[Richard Choi]

The thread on Pound Ridge got me thinking.

How much would golf nuts around here pay for a round (max)?

Obviously, it depends on a course, so let me create some categories. I would like to know how much you would pay for a round at a particular (level) course and how many times a year would you be able to pay that price.

Of course, this only applies to public courses.

Let me start!

-Top 10 (Pebble Beach, Pacific Dunes, Bethpage Black, etc.): $500 would be the max for me, I can really afford that once a year (maybe).
-Top 50 (Blackwolf, Tullymore, Wolf Creek, Crosswater, etc.): $200, 2/year
-Top 100 (Pinehurst #8, Pumpkin Ridge, Poipu Bay, Caledonia, etc): $150, 10/year
-Top State (Top quality courses that are not ranked): $100, 10/year

Based on this, unless Pound Ridge turns out to be a "must play", I will probably skip it when I am in NY next time.

[Jay Flemma]

I think ANYTHING over $240 is overpriced...yes, TOC, PB, Pinehurst, Sawgrass...ANYTHING over $240.  My "general principle" is that $240 is over priced and 120 is the limit of reasonableness.

A round of golf was never meant to be a luxury item.

[Dean Stokes]

Richard, maybe because I've been in the business for ten years, or maybe it's just because I'm cheap but I had a hard time paying $90+ to play Bethpage. The round was slow and the greens were average at best.

As for paying $500 for a round anywhere - no chance. As much as I have loved golf since the day I picked up a club, it is just not worth that amount of money.

[Dean Paolucci]

With the exception of Augusta, which I would be delighted to part with $1,000, the highest I would pay is for any other course (public or private) is about $250.  I think that is in alignment with the Jay Flemma scale.

[Chip Gaskins]

how much would people pay for a round at Augusta National, spend the night in the cabins, dinner and breakfast?

[Patrick Glynn]

Chip - thats a really good question! One I have asked myself manys a time. I reckon I could just about get into the  5 figure range for Augusta, but that would probably be a one time deal. I forked out ~$260 for Royal County Down and Portrush last summer and felt RCD was the best money I had ever spent on any golf related item/experience. That said, it would be the absolute highest I would go - Pebble & Sawgrass I just could not justify.

[Dean Paolucci]

Chip - I would go higher with the above treatment and would go even higher if the money was donated to a charity.

[Matt Varney]

This is great and I want to bounce some pricing off GCA guys to see what is too high, just right and a bargain to play.  We are building this Dye course at Rarity Mountain and we are looking at financial models for greens fees based on rounds played. 

Our course is all bent grass with fescue / bluegrass rough / native grass natural areas.  When you are building a new course especially a daily fee upscale resort facility you have to consider price points and rounds played so that we don't beat down thecourse conditioning.

I believe GolfWeek or Golf Digest has a Best New Public Daily Fee Upscale ($75+) criteria.

If we offer a kick ass fun to play Pete & P.B. Dye mountain course in Tennessee with weekday all inclusive rates of $100 and weekend rates of $125 includes cart fee, range balls would you travel to play this new course?  Just to make sure we meet the $75+ criteria would offer a mid-afternoon tee times starting at 3 PM for $75.

Give me some feedback guys?

[Jim Colton]

My buddies and I were just talking about this recently.  Probably $1,000 for a round at Augusta, slightly less for courses like Pine Valley, Cypress Point, Sand Hills, etc.  Nothing else in the US is really in the $250+ range for me.  I'm usually willing to pay more to play a course once, but there's a reason why I haven't been back to Whistling Straits and have yet to play PB.  I only have so much money to spend on golf per year...I need to make sure I getting at least some bang for the buck.

[Matt Varney]

Chip,

To answer your question about Augusta National - I would pay some big money to play especially in the conditioning about a month before The Masters.  I have this Top 20 list of great courses in the USA and I am slowly checking off one at a time.  

If I could play Augusta with a caddie, stay in a cabin off #10, have dinner and drinks in the clubhouse and then have a great breakfast before walking out to the range to warm up to play in the morning I would easily pay $1000.  If the invitation was extended I could easily get 3 more guys to pay the same price with one phone call no problem.

It is hard enough just to walk around the place let alone play it and I have a couple friends that have played Augusta.  They said it is the best course they have ever played hands down because if you love golf you already know every hole on the course.  In person it just blows you away and you are stunned by the beauty but, the golf course makes you play at a higher level because you know you will never get the chance to play again so you are very focused.
 

[Cliff Hamm]

Playing Yale on Thursday at $100.  A so called bargain.  Tops is $150-$200.  This is a game after all.  As to 'twilight rates" I believe it is wise to offer two tiers.  Maybe, one at 1 and another at 3 or so.

[Dean Stokes]

Anybody fancy $275+tax+caddy+$5 gatorade to play PGA National Champ?

[rjsimper]

Does airfare plus hotel plus rental car plus food plus requisite logo shirts go into the cost of what one would pay to play Sand Hills, Ballyneal, or Barnbougle?

[John Moore II]

I would pay no more than $75 to play any course, anywhere. That explains my limited course experience. Being a pro now helps, and I certainly would not even consider paying more than $75 for a round.

[Dean Stokes]

I would pay no more than $75 to play any course, anywhere. That explains my limited course experience. Being a pro now helps, and I certainly would not even consider paying more than $75 for a round.

JKM, being an ex-PGA pro has had this same effect on me. I have played many courses for free that charge $100 - $200 per player. I never had ANY idea who or why anybody would pay so much to play such very average courses.

[John Moore II]

Dean--Even before I was a pro, I would not pay that kind of money to play. I just won't do it. I too have had opportunity to play many high end courses for free (except in Florida). I wouldn't even think of paying $100 or more to play one round, never happen (well, except for maybe tournament qualifying).

[Matt Varney]

What do you all think about graduated pricing based on weekdays and weekends all inclusive including greens fee, cart rental, range balls depending on the tee times so as an example:

Weekdays
7 AM to 12 PM is $99
12 PM to 3 PM is $79
3 PM to 6 PM is $59

Weekends
7 AM to 12 PM is $119
12 PM to 3 PM is $99
3 PM to 6 PM is $79

I come from the same school of thought and I believe that greens fees and rates to play good courses are out of control.  I like the graduated pricing model and it also can limit play during specific times during the day.  Players would line up on the tee sheet at 12 PM and 3 PM to get the lower rates to play a really good course.

I truly feel that at some point the increasing cost of golf is going to hurt the game and in the process some really good golf courses will start losing money due to driving away their loyal players that were willing to pay a fair price for a qulaity golf experience.

[mike_beene]

Before we get to proud of our ability to resist high green fees,there often is little correlation to cost to play vs quality of course.Also, think of how much a lot of country club rounds really cost.On 600 dollars a month ,3 rounds a month is 200 dollars a round. I knew that math would come in handy some day.

[Matt Varney]

Mike,

I understand where your coming from about private clubs 3 rounds at $600 month.  I just keep thinking about some nice local courses in my area that are very well conditioned and fun to play for $60 riding 18 holes on the weekends.

The have a full staff, pro shop, restaurant, great grounds staff and superintendents and they are charging much less than these $200 fees.  How do you explain that they have been around for 20 years!

[Tim Bert]

Playing Yale on Thursday at $100.  A so called bargain.  Tops is $150-$200.  This is a game after all.  As to 'twilight rates" I believe it is wise to offer two tiers.  Maybe, one at 1 and another at 3 or so.

The real bargain at Yale was playing a twilight round for a cart fee after the first walking round.  We were all pretty worn out from the hike up and down the hills (and into the bunkers) the first time through and also short on time or the second round would have been an even bigger deal.

$118 for 36 holes at that gem is a keeper.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Locally,for a special occasion, like my forthcoming birthday, I would pay the twilight rate at Atlantic City CC:

May - September
Monday – Thursday $195 / **$150 after 2pm
Friday – Sunday* $225 / **$175 after 2pm

October
Monday – Thursday $160 / **$125 after 1pm
Friday – Sunday* $180 / **$145 after 1pm

Nationally, not having played Pebble Beach, I would pay their outrageous rate there. I would also pay the going prime season rates at Bandon Dunes, Bandon Trails and Pacific Dunes. Beyond that, I'd have to think about it real hard.

[mike_beene]

Matt,every time I think those thoughts I think that if I quit I get a much reduced amount for my stock.I therefor rationalize even though in reality I bet I don't play 15 rounds a year at my club.Its kind of the same logic the IRS uses to make people think they have beaten the system when they over withhold.

[Richard Choi]

Pretty interesting response so far, and bit surprising as I figure the group here would bit more hard core

And to clarify my question, this is what you would spend if the course was near your house, so no travel cost should be involved.

As to Augusta National (and for me, you can put Cypress and Pine Valley in the same basket), I told my wife a long time ago that if I EVER have a chance to bid for a round at one of those courses at a charity event, I am going to spend low 5 digits.

[Richard Choi]

This is great and I want to bounce some pricing off GCA guys to see what is too high, just right and a bargain to play.  We are building this Dye course at Rarity Mountain and we are looking at financial models for greens fees based on rounds played. 

Give me some feedback guys?

Matt, I hope you get a lot of feedback on this. But to me (and most golfers that I hang out with), $100 is pretty much what I expect to spend at a nice upscale course, $150, if it is a REALLY nice course.

And I probably speak for many here when I say that what matters to me is the quality of the course, by FAR. If I don't get some of the niceties like bag tag, attendants, GPS carts - I don't care - if the course is good.

Also, for me to travel and plan a golf trip, the course has to be of top 100 caliber or at least have a top 100 course nearby so that I can plan a full trip around it. I am not going to get on an airplane for some course that is about the same level as ones I play every week.

I do a (flying) golf trip about once a year and have done the RTJ Trail in Alabama. I expect same level of quality and value (and selection) if I was to do a similar trip in Tennessee (although I could be tempted for one of those famous BBQ festivals in Memphis )

[Tim Bert]

This is great and I want to bounce some pricing off GCA guys to see what is too high, just right and a bargain to play.  We are building this Dye course at Rarity Mountain and we are looking at financial models for greens fees based on rounds played. 

Give me some feedback guys?

I do a (flying) golf trip about once a year and have done the RTJ Trail in Alabama. I expect same level of quality and value (and selection) if I was to do a similar trip in Tennessee (although I could be tempted for one of those famous BBQ festivals in Memphis )

Unfortunately Matt is on the wrong end of the state for you to enjoy the BBQ festival on the same trip.  Tennessee tends to run a bit longer east to west than many think (for such a small state.)  I think the new course Matt references is probably 7 hours from Memphis.

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