How Much Does Price Influence Your Decision To Play?

[J_ Crisham]

Wisconsin Golf:This is a state that has great golf at vastly different prices. For instance $80 or less  Brown Deer, Univ. Ridge, Lawsonia courses , Trappers Turn  just to name a few. At the next level $150 roughly Erin Hills, The Bull .$200 plus The Kohler courses . Having played quite a few of the Wis. courses I didn't see a big advantage in the $150 level from the $80 courses. Felt Ehills was overpriced and might play it again but so many others I'd play instead. Nice but didn't wow me.

[jim_lewis]

Lloyd:

Yes, it is true that "Love Hurts" was written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, but your reference to Gram Parsons is a good one. His duet with Emmylou Harris is the best performance of that song that I have heard. They were  simple great together. Besides, it sounds like something he might have written. What a wonderful lost talent!

Jim Lewis

[John Kavanaugh]

PERFECTLY stated, Kirk.  And any day we get a quote from Nazareth in here is a fine day indeed.

TH

Gram Parsons was the writer, I think. But the Naz version was cool..

And regarding $$ for golf - it is always a factor. But I'm starting to think that playing any course just once is not an effiecient use of my limited resourses. I'll get a lot more out of playing Dornoch for 3 days than I would (and I might add, did) travelling up and down the East Coast ticking off my wish list.

My next trip to Melbourne I'll be playing RMW and Kingston Heath as often as I can and if that means working overtime, so be it.

I have been a staunch opponent of the hit and run for years.  You will love relaxing and enjoying one great course per trip.  

[Brock Peyer]

Price does play a part in where I play to an extent.  I have a golf trip that I take every year and will play a top level course once or twice a year but the remainder of my rounds I do look for good deals and try to stay below my threshhold of pain.  I am a publinxer and around ATL you can find good deals, usually in the afternoon for $50 or less and I am comfortable with that.  When the times do come up to play somewhere special I will usually do it but I don't do it alot.  I could easily play alot of the nice private courses around here with and pay the $150 plus guest fees but it doesn't make much sense to me day in and day out.

[Lloyd_Cole]

OK, I wasn't going to post this because it is a slight thread jack, but -

I was very close, a couple of days ago, despite doctors orders, to getting on a plane and going to World Woods for a couple of days. In December its $100, or slightly less a day - thats 36 holes (cart included should you want one). The motels and hotels nearly are inexpensive. I'm sure there is an excellent redneck bar not too far away...

If any New Englanders are interested in next December going on little Fazio fest to escape our weather, I guess a foursome, if we could share a rental car would cost very little... feel free to PM me. I'm seriously thinking about it. January is almost twice the price. This week it's been 75 - 80 most days, I believe.

[Rick Shefchik]

Lloyd, You're killing me here. I thought you Brits were more versed in America's early rock 'n' roll greats than we were. The Beatles re-introduced white America to Little Richard, Arthur Alexander, Larry Williams, Luther Dixon, Berry Gordy, and the songwriting skills of Leiber & Stoller, Doc Pomus, Carole King and Burt Bacharach. (The Beatles never officially released a Boudleaux Bryant song, but they did record "So How Come (No One Loves Me)" at the BBC.

Parsons came along ten years later and rediscovered Bryant, the Louvin Brothers, Harlan Howard, and some of the more obscure songs written by George Jones. Then Elvis Costello turned around and re-discovered Gram Parsons...

We wouldn't even know our own music without you guys.

[ed_getka]

Lloyd,
   I would certainly be up for a winter escape next year down to Florida. Let me know.
 
Sean,
   As to your question, price is absolutely a factor, but there is no particular price point for me. I really want to  see Myopia some day and  most likely it will happen via a charity event, so it will be pricey. On the other hand there  are lots of "great" courses that I wouldn't be interested in seeing at a quarter of the cost of a Myopia outing. Primarily this is a result of seeing some really great architecture over the last 5-6 years. I don't need to see every great course ever built, as  I have seen enough great courses now to know what they are.
    Sand Hills and NGLA are still probably drop everything tomorrow courses for me, but not much else that I can think of off-hand.
    The only courses that I must see in my lifetime at this point are Myopia, Rye, Prestwick, and Royal County Down. Cost really won't be a factor for any of those.
    For everything else there is certainly a cost-architecture ratio I have in mind. Unfortunately I was reading this morning that Pasatiempo is getting in the range of exceeding my threshold for that course. It will be $200 starting 2/08. I have played it many times, but the price point is beginning to make me squeamish. If it was  my first round I would pay the $200 no problem once.
    The round I really dread is the one I will play with my 9 year old son some day at Pebble Beach. I fully expect it to be $1,000 in 10 years.

[Tom Huckaby]

 For everything else there is certainly a cost-architecture ratio I have in mind. Unfortunately I was reading this morning that Pasatiempo is getting in the range of exceeding my threshold for that course. It will be $200 starting 2/08. I have played it many times, but the price point is beginning to make me squeamish. If it was  my first round I would pay the $200 no problem once.

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?

This, from Ed "Pasatiempo is the best value in Bay Area golf" Getka?

I must be dreaming.

$25 extra takes it from best value to I can't play any more?

You have some 'splainin to do.

TH

[ed_getka]

Tom,
  The last time I paid at Pasa it was $125, so $75 more as of 2/08 is not just loose change.

[Tom Huckaby]

Tom,
  The last time I paid at Pasa it was $125, so $75 more as of 2/08 is not just loose change.

Been a long time since you played and paid, obviously.

 

You know I am just giving you crap.  I do recall nearly choking on my coffee when you called it the best value in the Bay Area... Thus it's fun - and sad - that you are giving up this contention.

TH

[Kalen Braley]

Does this mean Delta View gets the nod now for this category?

After all its still less than $40 to walk and the front nine was designed by Dr. Mac K.  The new back 9 is pretty interesting as well.

[ed_getka]

Kalen,
   I've got to go with Stevinson Ranch now, although it is out in the boonies. It is just over an hour drive for me, and well worth the drive to have a relatively empty course during the week.
    I need to get over to Delta View one of these days. Too many courses, not enough time.

Tom,
   Yes it is sad that Pasa has decided to go the, "if its expensive it must be good" route. Pasatiempo is still the gold standard for public access golf in NorCal IMO. I just won't be calling it a good value any more.

[Kalen Braley]

Kalen,
   I've got to go with Stevinson Ranch now, although it is out in the boonies. It is just over an hour drive for me, and well worth the drive to have a relatively empty course during the week.
    I need to get over to Delta View one of these days. Too many courses, not enough time.
 

From where you are its only a 25 minute drive on a Saturday morning if that, especially for a Mario Andrette like yourself.

It is a muni no doubt, but the original 9 has great bones to it and you can see the strategic angles everywhere.  Plus the greens are tough little buggers and you can easily get yourself in a position where you are 20 feet away and praying to 2 putt...

[Patrick Kiser]

Time was always more of a factor but ... now increasingly it's price.

In my opinion, it really is getting ridiculous to drop $70-$80 bones for so so courses here in the Bay Area.  For a top 100, it's just tough for me to consider much more beyond $200-$250.

So ... I'm simply playing less unfortunately.  More 9 holes actually.

That said ... the most expensive round this year was Pasatiempo recently.  I think it will become a once a year round there for me.  So that puts me in the B range.

Thank goodness I can still only drop around $40-$50 to play Harding.  Not top 100 in my opinion, but great value for locals.

[Sean_A]

The answers are interesting so far.  However, I was looking for answers involving replays of the world's best courses.

Ciao

[Tom Huckaby]

not enough time.

Tom,
   Yes it is sad that Pasa has decided to go the, "if its expensive it must be good" route. Pasatiempo is still the gold standard for public access golf in NorCal IMO. I just won't be calling it a good value any more.

Ed:  Pasa went the "if it's expensive it must be good route" 25 years ago.  It's just a drag that such finally reached your high-roller standards.

 

[Rick Shefchik]

Sean,

I would replay TOC, Sand Hills, and Cypress Point at whatever I was charged. Pebble Beach keeps pushing its price to the outer edge of my replay zone -- it's always teetering toward "once-in-a-lifetime" territory.  

[Rick Shefchik]

Sean,

I would replay TOC, Sand Hills, and Cypress Point at whatever I was charged. Pebble Beach keeps pushing its price to the outer edge of my replay zone -- it's always teetering toward "once-in-a-lifetime" territory.  

[Lloyd_Cole]

Sean

OK

Here goes.

Very glad I played Pebble in 1991.. would not fork out $500 for replay unless I ran into some money, and I could pick my playing partners...

If the vibe was as good as the courses I'd probably be back, whatever, but it isn't, so borderline - Valderama, Pinerhurst, Bandon

Great courses, rotten vibes - they would need to pay me to go back to Sawgrass, or Birkdale a lot.

I don't care the price -

TOC
Carnoustie
Crail
North Berwick
Turnberry
Dornoch
Cruden Bay
County Down
Portmarnock
The Island
Merion
Walton Heath
West Sussex
Ganton
Royal Melbourne West
Kingston Heath

[Tom Huckaby]

Lloyd:  so all of the ones on that last list could charge you 500 pounds per round and you'd gladly pay it?

I ask, just trying to reconcile how Pebble Beach fits in.

TH

[Lloyd_Cole]

Lloyd:  so all of the ones on that last list could charge you 500 pounds per round and you'd gladly pay it?

I ask, just trying to reconcile how Pebble Beach fits in.

TH

Tom

Good call,

Of course I can say that I don't care the price at these courses, because I know that, excepting TOC and Turnberry maybe, none of them will ever be 500 pounds to play in my lifetime.

What I can say, is that if any of the courses on the 'don't care the price' list were to double their fees but the overall experience wasn't changed, I'd still return for sure, but maybe not as often as I'd wish.

[Tom Huckaby]

Lloyd:

Got it, perfectly reasonable, kinda what I expected.  I just wanted to make sure, because well... I just wonder if any of us have a unlimited price threshold!  There have to be some of such massive means that price will never matter... but I wonder...

TH