Inflation of Greens Fees for the Top UK Courses

[KenL]

I know some do but I really wish courses would do more for local residents as the prices are clearly designed for foreign visitors with more money than most of us.
Take a look at Kingsbarns website. It is clearly designed for Americans. They even provide a freephone number you can call from USA.

I see Dumbarnie are offering a Scottish resident rate of £125 again this year, just under half the full cost.

Turnberry is up to £395 for a game. ???

 

[HarrogateHacker]

Think some of the prices are a scandal, I get it’s supply demand and people are willing to pay it but 200+ or 300+ for a round is bonkers. Despite this if someone phoned me and offered me a round at any of these courses for 200+ I’d pay it so I’m part of the problem I suppose

 

[Deleted member 3432]

Your club is in the same bracket as mine. Both out of the way so green fees are still reasonable.

Now if both were in closer proximity to a motorway or other top 100 courses both would be a lot more and membership costs would be double.

So true and thankful to be so awkward to get to.

 

[IanM]

Stuff em. Silloth here I come!

Ps. Please don't tell em about Ashburnham and Pennard!

 

[evemccc]

Unfortunately it is an example of wider trends in the way our society and the world is going.
I don’t like it in golf or elsewhere.
But..I know it is going to get worse, or more expensive, and so I choose to play those bucket-list courses that I truly want to play, as soon as I can. Doing so in the knowledge that ‘less is more’ (as I can’t afford or won’t choose) to make a habit out of it...so it is a one-off, and I think that will help me to truly enjoy the moment

I’ve spent plenty of money on nights out and on years of drinking. I look back now (in lockdown) with happy memories of those years of countless hours in clubs and in pubs
If /when we get back to normal I will still enjoy going to the pub but I am sort of horrified when I think about how much money I’ve spent on alcohol and nights out over the years. But I am resolved that I won’t want to do that as a habit, more a thing to savour. How I choose to spend my disposable income obvs changes with time but I feel like this year of indulging in two or three fancy courses will be a good thing for the ‘experience’ of it, esp to keep my spirits up whilst I can’t travel abroad. In a year or so I’ll be perhaps more keen to join a ‘better’ club with my golf money.
There is, for me, a sort of pressure to do the ones I want relatively quickly, as I can’t see these prices coming down at all in the future - quite the opposite

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Not sure I will go back playing these kind of courses on anything like a regular basis after lockdowns, in many cases they are not worth it at all tbh. History doesn't quite tick my boxes, the courses arent really worth the money.

Will stick to playing at club memberships and cheaper memorable courses, they actually leave better memories for the buck.

Would like to see a comparison of membership costs over a similar period, to see if increases have been similar

 

[Mandofred]

? Regardless of the price these courses are up there with the best in the World - there is the rare exception like Silloth for example but you don’t find better courses than the above list for much less than the above fees.

I get it.....I don't like it, but I get it. To me it still comes back to individual choice. Would I spend .50p for a pint of beer...yes. £2.....yes. £6...no. Unless it is a special occasion, I won't go over £40. I know.....that doesn't go very far. The ONLY reason I play regularly is because if you are a member you might pay the £1000 a year, but if you play 100+ times the price is "reasonable"....to me. I just like to play golf, I don't need the best golf course to do that.

 

[davidy233]

Best example I've seen of treating locals better than tourists is St Andrews - the Links website hasn't published prices for 21-22 yet but they quote full price for the Old Course for 2020 at £195 and a resident of St Andrews could have played it for £49.

 

[Zig]

Best example I've seen of treating locals better than tourists is St Andrews - the Links website hasn't published prices for 21-22 yet but they quote full price for the Old Course for 2020 at £195 and a resident of St Andrews could have played it for £49.

That's one I'm looking at for the summer hopefully... my two visits have both been in Feb and want to play it without multiple layers! However, they've just advertised a 36 hole deal, Old and New, and it's £450!!! (OK, there's one meal chucked in with a few goodies). Crazy price.

 

[Golfnut1957]

People are saying it will filter down to run of the mill clubs, it already has.

We have had a three day golfing trip for more years than I care to remember. My mate and I do the organising in alternate years, and we'll travel as far north as Fife, as far south as Lincoln and across to the west coast. We are not interested in premier courses, we look for gems at rock bottom prices. As an example last year it was Seacroft, Market Rasen and Kirkbymoorside, great golf and the fees for 4 rounds were around £100, total.

Fast forward 4 months, and I am looking into Septembers trip and I can't believe the prices I'm seeing, they seem to have shot up. I'm sure by the time I get around to booking them I'll find some good deals. but.

On the back of my research for the trip I decided to look into the fees for clubs around here. I'm truly shocked, they appear to have gone up around 33% to 50% on last year. Is it a covid, we have full membership and don't need you thing? I don't know but here's hoping the Opens make a return this year.

 

[sunshine]

People are saying it will filter down to run of the mill clubs, it already has.

We have had a three day golfing trip for more years than I care to remember. My mate and I do the organising in alternate years, and we'll travel as far north as Fife, as far south as Lincoln and across to the west coast. We are not interested in premier courses, we look for gems at rock bottom prices. As an example last year it was Seacroft, Market Rasen and Kirkbymoorside, great golf and the fees for 4 rounds were around £100, total.

Fast forward 4 months, and I am looking into Septembers trip and I can't believe the prices I'm seeing, they seem to have shot up. I'm sure by the time I get around to booking them I'll find some good deals. but.

On the back of my research for the trip I decided to look into the fees for clubs around here. I'm truly shocked, they appear to have gone up around 33% to 50% on last year. Is it a covid, we have full membership and don't need you thing? I don't know but here's hoping the Opens make a return this year.

I suspect this is probably more to do with COVID. They expect the course to be busy with members so will be limiting visitors this year.

 

[clubchamp98]

That is market forces in operation. The OCN isn't well known enough as a golf venue so offers discounts to encourage local residents to play.

I expect that the UK courses in the list above don't need to offer a tiered rack rate because there are enough visitors willing to pay full whack. A visitor is a visitor, Muirfield (for example) probably couldn't care less if that visitor comes from Edinburgh Scotland or Edinburgh Indiana.

Not well known enough ??? Really
It’s the best complex in Orlando area.
USPGA Q school , and where the pros go to see Leadbetter for their lessons.
It’s the best practice facility I have ever seen.
Two magnificent courses.

All Florida courses use residents rates even the really cheap ones.

 

[sunshine]

You asked about historical fees

A round on the Championship in 2015 (I know because I played it) at Carnoustie was £170 in 2021 it's £270.

I'm sure you can work out whether that's 'a similar price' for an American visitor this year.

Thanks.

So in 15 years the price went up a hundred quid from £70 to £170. Then it only took another 6 years to go up another 100 quid from £170 to £270

 

[davidy233]

Thanks.

So in 15 years the price went up a hundred quid from £70 to £170. Then it only took another 6 years to go up another 100 quid from £170 to £270

Don't disagree with that - I can give you the ten years or so before that - Played it in 1992 too - it was £30 then so it just over doubled in that eight years.

 

[Slime]

Of the nineteen courses listed, I've played them all with the exception of eighteen!
At those prices, I guess that'll be that.

 

[sunshine]

Not well known enough ??? Really
It’s the best complex in Orlando area.
USPGA Q school , and where the pros go to see Leadbetter for their lessons.
It’s the best practice facility I have ever seen.
Two magnificent courses.

All Florida courses use residents rates even the really cheap ones.

I'd never heard of it (admittedly I know very little about golf in the US) so I had to look it up: the two courses are ranked 64th and 89th in Florida. Hardly world beaters. I'll take your word that the courses are great, but people aren't going to be rushing from all over the US to play here, hosting Q school is no big deal.

 

[clubchamp98]

I'd never heard of it (admittedly I know very little about golf in the US) so I had to look it up: the two courses are ranked 64th and 89th in Florida. Hardly world beaters. I'll take your word that the courses are great, but people aren't going to be rushing from all over the US to play here, hosting Q school is no big deal.

There are so many good golf courses there those numbers mean nothing really.
Take it from me if you ever go there don’t miss a chance to play there it’s stunning.

 

[Rangers76]

After 2008 financial crash golf clubs were crying out for members and green fees in my area,South of London into Kent/Surrey. Prices crept up quite slowly really but the last few years have skyrocketed. I'm proud to say in 30 years of playing I've never paid the full rack rate anywhere, always use County card or get someone to sign us in guest fee.

 

[Liverbirdie]

I did think of posting a thread called "who does England golf represent".

I think they say the English clubs and their members, but I think they are failing the latter massively on this subject.

For people who say its market forces. Well do we just accept it if it eventually means that "our" courses are full of Americans, Asians and Europeans due to exchange rates and GDP? Courses that were built for and supported by us, and supported by our money for the first century of their existence most of the time. Quite a lot of those courses are also famous due to the Open, or British open, if you will.

The Scottish tend to offer county rates and Scottish resident rates, so why not do the same down here, and why arent England Golf pushing for this? Muirfield caved in due to pressure to admit female members, so why can't the same type of pressure be applied?

Even if they have the less popular times available for the discounted rates like late afternoon or during the week, even if your restricted to only getting that rate once every 2-3 years or something, so that the members dont get uppity, if the course is booked solidly due to reduced rates. IMO there should be rates throughout the UK and Ireland, with something along these lines, as follows:-

Same county, or neighbouring countie(s) - 50% discount

National rate (available to people or club members who are resident in that country) - 40% discount

GB & I rate - 30% discount

 

[evemccc]

I did think of posting a thread called "who does England golf represent".

I think they say the English clubs and their members, but I think they are failing the latter massively on this subject.

For people who say its market forces. Well do we just accept it if it eventually means that "our" courses are full of Americans, Asians and Europeans due to exchange rates and GDP? Courses that were built for and supported by us, and supported by our money for the first century of their existence most of the time. Quite a lot of those courses are also famous due to the Open, or British open, if you will.

The Scottish tend to offer county rates and Scottish resident rates, so why not do the same down here, and why arent England Golf pushing for this? Muirfield caved in due to pressure to admit female members, so why can't the same type of pressure be applied?

Even if they have the less popular times available for the discounted rates like late afternoon or during the week, even if your restricted to only getting that rate once every 2-3 years or something, so that the members dont get uppity, if the course is booked solidly due to reduced rates. IMO there should be rates throughout the UK and Ireland, with something along these lines, as follows:-

Same county, or neighbouring countie(s) - 50% discount

National rate (available to people or club members who are resident in that country) - 40% discount

GB & I rate - 30% discount

Very sensible, and I agree in the main.