I am a member at one of the top public courses in Maine and as long as you go over in the early evening, you can play alone and pretty much have the entire course to yourself, most of the time.

I wouldn't join a course where I didn't have that option. Playing all the time on a course that resembles a sardine can is not fun to me. I want to be able to go to the first tee without even checking with the pro shop. So long as it is not the middle of the day, I can do that and I play a great course, not some dump.