Month Long Stay with affordable golf

[Olson12]

Hey WRX fam!

My wife is in nursing school, and this summer, during her break, we’re looking to escape the Arizona heat for about a month. We’re on the hunt for a spot in the U.S. that offers affordable golf, great outdoor activities, and an all-around awesome vibe.

Since we’re already ditching Arizona, Texas isn’t really on the list, and Florida doesn’t quite pique our interest either. So, here’s your chance—sell us on your town or city! Where should we set up shop for the summer to stay cool and have a blast? Let’s hear your best pitch!

 

Affordable golf is $50 a round for a decent course.  I would probably only play 1 or 2x a week while were out there since I'll still have to work. 

[david.c.w]

I feel like you are looking for the trifecta which is usually impossible.  $50 is going to be hard not matter what for a "decent" course.

 

From a value and outdoors perspective I would look at Bend, Oregon and somewhere in Northern Michigan.  I think it checks some of the boxes but the I am not sure what your requirements are for "vibe".  Guessing you are in your 20's so it is different than me in my 50's

 

 

[ChaosTheory]

Northern Michigan or Upper Peninsula Michigan, Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota. Just look for regular courses, not resort courses. 
 

 

[Olson12]

13 minutes ago, david.c.w said:

I feel like you are looking for the trifecta which is usually impossible.  $50 is going to be hard not matter what for a "decent" course.

 

From a value and outdoors perspective I would look at Bend, Oregon and somewhere in Northern Michigan.  I think it checks some of the boxes but the I am not sure what your requirements are for "vibe".  Guessing you are in your 20's so it is different than me in my 50's

 

 

 

I'm actually 37.  Vibe were looking for revolves more around good restaurants and my wife loves to hike and be outdoors.  Michigan was my first thought but not entirely sure where to begin.  I'll browse their section of the forum for some reviews.  Thanks!

[icegator337]

Hard to beat Traverse City for the summer vibes.  Lots of good restaurants and brewery options up there.  Plenty to do outdoors and quality golf in every direction.  I'm not sure about the sub $50 local rounds, but I'm sure there is something.

[ND2005]

Agree with Traverse. Checks your boxes for restaurants and access to outdoor activities. 
 
$50 golf is a hard ask these days though, anywhere. 

[Mullenboy]

I will say this about where I live... it will probably not work.  There are no quality courses for less than $50 fees, outside of twilight or other specials.

 

HOWEVER... the weather is great.  The vibe is pretty darn good.  Lots of hiking in the mountains and along the ocean.  Great restaurants close and far.

 

If you can just get over the golf thing.... 🙂

 

SAN JOSE, CA.

[SnowbirdTom]

10 minutes ago, icegator337 said:

Hard to beat Traverse City for the summer vibes.  Lots of good restaurants and brewery options up there.  Plenty to do outdoors and quality golf in every direction.  I'm not sure about the sub $50 local rounds, but I'm sure there is something.

 

Traverse City isn't an option for cheap living, food or golf.  I'd be recommending something around Grayling, Manistee or Cadillac.  Lots of lesser known courses and a great outdoorsy feel.  If you feel like splurging on an upscale course, they're within easy driving distance.

[unskinnybop99]

Pacific Northwest...Bellingham, Washington has affordable golf, hiking and affordable living. You are near the ocean for heat relief....can take day trips to Seattle/Whistler.

[Woytoy23]

Pacific Northwest is amazing for what you want. I’d check out Bend, Oregon. Plenty of quality tracks that are affordable. Opportunities for hiking and floating the river are available 
 

Kalispell, Montana is also a place to consider. Top tier fishing, hiking, and golf. 

[StudentGolfer4]

How about a Madison Wisconsin? I’m not a local so don’t know the ins and outs but it checks a lot of boxes. Good summer weather, big enough to have places to eat and shop, and great location on the lake for outdoor activities. Not so sure about hiking if you need elevation though. 
 

Kalispell is an interesting idea. It’s pretty small and I’m not sure anything is ever cheap out there from a housing standpoint. If you’re interested in that area Whitefish would be worth a look too. To me it doesn’t fit under affordable. Outdoor activities are unmatched 

Edited February 19 by StudentGolfer4

[Curmudg3on]

Keep an eye on Group Golfer for Michigan.   We have stayed at Treetops in Gaylord for as little as $129 / night with 2 rounds of golf included.  That was a few years ago so I'm guessing the price has increased but I believe if you call them they have reduced golf packages 

[vandyfan]

3 hours ago, SnowbirdTom said:

Traverse City isn't an option for cheap living, food or golf. 

 

If he is coming from Phoenix/Scottsdale I would ballpark the cost of living in Traverse City is at least 10% lower. 

[Par4Nate]

3 hours ago, Mullenboy said:

I will say this about where I live... it will probably not work.  There are no quality courses for less than $50 fees, outside of twilight or other specials.

 

HOWEVER... the weather is great.  The vibe is pretty darn good.  Lots of hiking in the mountains and along the ocean.  Great restaurants close and far.

 

If you can just get over the golf thing.... 🙂

 

SAN JOSE, CA.

 

He could play Los Lagos, or drive down to Monterey and play the Navy short course, Monterey Pines.  But yeah, I don’t know where you’re going to find a decent, real golf course for $50, in San Jose or anywhere else.

[3_Jack_Par]

3 hours ago, SnowbirdTom said:

 

Traverse City isn't an option for cheap living, food or golf.  I'd be recommending something around Grayling, Manistee or Cadillac.  Lots of lesser known courses and a great outdoorsy feel.  If you feel like splurging on an upscale course, they're within easy driving distance.

Golf options are a bit less expensive in those places (but you'd still have to go off the beaten path to find much under $50), but he said one thing they're looking for is good restaurants, and those places are sorely lacking when it comes to food options.

Traverse City definitely fits the bill for food, vibe, and outdoor activities, and you can find some golf options in the ballpark if you stay away from the big name courses and play at non-peak times.

 

Other Michigan options that might fit what they're looking for:

Petoskey (not as good as TC when it comes to restaurants, but still some good options, and less expensive than TC, though cheap golf is probably even harder to find -- better selection of courses, though)

Grand Rapids

Ann Arbor (don't laugh, but Detroit also has a great restaurant scene, and it's about 45 minutes away from A2)

Marquette (a month there might be a little longer than you'd want to spend, though)

 

Honestly, for someone visiting Michigan for the first and possibly only time, I would recommend breaking it up between a few areas and staying for a week or so in each spot -- an itinerary like this would give you a good flavor of the state:

Ann Arbor

Grand Rapids

Traverse City and/or Petoskey
Marquette

 

 

Edited February 19 by 3_Jack_Par

[Springsteennut]

The western suburbs of Chicago have a lot going on. Where I live there is plenty of great golf within an hour. Play your golf during the week and you can play some nice courses close to the  $50 dollar mark and some can be less. Several nice little downtown areas. Every weekend in the summer some town has some kind of festival. Lots of micro breweries and restaurants. If your into whiskey there is one of the few estate distilleries in the country called Whiskey Acres in Dekalb. Downtown Chicago is about an hour away. Galena is a couple of hours from me. Great area to spend a weekend and some nice courses there. I’m sure you can find a nice short term rental in your price range.

Edited February 19 by Springsteennut

[Mullenboy]

1 hour ago, Par4Nate said:

 

He could play Los Lagos, or drive down to Monterey and play the Navy short course, Monterey Pines.  But yeah, I don’t know where you’re going to find a decent, real golf course for $50, in San Jose or anywhere else.

Each of those is over $50 most of the time these days.  

The larger problem would be RENT.  It is stupid here.

I just wanted to put in some good words for my town.  🙂

[Par4Nate]

55 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

Each of those is over $50 most of the time these days.  

The larger problem would be RENT.  It is stupid here.

I just wanted to put in some good words for my town.  🙂

 

Nah, he could buy the 10 play card at Monterey Pines and play for like $33 a round!  Ten rounds there and he’d be ready to get on the plane and go home!

[Par4Nate]

I got a better idea for you OP.  Rent a nice RV for a month and do a multi state tour, hitting some cool golf courses along the way.

[pokguyloh]

3 hours ago, Par4Nate said:

 

He could play Los Lagos, or drive down to Monterey and play the Navy short course, Monterey Pines.  But yeah, I don’t know where you’re going to find a decent, real golf course for $50, in San Jose or anywhere else.

he would have to go play Poplar creek and Moffet and maybe Valley Course at twilight on a weekday

[Mullenboy]

2 hours ago, Par4Nate said:

 

Nah, he could buy the 10 play card at Monterey Pines and play for like $33 a round!  Ten rounds there and he’d be ready to get on the plane and go home!

As I said, outside of specials, there are no quality courses that charge less than $50 in our area.  It's stretching it to call Monterey the same area as San Jose also.

Sure lots of our courses are less than $50 at twilight, etc.  Pretty sure that's not what the guy is after.  😉

 

All this being said... I love Monterey Pines.  I've gotten many great deals there via golfnow.  It's a fun course, always in very good condition.

 

[Par4Nate]

40 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

As I said, outside of specials, there are no quality courses that charge less than $50 in our area.  It's stretching it to call Monterey the same area as San Jose also.

Sure lots of our courses are less than $50 at twilight, etc.  Pretty sure that's not what the guy is after.  😉

 

All this being said... I love Monterey Pines.  I've gotten many great deals there via golfnow.  It's a fun course, always in very good condition.

 

 

Agree.  It’s a great course for the deal price.  Gotta be first off though.  That place can make PGA Tour rounds look fast sometimes.

[Golf Pig]

Outdoors, hikes, good restaurants, good vibe, “cheap” golf at least compared to Arizona… how about Denver?

[st1800e]

Which month?   July would be the best.   
Consider Calgary, close to the mountains, ticks a lot of your boxes. Very few $50 rounds here, but our dollar only costs you 70 cents.  
I could go on , but you can find all you need to know on line.  If not just ask.  

[canonlbp430]

Door County, WI? Golf isn't going to be amazing, but fits the budget and excels in everything else you're looking for.

[3_Jack_Par]

17 hours ago, Par4Nate said:

I got a better idea for you OP.  Rent a nice RV for a month and do a multi state tour, hitting some cool golf courses along the way.

That probably wouldn't be ideal if he's working, since I assume he'd need reliable wifi, which could be an issue, depending where they are. 

 

Personally, a month without private indoor plumbing and sleeping in an RV sounds like what Hell must be like, but I know some people enjoy that kind of lifestyle, lol.

[Olson12]

Just now, 3_Jack_Par said:

That probably wouldn't be ideal if he's working, since I assume he'd need reliable wifi, which could be an issue, depending where they are. 

 

Personally, a month without private indoor plumbing and sleeping in an RV sounds like what Hell must be like, but I know some people enjoy that kind of lifestyle, lol.

 

This honestly doesn't sound like a terrible idea.  I will need reliable wifi but my company has offices all across the US so maybe I can do a tour of their offices.

[Olson12]

10 hours ago, Golf Pig said:

Outdoors, hikes, good restaurants, good vibe, “cheap” golf at least compared to Arizona… how about Denver?

 

This is also a decent option. My brother lives up there but I rememember golf being a little on the higher side around $100 or so.  How much are the muni courses in the summer?

[Mullenboy]

Just now, Olson12 said:

 

This honestly doesn't sound like a terrible idea.  I will need reliable wifi but my company has offices all across the US so maybe I can do a tour of their offices.

If only there was someone in this forum who has been doing this for a year plus and could give very good advice.... 🙂

[Jeff58]

@Woytoy23 is correct IMO. The diversity of outdoor opportunities and relatively inexpensive accommodations in Central Oregon are pretty much unique at this point. Feel free to pm it you would like any information.