Opens getting too expensive?

What @clubchamp98 said.

It's fine if your club open is a sell out but if it isn't then it looks poor on the day and it is better to have a busy course / clubhouse than a half empty one.
It’s also not a great look when members win all the prizes.

We played Northamptonshire County open last year and most of the prizes went to members with silly scores.
 
I’m playing the Central England Men’s Foresomes at Woodhall Spa this week.
£100 for minimum 4 rounds, possible
7 rounds.
Seems like a deal to me. Although if we get to the semi or final on Sunday I’ve promised my PP a buggy for Sunday.
That's a fantastic deal. Just been reading the rules and half of them are about how they decide who can enter. No wonder, I bet it's hugely oversubscribed. Good luck.
 
How would it work if it's mixed groups of members and visitors?
They did try and incorporate a team prize for a member and three visitors.
But most times there wasn’t enough teams.
It was all about getting people in the clubhouse spending their money.

They had a mixed open but I never played in it.
 
Good value but then you realise it’s foursomes with handicap and area restriction and they prioritise past entrants.

Will aim to play Hotchkin on a twilight later this year, but the non-EGU rates are a joke, so if they won’t accept my Wales County Card, I’ll be outta there!
There’s no location restriction.

I effectively paid £17 per round
 
We played in a mixed one this weekend. Winners had 93 points. My irritation with it is the results don't show which clubs they are from and also their handicaps. I like to look for banditry.
 
We played in a mixed one this weekend. Winners had 93 points. My irritation with it is the results don't show which clubs they are from and also their handicaps. I like to look for banditry.

I’ve played half a dozen opens this year and every one has been won by an absolutely ludicrous score. One which we could not have matched if we’d all played at our absolute best.

I’ve long since accepted that the purpose of opens is to play great courses with good mates and, now our group are all classed as seniors, for decent prices.

If I ever feature in a winning team I’ll show my backside in the window of my local Marks & Spencer.
 
Me & the Mrs like to play the Mixed 4BBB Opens, there aren't that many to chose from in our area, as most of them are Greensomes.
But we've played a few nice ones this season.
Interesting, as the clubs who have kept their prices reasonable have been sold out, the one exception who have really hiked up the price has only 10 pairs entered with the Open only 2x weeks away.

Much better economics to have a full course at a reasonable cost & participants spending in the pro shop & bar, than try to extort an entry fee that the course doesn't warrant & have a near empty startsheet.

We go just for a day out at another course with no preconceptions & take what comes.
If the price is good, we'll enter.
If we feel that we're being ripped off, we won't.
 
£40 for Clevedon yesterday.
£30 for Pyle and Kenfig on Thursday

Decent value these days.

As above, absolutely no chance at all of winning anything, our team are all honest players.

Sad reflection on amateur golf these days. Prizes are way too high and it encourages the wrong behaviours.
£30 for Pyle is reasonable, we paid £50 for the 4BB there last year and it certainly wasn’t value for money despite being a lot cheaper than the green fee.
 
We won't enter them if they are too expensive as it costs enough to be a member at ours! We enter them to have a cheap day out at another course. I do think though that letting people know the prize amounts prior to entry is wrong. Just encourages cheating imo.
 
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