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jg7236

K Club
« on: September 22, 2006, 12:35:46 AM »
Good Evening:

I was checking out the K Club in regards to the Ryder Cup.  I checked the green fees and on the busy time of the year it is 230 pounds or $434 a round.  The off season it is 165 pounds or 314 dollars.

Is Ireland golf more expensive than Scotland golf.  From my past experience in Scotland it seems like Ireland golf is more expensive.  I could be wrong.

New Course=57 pounds or $108
Carnoustie=105 pounds or $199
Gullane=110 pounds or $209
Old Course=120 pounds or $228
Kingsbarns=150 pounds or $285

Has golf always been really expensive for Americans due to how poor the US Dollar is against the British Pound?  In regards to locals, is golf expensive for the locals of Scotland and Ireland to play?

I know that the course that the Ryder Cup is playing on was designed by Arnold Palmer.  How long has this course been around?  How private is this course?

Cheers,

John
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Ally Mcintosh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:K Club
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2006, 03:46:11 AM »
short answer = yes

but in reality scottish green fees for the big courses are about on a par with irish ones, the only difference being that ireland is ahead in the corporate golf market and has a few courses set up (k club, old head) at a ridiculous price...

...the one cost that differs by about 1000% between scotland and ireland is membership fees.... scotland rules the world in this respect, they are so cheap.... whereas now i live in ireland, i can't even join a semi-decent club for under $25,000... my hair is regularly torn out
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Chris Kane

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:K Club
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2006, 03:57:28 AM »
Quote from: John N. Gunning IV on September 22, 2006, 12:35:46 AM
Has golf always been really expensive for Americans due to how poor the US Dollar is against the British Pound?  In regards to locals, is golf expensive for the locals of Scotland and Ireland to play?
John, golf in Scotland is expensive for Americans because the large numbers of them visiting has driven up the green fees.

Golf (and almost everything here) is expensive, not just because of the exchange rate but because its an expensive place to live.

In most cases, golf is expensive for locals who visit premium courses, but club memberships are a lot cheaper than at comparable courses in America.  Playing with a member makes it very affordable (Prestwick £10, Troon £20, Muirfield £5 etc).

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Philip Gawith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:K Club
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2006, 04:39:04 AM »
My sense is that Ireland is 20% or so more expensive than Scotland - and definitely more opportunistic when it comes to gouging the customer. I would rather retire than pay the green fee at the K Club which is completely offensive. I am not sure the numbers you quote in that regard are not too low John - I think the fee is more like $550 which is truly laughable for an inland Irish course of no pedigree or distinction.

There will be a good article in the Wall Street Journal tomorrow putting the Ryder Cup/Irish golf etc into perspective, including some critical comments from Pat Ruddy of The European etc.
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Bill_McBride

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Re:K Club
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2006, 09:20:54 AM »
Seeing the matches this morning at the K Club is interesting because of the players, Darren Clarke in particular rising to the occasion, but wow, that course could be anywhere in a resort in North America.  The hotel in the background is particularly obnoxious.

Then they showed a "Ryder Cup Memory" from 1961 with Arnold Palmer at Royal Birkdale.  What is the current European PGA thinking?  Obviously money money money, but couldn't they make a lot of money at Royal Birkdale or Royal Portrush?
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Eric Franzen

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Re:K Club
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2006, 09:40:51 AM »
Quote from: Bill_McBride on September 22, 2006, 09:20:54 AM
Then they showed a "Ryder Cup Memory" from 1961 with Arnold Palmer at Royal Birkdale.  What is the current European PGA thinking?  Obviously money money money, but couldn't they make a lot of money at Royal Birkdale or Royal Portrush?

The European PGA/Ryder Cup Board only chooses between courses that actually have applied for the event.

A qualified guess is that Mr Smurfit, the owner of K Club, (together with local business partners) made sure that the event would land at his course with significant  investments in the infra structure that surrounds the RC event.
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jg7236

Re:K Club
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2006, 10:34:43 AM »
Thanks a lot for the info.

Cheers,

John
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