

The Black course at Bethpage State Park or just Bethpage Black has an imposing reputation as a challenging course.

While the course’s challenge is undoubtedly steep, the stiffer task might be just getting a round on the popular layout.

Bethpage State Park courses are golf-focused and well-maintained considering the heavy use.

Mill Creek Golf Club

Mill Creek Golf Club is located at Monroe County’s highest point, with vistas of the Rochester cityscape to the east and the rolling hills of the Finger Lakes to the south.

The 18-hole championship golf course incorporates the essence of the distinctive glacial drumlin that cuts through 320 acres of wooded undulating hills and windswept fescues.

A weekday 18 in-season will set you back $43 in 2024.

Seven Oaks Golf Club

A Robert Trent Jones original, the Seven Oaks Golf Club is an 18-hole gem known for its strategic water placement, extensive tee areas and expansive greens.

Seven Oaks Golf Club is nestled on the Colgate University Campus at the upper end of the Chenango Valley, in Hamilton, New York.

An early design of RTJ, Seven Oaks Gold Club is significant in the history of great American courses even if there are plenty of older layouts.

Top of the World Golf Course

Top of the World resort sports a challenging course carved from the side of French Mountain that highlights the Adirondack natural beauty and views while maintaining a player-friendly experience for golfers of all skill levels.

The resort has a great reputation when it comes to putting on private tournaments, but you don’t need to be engaged in competition to play the course.

The View from the course might be the best kept secret in The Adirondacks. In Spring and Fall you can play Top of the World for $50 with that rate including a ride-on cart.

Cherry Creek Golf – Links Course

Cherry Creek Golf Links is located on the East End of Long Island in Riverhead, not far from the North Fork Vineyards and the famous Tanger Mall.

The Links is a par 73 with beautiful elevated tees and long generous lush fairways. There is a significant difference in the challenge rating from the Blue and Yellow tees playing at 7178 yards from the tips or 6058 from the front boxes. They also have white tees neatly in between.

Make sure not to swing yourself out early in your round because you will need all your muscle to take on the long signature 18th.

Wild Wood Country Club

Wild Wood Country Club in Rush makes excellent use of the space that the golf course occupies with an imaginative layout described by most who play it as challenging but fair.

The greens are small but in excellent condition, precise approach play is a bonus for those hoping to keep their score down.

It isn’t a small course but the pace of play is generally fairly swift and visitors often return to replay this regional gem.

Casperkill Golf Club

This public golf course was designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones and is set amidst tranquil ponds, magnificent ancient oaks and the meandering Casperkill Creek.

The Poughkeepsie golf course gracefully incorporates the landscape’s rolling hills with elevated tees, manicured valley fairways and well-bunkered, terraced greens that make each round a new challenge.

As “The best value in the Hudson Valley,” Casperkill is also a popular venue for tournaments and fundraisers so double-checking any bookings is vital.

Batavia Country Club

Batavia Country Club has a reputation as a venue with friendly staff and a well-maintained layout.

The local greenery serves as a stunning backdrop for this course which is something of a tucked away treasure.

The stunning views on the course should not distract from you the task at hand as this course has some bite to it that can hurt your scorecard.

Dunwoodie Golf Course

Perched at the top of Dunwoodie Heights in the center of the City of Yonkers this great course is characterized by dramatic topography and steep slopes. Its layout is a mix of narrow fairways to rolling wide landscapes.

The design of the course takes advantage of the natural topography, resulting in a challenging game with recent renovations improving the flow of the track.

Dunwoodie also has practice greens, a driving range that is lighted for night play and a multi-purpose catering facility in the clubhouse.

Town of Wallkill Golf Club

Opened in 1991, Steve Esposito, renowned landscape architect, developed the Town of Wallkill Golf Course with the intention to design a New England-style course that took full use of the undulating topography.

The golfer will discover beautiful spans of water, different doglegs, and trees around each hole to block out the metropolitan environment and immerse themselves in a wonderfully pleasant day of golf.

Their 18-hole golf course begins with the first two holes played around a large lagoon, before meandering through wooded ridges lined with oak, hemlock and shagbark hickory and water comes into play in 11 out of the 18 holes for a challenging game.