How Does This Work ??????

[Crazyface]

So, I've been looking for a game of golf on Friday near to where we are going. After some research, one was chosen. Check the clubs online booking prices. Ok. Now check the prices on that well known other online booking place. £5 cheaper. Huh? Not a cheap (hot) deal but just £5 cheaper. Now then. Which site shall I book through?

Can anyone explain this?

 

[Orikoru]

Do you have the TeeOffTimes app? They have quite a lot of courses available at cheaper rates.

 

[Crazyface]

Do you have the TeeOffTimes app? They have quite a lot of courses available at cheaper rates.

Yup that's where I've got the prices. But why are they cheaper than the clubs own online booking????? Won't the Teeoff place take a cut?

 

[Orikoru]

Yup that's where I've got the prices. But why are they cheaper than the clubs own online booking????? Won't the Teeoff place take a cut?

I don't know how it works. I know there's a booking fee of £1 per person added on each times. I suppose the courses that are on there are happy to put cheaper prices up if the app attracts more visitors and thus they make more money overall.

 

[Grant85]

So, I've been looking for a game of golf on Friday near to where we are going. After some research, one was chosen. Check the clubs online booking prices. Ok. Now check the prices on that well known other online booking place. £5 cheaper. Huh? Not a cheap (hot) deal but just £5 cheaper. Now then. Which site shall I book through?

Can anyone explain this?

I have seen this and very often it is much more than £5 difference between clubs own website and tee off times.

To me it seems very much that organisations have an issue to sort. Possibly they don't have that much control over what Tee off times sites are charging, but more they have a deal for x no. of times over a year and the website can make their own decisions on pricing and can choose to run things at a very low margin or even a loss leader to get people signing up.

You would think with the good weather we've had, that sites like Tee off times have sold far more games of golf than they had budgeted for over the year.

 

[louise_a]

I guess that by using these sites clubs will reach a wider audience and so attract greater revenue.

 

[cliveb]

My own club uses TeeOffTimes, and while I don't know the fine details, I do know that part of the deal we have with them is that we give them a small number of slots (I think it's 1 or 2 per week) free of charge that they can sell however they like. Perhaps the cheaper price the OP saw was one of those type of slots?

 

[Smasher]

Going direct to the club website it's more likely you'll play there and therefore they charge the 'rrp'.
On an app showing multiple courses they might be competing on price.

 

[GB72]

Going direct to the club website it's more likely you'll play there and therefore they charge the 'rrp'.
On an app showing multiple courses they might be competing on price.

Agree, I think you are looking at 2 different markets, the app is more likely to attract people who just want a round of golf in that area who are less particular about the course and are looking for a deal. The club website is more likely to attract people who specifically want to play that course. That may explain the difference but I would hope that the club has a standing instruction to match the price on the tee booking site if asked.

 

[Blakey]

In my experience if you call the club or are paying when you arrive they will usually match the Tee off times price.

 

[Dibby]

Yup that's where I've got the prices. But why are they cheaper than the clubs own online booking????? Won't the Teeoff place take a cut?

The Teeoff place will commit to a number of tee times, and so buy them at a reduced rate, it's the same way that retail shops like Argos buy large volumes of goods at a reduced rate, and so can sell them to you for less than you can buy directly from the manufacturer.

 

[PJ87]

I’ve started calling the clubs now and asking them to match tee off times price.. that way we cut out the middle man

 

[Crazyface]

My own club uses TeeOffTimes, and while I don't know the fine details, I do know that part of the deal we have with them is that we give them a small number of slots (I think it's 1 or 2 per week) free of charge that they can sell however they like. Perhaps the cheaper price the OP saw was one of those type of slots?

Nope!

 

[Crazyface]

I’ve started calling the clubs now and asking them to match tee off times price.. that way we cut out the middle man

I'll do this. I'm sure it's much better to give the club the money.

 

[jim8flog]

It's a bit like using Sports Direct via the app and going in to a Sports Direct shop.

 

[shortgame]

I’ve started calling the clubs now and asking them to match tee off times price.. that way we cut out the middle man

Same. Nice for the club (especially if a member's club) to get the revenue instead of splitting it

Anyone know the % these middlemen take?

A pro I know ran a Groupon deal for lessons and he reckons the split for that was 25:75 in favour of Groupon which was quite shocking to me.

Whilst the Pro made almost nothing from the initial lessons he said it was worthwhile for the repeat business... wonder how it works with tee times - anyone know?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Maybe some feel that they get a little bit of added kudos booking direct - or maybe some want to cut out the middleman and make sure all of their green fee goes to the club.

I'm not for going to a club and trying to barter them down to an on-line price - that doesn't feel right. Even if I pay a bit more I'd rather pay direct to the club so they get it all.

But it does rather depend upon the difference

 

[Orikoru]

Same. Nice for the club (especially if a member's club) to get the revenue instead of splitting it

Anyone know the % these middlemen take?

A pro I know ran a Groupon deal for lessons and he reckons the split for that was 25:75 in favour of Groupon which was quite shocking to me.

Whilst the Pro made almost nothing from the initial lessons he said it was worthwhile for the repeat business... wonder how it works with tee times - anyone know?

Can't possibly work the same because the 'repeat business' can just be booked through tee off times again and again. Unless clubs are only on there for a temporary period of time, and then take themselves off it. But I've been seeing the same clubs on the app for a full year now I'm sure.

 

[thegoldenbear]

teeofftimes is owned by Golf Now who also own the booking system BRS which is used by a large number of clubs. A club can choose to get BRS system "free" if they give the company a certain number of tee times, usually one or two a day, which the company can then sell at any price they like through teeofftimes. Clubs think this is a good deal, but are too shortsighted to see they are cutting their own throats.

 

[shortgame]

Can't possibly work the same because the 'repeat business' can just be booked through tee off times again and again. Unless clubs are only on there for a temporary period of time, and then take themselves off it. But I've been seeing the same clubs on the app for a full year now I'm sure.

Exactly. Guess some clubs might hope to convert a few teetime visitors to members, but doubt that happens much tbh.

More interested in the % split, as if the published times are already at say half price and the intermediary takes half of that then the clubs make hardly anything. Maybe a bit on food & drink.

And to SILH it's not really bartering - just ring the club and say you've seen a time for X price on teetimes, ask can you book it direct instead - doubt any would say no and they should appreciate it. Win Win.