How San Antonio Kids Can Play City Golf Courses for $5

A City Built on Public Golf

San Antonio's public golf story starts at Brackenridge Park. In 1899, philanthropist George W. Brackenridge donated more than 100 acres of land to the city to create the park. When the golf course opened there in 1916 as Municipal Golf Course, it became the Alamo City's first public course, with greens fees under a dollar.

The course was designed and built by noted architect A.W. Tillinghast, and the Texas Golf Hall of Fame calls it the oldest 18-hole public golf course in Texas. The first Texas Open was played there in 1922, and the tournament stayed at Brackenridge in most years through 1959. In 1992 the course became the first inductee of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame, and in 2008 the Hall itself moved to Brackenridge.

That history matters for today's juniors. Public golf is not an afterthought in this city. It is where the game here began.

Who Runs the City's Courses Today

San Antonio's city courses are operated by the Municipal Golf Association San Antonio (MGASA), also known as the Alamo City Golf Trail. The nonprofit corporation partnered with the City of San Antonio to run the city's golf facilities after City Council approved a management agreement in May 2007, and the Trail reports more than $35 million in capital improvements across its courses since then.

The Trail operates eight golf facilities: Brackenridge Park, Cedar Creek, Mission del Lago, Northern Hills, Olmos Basin, Riverside, Willow Springs and the San Pedro Driving Range & Par 3.

San Antonio is good at getting kids onto the course. The next step is keeping talented kids in competition.

How the $5 Junior Rate Works

The junior rate comes through Youth On Course, a national program that gives members access to golf for $5 or less, and the Alamo City Golf Trail spells out its rules on its Youth On Course page. Any junior 18 and under with an active Youth On Course membership qualifies. At Brackenridge Park, Cedar Creek, Mission del Lago, Northern Hills, Olmos Basin, Riverside and Willow Springs, members pay a $5 walking green fee. The San Pedro Par 3 and Riverside Par 3 cost even less, with a $3 green fee, and juniors can play them any time, seven days a week.

Timing matters at the 18-hole courses, where the junior rate applies Monday through Thursday after 10 a.m. and on Fridays, weekends and holidays after 1 p.m. Range balls are not included, and neither are tournament, competitive or camp rounds. Members with a valid driver's license can rent a cart at regular cart rates. Either way, remember to bring proof of an active Youth On Course membership.

How to Sign Up

A parent or guardian registers the junior through the Join Youth On Course link on the Alamo City Golf Trail's Youth On Course page, which leads to the Texas Golf Association. Rates and times can change, so check the Trail's page or call the course before you go.

Families with a beginner may want to start small. The two par-3 courses are the gentlest introduction to the game. They are shorter, they cost $3, and juniors can play them any day of the week.

Part of a Fast-Growing National Program

Youth On Course began in 2006. By 2025 it had reached 394,000 members nationwide, up 59% in a single year, and those members played 1.52 million rounds, up 46%. The organization estimates that families saved $22.9 million that year.

San Antonio juniors are part of a much bigger trend. Just under 4 million juniors played golf on a course in 2025, the most since 2004, a rise we explore in junior golf is booming.

What $5 Rounds Can't Cover

Cheap practice rounds are a gift, especially in summer, when a junior can play several times a week. But read the fine print again. Tournament and competitive rounds are not included, and that is by design. Youth On Course exists to open the door to the game, not to fund a competitive schedule.

Competition is where the costs climb. A single American Junior Golf Association event costs $95 to $295 just to enter, and the average U.S. sports family spent $1,016 on a child's primary sport in 2024, up 46% since 2019. Lessons, fitted clubs and travel come on top of that. For local junior events, the Alamo City Golf Trail points families to the On Par Golf Junior Tour.

This is the gap Future Golfers of America was built to fill. San Antonio does a good job of getting kids onto the course. FGA helps the talented, competitive ones afford the tournaments, equipment, coaching and travel that come next.

Know a Junior Who Is Ready for More?

If you know a competitive junior in San Antonio or the surrounding area, any parent, coach, mentor or community leader can nominate them for FGA's Founding Athlete Class through November 30, 2026. It is free, and you can see who is eligible first.

Have clubs your family has outgrown? New and gently used clubs, bags, shoes and apparel can be dropped off for FGA at Golf Club of Texas or Edwin Watts Golf in San Antonio (see drop-off details). You can also give to the #DriveForJuniors Holiday Drive, which runs through December 31.

Common Questions

Sources

• Alamo City Golf Trail, Youth On Course
• Alamo City Golf Trail, About Us
• Texas Golf Hall of Fame, Brackenridge Park Golf Course
• Youth on Course, "Youth on Course Celebrates 20 Years of Historic Growth and Impact" (January 13, 2026)
• National Golf Foundation, Golf Industry Facts (2025 data)
• American Junior Golf Association, Tournament Fees and Benefits
• Aspen Institute Project Play, family spending on youth sports survey (2025)
• Future Golfers of America, Nominate a Competitive Junior Golfer
• Future Golfers of America, #DriveForJuniors Holiday Drive