SWINGING FOR DOLLARS: The price of golfing...

SWINGING FOR DOLLARS: The price of golfing on the newest public courses in Orange County is spiraling (C1). . . . The only two courses built here in the last decade raised weekend green fees this year, with Tustin Ranch Golf Course in Tustin up to $75 and Tijeras Creek in Rancho Santa Margarita up to $55. Three new public courses are planned, but golf rates at each are expected to approach $100. “Over the years, it was the cities that built public courses,” said Bob Johns, PGA professional at H.G. Dad Miller Golf Course in Anaheim. “Cities can’t afford to build courses anymore, and they can’t find the land to build them on if they could afford it.”

Green Fees

Orange County’s five most expensive public golf courses.

Note: Weekend rates, including carts

Tustin Ranch: $75

Monarch Beach: $75

Tijeras Creek: $60

Rancho San Joaquin: $41

San Juan Hills: $25

Source: Individual clubs