Is Affordable Golf What This Board Really Wants?

[Richard Hetzel]

I spend a lot on golf. Maybe more than I should. As soon as I don't have to pay $20K a year in childcare, I will spend even MORE by joining a private club and hopefully experiencing as many courses on my bucket list as I can. That being said, I recently played some "affordable golf" this past fall within 20 miles of my house. Was it cheap? Sure it was (practically free). Was it fun? Sure it was. Were these courses the best ever or top shelf publics? Nope, not even close. Were the overall experiences cheapened? Not at all.

This is what $7 walking for 9 holes got me.

This is what $10 for 9 holes walking got me.

This is what $10 for 9 holes with cart got me.

This is what $15, a golf cart and "no charge" for my 5 year old son  to play along got me.


There is such a thing as affordable golf. It doesn't mean it is all that attractive to me all the time given the choice. I think all courses have their place or niche within a certain hierarchy of golf. Heck, I could argue that based upon the photos above, as the golf got more expensive, it also got worse!

Hopefully, you don't all flame me at once for playing some "affordable golf" this past fall.

When one of you finally invites me to Seminole, I will find a way to convince myself that a once in a lifetime opportunity was "affordable!"

[Richard Hetzel]

I agree with Matt on this one.  In most any metro area you're not going to play more than a pitch and putt for under $40 prime-time.   $60 seems like a more reasonable cutoff, and even that's a stretch in major markets....What we really need is a more sophisticated Cost of Living adjusted matrix.  $25 in the middle of nowhere may in fact be a worse deal than $60 outside LA...

Jud,

I guess here in Cincinnati we are "somewhat lucky". Even in prime time, almost every golf course in Cincinnati can be had for $40 with cart. The competition for golfers is crazy here. We have A LOT of average, very moderately priced golf in Cincinnati. We only have ONE upscale public that never drops below $59 (except in winter if open at all) which is Stonelick Hills GC.

Even the county courses allow walking on weekend mornings, $23-$25 at most of their courses. You can't really beat that and although not GCA stimulating in the least, they are decent golf courses.

If you pay attention, you can pretty much find buy one get one free greens fees (with cart for both) if you peruse the local sports section.  The fact is, the privates are much more stimulating here than ANY of the public offerings. Even the prices at the private clubs have really come down over the past 3-5 years.

Personally, I think all the Tiger-mania hype allowed new courses to open as well as allow older courses to "inflate" their greens fees. The bottom had to fall out at some point.

In Cincinnati, public or private, golf is pretty affordable (excluding Camargo, Coldstream, Kenwood and Hyde Park to name the select few) no matter how you slice it. However, I still complain that there is " no where to play."

[Matt Schmidt]

In metro-Detroit, all public courses (even the most highly rated) have lowered their fees considerably, even during prime time.  Are there any regions in the US where public golf is not cheaper in the last two years than it previously was?

I'm only aware of some higher-end resorts that have maintained their prices.  But everywhere else, golf seems less expensive.

[John Kavanaugh]

For those of us who enjoy a more traditional private club experience golf becomes less affordable as each club lowers its fees.   

[Dan Herrmann]

^^^
John - Huh?

[John Kavanaugh]

^^^
John - Huh?

Dan,

It's as simple as the kid who worked a job through high school so he could buy his own car compared to the one whose Daddy bought him a car on his 16th birthday.  People who sacrifice for the item they desire treat that item with more love and respect.  As more and more courses are forced to give away their product you end up with a membership that treats the course, staff and fellow members with less love and respect.

Every weekend where I have to have a teaching moment with some bottom feeding douche bag a cost is added to the bill of my life.
 
Ten years ago I would estimate there were 500 private courses in the U.S. alone where each and every member loved and respected the privilege of membership.  Today that number is no more than 50.  It must then by definition be less affordable today than not so long ago.

[Jud_T]

Matt and Richard,

Certainly there are regional differences.  Try playing for under $40 in Chicago, LA or NY.  This bolsters my point that you can't say a $30 round in Detroit is a better "value" than a $60 round in LA....

[JMEvensky]

John K.--I would only disagree to the extent that I'd say it's now less valuable as opposed to less affordable.