Prestwick - my Favorite
Two courses that I don't think get their due
Prestwick and BF Norman
Your right BF Norman was a enjoyable time for me, great conditions, great company and a course i really liked. I could play that alot.
Let the Big Dawg Bark!!!
Prestwick - my Favorite
Two courses that I don't think get their due
Prestwick and BF Norman
Your right BF Norman was a enjoyable time for me, great conditions, great company and a course i really liked. I could play that alot.
Totally agree with you Sheppy, specially about "great company"! 😉
Denis Gilbert
Quebec City, Canada
Caledonia and The Dunes are over $200 this Spring, Barefoot is starting at $189. Those are the Super Premium courses and all are practicing "dynamic rates". Last year, The Dunes peaked at $275 last year and Caledonia hit $245.
Then you have the Premium courses - Tidewater, True Blue, Thistle, TPC, Grande Dunes, Bald Head Island, Wachesaw Plantation, Glen Dornoch. (Speaking of dynamic rates, Grande Dunes last year was $98 before 8:30 as long as you booked it prior to Jan 1 for Spring rounds, then the cost bumped to $179 a month prior to play.)
Here are a few of the Mid Level courses are: Prestwick, Arrowhead, all 5 Legends Courses, Shaftesbury, Rivers Edge, Wild Wing, PineLakes, Tigers Eye, Willbrook, Long Bay,
Brian Noblin
Myrtle Beach Golf Talk
My direct line at work 888-272-7263
Caledonia and The Dunes are over $200 this Spring, Barefoot is starting at $189. Those are the Super Premium courses and all are practicing "dynamic rates". Last year, The Dunes peaked at $275 last year and Caledonia hit $245.
Then you have the Premium courses - Tidewater, True Blue, Thistle, TPC, Grande Dunes, Bald Head Island, Wachesaw Plantation, Glen Dornoch. (Speaking of dynamic rates, Grande Dunes last year was $98 before 8:30 as long as you booked it prior to Jan 1 for Spring rounds, then the cost bumped to $179 a month prior to play.)
Here are a few of the Mid Level courses are: Prestwick, Arrowhead, all 5 Legends Courses, Shaftesbury, Rivers Edge, Wild Wing, PineLakes, Tigers Eye, Willbrook, Long Bay,
I have played some pretty good golf courses in larger populated and more touristy areas, there is no way I would drop $200 on Caledonia(or any course in the area) and I love golf and I have a place in the area and love grand strand golf. There is not a golf course in Myrtle Beach I would drop that on. But, if they can get it more power to them. Not from me.
There are just enough visitors in peak season, to let them get those peak season
fees. Most golfers in groups don't know they are paying that much, but just know
they are paying $nnn for the trip. The grand total doesn't look too high, when they
might be paying $35 a night with 4 in a condo. There also is peer pressure that
stops guys from refusing to go because they are playing a $200 course.
I tell my group how much each course costs, in case they want to say not to play
there, but I don't hear anything about it.
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Last year, The Dunes peaked at $275 last year and Caledonia hit $245.
Ouch!!!
That means (with today's exchange rate) 362 canadian dollars for The Dunes and 322 $ for Caledonia...
Denis Gilbert
Quebec City, Canada
Last year, The Dunes peaked at $275 last year and Caledonia hit $245.
Ouch!!!
That means (with today's exchange rate) 362 canadian dollars for The Dunes and 322 $ for Caledonia...
That's crazy $$$.
For us over the winter time is hard as many courses have softer then average fairways and you get bo roll, starting mid March it seems the fairways firm up and the ball goes further so that early spring to late April seems best for us.
The Dynamic Pricing that Brian listed happens when few tee times are left on specific
days. That is a good reason to book early.
The Dynamic Price might only affect certain days. That $275 might be on a day with
1 or 2 times left and the next day might be the standard $219 when an hour of times
are left.
I wonder if the dynamic price actually hurts sales, by keeping a last minute booker
from booking that course on that day. Then there can be someone in town on
business or with family, who will pay whatever it takes to play a specific course once.
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For us over the winter time is hard as many courses have softer then average fairways and you get bo roll, starting mid March it seems the fairways firm up and the ball goes further so that early spring to late April seems best for us.
I play in the area all year. I have always thought May was the best...maybe late April. Early April can still be winter like sometimes, soft, and the Bermuda is still not come in fully. Fall can be good but, sometimes is recovering from Winter and if there are big storms can be wet.
It's supply and demand. If golfers won't pay those fees to play , then either prices will come down or courses will have to offer discount rates to attract golfers back, Or package it in a way to make it reasonable for us non-rich golfers.
I remember just a year or two ago that it was a buyers market and a golfer could find discounts to play last minute or otherwise on "open or unsold" tee time slots. A few of the internet sites like Golfnow and TeeOff were offering savings on many courses...It seems that the courses (most popular ones) don't like to offer those tee times and discounts any longer.
When i play in summer since it is vacation, i am not worried about money. If it was something i played daily, no way.
Let the Big Dawg Bark!!!
I've seen the same thing. I don't know the business model but have assumed that these discount sites, especially GolfNow since they seem to be the first that offered nationwide coverage, went to the courses back when online tee systems were new and offered to provide their software for courses that didn't want to make the software investment in exchange for one or two tee times each day under their control--which GolfNow then discounted severely if not sold by a day or so before the tee time since if those tee times went unclaimed, GolfNow didn't make any money. I eventually figured out the pattern (as I'm sure many others did) and took advantage of that policy in getting tee times at courses for $30-40 that might cost over $100 at a rack rate. In fact, two weeks ago, I played at the Currtituck Club in the Outer Banks for $31 all in when the rates for other tee times that day were $99 (morning) and $79 (afternoon) and are $169 during the summer tourist season.
I certainly understand that the courses would have a problem once they saw how their association with GolfNow was playing out as instead of a 10-25% discount on tee times, the courses were seeing discounts of 60-70% off their other published rates. I once had a pro almost beg me not to use GolfNow any further after getting one of those discounted tee times, but I'm not sure what the incentive would be. Why would I pay full price when I could pay 1/2 to 1/3 on a day I wanted to play at a time that was still convenient to me?
That course eventually dropped GolfNow, and I suspect other courses have figured out that the only reasonable path forward is to spend the money on the software to do their own independent online tee booking system. You lose the network coverage that GolfNow or TeeOff provide, but you don't have to explain to your regulars why it is that some golfers are getting a whopping discount on their tee times while they're paying full price. I suspect more courses that are doing good business will follow suit, leaving the big discounts to the courses that need to beg for business--which, in the offseason, courses like Currituck need to do.
By the way, I still go to that course and pay the full price now. I'm not locked in to looking for discounts, but if one is offered, I'm certainly not turning it down.
With that Dynamic pricing, just like Beav said, it all comes down to supply and demand. In April and May, the demand is insane with all the golfers coming into town for perfect weather and course conditions. One recommendation I would say is to play in the morning, and ask about doing a replay at a Tier 1 course in the afternoon. Most places have replay rates for their company or packages to help with the cost.
