Best bang for the buck?

[Tom Huckaby]

Ryan:

The courses are fantastic and I don't regret a single cent I've spent there.  I just have a very hard time citing the place in a bang for the buck conversation, when these are the rates:

                May-October   November-April
Hotel Guest    $185               $75-130
Oregonian      $240               $75-130
Others          $240               $100-175
Replay          $95 $40-65

The winter rates are decent, but remember, it's winter, with all the weather and light in the day issues that entails.  And the replay rates are ok, again especially in winter.

Oh well, judge for yourself.  I might just be in a pissy mood.  

[Eric Franzen]

God I hate being such a curmudgeon...

But Barona Creek?

GREAT course - absolutely love it.  But bang for the buck?  At $80 weekdays, $90 Fri, $110 Saturday, $100 Sundays and holidays?

I guess that's not BAD for CA golf, but jeez I have a hard time citing that in a bang for the buck conversation... Not when Rustic Canyon is still around $50....

TH

Can't disagree with that. Got a bit a carried away since I really liked the course and had a great day out there.

All my previous points of reference when it comes to money are blown to pieces after five days of wild shopping in NYC with the lady.

So, Pacific Grove gets my vote... once again.

[Tom Huckaby]

PG Muni - NOW we're talking.  NorCal's answer to Rustic.

 

Here are the rates for this beauty:

Golf Rates

18 Hole Monday-Thursday  $35  
18 Hole Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Holidays  $40  
9 Hole Monday - Thursday  $20  
9 Hole Fri., Sat., Sun., Holidays reservations after 2:30  $23  

Twilight After 2pm (Standard Time)  $20  
Junior 17 and under (Monday - Thursday & after 1:00pm on Fri, Sat, Sun & Holidays)  $15  


They also have damn good deals on 20 play cards, and annual cards...

God I wish I lived closer and/or had more time to play this silly game.....

TH

[Jay Flemma]

exactly...bandon in off season...and replays are half rate!!!!  I played 36 a day for $105.  That's a bargain all day long.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Jay

Aren't you forgetting travel costs for Bandon and others? If I lived in Santa Fe I'd be playing a lot at Black Mesa.

I'm thinking of courses near major metropolitan areas for locals.

Steve

[Jay Flemma]

Steve:

No, I'm just not factoring that in in the case of Bandon.  using that argument, Rawls Course wouldn't be good bang for the buck cause that's a pain to get to too.

So I'll add Rawls Course and I'll add World Woods too.

Yes...Bandon dunes...no matter how bad the schlep...I drove 8 hours...alone...all night...I'll never do an EIGHT hour drive again...but 5 definitely.  The pot of gold is waiting at the end of the rainbow...along will countless other like minded souls.

[Tom Huckaby]

Jay - Bandon in off-season, yes.  But again, remember the weather and light issues.  Bandon in peak season?  That I can't call a bang for the buck.

As for like-minded souls being there, sadly that gets less and less as time goes on... Man the difference from 2002 to 2005 was night and day, at least in the summer.  In 2002 it was golf nuts only... in 2005 it was 25% that, 75% cigar-chomping caddie-berating trophy hunters.

And I only put it at 25% because I was with a group of 16 and at least 12 of us qualified as golf nuts.

 

I hear in the winter it's still golf nuts, thankfully.

[Andrew Thomson]

Andrew,

That's scandalous - I played as a 17 year old in 1990 and it was only 1 quid. A 100% increase in 3 years - I think you were ripped off.

Ed

I have a sneaking suspicion they make up the guest rate on the spot it it's never more than 5 quid