The Most Budget-Friendly Golf Courses in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico offers something for everyone: beauty, history, hospitality, beaches, culture, wellness, and more. Best of all, there are options for every budget — from lodging to a variety of outdoor activities — and that extends to the island’s 17 golf courses as well.

There are many affordable places to golf on Puerto Rico that showcase the island’s enchanting Caribbean surroundings without breaking the bank. As a reassuring bonus, the island is an American territory exuding a vibrant, safe, and neighborly setting, a place where your spirits – and golf shots – soar.

Here are a few courses to keep in mind:   

El Legado Golf Club

Guayama

Located near the island’s southeast coast, about an hour from San Juan, El Legado Golf Club is home to one of the most distinctive golf courses in Puerto Rico. Designed by golf legend Chi Chi Rodríguez, El Legado is built on 285 acres surrounded by the breathtaking mountains known as the Cordillera Central. Playing rates for 18 holes with golf cart are $60 to $65 for non-residents excluding taxes (prices vary by day of week).

With the Caribbean Sea minutes away, lodging available on-site, and an amazingly tasty restaurant awaiting hungry golfers, El Legado is a winning place on and off the course. It is an 18-hole, par 72 layout measuring 7,200 yards from the rear tees but offering other shorter yardage tee boxes for every player’s desire. A prevailing wind from the Caribbean adds a zesty flavor to a round at El Legado.

Punta Borinquen Golf Club

Aguadilla

Punta Borinquen Golf Club is on the island’s northwestern coast, two hours from San Juan, near Aguadilla. You can fly directly to the area via the Rafael Hernández Airport, which has service from JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, if you aren’t planning on visiting San Juan during your trip. The $40 plus tax it costs to play Punta Borinquen is an exquisite bargain. It has a first-rate layout with holes that are mostly straight with very few blind shots and lots of palm trees. Holes 6 through 12 play along the coast upon a promontory with astounding views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Keep your focus as these holes are among the best on the course. Built on a former Air Force Base in 1940, the golf course was a favorite of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and it retains its retro charm. A modest place with great warmth, Punta Borinquen is one of the greatest values in golf.

Río Bayamón Golf Course

Bayamón

Playing golf in and around San Juan at the many resort courses is an extreme pleasure. For those who seek a fun, more value-priced option, Río Bayamón Golf Course is ideal. Because it is close to the airport (35 minutes), it’s the perfect golf course to play upon arrival (by airplane or cruise ship), or prior to departing. This is a short course that totals 5,020 yards for 18 holes, and shorter from forward tees. It has narrow fairways, near-constant wind, and river, lake, and stream crossings — so it’s action-packed for its size.

The course is both refreshing and a worthy test of golf skills. The lighted driving range is open until 10:00 p.m. on Monday through Saturday (open Sunday until 8:00 p.m.). The cost to play Río Bayamón for adult non-Puerto Rico residents is $65 and includes golf cart. For those who prefer to walk when playing, the cost is $30 (7:00–11:00 a.m., Mondays and Wednesdays). The site was a former trash dump, but the municipality had the wonderful vision to clean up the environment and create this popular green space that includes restaurant, bar, and more.

Caguas Real Golf and Country Club

Caguas

Located on the east side of Puerto Rico, the golf course at Caguas Real Golf and Country Club features a relatively flat and benign front nine that transitions to the hilly terrain of the boisterous back nine. Best of all, the golf course offers a special $60 rate excluding taxes for two players Tuesday through Thursday. There are other budget-friendly options on different times of day or day of the week. Call the club, which is located inland 19 miles south of San Juan, to find out what’s available as special rates can vary.

A parkland-style course designed by golf architect John Sanford, Caguas Real measures 6,379 yards and plays to par 70. As a bonus, an appealing after-golf activity near Caguas is visiting Carite Forest Reserve, a 6,000-acre reserve with a dwarf forest. The highest point is Cerro La Santa, at 3,000 feet. From several peaks there are panoramic views of Ponce and the Caribbean Sea. Fifty species of birds live in the forest, making this spot a recognized area for birding.