Extortionate green fees!

[JonnyGutteridge]

I think it’s the impact it has on the local tee time ‘market’ that annoys people - moreso than Turnberry becoming out of people’s price range.

Kingsbarns and Carnoustie and Dornoch will follow suit. Then Trump will do this at Doonbeg and Aberdeen and before you know it, it’s £750 everywhere.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Hasnt it always just been the case of: Pay whatever youre comfortable paying

Exactly. I have a couple of mates that play a few times a year near where they live and I wanted to play somewhere near a mid-point as I haven't seen them for a while. I offered them a course with a £60 green fee that I thought was about right but they didn't want to pay that much. Decided if they didn't want to compromise at a mid-point bearing in mind it is me always going to their course of choice then it wasn't worth the hassle. Point is I would have been comfy at £60 but they weren't

 

[Mandofred]

Exactly. I have a couple of mates that play a few times a year near where they live and I wanted to play somewhere near a mid-point as I haven't seen them for a while. I offered them a course with a £60 green fee that I thought was about right but they didn't want to pay that much. Decided if they didn't want to compromise at a mid-point bearing in mind it is me always going to their course of choice then it wasn't worth the hassle. Point is I would have been comfy at £60 but they weren't

It is what it is. I wouldn't pay £60 to play either....or £50.....probably not £40. I tend not to play anywhere else

 

[D-S]

It’s not the fact that the Open rota courses (or ex rota) command these sort of fees that irritates me
(they are the history of the game and it is wonderful that we can have access to them), it is the trickle down effect that has happened over the past few years and no doubt will do so again.
Suddenly because a few wealthy tourists want to play the courses where the greats have once played (and I don’t blame them) then other top 100 courses will jump on the bandwagon, even though the wealthy tourists rarely venture near them. I can just about understand 220 for Porthcawl (even though it used to be merely double the price of normal club green fees rather than 5 times as it is now), but 100 pounds for Pyle and Kenfig, really? Ferndown for 170? Enodoc 150?

 

[howbow88]

That would be his choice and it will be up to people to decide if they want to pay it -

But a club won’t do that because it’s not realistic and people won’t pay it

My guess is that you're a proper Scouser with that attitude


This is just an example of gross capitalism. I don't care too much because I was never likely to play Turnberry, but it must suck if you're a local person who has been priced out in the last few years.

And yes, there is a trickle down effect unfortunately. That bit does effect a lot of us.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

My guess is that you're a proper Scouser with that attitude


This is just an example of gross capitalism. I don't care too much because I was never likely to play Turnberry, but it must suck if you're a local person who has been priced out in the last few years.

And yes, there is a trickle down effect unfortunately. That bit does effect a lot of us.

It’s always been expensive to play there - people didn’t want to pay the £450 is cost this year , they didn’t want to pay the £150 it cost years ago

There are lots of golf courses in the area - there does seem to be this belief that people should be able to get on courses cheap

That doesn’t happen in other walks of life

 

[VVega]

I have been lucky enough to play Turnberry many times, mostly through clients but have paid on at least 3 occassions, the most being £245.00

Would i pay £1000 to play it again? Yes, without a seconds thought. Until you have played it, you wont get it. It really is a top class venue.

Value perception is different for everyone, so is the financial freedom to pay for it.

What’s your 2nd best golf course that your played? Just curious what you are comparing it to.

 

[D-S]

It’s always been expensive to play there - people didn’t want to pay the £450 is cost this year , they didn’t want to pay the £150 it cost years ago

There are lots of golf courses in the area - there does seem to be this belief that people should be able to get on courses cheap

That doesn’t happen in other walks of life

I am not saying that I want to ‘get on courses cheap’ but the increases at less than the very top courses versus what they were in relation to ‘normal’ courses some years ago is staggering. Courses that would be about 50% higher than normal courses are now 3 or 4 times the price. Those that were double are now 5 or 6 times the price.
It not the cheapness it’s the relativity, also the relative standard of conditioning, welcome and service haven’t matched the price increase level.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

I am not saying that I want to ‘get on courses cheap’ but the increases at less than the very top courses versus what they were in relation to ‘normal’ courses some years ago is staggering. Courses that would be about 50% higher than normal courses are now 3 or 4 times the price. Those that were double are now 5 or 6 times the price.
It not the cheapness it’s the relativity, also the relative standard of conditioning, welcome and service haven’t matched the price increase level.

Costs have gone up for many clubs , even just the simple costs of seed ,equipment , then add in catering etc - it’s not cheap anymore , cost of memberships going up - there isn’t many things that aren’t more expensive than they were 5 years ago

Clubs still trying to recover from Covid , many trying to sort out the changing summers and burnt out fairways ,

If a club is charging too much for the product then people won’t pay it , and soon enough they will struggle

Our societies used to cost around £45-55 , this year it’s £75-85 for the same courses

Our prices are going up but aren’t taking any further profits

 

[howbow88]

It’s always been expensive to play there - people didn’t want to pay the £450 is cost this year , they didn’t want to pay the £150 it cost years ago

There are lots of golf courses in the area - there does seem to be this belief that people should be able to get on courses cheap

That doesn’t happen in other walks of life

It is genuinely laughable (though not surprising) that you are trying to compare £175 in 2013, to £1000 in 2025. The first is expensive and the second is insanity. Insanity, though of course there will be plenty of tourists who will still pay it.

I don't think anyone has a specific right to play Turnberry, but to pretend that certain prices in the UK aren't protected for the public isn't true either. Eg, watching Wimbledon on free TV each year is due to the UK government not allowing Sky, Amazon, etc to charge for it. Away Premier League ticket prices are capped at £30, due to a Premier League fan initiative. The St Andrews Links ticket for locals this year was £370, when they charge that price alone for a tourist to play the Old Course. Etc, etc, etc.

 

[D-S]

Would i pay £1000 to play it again? Yes, without a seconds thought. Until you have played it, you wont get it. It really is a top class venue.

I have played Turnberry twice and really enjoyed it, who can’t appreciate following in the footsteps of the ‘Duel in the Sun’? My wife even got a hole in one on the 4th, which is a wonderful memory.
I have also paid north of £200 quite a few times in different countries this year so I am not averse to high green fees if they represent value for money.
Would I pay £1000 to play Turnberry again? - it’s a firm no.

 

[D-S]

Costs have gone up for many clubs , even just the simple costs of seed ,equipment , then add in catering etc - it’s not cheap anymore , cost of memberships going up - there isn’t many things that aren’t more expensive than they were 5 years ago

Clubs still trying to recover from Covid , many trying to sort out the changing summers and burnt out fairways ,

If a club is charging too much for the product then people won’t pay it , and soon enough they will struggle

Our societies used to cost around £45-55 , this year it’s £75-85 for the same courses

Our prices are going up but aren’t taking any further profits

All these costs have increased for all clubs, that is why I expressed my point in terms of relativity not absolute cost.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

It is genuinely laughable (though not surprising) that you are trying to compare £175 in 2013, to £1000 in 2025. The first is expensive and the second is insanity. Insanity, though of course there will be plenty of tourists who will still pay it.

I don't think anyone has a specific right to play Turnberry, but to pretend that certain prices in the UK aren't protected for the public isn't true either. Eg, watching Wimbledon on free TV each year is due to the UK government not allowing Sky, Amazon, etc to charge for it. Away Premier League ticket prices are capped at £30, due to a Premier League fan initiative. The St Andrews Links ticket for locals this year was £370, when they charge that price alone for a tourist to play the Old Course. Etc, etc, etc.

Playing a private owned golf course is not the same as telly rights or what people pay to watch a footbal match - they aren’t “privately owned entities” - it’s no different to people having to pay silly money to eat in certain restaurants, pay silly money to own an Aston Martin

There are many exclusive clubs where you can’t even book a green fee - should they be forced to allow anyone to play their course

How can any government force a private golf club to charge lower green fees ?

 

[Voyager EMH]

Of course it’s the same

it’s a private club -it’s not up to a regulator to decide what a private club charges

the owner of that golf course has spent millions upgrading it

There are many golf clubs that you can’t play regardless of money - it’s private , their choice

There isn’t any specific rights that say that we must all be able to afford to play any golf course we want

I say a similar thing to the company that keeps contacting me to install a smart meter.
I tell them it will cost them £1000 per year, payable to me, for their meter to remain in my house.

 

[Imurg]

Sounds to me like the hotel is losing money..
"Force" visitors to stay there or charge a ludicrously extortionate fee..
Mind you, even the stay&play price is way beyond what I would consider paying...

 

[howbow88]

Playing a private owned golf course is not the same as telly rights or what people pay to watch a footbal match - they aren’t “privately owned entities” - it’s no different to people having to pay silly money to eat in certain restaurants, pay silly money to own an Aston Martin

There are many exclusive clubs where you can’t even book a green fee - should they be forced to allow anyone to play their course

How can any government force a private golf club to charge lower green fees ?

Football clubs aren't privately owned entities?! I'm done with going over the same ground again - we all know you'll never let it lie

As an aside, and this is a genuine question; why did you leave this website and rejoin under a different name? What was the point?

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Football clubs aren't privately owned entities?! I'm done with going over the same ground again - we all know you'll never let it lie

As an aside, and this is a genuine question; why did you leave this website and rejoin under a different name? What was the point?

Football clubs are controlled by a governing body - it’s a completely irrelevant comparison


as for the rest - just as irrelevant

 

[Oddsocks]

Green fees are similar to cars. Everyone wants something exclusive but barely have boris bike budgets.

 

[PaulMdj]

As an aside, and this is a genuine question; why did you leave this website and rejoin under a different name? What was the point?

Just for information, when a forum member leaves through their own choice, they can either simply log out or ask for their account to be deleted, in my case my wife was seriously ill and I asked for my account to be deleted.

If they then wish to join in again, you can either log in again or they have to rejoin, you can’t use the username of the account that was deleted, again in my case I simply added a M and went from pauldj to paulmdj, or, you can choose a completely new one.

 

[howbow88]

Football clubs are controlled by a governing body - it’s a completely irrelevant comparison


as for the rest - just as irrelevant

A governing body (the Premier League) that is a private entity, much like the R&A, USGA, etc.

A weasel answer from a weasel poster. Makes sense. Have a good evening