• We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas from all at Golf Monthly. Thank you for sharing your 2025 with us!

Buchanan Castle Golf Club - Disgraceful open payouts

Unlikely to attract the right type, though. I've played in a lot of opens this year. Couldn't tell you, for any of them, what the prize fund was. I select them based on whether its a course my friends & I want to play. The prizes on offer never come into the equation. If we win something, which has happened, that's a bonus but I would never base a decision on whether to play on the prizes available.

It doesn't enter my thought process either but as I say lots of people go pot hunting.
 
It seems fair enough for the OP to be disappointed at his prize money.

It seems not fair enough to froth at the mouth about it in here with a clubs name and “disgraceful” in the thread title for something which seems to divide opinion.

As others do here I see opens as an opportunity to play courses that would otherwise be more expensive. If I was concerned about the prizes I’d ask what they were beforehand.
 
Were the prizes listed on the adverts or entry forms? If not then the club can offer what they like and as you'e played for £10 and so turned a profit I'd be happy to have played so well and if you are entering to make money then you are in it for the wrong reasons and there is a hint of trophy hunting
 
As I’ve already stated - at our club we pay out 75% of the entry money in prizes
While I realise this is more than the norm on my travels I’ve found the going rate to be 50%

So it’s all about the prize fund for you then ? You want more Money regardless of if it means the club make a loss ?
 
Dontbsee
So it’s all about the prize fund for you then ? You want more Money regardless of if it means the club make a loss ?

Don’t see how you can- how much do you honestly think the costs for having an open are- they are precisely zero- there is no difference to the set up of the course - do you honestly think green staff don’t work on a Sunday?
Call it pot hunting if you like but I know how I run my own clubs members comps and opens and I’d rather do it the way we do ( paying out 75% of entry money) than the way other clubs seem to
 
Dontbsee


Don’t see how you can- how much do you honestly think the costs for having an open are- they are precisely zero- there is no difference to the set up of the course - do you honestly think green staff don’t work on a Sunday?
Call it pot hunting if you like but I know how I run my own clubs members comps and opens and I’d rather do it the way we do ( paying out 75% of entry money) than the way other clubs seem to

Green staff do work at weekends but they don’t have the full staff on due to being unable to work on the course much so it’s normally just one or two to quickly set up the course for the days Play . We have one - come club champs that goes from one to 8 - all on overtime - that’s extra funding that’s needed.

And then there is the loss of tee times that would normally be sold ? How much do you think that would lose the club ?

At the end of the day you are an amateur - you really shouldn’t be bothered about any prize money on offer
 
Dontbsee


Don’t see how you can- how much do you honestly think the costs for having an open are- they are precisely zero- there is no difference to the set up of the course - do you honestly think green staff don’t work on a Sunday?
Call it pot hunting if you like but I know how I run my own clubs members comps and opens and I’d rather do it the way we do ( paying out 75% of entry money) than the way other clubs seem to
Simple question for you.....

If Buchanan Castle golf club put out an offer to play for £10 instead of £48 but no prizes, would you have taken up the offer?
 
My club has an open on this weekend, which I can't play in as the Saturday is 9 or lower and the Sunday is 10-18 handicaps. Therefore I miss a weekend of golf. Not overly bothered but I hope the clubs getting something from it, otherwise, what good is it to me as a member?

I’d have happily paid the £15 and played off 18 this Sunday.
 
So your team paid £30 and won £150?

Whats the problem?

Don't forget they each also received a green fee voucher allowing 4 people to play ANYTIME for £60, a potential saving of £396 on the normal weekend green fee.
Funny the OP forgot to mention that :oops:
Please note the normal cost for 3 weekend green fees is £144

OP - "A prize pool of £1680" in respect of, and equal to, the total entry fees paid.

The prize pool was £1110 as only 37 teams entered and £450 was used for prizes, that's a little over 40%.
Add in the green fee voucher and a reduction of around 80% off the normal green fee and it's not a bad day out.
 
So SweenyTodd has said going rate typically 50%.

So going on that price pot would be £555 rather than £450, Given it's a tri-tournament and they presumably had first three teams and the spot prizes mentioned, then that additioanl £105 would be divided between about 13 people. Have we really managed 7 pages, and disgust in the title for what may have been c.£8-£10 more per person.

That's ignoring the greeen fee voucher and that it would have made a bigger loss for the club over the two years.
 
Don't forget they each also received a green fee voucher allowing 4 people to play ANYTIME for £60, a potential saving of £396 on the normal weekend green fee.
Funny the OP forgot to mention that :oops:
Please note the normal cost for 3 weekend green fees is £144



The prize pool was £1110 as only 37 teams entered and £450 was used for prizes, that's a little over 40%.
Add in the green fee voucher and a reduction of around 80% off the normal green fee and it's not a bad day out.

A voucher that brings money to the club is a nothing other than a marketing grab and where do you get your savings of £396 from???

I can assure you the host club don't charge £114 per round.
 
A voucher that brings money to the club is a nothing other than a marketing grab

So the golfer gets a reduced green fee (£15 instead of £48) and the club gets some extra income . Win win.

and where do you get your savings of £396 from???

4 golfers playing at the weekend paying £48 each is £192 The voucher is £60 so a reduction of £132.
Each member of the team received a voucher.
3 x £132 equals £396

I can assure you the host club don't charge £114 per round.

3 golfers paying a normal Sunday green fee (3 x 48) comes to £114
 
Top