Golf inside the five boroughs is its own category: municipal pricing, subway and bus access for some courses, city pace on weekends, and one premium links that plays like a resort. Ranked for a golfer starting in Manhattan.
Our take: Ferry Point is the best course in the city. Van Cortlandt is the best city golf experience for the money and the only one that starts with a subway ride.
Championship conditioning, a real links test, skyline views. Around $175 resident and $230 to $265 visitor at peak in recent listings. Thirty to forty minutes by car from Downtown Manhattan. Book it for a client round or a treat, not as your weekly game.
The oldest public course in America, opened in 1895, and still the most charming city round. Take the 1 train to 242nd Street and walk in. Published rates in recent seasons run roughly $50 to $70 for 18 holes depending on day and residency, less at twilight. Hilly, treelined, slow on weekend afternoons, and worth it.
The better of the two Pelham Bay courses and a genuine test at muni prices. Pairs with the Pelham nine for a 27 hole day. About 40 minutes by car from Downtown.
The closest full course to Lower Manhattan geographically, in Bay Ridge under the Verrazzano side of Brooklyn. Recent published rates roughly $26 to $66 depending on time and residency. The D, R, and W trains plus a bus get you there, a car is faster at about 40 minutes.
A historic 1896 course in Woodhaven, recently the most improved city muni story, with rates in the same $26 to $52 published band in recent seasons. About 40 minutes by car from Downtown.
Marine Park in Brooklyn is the longest city course and a legitimately good test when the wind is up. Staten Island has La Tourette and Silver Lake, both pleasant, both a real trip from Manhattan. Clearview and Kissena in Queens and the Douglaston nine serve their neighborhoods well.
What is your home city course, and where would you rank it on this list?
Please cite a specific hole, a price, or a round you have played. Selected reader responses are featured in follow up coverage.
Can you get to a city course without a car?
Yes. Van Cortlandt is a short walk from the 242nd Street 1 train station. Dyker Beach and Forest Park are train plus bus trips. Ferry Point effectively requires a car or a taxi.
What is the cheapest full round in the city?
Weekday twilight at the munis, in the $26 to $40 range in recent published seasons. Prices in this guide were checked in October 2026 against published course listings and recent reporting. Greens fees move by season, day, and residency, so confirm the exact rate when you book. Private clubs do not publish initiation fees or dues. Every private figure here is an estimate band based on public reporting, labeled as an estimate, and the only accurate number comes from a club's membership office.