Saratoga National, the Sagamore on Lake George and a rental home in Saratoga Springs are the plan. A 15% lodging tax, golf bag fees, a car from Albany and racing-season room rates from July to Labor Day are what push the total up.
Plan my golf trip for me: budget, dates and courses →Starts with a sample trip. Change any number to match yours. Set up your travel profile to fill these in for you.
Compare hotels in Saratoga Springs →Pick each course you'll play (one round per golfer) and we'll price it for your group. Prices are per golfer for 18 holes, with the season and time of day you choose. Your picks set “Green fees per golfer (whole trip)” in your budget.
420 courses around Saratoga & Adirondacks that take public tee times, by city, with peak green fees. Private member clubs are left out.
The area's top public course, a few minutes from the racetrack, with water carries on the back nine and an island-green par 3 at 15; rates climb during racing season (mid-July to Labor Day).
golfdigest.com golfpass.comA state-park course of tall pines over 7,000 yards from the back, next to the Gideon Putnam hotel and the Roosevelt Baths; there is also a 9-hole executive course.
parks.ny.gov golfdigest.comHilly woodland course at the south end of Saratoga Lake that plays longer than its 6,284 yards, with a par 4 that drops 70 feet over a pond.
practical-golf.com golfpass.comA 1928 Donald Ross course in the hills above Lake George; cart is included, there is a dress code (no denim or T-shirts), and the season ends Oct 31.
opalcollection.com visitlakegeorge.comOpen, wind-exposed links-style course with big views of the High Peaks, the longer and tougher of the club's two 18s.
lakeplacid.com golfpass.comClassic tree-lined course on the shore of Lake Placid with tight fairways and mountain views; walking is allowed any time.
lakeplacid.com iloveny.comShorter, hillier MacKenzie-redesigned course with tree-lined holes and views of Mount Marcy; there is also a 9-hole par-3 course for a quick evening round.
lakeplacid.com golfpass.comLake Placid's town course, named for the 1941 Masters champion, with one nine in the valley and one in the woods and mountain views throughout.
lakeplacid.com craigwoodgolfclub.comA 1921 Devereux Emmet design just north of Saratoga with rolling fairways and mounded greens; it has hosted U.S. Open qualifiers and New York State Amateurs.
golfpass.com chronogolf.comA former dairy farm near Glens Falls that once hosted the New York State Open, with a covered driving range and a pub on site.
golfdigest.com golfadvisor.comA relaxed public course on the Lake George border with a big practice green and a bar and kitchen in the clubhouse.
visitlakegeorge.com cdn-golflink.comWinds through a working apple orchard west of Albany, with good views and a strong finish; weekday summer specials are good value.
practical-golf.com orchardcreek.comA 1900s Seymour Dunn course on Upper Saranac Lake, known for well-kept greens, with an on-site motel; about 2 hours from Saratoga.
saranacinn.com golfnow.comCut into the side of French Mountain above Lake George with lake views; short and friendly for mixed groups, with an inn and restaurant on site.
visitlakegeorge.com golfnow.comA walkable 1935 city course with quick, subtle greens and a well-loved layout at a bargain price.
practical-golf.com nysga.orgBig elevation changes and fast greens between Albany and Saratoga, with a reachable par-5 7th over water; there is also an executive course.
practical-golf.com golfdigest.comThree nines of varying difficulty between Albany and Saratoga, with junior tees, so groups of mixed ability can pick their 18.
practical-golf.com golflink.comBuilt around a working airstrip, with covered bridges and a cattle farm on the back nine, about 15 minutes north of Saratoga.
golfpass.com wnyt.comA family-run course on the Hudson River north of Lake George, with cottages and motel rooms for stay-and-play trips.
visitlakegeorge.com cdn-golflink.comA 27-hole town course outside Albany with tree-lined holes and Depression-era history, one of the cheapest rounds in the area.
practical-golf.com greenfeetracker.comThe sample is 4 travelers for 4 nights. Your plan ($8,412) covers the main costs most people budget for, the ones you enter on the left. Costs people forget ($3,045, about 36% more for this trip) are the fees, taxes, tips and extras listed in the calculator. Prices were last checked on October 17, 2026.
Share of the $11,457 real cost. Nights and travelers multiply most of these costs, so changing either one moves the total the most.
12 of this trip's numbers link to a published price or rate. The rest are our estimates, and each one says what it is based on. You can also read how we calculate every trip.
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Green fees per golfer (whole trip) | $650 per traveler | Four peak-summer rounds: Saratoga National about $250 (no published rate; reviewers report about $220 and GolfLink estimates $320), the Sagamore $235 (published 2026 non-guest rate), McGregor Links about $85 and Saratoga Spa State Park about $80, all with cart. Judgment call. Source |
| Rental home per night (whole group) | $600 a night | AirROI: Saratoga Springs short-term rentals averaged $627 a night in June 2026 ($665 over the year to Sept 2026, small sample). $600 for a 4-bedroom rental home in June, before the racing meet. Judgment call. Source |
| Airfare per person | $453 per traveler | US DOT (BTS) average domestic itinerary fare for Albany (ALB), Q2 2026: $452.69 (Q1 2026 was $429.74). Source |
| Food per person, per day | $80 per traveler, per day | GSA FY2027 meals and incidentals (M&IE) rate for Saratoga Springs / Schenectady (Saratoga and Schenectady counties): $80 a day. Source |
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Checked bag fees | $90 per traveler | Major US airlines charge about $35 to $50 for a first checked bag each way, so about $90 round trip. Source |
| Golf bag fees | $110 per traveler | American, Delta, United and Southwest treat a golf bag as a standard checked bag; a second bag is $55 each way. Source |
| Shipping your clubs Off by default | $108 per traveler | Ground shipping for a golf bag starts around $54 each way. Source |
| Lodging taxes | 15% of the rental home (whole group) | City of Saratoga Springs: 7% sales tax (4% state + 3% local, Avalara) + 5% city occupancy tax (1% city, 2% Discover Saratoga, 2% City Center) + 3% Saratoga County occupancy tax (raised from 1% after Chapter 454 of 2025, signed Oct 16 2025; county vote in Dec 2025; short-term rentals added by Resolution 126-2026) = 15%. Outside the city the total is about 10%. Source |
| Racing-season lodging premium Off by default | 50% of the rental home (whole group) | GSA FY2027 lodging cap for Saratoga Springs is $219 in July and August against $137 the rest of the year (60% higher); rental homes rise less, so we use 50%. Judgment call. Source |
| Rental car | $100 a day | KAYAK at ALB (Nov 2026): SUVs average about $88 a day and vans about $109; July is the priciest month. $100 a day for a large SUV or minivan in summer. Judgment call. Source |
| Drinks on the course | $80 per traveler | Our estimate of about $20 a round for beverage-cart drinks and snacks. Judgment call. Our estimate |
| Golf balls | $55 per traveler | A dozen Titleist Pro V1 balls lists at $55. Source |
| Tips for bag drop and cart staff | $20 per traveler | A few dollars at bag drop and the turn; we use $5 a round. Judgment call. Source |
| Side bets and prizes | $50 per traveler | Our estimate for skins, team bets and a small trophy. Our estimate |
| Lessons and extras you picked Off by default | $0 for the trip | Set by the extras you pick in the tee-time planner. Our estimate |
| Travel insurance | 6% of your plan | Squaremouth says a comprehensive plan averages about 6% of the trip cost, usually 4% to 10%. Source |
| Pre-trip shopping | $60 for the trip | Our estimate for travel-size toiletries, sunscreen and small things bought before a trip. Our estimate |
| Pet boarding or sitter | $50 a day, if you check Pets | Dogster puts regular kennel boarding at about $35 to $85 a night. Overnight sitters at home cost more. Source |
For 4 golfers spending 4 nights in peak summer season, with four rounds each, a rental home, flights and food, plan on about $8,410. Once you add golf bag fees, lodging taxes, rental car, drinks on the course, balls, tips and side bets, it's closer to $11,460, or about $2,860 each. Use the tee-time planner above to price the courses you want.
May and from Labor Day through October. The Sagamore drops from $235 to $180 a round, and Saratoga hotel rates fall from about $219 a night during the racing meet in July and August to about $137. Source
Yes. It is a public course, open April through November, with walking allowed and caddies available. It gets busy during the racing meet, so book early and play in the morning, before the afternoon races. Source
Yes. Denim, cutoffs, T-shirts and swimwear are not allowed. A cart is included, and walking is allowed after 2 pm. You can book up to 30 days ahead, or 31 to 150 days ahead for a $10 fee per player. Source
Albany International (ALB), about 30 miles south on I-87, roughly a 35-minute drive. Lake George and the Sagamore are about an hour north of the airport.