Golf in Rhode Island
Overview
What golf looks like for retirement in Rhode Island: where to do it, what the state costs, and the towns that fit.
Course sample
Triggs Memorial Golf Course
Golf ranking
#23
Rhode Island scores 72/100 for retirement golf fit.
Current weather
Checking current weather
Find places
This page explains golf in Rhode Island. The sorter handles the local question by city or ZIP.
Golf in Rhode Island
Goddard Memorial State Golf Course in Warwick, the only state-run course in Rhode Island, charges seniors 65 and older $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends. Triggs Memorial Golf Course in Providence offers senior rates of $48 for 18 holes walking on weekdays, and North Kingstown Golf Course hosts over 40,000 rounds per year as one of the state's premier public layouts.
Published local price
Triggs Memorial Golf Course (Providence, RI - public Donald Ross design); weekday 18-hole walking rate. Senior (60+) weekday rate is $48. Weekend rate is $65/$55 senior.
Published range: $48 to $65.
Triggs Memorial Golf Course - 2026 Golf Rates · as of 2026Where to go
Golf score
38th of 51 states for retirement golf
Golf score blends year-round playability (34%), playable access (16%), affordability (16%), course pedigree (12%), and statewide course density (22%).
Courses
A sample of marquee courses across Rhode Island, with where to play and how to book.
Small, strategically bunkered greens with four demanding par 3s · Donald Ross
This is the only true public Donald Ross course in the country, a walkable muni right in Providence. Weekday rates stay friendly and the small, bunkered greens reward a thoughtful round.
Opened 1932 · $ · Slope 129
Open links land with Atlantic views and Sakonnet breezes · Arthur Hills
Often called Rhode Island's best public course, the Orchard layout sweeps over open links land with ocean views. Walking is allowed, though the wind and length make it a real test.
Opened 2002 · $$$$ · Slope 139
Par 3 tenth plays over water from a raised tee amid rock outcrops · Roger Rulewich
Tucked into South County's woods, this is the longest public course in the state, but friendly tees keep it playable. The par 3 tenth over water is the one you will remember.
$$
Scenic water holes and sea breezes on the back nine · Donald Ross
A classic Donald Ross design near the Westerly beaches, open to anyone and walkable. The back nine catches the sea breeze and keeps even a calm round interesting.
Opened 1922 · $$ · Slope 124
Rolling parkland layout with a full bar overlooking the closing greens · Geoffrey Cornish
A welcoming public club just outside Providence with rolling parkland holes and walking allowed. The clubhouse bar overlooks the ninth and eighteenth, an easy place to finish the day.
Opened 1974 · $$ · Slope 125
Year-round parkland course on the east side of Narragansett Bay
This semi-private course in Portsmouth welcomes public play and stays open year round. It is walkable and laid out near the bay, an easygoing par 71 for a relaxed afternoon.
Opened 1923 · $$ · Slope 126
We've mapped 6 courses across Rhode Island so far.
What Rhode Island costs
Cost of living
102
BEA index, U.S. = 100
State income tax
~4.0% state income-tax planning rate
Social Security
Partly taxed
How people start
Most metros list city-run courses with published fee schedules. Those set the affordable floor before any private club enters the picture.
Many courses post a reduced weekday senior rate and a season pass. The difference between pay-per-round and a pass is the number that usually drives the yearly cost.
In warm states the season runs most of the year; in cold ones it is a few months. The yearly cost is rounds-per-year times rate, plus cart and equipment.
Common questions
Goddard Memorial State Golf Course in Warwick, the only state-run course in Rhode Island, charges seniors 65 and older $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends. Triggs Memorial Golf Course in Providence offers senior rates of $48 for 18 holes walking on weekdays, and North Kingstown Golf Course hosts over 40,000 rounds per year as one of the state's premier public layouts.
Rhode Island has a cost-of-living index near 102 (U.S. = 100), about a 4.0% state income-tax planning rate, and taxes some Social Security. The full state guide breaks down property tax, sales tax, and long-term-care costs, each sourced.
Sources
The life your money is for