How much is too much for a round of golf?

[SirSliceAlot]

My question really is do you think the 'average' golf clubs green fees are fair for visitors?
I am not a member of a club currently, and so pay and play at a few regular courses, most of which are not municipals. An acceptable green fee for me is £25-£35 a round at weekends which I personally feel is plenty for the average working man. I cannot see how some clubs which, to be frank, are nothing special are justifying £35-50 a round for visitors. I appreciate they don't want hackers and thrashers playing, but it just stinks of greed and elitism.
What do you think?
Whats the most you have or would spend on a round of golf and was it justified?

 

[Aztecs27]

Some courses are over priced some are not.

It's also all relative to the opinion of the person playing it. One man's goat track is another man's Augusta.

It costs a small fortune to play the West Course at Wentworth, somewhere in the region of £350 IIRC...Horrendously over priced for sure, but I'd still pay to play it once if/when I can afford it despite the fact it's not worth £350. It's expensive because of the history and the surroundings (Wentworth is lovely).

 

[GB72]

Depends on the course but I also think that there are far too many places charging £30-£40 for a round that do not deserve it. There are plenty of places that are worth no more than £20 tops but still charge nearly double that.

Also depends how packed the course is. Thorpe Wood in Peterborough is a good course and great value at £19 but you have to go there expecting to queue and play a 5 hour plus round.

Personally i think that £30 is a reasonable cost for a round of golf at a reasonable course. That said, if I am going elswhere to play I try and find a member to sign me in as usually halves the cost (my place is £35 but only £16 if signed in by a member).

 

[fundy]

Depends on the course but I also think that there are far too many places charging £30-£40 for a round that do not deserve it. There are plenty of places that are worth no more than £20 tops but still charge nearly double that.

Also depends how packed the course is. Thorpe Wood in Peterborough is a good course and great value at £19 but you have to go there expecting to queue and play a 5 hour plus round.

Personally i think that £30 is a reasonable cost for a round of golf at a reasonable course. That said, if I am going elswhere to play I try and find a member to sign me in as usually halves the cost (my place is £35 but only £16 if signed in by a member).

If youre guaranteed a 5hr+ round then at any price it is not good value imho

 

[fundy]

Personally have paid over £100 for a round of golf and would happily do so again for the right course. That said Ive also paid less than £20 and felt ripped off.

Members courses should be overpriced except at off peak times imo to ensure that the members can play as and when they want, its not greed or elitism a lot of the time but maximising what they can receive for something they only want to provide a low supply of

 

[chrisd]

Aztec is quite correct. I played Wentworth a year or two back and it was a dream course and one that I had walked many times in the BMW etc It was £220 then and it cost me £2.50 per shot, and I can recall almost every shot still

I have a round at Sunningdale to play soon at £160 and I'm told the course is stunning

To put a price on it:

Decent club track £25 - £35

Tour venue £30 - £90

Above that quailty - whatever it cost if I could afford it


Chris

 

[VinnyRM]

I have paid various " extortionate" green fees to play average courses, but I have also paid lots of money for special courses....Carnoustie champ comes to mind..TPC Scottsdale, etc, the best value EVER was a place called World Woods in Florida, the course was the pine barrens and made the Golf Digest top 100 at number 27 and it was 35 dollars including buggy! 2 hours from Orlando...well worth the drive...but I guess each person has expectations when they drop a lot of cash, and in the UK in my opinion most expensive courses fail to provide the experience you get in the USA for same or less money.
I think there's an arrogance at some top clubs that they will charge what they like and damn the average punter....I for one after a disappointing experience at an upscale Scottish club will be very choosy in future.....albeit I am planning to play the Old Course, St Andrews with my son in April next year......damn the cost it has to be done!

 

[PPE]

Depends on the course but I also think that there are far too many places charging £30-£40 for a round that do not deserve it. There are plenty of places that are worth no more than £20 tops but still charge nearly double that.

Also depends how packed the course is. Thorpe Wood in Peterborough is a good course and great value at £19 but you have to go there expecting to queue and play a 5 hour plus round.

Personally i think that £30 is a reasonable cost for a round of golf at a reasonable course. That said, if I am going elswhere to play I try and find a member to sign me in as usually halves the cost (my place is £35 but only £16 if signed in by a member).

If youre guaranteed a 5hr+ round then at any price it is not good value imho

Even Augusta or Pebble Beach?

I played Trevose last weekend and have to say that I didnt think that it was worth anywhere near £65 a round (lucky we had it on a 2Fore1). However I did play Birkdale last year and although I got a 3-ball for £10 (dont ask)I would have gladly paid £165 for the round after playing it, but I wouldnt have paid that prior to the round.

It really depends on the course and the cache, £100 for a round of Forest of Arden, No. £100 for St Andrews, Yes. Generally though no more than £40-£50.

 

[swanny32]

I think the price for a round of golf at most places is ridiculous, I'd happily pay £25-£35 for a round of golf if it's a decent enough course but we were going to do some away days with some guys from my home club and some of the courses we looked at wanted anywhere between £80-£150....I refuse to pay that much no matter how good the course is. I'd pay that if it were St. Andrews or the like because it's not just about the golf then but to pay those prices for a "championship" course is ridiculous. Gold is far too over priced at most places and unfortunately it's pricing a lot of people out of the sport in the current financial climate.

 

[Crow]

The most I've paid was £60 for the Golf Monthly qualifier at Hanbury Manor.

I couldn't justify anything approaching £100, and £350 to play somewhere like Wentworth is criminal. Okay, it might be a scenic course with a lot of history but the way I see it is you could play 7 very good courses at £50 or less a time.

 

[palindromicbob]

Try and get yourself into a reasonable sized society. I am in 2 societies and because of this I get to play a variety of courses at bargain prices. For example I played Castlerock for £25 normally £65.

It is also worth looking out for comps and opens especially charity ones. These usually have lower prices if you can enter a team. On the 27th of August you can play open medal mixed foursomes at Dunluce links at the Royal Portrush for £25 per person.

Then don't forget 2 for 1 vouchers. These can get you into some very nice courses with a friend for an absolute steal.

 

[gripitripit]

£20 to £30 for me is reasonable.
Barhill were I play on occasion is £40 at weekends and for me it's over priced but they accept 2fore1 7 days a week so for £20 it's a fantastic track.
I would not pay full price for it as Wyboston Lakes a 20 minute drive away is £20 on a Sunday afternoon so half the price but just as good quality.

 

[Aztecs27]

Try and get yourself into a reasonable sized society. I am in 2 societies and because of this I get to play a variety of courses at bargain prices. For example I played Castlerock for £25 normally £65.

Already a member of the UK's greatest golf society - The GM Forum

But you're right, societies are a great weay of getting cheaper golf.

 

[swanny32]

Most I paid was at South Herts last year when I played in a Help for Heroes charity day, think that set me back £75 but included bacon rolls and a 3 course meal afterwards. Also didn't mind as it was for a charity I have a lot of time for.

 

[Doc]

Hi, if I've paid my joining fee and my not inconsiderable membership for the year, why then would I be happy for the club to let someone (not a members guest) play for £25?

Fair enough if the club wants to raise revenue by letting visitors play at quiet times but they should pay a premium for the privilege.

Golf is the same as everything else, it's like asking how much is too much for a bottle of wine, or a car, or a house etc???

cheers

Steve...

Ps, I'm not an elitest, just a working class bloke who struggles to justify & pay his subs each year like everyone else.

 

[Ethan]

Pay what it is worth to you and what you can afford. I have paid a lot of money to play golf and I neither regret it nor apologise for it.

If someone pays £400 to play Wentworth, is that really worse than buying an expensive ornament for the mantelpiece, a piece of jewellery or dinner at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant?

 

[Snelly]

Pay what it is worth to you and what you can afford. I have paid a lot of money to play golf and I neither regret it nor apologise for it.

Same here. First, what something costs is relative to what you can afford.

Taking that as a given, I agree with other posters that I don't mind paying a lot for a green fee, if I feel that I am getting value for money.

For example, Royal County Down is £150 for a round. Sunningdale is similar. Both are absolute bargains given the experience that you have on the day.

A division down would be somewhere like West Hill, Worplesdon or St Georges Hill. Great value for money at £110. £75 gets you a round at Liphook, Hankley Common, West Sussex or Hindhead - these are ridiculously cheap for the day that you have at such exquisite venues.

However, the other side of the coin is easy to see too. The Brabazon at the Belfry for £165 is daylight robbery. £365 to play the West Course at Wentworth is just silly. Neither are very impressive (and that is being polite!).

I could also name loads of courses that I have spent £30 to play on and felt cheated as they were dreadful or conversely, blown away at what a bargain they are.

It's all relative. One mans expensive is anothers cheap.

We can all agree on what consitutes good value for money for us as individuals though. This is the better measure when looking at what to spend on a days golf in my view.

 

[brendy]

Some clubs in NI have a concession with Castlerock, we get to play it for £15 quid, I had an awful experience of it though as it was my first time round it, americans in front and terrible weather. I could be talked into playing it again but wouldnt drive all the way up there just to play it on its own.

I think golf courses should be able to charge what they want, better courses spend more money to keep them in better condition etc but at the same time, they need to realise their limits on what they can charge. An open rotation course like St Andrews, Turnberry etc is bound to be expensive, but then again they are the pinnacle of the sport.
The most I have paid for a game of golf is the £60 I paid for Castle Stuart, it was money well spent in my opinion as the welcome, facilities and course were fantastic. You have to remember though that the place is usually well over £100 to play so we were lucky in that respect, would I pay the full amount to play it? probably but wouldnt/couldnt make a habit of it.

I would simply get cheaper lodgings to offset the expense of the golf.

Try and get yourself into a reasonable sized society. I am in 2 societies and because of this I get to play a variety of courses at bargain prices. For example I played Castlerock for £25 normally £65.

It is also worth looking out for comps and opens especially charity ones. These usually have lower prices if you can enter a team. On the 27th of August you can play open medal mixed foursomes at Dunluce links at the Royal Portrush for £25 per person.

Then don't forget 2 for 1 vouchers. These can get you into some very nice courses with a friend for an absolute steal.

 

[palindromicbob]

Hi, if I've paid my joining fee and my not inconsiderable membership for the year, why then would I be happy for the club to let someone (not a members guest) play for £25?

Fair enough if the club wants to raise revenue by letting visitors play at quiet times but they should pay a premium for the privilege.

Golf is the same as everything else, it's like asking how much is too much for a bottle of wine, or a car, or a house etc???

cheers

Steve...

Ps, I'm not an elitest, just a working class bloke who struggles to justify & pay his subs each year like everyone else.

Clubs need to get the balance right. If it wasn't for the green fees paid by visitors then the membership cost would be higher. I currently need to play 14+ full rounds to get value for my membership. When I start paying full I'll need to play 30.

 

[19thagain]

Well SirSliceaLot, my advice ... get into a club, get a handicap and take advantage of Open Comps in your area.

For a modest entry fee you will enjoy a course, presented well as the club want to impress and you will play off the medal tees in excellent company.

Maybe even a wee prize at the end .. magic!