Some types of golf courses are private, open only to those golfers who pay to join the club. But a public course can be played by anyone*.
Public courses generally fall into two categories:
- Municipal courses: Golf courses owned by goverment, usually cities.
- Daily fee courses: Courses open to the public but privately owned, generally more upscale and more expensive than municipals.
Even courses that aren't typically termed "public" can be played by most golfers. Resort courses and semi-private courses generally aren't that difficult to get onto, provided you can afford the green fees, of course.
(*This is not always fully accurate even for public golf courses. It costs money to play a golf course, after all, and some public courses a priced well above the means of many golfers. And a small percentage of public golf courses require golfers meet certain handicap levels in order to play.)
See also:
Different types of golf courses
