Staggering rise in green fees revealed by new research

Just eight of the UK’s top 100 golf courses have kept their green fees the same for the 2025 season…

Green fees at the best golf courses in the UK have risen by a record amount from last year, according to new research.

Using the Golf World UK and Ireland Ranking, David Jones, who runs the website UK Golf Guy, has worked out that the average green fee for a top-100 course is £237 – ranging from £600 at Turnberry to £40 at Shiskine.

This represents an 10.7% increase on last year, when the average green fee in the top 100 was £214. Perhaps more concerning is the fact the average has increased almost 50% from as recently as 2021.

The largest single increase from 2024 to this year is at Castlerock, in Northern Ireland, where the green fee is up 41% to £225, except in July where it will leap up 69% to £270 – though that at least makes some sense given The Open is being held around the corner at Royal Portrush. (While we’re here, that’s up 13% to £385.)  

Other significant risers include Pennard (up 40% to £175), St Enodoc (up 33% to £200), Burnham & Berrow (up 30% to £195), and Nairn (up 30% to £300).

Jones also notes that several courses have raised their green fees by more than 100% in the last 10 years – including North Berwick, which was £100 in 2015 and £285 in 2025 (185%), and Royal Dornoch, which is up to £320 from £120 (167%).

The No.1 ranked course in both our UK & Ireland and World lists, St Andrews’ Old, has risen 6% to £340 – though you can play it for less than £50 under a new scheme from the Links Trust.

Only eight courses – Ganton (£250), Hankley Common (£195), West Sussex (£175), Machrihanish Dunes (£130), Castletown (£165), Southerness (£100), Lough Erne (£150) and Boat of Garten (£100) – have kept their summer green fees on par with last year.

Perhaps the most concerning number for golfers, though, is the fact that green fees are far outpacing inflation in the UK – which is currently 2.8%.

Jones also spoke to a quarter of the clubs on the list and found out that member subs rose by an average of 4.8% while green fees at the same 26 clubs were up 11.8%.

It will come as little surprise, then, that business growth agency The Revenue Club revealed recently that visitor income in the UK hit record highs in 2024.

After surveying 202 clubs in Great Britain and Ireland, it was found the average club generated more than £170,000 in green fee income over the course of the year – an 11% increase on the previous 12 months.

Chris Knight, a director of The Revenue Club, said: “The uplift in green fee prices has been one of the key growth drivers throughout the year, with a 4% rise to £28.04 per person for the whole year.

“This is slightly above the inflation rate and has resulted from many golf course operators passing on increased operating costs to the customer, and a general acceptance of higher prices for many consumers.”

• You can read all of David Jones’ green fee research on the UK Golf Guy website