Is St Enodoc REALLY worth £135?

[Niall C]

Martin


Don't worry about the price, Nancy will pay.


Niall

[David Kelly]

Perranporth is £65. Is St E really twice as good?
F.

Play them both.

Ciao

 
In a PM, Tony described Perranporth as Braid on Acid. That might be good enough for me!
F.

Perranporth is well worth playing. A bit crazy here and there, but a keeper.

Ciao

Definitely agree but Perranporth puts the lie into the phrase, "It's only blind once".  Not being able to see the 30 mph winds shoot your tee shot sideways into gunch covered mounds lurking just off the fairway or in some places in the middle of the fairway can get frustrating.  A true matchplay course.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Oh my goodness, yes.

[David_Elvins]

St Enedoc was £45 when I played it in 2012. 


It’s a magnificently unique course that manages to stir the golf architecture emotions, and if I was in the area I would happily pay £135 to play it once again.

[Garland Bayley]

Perranporth is £65. Is St E really twice as good?
F.

No! Perranporth is a near equal IMO. Forget Saunton. Most overrated course in SW England. B&B is a gem too.

I greatly enjoyed West Cornwall, but certain members of the website have criticized me severely for that recommendation.

[Garland Bayley]

Perranporth is £65. Is St E really twice as good?
F.

Three times as good. Perranporth has a lot of laugh out loud moments (in a good way) but does not add up to very good golf.

 
You're beginning to make me fear you might subdue the joys of Strandhill. 

Match play is the soul of golf. When you make match play more exciting, you've improved the golf. I would argue that match play at Perranporth is at least the equal of match play at St. Enodoc. Medal players probably prefer St. Enodoc, but that seems questionable given how many balls my match play opponent lost at St. Enodoc. 

[Ally Mcintosh]

Perranporth is £65. Is St E really twice as good?
F.

Three times as good. Perranporth has a lot of laugh out loud moments (in a good way) but does not add up to very good golf.

 
You're beginning to make me fear you might subdue the joys of Strandhill. 

Match play is the soul of golf. When you make match play more exciting, you've improved the golf. I would argue that match play at Perranporth is at least the equal of match play at St. Enodoc. Medal players probably prefer St. Enodoc, but that seems questionable given how many balls my match play opponent lost at St. Enodoc. 

Would never subdue those, Garland! They have only become greater…


Perranporth crosses the line though. It’s like playing the 13th & 15th at Strandhill over and over but on a smaller, narrower scale. Loads of fun but would frustrate on a regular basis, even in matchplay. Doesn’t mean I’d change it.


(Lest that put Marty off too much, there are a few more subdued and playable moments too - it does need to be seen so one can make up their own mind. I’d play it again myself. Just never in front of St Enodoc)

[Mark Pearce]

2019 rack rate was £85. Big hike.


But in the scheme of top class links courses, it’s still relatively low.

Both of the Fife clubs I belong to raised their fee from sub-£100 to over £100 last year.  Both saw significant increases in visitor numbers.  The understanding is that a lot of (mostly US) golf tourists see £100 as a cut off below which courses aren't worth playing.  Go figure.

[Tom_Doak]

Don't you have inflation in the UK?  Over here, everything in the grocery store or a restaurant costs 50% more than it did 2-3 years ago.


The real problem is that any golf course identified as outstanding is now being sold as a luxury good.  There are no bargains in that business.

[Thomas Dai]

There’s an element of shoot mainland U.K. resident golfers in the foot greenfee wise. Some countries, Ireland being one, have a price for overseas visitors and a price for nationals. This isn’t the case in mainland UK. The U.K. mainland County Card scheme used to be a help but it’s nothing like what it once was discount and timings wise and doesn’t apply equally in all three mainland elements of the UK.
Atb

[Duncan Cheslett]

The only realistic way for U.K. golfers to access affordable golf at top courses is to be a member of one of the several informal societies offering reciprocal members’ guest rates to other members of top clubs.


I’m a member of two such groups and have made invaluable contacts. I’m happy to facilitate introductions to anyone who may qualify through membership of a Top 100 club.

[David_Tepper]

Duncan C. -

Another option is to look out for open competitions that many clubs stage over the course of the year. They are usually one-day events under either strokeplay or Stableford formats.

Typically the entry fee for these events is a small fraction of the Visitor green fee.

DT
 

[Padraig Dooley]

There’s an element of shoot mainland U.K. resident golfers in the foot greenfee wise. Some countries, Ireland being one, have a price for overseas visitors and a price for nationals. This isn’t the case in mainland UK. The U.K. mainland County Card scheme used to be a help but it’s nothing like what it once was discount and timings wise and doesn’t apply equally in all three mainland elements of the UK.
Atb

Thomas, Ireland doesn't have one price for nationals and another price for overseas visitors. Some clubs in Ireland do, but there is nothing official about it. I don't like the idea of it because it is basically admitting that the club is gouging, charging two different golfers different rates just because they come from a different place is gouging, I don't think it's ever a good idea to treat one customer differently to another.

[Thomas Dai]

Thomas, Ireland doesn't have one price for nationals and another price for overseas visitors. Some clubs in Ireland do, but there is nothing official about it. I don't like the idea of it because it is basically admitting that the club is gouging, charging two different golfers different rates just because they come from a different place is gouging, I don't think it's ever a good idea to treat one customer differently to another.

Interesting. Isn't there a GUI members discount scheme anymore or has its availability declined?
I recall instances of playing as a visitor with a friend who is a member of a club in Ireland and I paid full rack greenfee and he paid less as he was a member of a GUI club.
atb

[Niall C]

Duncan C. -

Another option is to look out for open competitions that many clubs stage over the course of the year. They are usually one-day events under either strokeplay or Stableford formats.

Typically the entry fee for these events is a small fraction of the Visitor green fee.

DT

I recently tried to play in a an open comp and explained that I currently wasn't a member anywhere and that my handicap had lapsed. I explained that I was looking to enjoy the course and not interested in the comp as such and would it be possible to play anyway. They said of course that would be no problem but that I'd need to pay the full greenfee. I politely declined.


I can see some logic in their thinking but equally it kind of defeated the purpose of the open day.


Niall

[Thomas Dai]

I recently tried to play in a an open comp and explained that I currently wasn't a member anywhere and that my handicap had lapsed. I explained that I was looking to enjoy the course and not interested in the comp as such and would it be possible to play anyway. They said of course that would be no problem but that I'd need to pay the full greenfee. I politely declined.
I can see some logic in their thinking but equally it kind of defeated the purpose of the open day.
Niall

Raises an interesting point.
If the Open Comp had, as many do, a gross prize, why does a player need to have a handicap or even be a member of a club?
atb

[Sean_A]

Thomas, Ireland doesn't have one price for nationals and another price for overseas visitors. Some clubs in Ireland do, but there is nothing official about it. I don't like the idea of it because it is basically admitting that the club is gouging, charging two different golfers different rates just because they come from a different place is gouging, I don't think it's ever a good idea to treat one customer differently to another.

Interesting. Isn't there a GUI members discount scheme anymore or has its availability declined?
I recall instances of playing as a visitor with a friend who is a member of a club in Ireland and I paid full rack greenfee and he paid less as he was a member of a GUI club.
atb

I have no issue with concessions for various groups, in this case, Golf Ireland. It's a club member benefit for those who pay GI dues. That is the same principal of the Co Card or club reciprocals. It's all member benefit. I also don't mind it when munis charge more for non-tax payers of that area. A local tax payer rate makes sense to me.

Regardless of the above, St Enodoc is a relatively great deal compared to many other GB&I courses in its class...which is top class.

Ciao

[Duncan Cheslett]

Marty is now sorted.


If he gets to St Enodoc he’ll be paying a £40 members’ guest rate! 😎

[Garland Bayley]

I recently tried to play in a an open comp and explained that I currently wasn't a member anywhere and that my handicap had lapsed. I explained that I was looking to enjoy the course and not interested in the comp as such and would it be possible to play anyway. They said of course that would be no problem but that I'd need to pay the full greenfee. I politely declined.
I can see some logic in their thinking but equally it kind of defeated the purpose of the open day.
Niall

Raises an interesting point.
If the Open Comp had, as many do, a gross prize, why does a player need to have a handicap or even be a member of a club?
atb

The Open Comps I have played had net prizes too. Buddy and I were paired with a couple of locals and we took 2nd net at Tenby. Told them to donate our prize to their jr. program.

[Jeff Schley]

Haven't been to St. Enodoc but want to get there sometime, the price being 135 won't stop me. It could change my mind about returning, but not for the single play. It will be a good experience I'm sure and with so many good courses in the UK and not an unlimited amount of time, probably onto the next one.

[Mike Hendren]

After viewing the course flyover, I can only assume this is a rhetorical question.  Wow!  Holes 4,6,9, and 14 are each a contender for the favorite hole I've never seen.  Stunning.


Bogey

[Dan_Callahan]

Interesting. Isn't there a GUI members discount scheme anymore or has its availability declined?
I recall instances of playing as a visitor with a friend who is a member of a club in Ireland and I paid full rack greenfee and he paid less as he was a member of a GUI club.
atb

I played a bunch of courses in northwest Ireland last summer, many with some guys from Dublin, and they were paying half what I was because they had GUI cards. There's no question the courses are gouging the overseas visitor, which doesn't feel great. On the other hand, it didn't seem to be deterring visitors. I mean ... makes sense to set the price at whatever the market will bear. And even at the increased rates, I was paying significantly less than I would be paying at a high-end public course in the US. And I recall being the beneficiary of a similar model back when I was right out of college and moved to Vail, and they had locals cards you could get that gave you discounts on just about everything.

[ward peyronnin]

YES IT IS

[ward peyronnin]

AND Tom do you really do the grocery shopping?

[Garland Bayley]

AND Tom do you really do the grocery shopping?

Obviously not, but obviously he does eat in restaurants.