#weallwannaplaygolf - Your Max Green Fee Thoughts

[The Dansome]

I just tweeted this and want to hear from you on the site too.

 

$50 should be tops - let's get https://twitter.com/search?q=%23golf&src=hash">#golf's #greenfees down to something more affordable and get participation back up #weallwannaplaygolf

— GolfSpy MBP (@GolfSpy_MBP) May 23, 2014

 

There's a lot of talk these days about participation being down in golf and I'm constantly thinking even a $65 green fee is criminal. So let's hear your say - What should a max green fee be for you standard public course?

[Mr_Theoo]

I don't pay anything more than $35. I use golfnow to book 90% of my tee times. It makes it not only easy but reasonable prices to play a nice course in my area

[jaxbeachpackerfan]

Around Jacksonville, we don't have many regular muni public courses, but there are a lot of housing development courses that allow public access.  Generally we pay $30 to $40 per round, including cart.  At one course you have to buy a seasonal card to get that rate, but that only costs $25.  Funny you posted that just now, 'cause I make the tee times for our weekday group and I just made one at Omni Amelia Oak Marsh course (as in the just completed Big Break Florida show) for $75 pp.  That's higher than any we have booked thus far.   I'm wondering how many of our group will be willing to pay that.  We'll see, I'll let you know.

[westy]

It's a funny one the max green fee issue; my local public course is a s cheap as £10 (17 dollars) at certain times. It's wide open, hard to lose balls and never to slow to get round. In short it's fun.

 

Is it interesting? Not really. Is it hard? Nope. Would you travel to play it? No. Can you make a load of birdies and be in the bar 3.5 hours later? Yep.

 

But for a bit of fun for 17 dollars, yep great.

 

Frankly my course green fees at around 50 dollars are too much - but people pay them! More fool them I reckon. Many of the newer resort courses in the uk have great offers available because frankly it's the only way they can get paying custom. So you can get great deals at Celtic Manor for instance.

 

On occasion I'm happy to pay silly money to play a course, but I can't afford to do it often. I'd pay the money to play Wentworth, belfry, pebble beach, cran sur Sierre.......

 

Of course I pay 12-1400 dollars a year to be a member of a course - so I don't really want to pay to many green fees!

[whiskey golf]

I think that city courses should have a max fee so that if you can't afford other private courses, then you can at least go to the city course. I think that $50 is reasonable for a limit, some courses do overcharge a lot and aren't that good. But private courses or clubs should be able to charge whatever they want since it's a business.

[L.I. Rich]

Bit of a thread-jack here...People will pay what they can afford to pay, and I think that's really why participation is down.  The economy overall stinks, people are un- or underemployed, and golf isn't cheap.  Where I live, it's hard to play for less than $50 if you're a weekend golfer.  The cheapest public weekend greens fees are $40+ without a cart, and usually a cart is mandated.  Golf isn't boring and doesn't need to be changed to attract younger players.  Many twenty-somethings (most??) need to make tough choices to try to get out of all their student loan debt.  They're living with their parents and putting off home purchases and starting families because they're coming out of school with the equivalent of a mortgage and poor job prospects.  So, when today's typical twenty five year old, making $600/week wants recreation/entertainment, they're not going to drop large (or any) greens fees very often.  And if I had one living in my basement (my kids aren't at that stage yet), and he was dropping $70+ per week on golf and not saving for a house or paying off his debt, we'd be having some conversations about priorities.

End Rant.

[GolfSpy WD]

$40+ to walk 18 is typical in the Boston area. Add another $20 for a cart if you want. No way anyone is dropping their fees.

[silver & black]

$50 is as much as I will pay, and that is only once or twice a year. I spend $330 every year for a membership at my local course. That allows me to play a round of 18 for $12 w/cart on weekends and $10 w/cart on weekdays. We do play different courses during the year but, we almost never pay more than $35 w/cart. Granted, these aren't what you'd call country club quality tracks by any means but, it's still golf and it's still fun.

[Jmikecpa]

Public golf on Long Island is fairly inexpensive if you use golf now. I rarely pay over $50 to play anywhere. The county and town courses are $30 to walk on the weekends and $17 more for a cart. It may just be the most reasonable activity on the island.

[MattF]

I, like Mr. Theoo, use online sites (tee off, golfnow, etc) to get the best deals and some of them make me baulk a bit.

 

However, I may be playing at Firestone (West) this year and that is around $120...but it is a part of Firestone.

 

 

PS: Good luck getting on Firestone South, impossible and about $250 for a guest of a member.

[L.I. Rich]

Public golf on Long Island is fairly inexpensive if you use golf now. I rarely pay over $50 to play anywhere. The county and town courses are $30 to walk on the weekends and $17 more for a cart. It may just be the most reasonable activity on the island.

You're right, there are opportunities to play for about $50, but you're really right about it being reasonable relative to everything else. It's not cheap to live here.

[Jmikecpa]

Long Island pricing makes Disney look like they are running a not for profit.

[silver & black]

I, like Mr. Theoo, use online sites (tee off, golfnow, etc) to get the best deals and some of them make me baulk a bit.

 

However, I may be playing at Firestone (West) this year and that is around $120...but it is a part of Firestone.

 

 

PS: Good luck getting on Firestone South, impossible and about $250 for a guest of a member.

 

Funny you should mention Firestone. I'm playing there tomorrow as a guest with my brother on the North course.

[RookieBlue7]

I've paid anywhere from $9 per 9 to over. $200 for 18. If it's a course I want to play and is in my budget I really don't care what the fees are

[Blade]

My favorite course close by is $114 on weekends.  I don't do that very often definitely.  The off season rate is $59 which is much better and that's the Mon-Thur rate in the summer.  I'm just not able to play those days so that rarely works for me.

 

The muni courses I play are $40-50.  I think that's high for what you get, especially one of them.  It's a rather boring course and they never have a beverage cart making rounds anymore.  Don't know what's up with that.  The other one I go to frequently is actually very nice.  The course is in much better shape.  It has interesting terrain and holes and keeps 2 cart girls making the rounds.  Both of these have the same pricing in the same city not far apart from each other.  I don't know why it's such a different experience from one to the other.

[MattF]

 

I, like Mr. Theoo, use online sites (tee off, golfnow, etc) to get the best deals and some of them make me baulk a bit.

 

However, I may be playing at Firestone (West) this year and that is around $120...but it is a part of Firestone.

 

 

PS: Good luck getting on Firestone South, impossible and about $250 for a guest of a member.

 

Funny you should mention Firestone. I'm playing there tomorrow as a guest with my brother on the North course.

 

 

Nice!

[fozcycle]

Around Tampa Bay, most public courses can be played for $35 - $50. Since we play every Saturday year round, we get a$29.99 rate.....Currently, we average 40 players, so, they gladly give us a discount. I guess it's a moot point for me now, because, after 5 years of running the Saturday game, I got an offer that I couldn't refuse......so now I am a member at Pebble Creek. This also gives me acces to the other courses owned by Ace Golf, Wentworth GC & Crescent Oaks, both are about 40 minutes away but very nice. So We play the other courses every couple of months. Soon, we will get to play Cheval GC because Ace bought the debt on the course. If they miss a payment, Ace gets the course. Now Cheval is a $75 to $100 course.

[Flv02]

The most I pay is usually $40. I play all of the private courses in charity tournaments that I don't spend a dollar on (such as Trump National) so I don't feel the need to splurge to get a taste of an expensive course. With websites like GolfNow there's no reason to spend more in the lower counties of New York. There's always a deal of some kind at some course nearby. As far as vacations to Myrtle Beach, I'll spend a little more, but not by much. We usually get a discount so I don't spend more than $50. Plus, with all of the rewards incentives, you can literally play courses like TPC Myrtle Beach or King's North for nothing.

[The Dansome]

Man I'm jealous, $46 is the cheapest around Vancouver for a quality course and that's city run. I got Zach from BestGrips up here next week and I bet we average $60/round...

 

Also bringing this topic up cause I broke my cardinal rule and got burnt, I won't spend over $100 on golf typically. Played Turtle Bay in Hawaii last month for $105 twilight with aotearoabrad and what a waste that was...

[wbealsd]

Most courses around here are under $50 for 18 w/cart, with the cart fee about the same as the walking fee.  There are discounts available with punch passes, the South Dakota Players Card, Sioux Falls Coupon book, etc. that are mostly pay for 9 play 18 for the price of 9 with a cart (weekdays).

 

Local course memberships vary from some small town muni's around $550-$600 for cart & play (they generally don't have a range) to around $1100 to $1900 for bigger muni's & country clubs with range-course-cart.

 

I was fortunate that the nicest country club in my area, which is only 7 miles from my house, had a new member special of $999 for full membership (normally $1800 + tax).

 

There's a new organization that's expanding into the state that currently has a 6 course package, although the closest courses are an hour away from me, that have annual memberships for exercise facilities and golf that range from $600 per year for walkers to $1800 per year w/cart.  The courses are all good quality courses and I hope the competition helps to keep fees reasonable.

 

A few years ago, despite our shorter golfing season, South Dakota was rated as one of the better states for golf, largely based on fees plus the quantity and quality of the courses.

[jaxbeachpackerfan]

Around Jacksonville, we don't have many regular muni public courses, but there are a lot of housing development courses that allow public access.  Generally we pay $30 to $40 per round, including cart.  At one course you have to buy a seasonal card to get that rate, but that only costs $25.  Funny you posted that just now, 'cause I make the tee times for our weekday group and I just made one at Omni Amelia Oak Marsh course (as in the just completed Big Break Florida show) for $75 pp.  That's higher than any we have booked thus far.   I'm wondering how many of our group will be willing to pay that.  We'll see, I'll let you know.

Well, we got the full complement of eight for tomorrow at $75 Oak Marsh.  Guess the opportunity to play a different course at a $50 discount from their regular rate won out.  We had only one person say it was too much.  Wife asked if we have to hit over those walls.

 

Its aeration season.  I'm struggling to find a course for next week's game that hasn't just punched!

[Kenny B]

My favorite course close by is $114 on weekends.  I don't do that very often definitely.  The off season rate is $59 which is much better and that's the Mon-Thur rate in the summer.  I'm just not able to play those days so that rarely works for me.

 

The muni courses I play are $40-50.  I think that's high for what you get, especially one of them.  It's a rather boring course and they never have a beverage cart making rounds anymore.  Don't know what's up with that.  The other one I go to frequently is actually very nice.  The course is in much better shape.  It has interesting terrain and holes and keeps 2 cart girls making the rounds.  Both of these have the same pricing in the same city not far apart from each other.  I don't know why it's such a different experience from one to the other.

 

At $114, you must be talking about Paa-Ko.  Tough, but I love that course.  I have played most all courses in ABQ and the prices are reasonable, but very crowded on the weekends.  

 

Here in the Pacific Northwest, the prices vary A LOT!  Local munis are typically $50 in the summer, but some resort wannabes charge $100+.  I pay about $900 a year at my local course, and can play basically anytime unless there is a tournament.  It's cheap enough that I feel like I can afford to play other courses once or twice a month.  When I travel, I always look for quality courses at the most affordable times. Nice rates in Palm Springs right about now!!

[txgolfjunkie]

I am jealous of folks living in big golf tourist towns. Phoenix residents get 50-70% off the green fee us visitors have to pay. 

 

If it's a great course (i.e. Troon North in Scottsdale, Torrey Pines in SD, Kananaskis/Stewart Creek up in Canada), then I have no problem paying a hefty fee. Sometimes you just have to splurge on golf but not regularly. 

 

But I can't stand some of the fees they charge around my part of the country (Houston, TX).

 

Here's my rant:

• I want courses to offer a discount rate when they are in the middle of overseeding/sanding/punching their greens.
• I want courses to offer condition updates regularly so you knew what you're getting into before dropping $70+.
• I want courses to offer a few tee times a day at a crazy discount rate like on golfnow.
• I want courses to schedule tournaments on the weekdays, not the weekends. 
• I want courses to give the locals a break on green fees, or have some sort of discount card. 
• I think every public course should offer some sort of 'membership'. It's guaranteed revenue for the course and golfers get discounts on green fees, carts, range balls, etc. The course I grew up playing in Waco does this and it has done wonders for their cash flow. Memberships are a couple hundred a year but you pay a nominal fee for golf and carts are half price. After about 15 rounds, it's paid off...and golf season is 9-10 months.

End rant.

 

Great post MBP. 

[The Dansome]

I am jealous of folks living in big golf tourist towns. Phoenix residents get 50-70% off the green fee us visitors have to pay. 

 

If it's a great course (i.e. Troon North in Scottsdale, Torrey Pines in SD, Kananaskis/Stewart Creek up in Canada), then I have no problem paying a hefty fee. Sometimes you just have to splurge on golf but not regularly. 

 

But I can't stand some of the fees they charge around my part of the country (Houston, TX).

 

Here's my rant:

• I want courses to offer a discount rate when they are in the middle of overseeding/sanding/punching their greens.
• I want courses to offer condition updates regularly so you knew what you're getting into before dropping $70+.
• I want courses to offer a few tee times a day at a crazy discount rate like on golfnow.
• I want courses to schedule tournaments on the weekdays, not the weekends. 
• I want courses to give the locals a break on green fees, or have some sort of discount card. 
• I think every public course should offer some sort of 'membership'. It's guaranteed revenue for the course and golfers get discounts on green fees, carts, range balls, etc. The course I grew up playing in Waco does this and it has done wonders for their cash flow. Memberships are a couple hundred a year but you pay a nominal fee for golf and carts are half price. After about 15 rounds, it's paid off...and golf season is 9-10 months.

End rant.

 

Great post MBP. 

 

I WANT ALL THIS TOO!!

 

Great post yourself TX

[jaxbeachpackerfan]

Well, we got the full complement of eight for tomorrow at $75 Oak Marsh.  Guess the opportunity to play a different course at a $50 discount from their regular rate won out.  We had only one person say it was too much.  Wife asked if we have to hit over those walls.

 

Its aeration season.  I'm struggling to find a course for next week's game that hasn't just punched!

I'm happy to report that we had a great experience at Omni Oak Marsh.  We were pleasantly surprised by the design and conditioning of the course (and its beauty!  Probably the 'prettiest' course I've played in Florida, with the awesome marsh views and big ol' live oaks covered in spanish moss).  Plus, finished the round in 3:20!!  But to the point, after the round we talked to the pro and were able to negotiate a $50 pp fee (including everything) for our group until our course opens back up in September.  We'll definitely be including this (and its sister course) in our rota!  Not bad for a Pete Dye resort course!

[revkev]

Here's the ridiculous thing - there is a proliferation of golf courses in Florida so much so that some very nice ones have closed.  That means paying 35-50 is the norm for really good tracks - I pay 24 for my league course, the other two courses that I regularly play are under 40 in the summer and one used to host an LPGA event, the other a PGA tour event - they are always in good if not great shape.

 

Not only that I can play World Woods in the summer for around 30 and that includes a course that is in the top 25 you can play and top 100 in the world period.  (Whether it really is or not is the topic for discussion but that's what it's rated on all those silly lists.)  I can also play TPC Tampa Bay for $59.

 

That brings me to MBP's rant.  I get it.  When I lived in Wisconsin I either payed a bundle or played on a crappy course that really wasn't much fun.  It's because the season was so short and we had Blackwolf/Whistling straits in our back yard - you have a $400 course and everyone else jacks the prices.  It was in the $75 range for anything decent - if I drove 45 minutes there was a reasonable course that I could play for $35 but that made for a long day.

 

I don't think it's all about the money though, I think it's about the value.  Westy mentioned a course that was $17, could be played in less than three and a half hours and was fun - that's the key - the game needs to get back to being entertaining rather than laborious.  Too often its laborious and unless someone really enjoys it they aren't laying out the money and time to play.

[westy]

If a course is cheap, you can accept it not being pebble beach.

 

The course I mentioned can charge those amounts because it was designed carefully to be resistant to weather - aside from snow it's never closed. Open from 7am till 9pm at this time of year here. So it doesn't need to charge silly money. It's got big greens so they can move the pins round and protect them - greens are the same speed the whole season.

 

Hard to lose lots of balls (if you don't hit it in a pond), don't have lots of searching either - fun for newer golfers, kids and on occasion better players.

 

It's 5 minutes from the house, I wouldn't be a member there but it's nice to know its always open if I want a game when my course (15 minutes away) is closed - which is sadly an issue. Mind you if the greens at my place don't improve......

[DanUsh]

Courses by me in New Jersey are extremely overpriced.  Many course reach anywhere from 75- over 100 for a weekend round.  There are deals on GolfNow but you have to have the flexibility to act on them.  I will drive to Delaware or Pennsylvania to play courses that are just as nice as the ones by me for half the price.  The overpriced courses are also driving up the rates of the cheaper courses too because they try to get the max for them.  I think the max price should be around $50-75 because then other courses prices would come down.  I know the USGA is trying to promote Brown is the new green to cut down on environmental impact and cost of running courses which we could all hope we would eventually see the benefits of in our pockets.

 

Greens that are a little slower would cut on cost of watering them because the longer grass wouldn't burn out like the shorter cut.  Also it would speed up play with less three putts.  

 

Sorry but i know there is a lot that goes into the pricing of courses and feel that the many "issues" that golf may have right now are all linked.  

[AH1980MN]

i remember paying a junior fee of $5 at my local muni when i was a kid. this is what golf needs.

[revkev]

Heck I remember paying $75 for a summer pass at the 9 hole muni in Ithaca while a college student there. I made about that a week at my Job which was not a high paying gig.

 

I am so for less rough, moderate paced greens, two sets of tees, all ob being played under lateral hazard rule and anything else that might speed up play and hold down costs a bit.