HighFade Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Funny you mention green fees, cuz I just noticed everybody in Denver raised fees pretty substantially this year. Last year, denver courses averaged 50-65 for a decent non-city course. This year I played a few early bird rounds during the week (when I was not working) for $35. Now that same course wants $75. I played one of my few weekend rounds at a cow pasture city course a couple weeks ago, and it was $50 + cart. The nicer courses want 100-150. This is getting out of hand... There is no spoon. WITB TaylorMade M3 Callaway Diablo 15° Callaway Diablo 18° Callaway Steelhead XR Pro 4-W Mizuno TP-4 50, 54, 58 TaylorMade Rossa Monza Spyder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxbeachpackerfan Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Funny you mention green fees, cuz I just noticed everybody in Denver raised fees pretty substantially this year. Last year, denver courses averaged 50-65 for a decent non-city course. This year I played a few early bird rounds during the week (when I was not working) for $35. Now that same course wants $75. I played one of my few weekend rounds at a cow pasture city course a couple weeks ago, and it was $50 + cart. The nicer courses want 100-150. This is getting out of hand... There's a lot of IT jobs in Jacksonville. Just sayin' Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts.In my Ogio Ozone XX Cart Stand Bag:Ping G400 10.5 Deg Driver, stock Stiff shaftTM Rocketballz 19 Deg 5 Wood, stock Matrix Osik Stiff shaftTM Rocketballz Stage 2 21 Deg Tour 4 Hybrid, Rocketfuel 80h Stiff shaft Callaway Apex CF 16 Irons, 4-P, Stiff Shafts Scor 48 and 55 degree wedges. Renegar 60 Deg Steel Shaft Lob WedgeTM Ghost Spider Si 38" Counterbalanced Putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfSpy Barbajo Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Two courses 'round here I play the most range from $31 walking (easy walking course) to $43 walking, $60 w/cart (no way that course is worth $60). We have 3 "destination" type courses in town, with feed ranging from $80 to $100 with cart - only 1 of them is worth it, imo. Those are once-a-season courses for me. Been playing in some TwinCitiesGolf.com tournaments this year and getting to see a variety of courses for anywhere from $30 to $50/round - which is a nice discount, and the Hack To Jack program gives us free entry to a half-dozen tourney's. Also have the MNPGA discount card, with offers free "try-it" rounds at some courses, as well as lots of 2-for-1's - the problem is most of the courses are WAY out of the way. Agree that memberships are great for cash flow - best deal around is a suburban course offering a membership for under $1,000 for the season if you walk - play all you want, no restrictions. Others offer a "Player's Card," which gives you 50% off greens fees for the season. That said, got to play Wolf Creek in Mesquite, NV earlier this season - $200 greens fee and it was absolutely, positively worth every penny. Would do it again in a heartbeat! What's in the bag: Driver: TSR3; DynaPWR Carbon FW Wood: DynaPWR 3-wood; TSR 2+ Hybrids: PXG Gen4 18-degree Utility Irons: ZX MkII 20* Irons:; 699/699 Pro V2 Combo; D9 Forged; MT86 (coming soon!); VIP 1025 V-Foil MB/CB; Wedges: RTX6 Zipcore Putter: HB Soft Milled 10.5; Newport Special Select; Willamette, BB8; 8802; MATI Monto Ball: Tour B RXS; Z-STAR Diamond; Triad Stat Tracker/GPS Watch: Follow @golfspybarbajo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBarry Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 40-55 is a range I play locally, though a lot of times it's much less with twilight or specials. If the course is aggressive and putting money back in to it, I have no problems spending it. One local city course was redone about 6 years ago, a great lay out, and good conditions, but the green fees are around 49-60 now a city course, that I pay taxes for. Much too much for what they are giving you. John Barry Bring the Funk, Back to Golf The Golfer's Trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighFade Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Luckily I'm a range rat. Only $5 buckets and the chipping/putting greens are free... There is no spoon. WITB TaylorMade M3 Callaway Diablo 15° Callaway Diablo 18° Callaway Steelhead XR Pro 4-W Mizuno TP-4 50, 54, 58 TaylorMade Rossa Monza Spyder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dru_ Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Looking around the Atl, it looks like we are more or less middle of the pack. If you just want to get out and play, you can hit several tracks for $30-$40, but if you want to play a nicer course, you have to expect about 65-85, and if you are thinking about an upper echelon track, you need to budget over 100. OF course it was after looking at this, I actually looked at what non-members pay to play my home courses, and I realized just how spoiled I have become. I am a member of a two course club. The courses are ~3 miles apart, I live roughly 2 miles from either. One of them is older and shorter, the other is a very nice Fazzio design. I pay ~300 / mo for a membership (golf, swim, tennis, fitness, social, no food min's). That includes unlimited range and practice facilities too. With that I can walk either course for free any weekday, or weekends after 1pm. I can take a cart for 22 on the shorter course or 28 on the longer one. A non-member can play at guest rates for 65-85 on the shorter course and 80-110 on the longer one. I sometimes think to myself that 300 a month is a lot. But, considering that I take a cart every saturday morning, and walk an additional 2-3 rounds per week Even playing the worst / cheapest tracks in the area, I would spend $380 / month, and that doesn't include the gas it would cost me driving the additional miles to the courses, and the inconvenience of not being able to call 10 minutes before I want to play and get on the course without issue. Now, that said, Atlanta has another issue. Limited selection of public courses. For example, the closest semi-private course to me is about 3 miles from the house. It is a little ver 6000 yards, par 71, 72.5 rating/131 slope built in a neighborhood, with very boundaries to the homes ( and on a landfill that was retired over 25 years ago ). A discount tee time is 49 weekday and 58 weekend. The nicer tracks, like say Pine Isle on Lake Lanier is 54 during the week, and 90 on the weekend (it is also a 40 minute drive). Dru - Owner, President & Janitor, Druware Software Designs RH 13.1 Handicap in soggy Georgia WITB * 1W 10.5* @ PXG 0211 ( HZRDUS Smoke Black X-Stiff ) * 3W PXG 0211 ( HZRDUS Smoke Black X-Stiff ) * 5W 18* Tailor-made AeroBurner ( Stock Stiff ) * 7W Sub70 949x ( HZRDUS Smoke Black X-Stiff ) * 5i-PW @ PXG 0211 ( Gen 1 ) * 52 @ Hogan Equalizer * 56 @ Sub70 * 60 @ Hogan Equalizer * Carbon Ringo 1/4 * Vice Pro Plus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revkev Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 To Dru's last point this was a huge issue growing up in Fairfield County CT. There were literally only four public courses in a county of 750k people. A few have been added since but still it's hardly enough and of course the population is closer to a million. There isn't that much land available to build and anyway the cost is astronomical. Westchester county NY is no different. There are plenty of courses but we are talking big time, classic country clubs. Unless you can fork over the bucks or are in a special group (clergy, fire fighters, police and then it's limited) you are out of luck. I was shocked at how affordable golf became when I moved to Indiana. A lot of the cost factor depends upon where one is located. Driver: Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60 R flex - 44.25 Fairways: Ping G410 5, 7, 9 wood Alta CB red 65 R flex Hybrid: Ping G410 26 degree Alta CB Red 70 R flex Irons: Ping G430 7-PW, 45, 50 Alta CB black 65 soft R flex Wedges: Ping 195 S54, E58 Wedges and irons are - 1/2” and one degree flat Putter: Sacks Parente Duke 32.5” Ball: Titleist Pro VI or Callaway Chrome Soft X ls While not at the same time I was fit for every club in my bag as well as the Pro VI ball. I use the chrome soft x ls on my league course. It has much softer softer greens than the club that I belong to. I’m on a mission to shoot my age - lifetime lowest round is 66 and I’m currently 67. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG STU Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Well I guess I am fortunante here in this area. I know a lot of people in the business so I play some for only cart fee. They have a lot of local deals here along with things like the "local passport" thing. Now in the fall and winter snowbird season if the weather is mild they have so much play that it is hard to get a tee time much less a good rate. the same as the spring tourist golf season. This past spring it was terrible due to our unusally terrible winter. The seasons overlapped because some of the snowbirds extended their stay. Unless you were on a motel package or extended condo package it was hard to get a tee time even if you were a member. Now in the hot summer you can get a jam up deal on afternoon golf because of the heat. I usually pay anwhere form $20 t0 $35 for riding. At my home course I only pay from $9 to $12 for walking but walkable courses are nearly impossible here due to being spread out around housing developements. And some courses will not let you walk period. In fact I play some with the golf director for several courses and I joked to him the week or so before Easter that I was going to Charlotte NC to play so I could get a tee time. He told me take me with you. Right now though you can get a tee time in the afternoons pretty reasonably but the mornings are usually a bust because of all the retirees golf leagues are going to play early before the heat kicks in. Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha Speeder 565 R flex- - 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R---- Irons 5 thru PW 1980 Macgregor VIP Hogan Apex steel shafts--- SW -- Cleveland 588 56* S-400 Sensicore --- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter 1997 Scotty Cameron Santa Fe Fluted Bulls Eye shaft--- Bag TM Flex Lite Stand---- Yeah I know only 11 clubs G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG STU Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 To Dru's last point this was a huge issue growing up in Fairfield County CT. There were literally only four public courses in a county of 750k people. A few have been added since but still it's hardly enough and of course the population is closer to a million. There isn't that much land available to build and anyway the cost is astronomical. Westchester county NY is no different. There are plenty of courses but we are talking big time, classic country clubs. Unless you can fork over the bucks or are in a special group (clergy, fire fighters, police and then it's limited) you are out of luck. I was shocked at how affordable golf became when I moved to Indiana. A lot of the cost factor depends upon where one is located. I can echo your sentiments exactly. That is what public golf was like in Charlotte in the 70s and 80s. There were a lot of people taking up the game and a shortage of public courses. On the weekends 5 and 6 hr rounds were the norm. We had a little group of 20 sometimes 30 players or so. We started going to the Pinehurst area because we were getting great deals on golf and no crowds. If you went the back roads to Pinehurst from Charlotte it only took about 1 and 1/4 hrs to get there. We car poole and split gas money so it worked good. If there was not much play we could get in 36 a day sometimes more we would play all day Saturday and drive back home. Charlotte and the surrounding are has changed on the golf scene now some of the older courses are gone including the one I grew up on but there are a boatload of new courses I have never played. I have actually gotten spoiled living down here the past 13 years. I have so many courses to choose from. I have about 12 courses within 10 miles of the house and 5 within a 5 mile radius of the house Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha Speeder 565 R flex- - 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R---- Irons 5 thru PW 1980 Macgregor VIP Hogan Apex steel shafts--- SW -- Cleveland 588 56* S-400 Sensicore --- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter 1997 Scotty Cameron Santa Fe Fluted Bulls Eye shaft--- Bag TM Flex Lite Stand---- Yeah I know only 11 clubs G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BK in TEXAS Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Several courses around here are using a Dynamic Pricing model based on t-time rather than a set fee. it's not a bad concept really. You can let the price dictate what time you play. Before 8am $55 8am - 10am $50 10am - 2pm $41 2pm - 4pm $25 after 4pm $18 Personally I like the concept, because it spreads the golfers out through the day rather than clumping them up early in the morning then again when the twilight rate begins. MENTOR, L4 COACH & TRAINER FIRST TEE GREATER HOUSTON HDCP: 8.3 (GHIN: 3143312) In my bag, April 2023 TS3 Driver & 4 Wood Hzrdous Smoke Shaft (Stiff Flex) TS2 Hybrids Mitsubishi Tensei Shaft (Stiff Flex) MP-59 5-PW; KBS Tour (Regular Flex) SM8 Wedges EVNROLL ER2 Putter SRIXON Z-STAR DIAMOND BALL Sun Mountain Cart Bag 4.0 Push Cart (I'm walking 9 outta 10 rounds!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jondagcl Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Here in Southern California we have a few courses that dip under 50. But most hover around the 60 range. I'd personally love for our local courses to dip under the 50 mark...but golf is alive and well in the Los Angeles area. There are no shortage of folks paying this and more. Anyone from SoCal can confirm what wait times look like at some of our more popular coastal courses, and if you are an LA resident and use your Player Card to make times online you can make times 16 days in advance at numerous choice city courses. Don't wake up 30 minutes late to make your 16 days out tee time or you'll be teeing off at 11:15. It's out of control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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