Golf Clubs - Star Ratings like Hotels

[simsini]

I was looking through the thread on here about the worst courses people have played, and it got me thinking that golf clubs should have star ratings in the same way that hotels do. This rating can be affected by the level of facilities including country club type facilities such as a pool and spa, as well as a driving range and other practice facilities. Also the conditioning and layout of the course, whether it's playable all year round etc. I wouldn't include any onsite hotel as this would have a seperate rating of its own.

Somewhere like Wentworth would be a 5* and your local council course with no driving range and poor conditioning would be a 1*.

Any thoughts?

 

[Orikoru]

Sounds like opening a can of worms. There will be clubs suing the rating people and taking them to court because they've been charging £100 green fees and they've just been given a 3* rating. Then you'll have clubs suddenly adding 30 quid to it when they pick a 4* rating and all sorts.

 

[simsini]

Sounds like opening a can of worms. There will be clubs suing the rating people and taking them to court because they've been charging £100 green fees and they've just been given a 3* rating. Then you'll have clubs suddenly adding 30 quid to it when they pick a 4* rating and all sorts.

I think clubs charge more anyway when they've made the top 100 courses website. I think it would lead to improvements across the board.

 

[Banchory Buddha]

I think clubs charge more anyway when they've made the top 100 courses website. I think it would lead to improvements across the board.

If you follow facebook reviews, and Trip Advisor reviews, it's a total mess, far too often some gobby makes a long critical post about the club, it'll 9/10 be the catering, not the course. A golf club/course review should be about the course, not the catering.

Anyway golf being what it is, folks prefer different types of course, there's no way ratings would be a great guide, look at the various top 100 lists, drive a coach and horses through every one of them

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Hotel star ratings are usually based upon the facilities offered - not the quality of any of them - customer reviews do that - mostly according to perceived peccadilloes, and individual’s preferences and pickiness. My club offers a nice trad club house with good food; a lovely, well-conditioned course and good practice facilities. Don’t think we’d be that happy scoring 2 stars or whatever because we don’t have a snooker table or the likes. Nah.

 

[CliveW]

I am a member of two clubs. The first has two championship courses and a nine hole course which are in excellent condition for about eight months of the year. It also has a fantastic clubhouse and excellent practice facilities including a practice area, short game area and driving range. The other club is a links course and has been a qualifier for the Open six times, yet it has very limited facilities. I would rate both as five star golf courses, but according to your calculations, one would be a five star club and the other probably two star club.

 

[Slab]

Hotel star ratings are usually based upon the facilities offered - not the quality of any of them - customer reviews do that - mostly according to perceived peccadilloes, and individual’s preferences and pickiness. My club offers a nice trad club house with good food; a lovely, well-conditioned course and good practice facilities. Don’t think we’d be that happy scoring 2 stars or whatever because we don’t have a snooker table or the likes. Nah.

I think actually having a snooker table should lose a star


On topic, I think that horse bolted decades ago, a star (or Tee) rating might've worked if introduced long before internet etc but as mentioned there's now so many lists and review sites plus other social media posts with comments etc that it just couldn't be implemented now

 

[DeanoMK]

I think the trouble is that sometimes someone's perception of the quality course is also based on how they played, or how the weather was too.

 

[Backache]

The hotel star system gives me a basic idea about the facilities and size of room and are to a large degree quantifiable it has some utility, though I will usually investigate further.
For me many of the things lam looking for in a golf course are not quantifiable and are quite subjective. I am not sure that a star system would have any utility for me though doubtlessly it would at least subconsciously sway my view. personally I don't want one.

 

[Backsticks]

I think actually having a snooker table should lose a star

Even worse, mine has a pool table. Oh the shame, the shame.

 

[Dando]

clubs should gain a star if they ban pink castle tees

 

[IanM]

Very hard to do this meaningfully.

But useful if do-able but not sure it is.

 

[LincolnShep]

Public review sites (TripAdvisor, Facebook, Google etc.) have obvious drawbacks mentioned by others in this thread but, once you get a large number of reviews, the wisdom of crowds tends to get to about the right level. My wife, who works in hotel sales, asked me the other day how I choose one course over another and she was really surprised that there is no well-used review site for golf courses. I think it's a shame.

 

[IanM]

There are a few

But you don't know if the word of reviewers is genuine or worth listening to.

There was a bloke on top 100 courses .com slagging of West Sussex the other day. Clearly deranged.

 

[Voyager EMH]

A. If I was going to a course for a game and not staying overnight, I wouldn't be too bothered about practice facilities and a swimming pool.
B. Going for a two night/three day stay could be a different matter, but I've rarely done that kind of thing.
C. Looking for a club to join would be another different set of priorities.

A five-star rating for a place with lots of facilities might not suit me at all for one game on a day or as a club to join.
So what would be the big deal about a 5-star rating for somewhere? Golfing tourists review only?

 

[jim8flog]

Where I play any sort of criticism of the golf club as member on a social media platform may be considered to be a breach of our club rules

"Breach of this policy may result in disciplinary action under the Club’s disciplinary procedure, including removal as a member of the Club."

 

[simsini]

Where I play any sort of criticism of the golf club as member on a social media platform may be considered to be a breach of our club rules

"Breach of this policy may result in disciplinary action under the Club’s disciplinary procedure, including removal as a member of the Club."

Even if you said for example, that the course is in great condition, the facilities are good, but the grass on the tee boxes is slightly longer than it should be?

 

[D-S]

Even if you said for example, that the course is in great condition, the facilities are good, but the grass on the tee boxes is slightly longer than it should be?

I think this is the word ‘may’ is used.

 

[Alan Clifford]

The problem with rating systems is someone else's version of what is good. For me, a 5 star hotel is a bed and breakfast where the owner cooks breakfast less that 10 feet from where I'm sitting so the food is fresh and hot.

 

[jim8flog]

Even if you said for example, that the course is in great condition, the facilities are good, but the grass on the tee boxes is slightly longer than it should be?

It is primarily a problem about members slagging off the course which could be detrimental to the club's revenue stream from societies etc (which is why the rule was bought in the first place), as already pointed out the rule says 'may'.