[Aim]  To assess and compare the surface insect diversity of different kinds of golf course turf in Beijing. [Methods]  We conducted a systematic surface trap survey of the insect community of golf course turf in Beijing Qinghe Bay. We analyzed and compared differences in surface insect community diversity indices, seasonal dynamics, and Jaccard similarity coefficients, among four turf types: Rough, green, tee and fairway. [Results]  A total of 1 648 insects were captured, which belonged to 5 orders, 42 families and 93 species. The Margalef richness index of the surface insect community in the rough (2.15) was significantly higher than that in the tee (1.70), the green (1.67), or the fairway (1.49) (P<0.000 1). Its Shannon-Wiener diversity index (1.50) was also significantly higher than that of the green (1.19), the tee (1.06), or the fairway (0.99) (P<0.01). There was, however, no significant difference (P>0.05) in the evenness index and dominant concentration index of surface insect communities in the four turf types. Insect diversity indices of the different turf types basically underwent the same seasonal changes. The Jaccard similarity coefficients of the insect communities in the different turf types ranged from 0.42 to 0.66. [Conclusion]  The Coleoptera are the dominant insect groups in golf course turf. Among the four types of golf course turf, the diversity and richness indices of the rough were significantly higher than those of the other three turf types. There were differences in insect species among the different turf types and the rough had the greatest abundance of surface insects. This research provides a valuable reference for monitoring and assessing insect diversity in urban, artificial, grassland ecosystems.